Marshall v. Federal Bureau of Investigation

CourtDistrict Court, District of Columbia
DecidedAugust 10, 2011
DocketCivil Action No. 2010-0871
StatusPublished

This text of Marshall v. Federal Bureau of Investigation (Marshall v. Federal Bureau of Investigation) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, District of Columbia primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

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Marshall v. Federal Bureau of Investigation, (D.D.C. 2011).

Opinion

UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT FOR THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA

) ERIC JOSEPH MARSHALL, ) ) Plaintiff, ) ) v. ) Civil Action No. 10-871 (RMC) ) FEDERAL BUREAU OF ) INVESTIGATION, ) ) Defendant. ) )

MEMORANDUM OPINION

Eric Joseph Marshall, who is incarcerated, seeks documents regarding DNA evidence

relating to his criminal conviction. He brought this suit against the Federal Bureau of Investigation

(FBI)1 seeking records under the Freedom of Information Act (“FOIA”), 5 U.S.C. § 552, and the

Privacy Act, 5 U.S.C. § 552a. The parties filed cross motions for summary judgment.2 Because the

FBI conducted an adequate search for records and disclosed all of the information available, subject

to various exemptions, the FBI’s motion for summary judgment will be granted and Mr. Marshall’s

cross motion will be denied.

1 Because the FBI is a component of the Department of Justice (“DOJ”) and it is the DOJ that is an agency covered by FOIA, DOJ is the proper party defendant in this case. See 5 U.S.C. § 552(f)(1). 2 See Def.’s Mot. for Summ. J. (“Def.’s Mot.”) [Dkt. # 23]; Pl.’s Resp. and Cross Mot. for Summ. J. (“Pl.’s Mot.”) [Dkt. # 26]; Def.’s Reply in Support of Def.’s Mot. for Summ. J. and Resp. to Cross Mot. (“Def.’s Reply”) [Dkt. # 25]. I. FACTS

Mr. Marshall was convicted on October 26, 2005 of armed bank robbery, use and

brandishing of a firearm during and in relation to a crime of violence, and being a convicted felon

in possession of a firearm. Def.’s Mot., Ex. 1 (“Hardy Decl.”)3 ¶ 6. He is incarcerated in the Federal

Correctional Institution in Pollock, Louisiana.

On November 18, 2008, Mr. Marshall submitted a FOIA/Privacy Act (PA) request

to FBI Headquarters seeking a copy of his DNA report from the FBI laboratory in Quantico, Virginia

and a copy of his DNA report from the DNA Diagnostic Center Laboratory in Fairfield, Ohio. Hardy

Decl., Ex. A. On October 2, 2009, the FBI released, in part, a one page document; the document was

redacted pursuant to FOIA Exemptions §§ 552(b)(6) and (7)(C).4 Hardy Decl., Ex. I. Mr. Marshall

appealed to the Department of Justice Office of Information Policy (“OIP”). The FBI located

additional records, and the OIP remanded the matter for further processing. Id., Ex. K.

Then, on February 9, 2010, Mr. Marshall made a specific request for the following

3 The FBI submitted the Declaration of David Hardy, Section Chief of the Record/Information Dissemination Section (“RIDS”), Records Management Division. As Section Chief of RIDS, Mr. Hardy supervises the staff of 10 FBI Headquarters units and 2 field operational service centers who manage FOIA/PA requests for FBI records. 4 The FBI also had relied a broad interpretation of Exemption 2, § 552(b)(2), in making its redactions. However, the FBI later withdrew this argument in light of Milner v. Dep’t of Navy, No. 09-1163, 2011 WL 767699 (Mar. 7, 2011) (abrogating Crooker v. Bur. of Alcohol, Tobacco & Firearms, 670 F.2d 1051 (D.C. Cir. 1981)). See Def.’s Notice [Dkt. # 30]. In Milner, the Supreme Court held that § 552(b)(2) exempts from disclosure information relating to the internal rules and practices of an agency — i.e., rules and practices regarding conditions of employment such as hiring and firing, work rules and discipline, and compensation and benefits. The Court rejected the broad interpretation of Exemption 2, called “High 2,” that had been embraced by other courts.

-2- DNA reports (including the Polymerase Chain Reaction (“PCR”)5 report and the Short Tandem

Repeat (“STR”) Report:6 1) a report dated July 24, 2003, prepared by the FBI; 2) a report dated

October 22, 2003, prepared by the FBI; and 3) a report dated March 25, 2004, prepared by the DNA

Diagnostics Center. Id., Ex. L. On April 26, 2010, the FBI released, in part, ten pages of documents,

redacted pursuant to FOIA Exemptions §§ 552(b)(2), (6), and (7)(C). See Hardy Decl. ¶ 34 & Ex.

O (FBI’s release of reports dated July 24, 2003; Oct. 22, 2003; and Dec.2, 2003).

Mr. Marshall filed this suit, alleging that the FBI did not adequately respond to his

request for “complete copies of his DNA reports.” See Compl. [Dkt. # 1] at 1. Specifically, he asks

the Court to order the FBI to provide all DNA reports and related documents dated July 24, 2003 and

October 22, 2003. Id. at 3.

Subsequently, on September 2, 2010, the FBI released two additional pages,

withholding the pages in part under Privacy Act Exemption (j)(2) and FOIA Exemption § 552(b)(2).

Hardy Decl., Ex. S. This release included a black and white copy of an electropherogram7 dated July

11, 2003. On September 8, 2010, the FBI released two more pages — a color copy of the same

5 PCR is a “technique used in molecular genetics that permits the analysis of any short sequence of DNA (or RNA) even in samples containing only minute quantities of DNA or RNA. PCR is used to reproduce (amplify) selected sections of DNA or RNA for analysis.” See http://www.medterms.com (last visited Aug. 5, 2011). 6 A “Short Tandem Repeat” report is a record of repetitive DNA within the genome, consisting of multiple, end-to-end copies of a short DNA sequence usually comprised of di-, tri-, or tetranucleotide repeat units. See http://de.dict.md (last visited Aug. 5, 2011). 7 An “electropherogram” is a record of the separated components of a mixture, where the components have been separated by electrophoresis. See http://dictionary.reference.com (last visited on Aug. 5, 2011). “Electrophoresis” is a technique for separating the components of a mixture of charged molecules, such as fragments of DNA, in an electric field. See http://thefreedictionary.com (last visited Aug. 5, 2011). An electropherogram may be used for deriving results of DNA sequencing.

-3- electropherogram. Id., Ex. T. On February 7, 2011, the FBI released a copy of an electropherogram

dated September 25, 2003. See Def.’s Notice [Dkt. # 29].

In sum, the FBI released fifteen pages, two in whole and the thirteen in part. See

Hardy Decl. ¶ 4 & Exs. I, O, S, & T. The only information redacted from the documents was the

telephone numbers and fax numbers of FBI personnel and names and identifying information of FBI

Special Agents, FBI personnel, and third parties of investigative interest. Id. ¶ 40. After the Hardy

Declaration was prepared, the FBI also released in full the electropherogram dated September 25,

2003. See Def.’s Notice [Dkt. # 29]. The FBI found no records pertaining to a March 25, 2004

DNA report prepared by DNA Diagnostics Center.

Mr. Marshall admits that the FBI responded to his FOIA request by producing certain

PCR and STR reports and electropherograms. See Pl.’s Mot. at 4. He contends, however, that he

requested more information that was not produced. He seeks “Laboratory Number 030903021 PF

NR Date October 22, 2003 PCR/STR reports for [e]lectropherogram of computer specimen

simulations Q2, Q68, and Q69.” Id. The FBI contends that because it conducted an adequate search

and produced documents that were properly redacted pursuant to valid FOIA Exemptions, summary

judgment should be granted in its favor.

II. STANDARD OF REVIEW

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