Fisher/Gordon v. Board of Parole

245 P.3d 671, 239 Or. App. 603
CourtCourt of Appeals of Oregon
DecidedDecember 22, 2010
DocketA142990 (Control), A143153
StatusPublished

This text of 245 P.3d 671 (Fisher/Gordon v. Board of Parole) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Appeals of Oregon primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Fisher/Gordon v. Board of Parole, 245 P.3d 671, 239 Or. App. 603 (Or. Ct. App. 2010).

Opinion

245 P.3d 671 (2010)
239 Or. App. 603

Randy D. FISHER, Petitioner,
v.
BOARD OF PAROLE AND POST-PRISON SUPERVISION, Respondent.
Dennis Leroy Gordon, Petitioner,
v.
Board of Parole and Post-Prison Supervision, Respondent.

A142990 (Control), A143153.

Court of Appeals of Oregon.

In A142990, on Respondent's Motion to Reconsider Order July 29, 2010.
Petitioner's Response August 24, 2010.
In A143153, on Petitioner's Motion for Leave to Inspect Sealed Material in Agency Record July 9, 2010.
Respondent's Response August 6, 2010.
Decided December 22, 2010.

*672 Peter Gartlan, Chief Defender, and David C. Degner, Deputy Public Defender, Office of Public Defense Services, for petitioner Randy D. Fisher's motion.

Peter Gartlan, Chief Defender, and Stephanie J. Hortsch, Deputy Public Defender, Office of Public Defense Services, for petitioner Dennis Leroy Gordon's motion.

John R. Kroger, Attorney General, David B. Thompson, Interim Solicitor General, and Matthew J. Lysne, Assistant Attorney General, contra.

Before WOLLHEIM, Presiding Judge, and BREWER, Chief Judge.

WOLLHEIM, P.J.

In these two consolidated cases,[1] petitioners seek judicial review of decisions by the Board of Parole and Post-Prison Supervision (board) denying or deferring their parole release dates. On review, each petitioner filed a motion requesting that this court issue an order allowing appellate counsel to view the confidential sealed information on which the board relied in making its decision. For the reasons discussed below, we conclude that each petitioner's counsel should be allowed to view the confidential sealed information on which the board relied in making its decision.

I. FISHER v. BOARD OF PAROLE AND POST-PRISON SUPERVISION

In 1985, petitioner Fisher was convicted of aggravated felony murder, murder, rape in the first degree, and attempted rape in the first degree. He was sentenced to life imprisonment without the possibility of parole for 20 years for the aggravated felony murder conviction and to 20 years for the rape conviction. On September 19, 2007, the board held a murder review hearing to determine petitioner's parole release date. The board denied petitioner a parole release date because petitioner had failed to demonstrate that he was likely to be rehabilitated within a reasonable time. Fisher sought administrative review, asserting that his rights were violated when the board did not disclose to him the materials on which the board relied *673 on in making its decision. The board responded that the sealed materials were exempt from disclosure because they were submitted in confidence and disclosure of the sealed materials would substantially prejudice or prevent the carrying out of the board's functions, and the public interest in confidentiality outweighed the public interest in disclosure.

On judicial review, Fisher's appellate counsel filed a motion to inspect the sealed material, relying on ORAP 3.07. The board opposed the motion, arguing that disclosure was not in the public interest. The board also stated that the confidential sealed materials were not critical to the board's decision and the board would withdraw its order and issue a new order without considering the confidential sealed materials rather than reveal them.

The Appellate Commissioner reviewed the parties' submissions and the confidential sealed materials, and granted Fisher's motion to inspect the confidential sealed materials. The commissioner explained:

"The court recognizes that the board's ability to protect community safety could be compromised if those with information about an inmate were inhibited from sharing that information with the board because the board could not provide confidentiality. However, disclosure to counsel alone does not implicate that concern. Petitioner argues that disclosure to his counsel is necessary for petitioner to obtain meaningful judicial review and for counsel to satisfy his professional obligations to his client. Given the compelling arguments raised by petitioner, the court concludes that the board has not met its burden of showing that the public interest in confidentiality clearly outweighs the public interest in disclosure."

In allowing counsel to inspect the confidential sealed materials, the commissioner imposed the following conditions: (1) petitioner's counsel was not permitted to inspect the sealed material until counsel had submitted a statement that counsel would not disclose the material to petitioner and, if necessary, would file a redacted or confidential brief; and (2) counsel must comply with a court order barring further disclosure of the sealed material. Further, because the board maintained that the confidential sealed materials were not essential to its decision and it would withdraw the order rather than allow inspection by petitioner's counsel, the commissioner gave the board seven days from the date of the commissioner's order to withdraw the board's order on review.

Instead of withdrawing the order, the board filed an emergency motion under ORAP 7.35 to stay the order in part so as to prohibit counsel from inspecting the confidential records until the court decided the board's motion for reconsideration. The board also asked that, in the event that the court denied the board's motion for reconsideration, the court stay the order for at least seven days after the court's decision. The commissioner granted the board's motion to stay and we now reconsider the commissioner's order.

The issue on reconsideration is whether the board must disclose the confidential sealed materials to appellate counsel. The board does not dispute that it is a public body and that the sealed documents are public records under ORS chapter 192. Under ORS 192.420(1), "Every person has a right to inspect any public record of a public body in this state, except as otherwise expressly provided by ORS 192.501 to 192.505."[2] Disclosure is the norm; the public body must justify an exclusion. Guard Publishing Co. v. Lane County School Dist., 310 Or. 32, 39, 791 P.2d 854 (1990). A public entity that withholds public records from disclosure has the burden of proving an exemption on judicial review. ORS 192.420(1); Mail Tribune, Inc. v. Winters, 236 Or.App. 91, 95, 237 P.3d 831 (2010). "To satisfy that burden, a public body must establish exemptions from disclosure `on an individualized basis.'" Mail Tribune, 236 Or.App. at 95, 237 P.3d 831 (quoting Guard Publishing, 310 Or. at 39, 791 P.2d 854).

ORS 144.130

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Related

Turner v. Reed
538 P.2d 373 (Court of Appeals of Oregon, 1975)
Guard Publishing Co. v. Lane County School District No. 4J
791 P.2d 854 (Oregon Supreme Court, 1990)
Mail Tribune, Inc. v. Winters
237 P.3d 831 (Court of Appeals of Oregon, 2010)
Fisher/Gordon v. Board of Parole
245 P.3d 671 (Court of Appeals of Oregon, 2010)

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Bluebook (online)
245 P.3d 671, 239 Or. App. 603, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/fishergordon-v-board-of-parole-orctapp-2010.