News about FOIA

From Michigan Transparency Wiki

Recent News Stories in Michigan involving FOIA

2010 FOIA news events

• January 5, 2010. Oral argument in Howell Education Association v. Howell Public Schools & Chetly Zarko "reverse FOIA" case dealing with teacher e-mails.
  Michigan Court of Appeals Docket link. 11:30am, Court of Appeals, Lansing, MI.

2009 FOIA news events

• December 31, 2009, Former supervisor sues township over requests for information: Koop believes fees unreasonable, records wrongly withheld. [1], Tri-County Times. Fees, accounting records, lawsuit in Oakland County Circuit Court.
• December 30, 2009, Liddy to receive payout to leave city police, [2], Spinal Column. Public corruption, misuse of public resources, FOIA. Police chief used government credit card at strip bars and for personal use.
• December 29, 2009, Report on Roosevelt Park councilman's residency to remain secret, [3] The Muskegon Chronicle. Elected candidate's residency challenged, investigated, and investigation FOIA'd. FOIA denial, privacy and attorney-client privilege.
• December 19, 2009 Obtaining Freedom of Information Documents can get very expensive, [4] The Macomb Daily.
  
• December 17, 2009 Mackinac Center FOIA to State Police Returns $6.9 million fee estimate.
• December 17, 2009 Allegan News, Breen-City FOIA suit settled ... or is it?.
  

Story discusses circuit-court level case of John W. Breen v. City of Saugatuck, where a settlement was signed by both parties attorneys but apparently without consent of plaintiff. City defendant alleges Breen to be a high-volume requestor whose intent is to harass and burden city and accuses him of being a threat of physical violence to city officials. The city is also seeking to curtail Breen's use of FOIA in the long-run.

• November 25, 2009 C & G News, City ordered to pay settlement reached on wrongful arrest lawsuit.
  Deeper Analysis: City Attorney Actually Tells Court he was "Buying their Silence" with attempted settlement agreement.
  
• August 12, 2009 Musicraft, Inc and others file an OMA/FOIA lawsuit on August 11, 2009 against City of Ann Arbor for closed meetings and refusals to release records related to parking garage construction issue. ArborUpdate, a collection of citizen journalists in Ann Arbor, analyze it and include a link and inset to the actual complaint filed in the litigation.

Historical FOIA requests and their consequences

• 1996 FOIA request of University of Michigan admissions documents leads to major historical United States Supreme Court ruling in 2003 on affirmative action and race preference issues and later to 2006 ballot initiative and voter change of Michigan Constitution. Whether or not one agrees or disagrees with or likes the outcomes on this major controversial issue, the impact of FOIA as a trigger to these events is highlight by the Wikipedia entry for Professor Carl Cohen. It is perhaps the most historic FOIA in Michigan history.

Other Links

• National Freedom of Information Coalition (NFOIC), a non-profit defender of FOIA rights and resource for FOIA requestors.
• Go to FOIA litigation archive for other FOIA lawsuits.
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