requests Archives - Page 7 of 11 - Tennessee Coalition for Open Government

4 Oct, 2016

Metro Nashville must pay nearly $57K in attorneys fees in public records case

By Deborah Fisher|2020-04-09T09:09:40-05:00October 4, 2016|Categories: public records lawsuits Tennessee, requests|Tags: Alex Friedmann, attorneys' fees, Bradley Jetmore, Doug Pierce, Judge Robert E. Lee Davies, Metro Nashville, promptly, public records request, traffic accident reports|0 Comments

Senior Judge Robert E. Lee Davies ordered Metro Nashville to pay nearly $57K in attorneys fees to a public records requester, saying that the city "misinterpreted and ignored the 'promptness' requirement" in the Tennessee Public Records Act. Davies found the city was willful in not complying with the law, a requirement for awarding attorneys fees in a public records lawsuit. Senior Judge Robert E. Lee Davies orders Metro Nashville to pay attorneys fees in public records case that challenged the city's delay in releasing records. Plaintiff Bradley Jetmore filed a lawsuit against the city, claiming Metro Nashville's police department records division had begun delaying release of traffic reports after about [...]

7 Sep, 2016

Open Records Counsel begins work on model public records policy

By Deborah Fisher|2016-10-10T14:30:00-05:00September 7, 2016|Categories: Office of Open Records Counsel, requests, Tennessee Coalition for Open Government|Tags: Ann Butterworth, fees, model public records policy, Office of Open Records Counsel, requests|0 Comments

Open Records Counsel Ann Butterworth told members of the Advisory Committee on Open Government last week that she hopes to have a final version of a new model public records policy finished by Dec. 15 A new state law requires all government authorities to adopt a public records policy for their government entity by July 1, 2017, and outlines new requirements that must be included. The legislation also instructed the Office of Open Records Counsel to develop a "model best practices and public records policy", working with the Advisory Committee on Open Government, that could be used by governing authorities as a guide. So far, only Tennessee Coalition for Open Government has [...]

2 Sep, 2016

Tennessee School Boards Association files amicus in Sumner Schools public records appeal

By Deborah Fisher|2019-12-19T14:23:57-06:00September 2, 2016|Categories: public records lawsuits Tennessee, requests|Tags: Court of Appeals, Judge Dee David Gay, Ken Jakes, Sumner County School Board, Tennessee School Boards Association|0 Comments

The Tennessee School Boards Association, which collects dues and represents nearly all school districts in the state, has filed an amicus with the Court of Appeals in a public records case against the Sumner County Board of Education. From left: Citizen Ken Jakes and Sumner Schools attorneys Todd Presnell and Jim Fuqua listen the judge's ruling that the school district violated the Tennessee Public Records Act. The Sumner County school district hopes to overturn a ruling by a judge that it violated the Tennessee Public Records Act when it refused to let citizen activist Ken Jakes see a copy of its public records policy. The school board argued that [...]

26 Aug, 2016

Judge says Nashville violated law by not providing public records promptly

By Deborah Fisher|2016-10-04T07:45:21-05:00August 26, 2016|Categories: public records lawsuits Tennessee, requests|Tags: Doug Pierce, Judge Robert E. Lee Davies, Metro Nashville, promptly, public records lawsuit, public records request|0 Comments

In what may be the first legal challenge to government delays on public records requests in Tennessee under a 2008 law, a judge has ruled that Metro Nashville violated the “prompt” provision in the statute by holding up traffic accident reports. Senior Judge Robert E. Lee Davies ordered the city to provide access to the reports within 72 hours of their creation. He also found that Metro Nashville Police Department’s request form did not comply with the Public Records Act because it stated that the city had “seven business days to process” a records request, which is contrary to law. Many requesters, including journalists across the state, often complain that [...]

26 Apr, 2016

15 decisions on public records by the Tennessee Legislature in 2016

By Deborah Fisher|2018-11-09T08:23:32-06:00April 26, 2016|Categories: court records, crime records, exemptions, fees, Legislature, Office of Open Records Counsel, requests|Tags: birth certificates, civil asset forfeiture, court records, death certificates, drones, exemptions, fees for public records, government contracts, legislature, police body cameras, police records, police shootings, public notice, tax records, TBI, vendor confidentiality|1 Comment

This year, Tennessee lawmakers punted on public records bills that could have created new access rights to see police body camera video and files of finished investigations into officer-involved shootings. But they did pass several new laws — some that exempted more government information from public view, and others that hold promise for improving government transparency. Following is a roundup of action by the Tennessee Legislature related to public records and access. 1- Police body cameras: After a late-in-session effort to pass a body camera bill and disagreement among stakeholders, the House State Government Committee instructed the Advisory Committee on Open Government to study the issue and provide them with [...]