Laut v. City of Arnold

417 S.W.3d 315, 2013 WL 6235676, 2013 Mo. App. LEXIS 1439
CourtMissouri Court of Appeals
DecidedDecember 3, 2013
DocketNo. ED 99424
StatusPublished
Cited by11 cases

This text of 417 S.W.3d 315 (Laut v. City of Arnold) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Missouri Court of Appeals primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Laut v. City of Arnold, 417 S.W.3d 315, 2013 WL 6235676, 2013 Mo. App. LEXIS 1439 (Mo. Ct. App. 2013).

Opinion

Introduction

GARY M. GAERTNER, Jr., Judge.

Rachel Laut (Laut) and John Soellner (Soellner) (collectively referred to as Appellants) appeal the trial court’s summary judgment in favor of the City of Arnold (City), on Appellants’ petition seeking disclosure of documents under Missouri’s Sunshine Law, Chapter 610, RSMo. (Supp. 2012).1 We find that the trial court did not have a sufficient record from which to grant summary judgment regarding all of the documents Appellants requested. We also find a genuine factual dispute exists regarding whether an Internal Affairs report prepared by the City here is exempt from disclosure under the Sunshine Law. We affirm in part, reverse in part, and remand.

Background

Laut and Soellner each had some form of a personal relationship with one or more employees of the City’s Police Department. Appellants developed a good faith belief that one or more of these employees had improperly accessed Appellants’ confidential records contained in an electronic law enforcement database called the Regional Justice Information System (RE-JIS). In September of 2010, Laut made a complaint to the City regarding two City Police Department employees, dispatcher Linda Darnell (Darnell) and Sergeant Darren Rodgers 2 (Rodgers), and their access to REJIS. The City’s Chief of Police, Robert Shockey (Chief Shockey), subsequently ordered an Internal Affairs investigation for the purpose of determining the fitness of Darnell and Rodgers to perform their job duties.

On October 11, 2010, Appellants’ counsel sent a letter to the City requesting disclosure of several documents pursuant to Section 610.100 of Missouri’s Sunshine Law, including reports and records regarding investigations and communications about Darnell’s and Rodgers’ use of REJIS, background checks of Appellants, and any subsequent disciplinary action. The letter stated Appellants’ request was for the purpose of investigating civil claims. On October 14, 2010, the City responded by letter, informing Appellants that there was no criminal investigation performed regarding Darnell and Rodgers. The letter also stated that the records responsive to Appellants’ request were exempt from disclosure under Section 610.021.3 of the Sunshine Law.

[318]*318Appellants filed a petition requesting that the trial court order the City to produce the requested documents and find the City liable for civil penalties as well as costs and reasonable attorney’s fees under Section 610.100.6, because the City purposely violated the Sunshine Law. Both parties moved for summary judgment. The City did not provide the responsive documents to the trial court for in camera review. The trial court denied Appellants’ motion and granted the City’s motion for summary judgment, finding that the information sought by Appellants was exempt from disclosure under Section 610.021, subsections 3 and 13. Accordingly, the trial court also denied Appellants’ request for civil penalties, costs, and attorney’s fees. This appeal follows.

Standard of Review

Our review of summary judgment is essentially de novo. ITT Commercial Fin. Corp. v. Mid-Am. Marine Supply Corp., 854 S.W.2d 371, 376 (Mo. banc 1993). We uphold the summary judgment if (1) there is no genuine dispute of material fact, and (2) the movant is entitled to judgment as a matter of law. Id. We view the facts and supporting affidavits in the light most favorable to the non-movant, and we accord the non-movant the benefit of all reasonable inferences from the record. Id. “As the trial court’s judgment is founded on the record submitted and the law, an appellate court need not defer to the trial court’s summary judgment.” Id.

Discussion

Appellants’ sole point on appeal is that the trial court erred as a matter of law in granting summary judgment in favor of the City. Appellants argue the information they sought was not closed information because the underlying conduct was criminal in nature, and the Sunshine Law requires disclosure of records regarding criminal investigations. Appellants also argue the trial court therefore erred in denying their request for costs and attorney’s fees based on the City’s violation of the Sunshine Law. We address each of these arguments in turn.

Sunshine Law

The overarching purpose of the Sunshine Law is one of open government and transparency. Smith v. Sheriff, 982 S.W.2d 775, 778 (Mo.App. E.D.1998). Section 610.011.1 states: “Sections 610.010 to 610.200 shall be liberally construed and then-exceptions strictly construed to promote this public policy.”

Specifically, Appellants requested two types of documents, investigative reports and any other records,3 regarding any of the following:

1. Improper use of REJIS by Darnell or Rodgers, limited to improper use related to Appellants,
2. Communications of City employees with other law enforcement agencies regarding background checks of Appellants,
3. Reasons for employment termination of Darnell, specifically as it relates to Appellants, with any other reasons redacted, and
4. Reasons for employment disciplinary action of Rodgers, with any other reasons redacted.

[319]*319The City answered that the documents responsive to Appellants’ request were exempt from disclosure under the Sunshine Law, Section 610.021.3, because they contained personal information about specific employees who were subject to discipline. The trial court agreed, specifically finding in its summary judgment that “[t]he information sought [was] exempt from disclosure” under Section 610.021.3 and 13 of the Sunshine Law.

Section 610.021 contains a list of records that a governmental body may choose not to disclose. The relevant portions are as follows:

Except to the extent disclosure is otherwise required by law, a public governmental body is authorized to close ... records, to the extent they relate to the following:
(3) Hiring, firing, disciplining or promoting of particular employees by a public governmental body when personal information about the employee is discussed or recorded.... As used in this subdivision, the term “personal information” means information relating to the performance or merit of individual employees.
(13) Individually identifiable personnel records, performance ratings or records pertaining to employees or applicants for employment....

However, this section’s exemptions must be read together with the rest of the Sunshine Law. The Missouri Supreme Court has noted the permissive language of Section 610.021, that the section is qualified by its own terms, and that it applies only where disclosure is not otherwise required by law. Guyer v. City of Kirkwood, 38 S.W.3d 412, 414 (Mo. banc 2001) (finding exemptions not applicable where a particular type of document fits equally under exemption and other section requiring disclosure).

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Bluebook (online)
417 S.W.3d 315, 2013 WL 6235676, 2013 Mo. App. LEXIS 1439, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/laut-v-city-of-arnold-moctapp-2013.