public records lawsuits Tennessee Archives - Page 7 of 19 - Tennessee Coalition for Open Government

19 Aug, 2019

Court of Appeals reins in state’s expansive use of investigative exemption

By Deborah Fisher|2019-08-19T20:25:15-05:00August 19, 2019|Categories: investigative exemption, public records lawsuits Tennessee|Tags: Court of Appeals, Frank G. Clement Jr., investigative exemption, Janet Kleinfelter, Judge D. Michael Swiney, Judge Richard Dinkins, Phil Williams, TCOG news|1 Comment

The Tennessee Court of Appeals in a ruling on Friday put much-needed limits around the so-called investigative exemption that has been used by the state to cloak otherwise public records. "We hold that public records created in the ordinary course of business, which are non-investigative in nature, and which are otherwise accessible by Tennessee citizens under the TPRA (Tennessee Public Records Act), do not subsequently become exempt from disclosure because of the initiation of a criminal investigation in which those records become relevant," the Court ruled in Scripps Media, Inc. v. Tennessee Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services. Williams requested travel, other ordinary public records from state News [...]

29 Apr, 2019

Sociology professor studying immigration files public records suit against Knox County sheriff

By Deborah Fisher|2020-11-19T12:41:58-06:00April 29, 2019|Categories: crime records, public records lawsuits Tennessee|Tags: arrest records, Knox County Sheriff, Meghan Conley, police records|0 Comments

A sociology professor who researches immigration enforcement has filed a public records lawsuit against the Knox County Sheriff, claiming the office has repeatedly violated the law in denying and delaying access to public records. Meghan Conley has made a series of requests over the past 19 months for records related to the sheriff's office's 287(g) program that started almost two years ago. Meghan Conley, a sociology professor at University of Tennessee, has filed a public records lawsuit against the Knox County Sheriff after making a series of public records request related to immigration enforcement. Under the 287(g) program, the Knox County Sheriff's Office is authorized by U.S. Immigration and Customs [...]

25 Mar, 2019

TCOG, Associated Press, Gannett, Sinclair, others file amicus brief in “investigative records” case

By Deborah Fisher|2019-03-25T17:23:11-05:00March 25, 2019|Categories: public records lawsuits Tennessee, Tennessee Coalition for Open Government|Tags: Chancellor Anne Martin, Court of Appeals, investigative exemption, NewsChannel 5, Paul McAdoo, Phil Williams, Tennessean v. Metro Government of Nashville and Davidson County|1 Comment

Several news organizations and the Tennessee Coalition for Open Government have filed an amicus brief in a case under appeal in which ordinary public records were swept into an investigative file and then deemed confidential. The case, Scripps Media, Inc., v. Tennessee Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services and TBI, arose after Nashville NewsChannel 5 investigative reporter Phil Williams requested travel records, phone logs and credit card purchase summaries from the two state agencies. The agencies denied the request, citing the law enforcement "investigation" exemption. The records, they explained, had been requested by the district attorney as part of an investigation into potential misuse of funds. NewsChannel 5 [...]

16 Oct, 2018

Judge rules against Phil Williams saying public records can be withheld if relevant to an investigation

By Deborah Fisher|2019-03-25T16:42:24-05:00October 16, 2018|Categories: public records lawsuits Tennessee|Tags: Chancellor Anne Martin, Deputy Attorney General Janet Kleinfelter, investigative exemption, Jason Locke, NewsChannel 5, Phil Williams, Ron Harris, TBI|0 Comments

Another blow was dealt to public records access in Tennessee this month when NewsChannel 5 lost a case in Chancery Court in Davidson County related to a recent controversy involving former TBI Director Jason Locke. Nashville investigative reporter Phil Williams had requested travel records, phone logs and credit card purchase summaries, among other records, after allegations arose that Locke had been conducting an affair with another state official using public resources. Around the same time of the public records request, the Davidson County district attorney began an investigation into the allegations. Though Williams had made his request to the Tennessee Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services and to [...]

6 Aug, 2018

NewsChannel 5 files suit after denied access to Jason Locke travel reimbursement records

By Deborah Fisher|2018-08-06T08:46:08-05:00August 6, 2018|Categories: investigative exemption, public records lawsuits Tennessee|Tags: Chancellor Russell Perkins, Deputy Attorney General Janet Kleinfelter, emails, Glenn Funk, Jason Locke, NewsChannel 5, Phil Williams, Ron Harris, TBI, Tennessean v. Metro Government of Nashville and Davidson County, travel records|0 Comments

NewsChannel 5 has filed a public records lawsuit after it was denied access to travel reimbursement and phone records related to former acting TBI director Jason Locke's alleged affair with another state official. Jason Locke, former acting director of the TBI. A public records request for his travel reimbursements was denied on the basis that Locke was under criminal investigation. Locke is being investigated for misuse of state funds during an affair with another state official. The Nashville news station's chief investigative reporter Phil Williams also was denied access to email communications between Locke and the official, Sejal West, who was the deputy commission of the Tennessee Department of [...]

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