“font-family: Verdana”>New Orleans’ daily newspaper has sued the
city, seeking various public records, including the credit card
statements of city employees and the e-mails of the city recovery
chief and the head of the city library
system.
“font-family: Verdana”>The Times-Picayune filed the suit Tuesday in
Civil District Court. The newspaper says the city has not fulfilled
three separate records requests filed between May and
December.
“font-family: Verdana”>The newspaper also has intervened in a
separate lawsuit that seeks to block the release of New Orleans
Police Department records of internal investigations into police
officers, including those involved in a fatal New Year’s Eve
shooting.
“font-family: Verdana”>State public records law requires government
organizations to answer requests within three days and, if a
request is denied, to provide a legal reason for keeping the
documents from public view.
“font-family: Verdana”>In the suit, which also names Mayor Ray
Nagin as a defendant, the newspaper acknowledges the city responded
to the requests, saying its attorneys need to review the e-mails
for legally privileged information. But, it says, the
administration provided no timeline for that
review.
“font-family: Verdana”>The suit says the city also provided some
records related to employees’ use of credit cards, but did not
provide eight months of statements from 2006.
“font-family: Verdana”>In the lawsuit involving police records, the
newspaper contends that Civil District Judge Robin Giarrusso erred
in granting a temporary restraining order to the Fraternal Order of
Police, the Police Association of New Orleans and the Black
Organization of Police.
“font-family: Verdana”>The organizations sued in response to a
records request by the Times-Picayune. Giarrusso’s order prohibits
the release of any record involving a current or former police
officer.
“font-family: Verdana”>Before the court issued the order, the
Police Department conceded that the records were legally public and
promised to deliver them to the newspaper by March
13.
“font-family: Verdana”>___
“font-family: Verdana”>Information from: The
Times-Picayune,
“http://www.nola.com/”>
“font-family: Verdana”>http://www.nola.com
