Thursday, March 25, 2010

KY High Court Backs Paper on Open Records Law Request

Great Seal of the State of KentuckyImage via Wikipedia
In Central Kentucky News-Journal v. Hon. Doughlas M. George (Case No. 2009-SC-000018-MR), the Kentucky Supreme Court this week reversed the Kentucky Court of Appeals, ruling that the twice-weekly newspaper is entitled to sealed settlement agreements from two lawsuits filed by a teacher against the Campbellsville school district and the Taylor County school board.

Teacher Katherine Moss sued the school district, claiming she was sexually harassed, and the school board for not hiring her. The News-Journal, which is owned by Landmark Community Newspapers, LLC, sought a writ of mandamus requiring trial Judge Doughlas M. George to grant access to sealed confidential settlement agreements, which the Court of Appeals denied.

Kentucky's High Court said the agreements must be disclosed pursuant to Kentucky's Open Records Act (KRS 61.870 to 61.884). Justice Will Scott wrote the statute presumes a public interest in the "free and open examination  of public records." The school boards argued the Open Records Act's privacy exemption applied, but the Court noted that taxpayer money paid the premiums on the insurance policy out of which the school boards paid the settlement proceeds.




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1 comment:

  1. How gay is the state seal of Kentucky? You've got a guy in drag grabbing a man in a suit with the stated intention of uniting with him standing up - and don't try to blame it on too much bourbon. Looks like their cash crop is "smoking butts" and I don't mean tobacco. Their Louisville Sluggers are probably standing at attention, too. No one downs like Churchill Downs.

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