Laverde v. Department of Housing & Urban Development

3 Mass. Supp. 56
CourtMassachusetts District Court
DecidedDecember 29, 1981
DocketNo. 81-1260-MA
StatusPublished

This text of 3 Mass. Supp. 56 (Laverde v. Department of Housing & Urban Development) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Massachusetts District Court primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Laverde v. Department of Housing & Urban Development, 3 Mass. Supp. 56 (Mass. Ct. App. 1981).

Opinion

MEMORANDUM AND ORDER

Mazzone D.I.

The plaintiffs in this case are requesting certain documents from the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) pursuant to the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. § 552(a)(4)(B). The documents relate to the sale of their home to the Lawrence Redevelopment Authority (LRA). The LRA acquired the plaintiffs’ property in connection with the North Common N.I.P, project, a program administered under the Uniform Relocation Assistance and Real Property Acquisition Policies Act of 1970, 42 U.S.C. 4601 et seq. and regulations promulgated pur? suant thereto, 24 C.F.R., Part 42. The defendants provided agency manuals responsive to two of the document requests and moved for summary judgment on the remaining requests on the grounds that those documents are not in HUD’s possession. The plaintiffs responded with a cross-motion for summary judgment and also seek an award of attorney’s fees.

Summay judgment is appropriate whenever there is no genuine issue of material fact for trial. Hahn v. Sargent, 523 F.2d 461, 468 (1st Cir. 1975), cert. denied, 425 U.S. 904 (1976). Specifically, “an FOIA action is appropriately resolved on summary judgment.” Weisberg v. United States Department of Justice, 438 F.Supp. 492, 494 (D.DC 1977), rev’d on other grounds, 627 F.2d 365 (D.C. Cir. 1977).

I.

The first question presented is whether the government made a good-faith effort to respond to the plaintiffs’ request.

Initially, the plaintiffs have failed to demonstrate that there was a genuine issue of fact as to the completeness of HUD’s document search. The uncontroverted affidavit of William Mattos, HUD Realty Specialist, indicates that he is personally familiar with the record-keeping procedures at HUD, ¡searched the appropriate files and specifically determined that the disputed documents were not in HUD’s possession. He found that these records are maintained by the LRA. This is not a situation where HUD failed to respond in good faith. See, Brinton v. United States Department of State, 476 F.Supp. 535 (D.DC. 1979). Here, in contrast, HUD responded with the documents they possessed and identified the location of others. There is no reason to doubt their good faith or candor. Goland v. C.I.A., 627 F.2d 339, 354 (D.C. Cir. 1978). See also, Nolen v. Rumsfeld, 535 F.2d 890, 891-92 (5th Cir. 1976); Assoc. of Nat’l Adv. Inc. v. F.T.C., 38 Ad.L.2d 643, 644 (D.DC 1976); Exxon Corp. v. F.T.C., 384 F.Supp. 755, 759-60 (D.DC 1974), remanded, 527 F.2d 1386 (1976). Since the Mattos affidavit is sufficiently detailed and nonconclusory concerning the adequacy of the search for the requested documents there is no issue as to the sufficiency of HUD’s response to the plaintiffs’ request. See, Weisberg v. United States Department of Justice, 627 F.2d [58]*58365, 370 n.49 (D.C. Cir. 1980) and cases cited therein.

II.

The remaining dispute in this case in whether the documents held by the LRA are “agency records” recoverable under the FOIA.

.The general policy of the FOIA favors disclosure of the documents. NLRB v. Robbins Tire and Rubber Co., 437 U.S. 214 (1978). The FOIA, however, only permits the federal courts to compel agencies “to produce ‘agency records improperly withheld’ from an individual requesting access. § 522(a)(4)(B).” Forsham v. Harris, 445 U.S. 169, 171 (1980).

The plaintiffs would be entitled to the documents if (1) the LRA is itself a federal agency or (2) the control by the federal agency, HUD, is so pervasive as to convert the LRA records into “agency records.”

(1) The FOIA applies only to “agencies,” which is defined in the statute as follows:

For púrposes of this section, the term ‘agency’ as defined in section 551(a) of this title indicates any executive department, military department, Government corporation, Government controlled corporation, or other establishment in the executive branch of Government (including the Executive Office of the President), or any independent regulatory agency, v

5 U.S.C. § 552(e). This definition does not include a state or municipal agency such as the LRA. See, St. Michael’s Convalescent v. State Cal., 643 F.2d 1369 (9th Cir. 1981). As the Court in-Forsham noted:

Grants of federal funds generally do not create a partnership or joint venture with the recipient nor do they serve to convert the acts of the recipient from private acts to governmental acts absent extensive detail, and virtually day-to-day supervision. United States v. Orleans, 425 U.S. 807, 818 (1976).

Forsham v. Harris, 445 U.S. at 180. Extensive federal supervision is an inevitable part of any program spending federal funds. However, “the definition of ‘agency’ and congressional policy toward grantee records indicate...that Congress did not intend that grant supervision short of Government control serve as a sufficient basis to make private records ‘agency records’ under the act...” Forsham v. Harris, 445 U.S. at 182.

The plaintiffs’ argument concerning the board goal of inspiring public confidence embodied in the property acquisition statute is not enough to make the LRA a federal agency. Rather, the LRA has significant independent control of the housing program. The fact that HUD promulgated regulations to monitor the expenditure of federal funds does not make the LRA a federal agency. As with the Medicaid program in California (Medi-Cal), “to assure that the federal funds are spent for the purposes for. which they were intended, extensive federal regulations are promulgated and must be complied with. However, these regulations do not convert acts of local and state government bodies into federal governmental acts.” St. Michael’s Convalescent v. State of Cal., 643 F.2d at 1374. See also, Irwin Memorial, Etc. v. Red Cross, 640 F.2d 1051, 1054-57 (9th Cir. 1981) (Despite use of federal buildings, federal financial and auditing requirements and the power of the President to make appointments to the governing board, the court concluded that'“the Red Cross is undoubtedly a close ally of < the United States government, but its operations are not subject to substantial federal control or supervision.” Id. at' 1057): F.T.C. v. Owens-Corning Fibreglass Corp., 626 F.2d 966, 971 n.9 (D.C. Cir. 1980).

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Related

United States v. Orleans
425 U.S. 807 (Supreme Court, 1976)
Forsham v. Harris
445 U.S. 169 (Supreme Court, 1980)
Robert C. Hahn v. Francis W. Sargent
523 F.2d 461 (First Circuit, 1975)
Exxon Corp. v. Federal Trade Commission
384 F. Supp. 755 (District of Columbia, 1974)
Brinton v. United States Department of State
476 F. Supp. 535 (District of Columbia, 1979)
Weisberg v. United States Dept. of Justice
438 F. Supp. 492 (District of Columbia, 1977)
Ryan v. Department of Justice
474 F. Supp. 735 (District of Columbia, 1979)
Nolen v. Rumsfeld
535 F.2d 890 (Fifth Circuit, 1976)

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3 Mass. Supp. 56, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/laverde-v-department-of-housing-urban-development-massdistct-1981.