Complainants sought access to a Pawtucket Police Department internal affairs report. The City denied the request on the grounds that disclosure would constitute a clearly unwarranted invasion of personal privacy. After reviewing the internal affairs report in camera, using case law for guidance,...
The Western Coventry Fire District ("Fire District") violated the OMA when it untimely posted on the Secretary of State's website approved minutes of seven (7) of its meetings. The Fire District also violated the OMA when the evidence revealed that it failed to post official and/or approved...
This Department initiated an APRA investigation against the Fire District for failure to timely comply with R.I. Gen. Laws § 38-2-3.16. See R.I. Gen. Laws § 38-2-8(d). The evidence showed that despite repeated notice from this Department and despite the District's assurances that the...
The Department of Environmental Management ("DEM") did not violate the APRA when it withheld from disclosure a document prepared within a client/attorney relationship, and therefore, not deemed public pursuant to R.I. Gen. Laws § 38-2-2(4)(A)(I)(a). Based upon case law from the Rhode Island and...
The West Warwick Board of Canvassers ("Board") violated the OMA during its October 27, 2014 meeting when it discussed an item not listed on the agenda. More specifically, the Board discussed and voted on procedures regarding poll worker contact, yet that item was not listed on the agenda. During...
Attorney General Peter F. Kilmartin today announced that the Office of Attorney General filed a lawsuit in Rhode Island Superior Court citing the Warwick Retirement Board for a willful or knowing violation of the Rhode Island Open Meetings Act (OMA) when the Board held a meeting on less than 48...
After viewing all the evidence presented, this Department determined sufficient evidence to conclude that the Warwick Retirement Board knowingly or willfully violated the OMA when it posted notice and convened its March 4, 2015 meeting on less than forty-eight (48) hours notice and when it...
Attorney General Peter F. Kilmartin today announced that the Office of Attorney General has reached a settlement agreement with the Manville Fire Department for violations of the Access to Public Records Act (APRA) for failing to provide a timely response to an APRA request. Under the terms of the...
The Complainant alleged that EOHHS failed to comply with R.I. Gen. Laws § 38-2-3(e) when it extended the time to respond to the two (2) APRA requests without providing a "particularized" explanation, and that EOHSS did not have "good cause" to extend the time to respond to a December 10, 2014 ...
The Warwick Retirement Board violated the OMA when it held a meeting on less than forty-eight (48) hours notice, see R.I. Gen. Laws § 42-46-6(b), and when it discussed matters not appropriate for closed session in closed session at its March 18 meeting. See R.I. Gen. Laws § 42-46-5(7). Based...
