attorneys’ fees

3 Mar, 2014

Chattanooga should not appeal open records ruling

By |2018-11-16T15:13:04-06:00March 3, 2014|Categories: public records lawsuits Tennessee|Tags: , , |0 Comments

The Open Records Act in Tennessee has bite. Because the city of Chattanooga was found to be willful and dishonest in denying public records to citizen Rebecca Little, an appeals court said it must pay her attorneys’ fees and costs: $71,343. Citizens shouldn’t have to sue to get their local government to follow the law. Such a case is never easy. It took three years. The city appealed one decision to the Tennessee Supreme Court, which declined to hear it. The city could try again over the latest Appeals Court ruling on the amount of fees, further dragging out the case, creating more costs for both sides. It has until [...]

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20 Feb, 2014

Rebecca Little discusses what led to her public records lawsuit

By |2018-11-16T15:12:28-06:00February 20, 2014|Categories: public records lawsuits Tennessee|Tags: , , , |0 Comments

Victors in a public records lawsuit: The Little family owns Tennessee RiverPlace, a bed and breakfast in Lookout Valley in Chattanooga. Rebecca Little won a public records lawsuit with the city, but the family continues to fight over services Chattanooga promised during annexation in the 1970s but hasn't delivered. I talked with Rebecca Little this morning about her victory at the appeals court last week in her public records lawsuit. The appeals court on Friday overturned Hamilton County Chancellor W. Frank Brown in Little's public records case against the city of Chattanooga – ruling that the city must reimburse Little $71,343 in attorney fees and other costs to [...]

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20 Feb, 2014

Chattanooga must pay woman $71K for attorney fees in public records lawsuit

By |2018-11-16T15:08:52-06:00February 20, 2014|Categories: public records lawsuits Tennessee|Tags: , , , , , |1 Comment

  Rebecca Little sued the city of Chattanooga after it didn't respond to her public records request as required by state law. She was trying to find out the progress of services promised for an annexed area. An appeals court says the city owes her $71K in attorney's fees because it was "willful" in not following the state's Open Records Act.   A Tennessee appeals court last week sent a strong message in a public records lawsuit against the city of Chattanooga, ordering the trial court to award the full $71,343 in attorney fees and expenses incurred by the citizen who brought the case. It was the second [...]

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