WASHINGTON - A U.S. Bankruptcy Court judge wants two rejected Chrysler dealers to see sealed company e-mails personally critical of them -- documents their lawyers say will support a claim that the stores were closed for reasons other than performance, Automotive News reported.

U.S. Bankruptcy Judge Arthur Gonzalez in New York said that his “initial reaction” was to unseal the e-mails for possible use in arbitration by former Chrysler dealers Jim Tarbox of North Kingstown, R.I., and Mark Calisi of Riverhead, N.Y., a transcript of the hearing shows.

The 2009 e-mails by Chrysler managers criticized the dealers for being litigious, according to copies that have surfaced in the public domain.

The Chrysler e-mails about Tarbox and Calisi open the door on a decision-making process that some dealers maintain was marred by personal pique. What's not yet clear is whether the e-mails will have any influence beyond the arbitrations of those two dealers.

The judge expressed support for a Chrysler offer -- which reversed its earlier position -- to provide the e-mails to Tarbox and Calisi, subject to a confidentiality agreement that they not share them with other dealers in arbitration, according to a hearing transcript provided to Automotive News by Chrysler.