June 22, 2016

Challenging the denial of a Freedom of Information Law request on the representation that the records are exempt from disclosure


Challenging the denial of a Freedom of Information Law request on the representation that the records are exempt from disclosure
2016 NY Slip Op 04417

The petitioner [Petitioner] in this CPLR Article 78 action had filed a Freedom of Information Law [FOIL] request with the custodian of police department records relating to a recent criminal investigation of allegations concerning events that occurred more than 25 years ago. The custodian of the records denied the request, claiming that the entire case file was exempt from FOIL disclosure.

After an unsuccessful administrative appeal, Petitioner initiated litigation to compel the custodian to produce the case file. Supreme Court denied the petition and dismissed the proceeding. Petitioner appealed the Supreme Court’s decision.

The Appellate Division commenced its review of the Petitioner’s appeal by noting:

1. In a proceeding pursuant to CPLR Article 78 to compel the production of material pursuant to FOIL, the custodian of the records denying access has the burden of demonstrating that the material requested falls within a statutory exemption, which exemptions are to be narrowly construed;

2. The denial requires the entity resisting disclosure to articulate a particularized and specific justification for denying access and conclusory assertions that certain records fall within a statutory exemption are not sufficient; evidentiary support is needed; and

3. If the court is unable to determine whether withheld documents fall entirely within the scope of the asserted exemption, it should conduct an in camera* inspection of representative documents and order disclosure of all nonexempt, appropriately redacted, material.

The Appellate Division also noted that Public Officers Law §87(2)(a) provides that a custodian may deny access to records or portions thereof that "are specifically exempted from disclosure by state** or federal statute" while Civil Rights Law §50-b(1) provides a statutory exemption from disclosure for documents that tend to identify the victim of a sex offense. 

However, said the court, Civil Rights Law §50-b(1) "does not justify a blanket denial of a request for any documents relating to a sex crime. If a requested document does not contain information that tends to identify the victim of a sex crime, and the FOIL request is otherwise valid, the document must be disclosed." Further, the custodian must make a particularized showing that “the statutory exemption from disclosure pursuant to Civil Rights Law §50-b(1) applies to all the records that the petitioner seeks.”

The Appellate Division said that Supreme Court should have conducted an in camera inspection to determine whether the entire case file falls within the exemption from disclosure of Civil Rights Law §50-b(1) as any document in the case file containing identifying information is protected by Civil Rights Law §50-b(1) would be categorically excluded in its entirety and not subject to redaction or deletion.

Accordingly, the Appellate Division remanded the matter to Supreme Court for a new determination based upon the court’s in camera inspection of the records claimed to be exempt from disclosure.  
* An inspection of the documents is to held by the judge in his or her private chambers.

** The release of some public records is limited by statute [see, for example, Education Law, §1127 - Confidentiality of records; §33.13, Mental Hygiene Law - Clinical records; confidentiality]. Otherwise an individual is not required to submit a FOIL request as a condition precedent to obtaining public records where access is not barred by statute unless the custodian of the public record[s] sought declines to “voluntarily” provide the information or record requested. In such cases the individual or organization is required to file a FOIL request to obtain the information. It should also be noted that there is no bar to providing information pursuant to a FOIL request, or otherwise, that falls within one or more of the FOIL exceptions that the custodian could rely upon in denying a FOIL request, in whole or in part, for the information or records demanded.

The decision is posted on the Internet at: