Consequently Drew initiated an internal County grievance proceeding which culminated in her reinstatement as Deputy Chief Public Defender. Roberta Drew (Drew), then-Deputy Chief Defender, applied to be Interim Chief Defender, but the County hired Curtis Bevolden (Bevolden) instead. ¶ 4 Yellowstone County's Chief Public Defender, Sanford Selvey II (Selvey), resigned due in part to misconduct by Selvey toward Sarah Schopfer (Schopfer), an investigator who worked in the Office. The facts underlying those cases are not at issue here, but are essential to understanding the case we now consider. ¶ 3 Various lawsuits brought against the County concerning the operation of Yellowstone County's Public Defenders Office (Office) spawned the dispute now before us. We reverse and remand.ġ. Whether Montana's constitutional right to know gives the Gazette a right to inspect the entirety of the Interim Chief Public Defender's deposition testimony.Ģ. Whether the Gazette should receive costs and attorney fees for enforcing the public's right to know. On appeal the Gazette seeks (1) access to the redacted portions of the Interim Chief Public Defender's deposition, and (2) costs and attorney fees. The District Court determined that all documents requested by the Gazette should be disclosed with some redactions, and denied the Gazette's request for costs and attorney fees. The County filed a declaratory action in the District Court seeking a determination of which documents must be disclosed to the Gazette, and which documents should be shielded from public inspection in the interest of individual privacy. ¶ 1 The Billings Gazette (Gazette) sought access to public documents held by Yellowstone County (County) concerning civil litigation brought against the County and county officials. Stacey, Stacey & Funyak, Billings, Montana. Decided: September 06, 2006įor Appellants: Martha Sheehy, Sheehy Law Firm, Billings, Montana. BILLINGS GAZETTE, a division of Lee Enterprises, L. YELLOWSTONE COUNTY, Plaintiff and Respondent, v.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |