traffic accident reports Archives - Tennessee Coalition for Open Government

9 Apr, 2020

Memphis ordered to pay attorney’s fees for violating public records law over traffic accident reports

By Deborah Fisher|2020-04-09T12:54:36-05:00April 9, 2020|Categories: public records lawsuits Tennessee|Tags: attorney's fees, Bradley Jetmore, Doug Pierce, Memphis, traffic accident reports|1 Comment

Memphis and Nashville have both lost public records lawsuits over the past two years in which they were found to willfully violate the public records law in not releasing traffic accident report information or delaying release. Combined, the cities had to pay more than $234,690 in attorney's fees and court costs to Bradley Jetmore, who brought the litigation. (Photo, public domain via Wikimedia) The City of Memphis in March was ordered to pay $107,687 in attorney's fees in a public records case in which it was found to willfully violate the law in redacting public information from traffic accident reports. It was the second case won by Bradley Jetmore involving [...]

22 May, 2019

2019 Legislative Report: New exemptions to Public Records Act, and bills that failed or were delayed

By Deborah Fisher|2021-10-14T14:32:58-05:00May 22, 2019|Categories: economic development, exemptions, Legislature, Public Records|Tags: 911 calls, anti-slapp, college sports, confidentiality agreements, economic development, harassment, jail booking mug shots, juvenile court records, meeting agendas, photos of public records, school bus video, settlement agreements, sexual harassment, tax credits, Tennessee State Museum, trade secrets, traffic accident reports|0 Comments

Following is a list of new public records exemptions and other public record laws passed by the 111th General Assembly, plus some proposals that failed or were delayed until next year. TCOG 2019 Legislative Report (If you would like to print this, here is the legislative report in PDF format without photos.) The new exemptions add to a list that is nearing 600. Citizens can expect some bills related to public records to re-emerge when the Legislature reconvenes Jan. 14, 2020. One of the more significant bills that was delayed, but attracted a lot of attention late in the session, would create a process for an injunction against a public [...]

25 Mar, 2019

House Transportation Committee to take up traffic accident report bill

By Deborah Fisher|2020-04-09T09:10:26-05:00March 25, 2019|Categories: Legislature|Tags: State Rep. Jason Powell, State Sen. Becky Massey, traffic accident reports|0 Comments

A bill that would make certain information on traffic accident reports confidential is scheduled to be taken up by the House Transportation Committee on Tuesday. The amended version of the bill has already passed the full Senate on a 33-0 vote. The legislation, HB1107 / SB1346 would make confidential "personally identifying information of any person named in any motor vehicle accident report." Personally identifying information is defined as a person's home street address and zip code, telephone number, driver's license number and insurance information. In introducing the bill in the Senate State and Local Government Committee, state Sen. Becky Massey, R-Knoxville, told lawmakers that the bill does allow the press [...]

10 Feb, 2019

Nashville, Knoxville lawmakers seek to make names in traffic accident reports confidential

By Deborah Fisher|2020-04-09T09:10:14-05:00February 10, 2019|Categories: exemptions, Legislature|Tags: State Rep. Jason Powell, State Sen. Becky Massey, traffic accident reports|2 Comments

A Nashville representative and Knoxville senator have filed bills that would make parts of traffic accident reports confidential, including the names of people involved in the accident. State Rep. Jason Powell, D-Nashville, represents part of Davidson County. Rep. Jason Powell, D-Nashville, and Sen. Becky Massey, R-Knoxville, have filed HB 1107 and SB 1346. The bills which would make the names of people involved in traffic accidents confidential, along with their addresses, dates of birth, telephone numbers, driver license numbers and insurance information. Some of this information in a law enforcement traffic accident report, such as a person's driver's license number and other personal information, is already confidential under [...]

15 Jun, 2018

Are addresses and phone numbers in accident reports confidential?

By Deborah Fisher|2020-11-19T12:31:06-06:00June 15, 2018|Categories: public records lawsuits Tennessee|Tags: attorney's fees, Bradley Jetmore, Doug Pierce, Memphis, traffic accident reports|0 Comments

Are address and phone numbers in accident reports confidential? A Memphis judge on June 6 said no in Bradley Jetmore v. City of Memphis, affirming that such information is public record and should be accessible to the public. The case originated after the City of Memphis in November 2017 stopped allowing public access to the reports and specifically to the driver information in the report. Doug Pierce with King & Ballow Memphis, like other cities, have for years provided public access to accident reports. But in October 2017, it was sued in federal court (Price v. City of Memphis), alleging that it was violating the federal Driver Privacy Protection [...]