Robinson v. Malinoff

770 A.2d 873, 29 Media L. Rep. (BNA) 2016, 2001 R.I. LEXIS 129, 2001 WL 514768
CourtSupreme Court of Rhode Island
DecidedMay 14, 2001
DocketNo. 99-523-APPEAL
StatusPublished
Cited by4 cases

This text of 770 A.2d 873 (Robinson v. Malinoff) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Supreme Court of Rhode Island primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Robinson v. Malinoff, 770 A.2d 873, 29 Media L. Rep. (BNA) 2016, 2001 R.I. LEXIS 129, 2001 WL 514768 (R.I. 2001).

Opinion

OPINION

BOURCIER, Justice.

In this case, Ernest Robinson (Robinson) appeals from the entry of summary judgment on counts 1 and 2 in his civil action complaint against the City of Newport and its city manager (collectively city). In those two counts he had sought injunctive and other relief to preclude the city from turning over to a local newspaper, the Newport Daily News, for inspection, his personnel file and internal police department investigation materials that had been completed while he was a member of the Newport police department (NPD). The summary judgment appealed from was granted in favor of an interve-nor, Edward A. Sherman Publishing Company, the owner of the local newspaper.1 For the reasons hereinafter set out, we sustain Robinson’s appeal.

I

Case Travel and Facts

The facts of this case are largely undisputed. Robinson had been an officer with the NPD since March 27, 1995. On December 4, 1997, the NPD notified Robinson that he was the subject of certain disciplinary complaints. Pursuant to his statutory right under the Law Enforcement Officers’ Bill of Rights Act, G.L.1956 chapter 28.6 of title 42(OBR), Robinson requested a hearing before a disciplinary committee. On December 9, 1997, prior to any hearing, Robinson’s attorney met with certain Newport officials, who informed him that the subject matter and facts of the disciplinary complaints would remain confidential if Robinson resigned from the NPD. The next day, on December 10, pursuant to that agreement, Robinson resigned.

Following Robinson’s resignation, the Newport Daily News, a newspaper circulated largely in the Newport area and published by the Edward A. Sherman Publishing Company (Sherman), through its staff writer Janine Landry, requested from the city “all reports of investigations concerning Robinson.”

Robinson, on March 19, 1998, after learning that the city intended to release a public statement concerning the disciplinary complaints that had been brought against him, filed a three-count complaint against the city in the Newport Superior Court. In that civil action, he sought to enjoin the city, both temporarily and permanently, from disclosing any information from his personnel file about the disciplinary investigations concerning his job performance. In his complaint, Robinson sought injunctive relief based on applicable provisions in the OBR, § 42-28.6-2(m), and on the equitable doctrine of promissory estoppel. Robinson later filed an amended complaint that additionally sought injunctive relief against the city based on a Newport ordinance that allegedly precluded release of the questioned information.2 He also sought declaratory [875]*875relief and judgment, pursuant to G.L.1956 chapter 30 of title 9, declaring that any public statement made by the city concerning the previous disciplinary complaints would serve to “invalidate” his resignation from the NPD. On that same day, March 19, a hearing justice granted Robinson’s request for a temporary restraining order against the city.3

On April 17, 1998, Sherman moved to intervene as a party defendant in the action, pursuant to Rule 24(b) of the Superi- or Court Rules of Civil Procedure. On May 11, 1998, over Robinson’s objection, a Superior Court trial justice granted Sherman’s motion to intervene “for the limited purpose of litigating the request for a preliminary injunction.”

Subsequently, Sherman filed an answer to Robinson’s complaint. In that answer, Sherman denied that the requested records should be protected pursuant to the OBR, municipal ordinances, or by equitable estoppel. The answer further alleged in a series of “defenses” that, inter alia, Robinson’s complaint failed to state a claim upon which relief could be granted since the relief requested would violate Sherman’s “constitutional, common law, and statutory rights of free speech and of access to governmental records and information” and that Robinson lacked standing to prevent that disclosure.

Sherman’s answer also contained a cross-claim against the city. The cross-claim alleged that the city maintained care, custody and control of the requested records relating to Robinson and “has refused and continues to refuse to provide the newspaper with access to the requested records, which are public records.” Sherman’s cross-claim contended that the city’s refusal to turn over the documents violated, inter alia, its statutory rights under the Access to Pubic Records Act (APRA), G.L.1956 chapter 2 of title 38. Sherman, in its cross-claim, requested that the trial court declare that its newspaper was entitled to have access to the requested records and that the city be required to produce the requested records, and that the court award it its costs and attorney fees.

Subsequently, Sherman moved for summary judgment “in its favor and against plaintiff Ernest Robinson” pursuant to Rule 56(c) of the Superior Court Rules of Civil Procedure. In its motion, Sherman contended that it was entitled to the “requested records” under the APRA, and that Robinson lacked standing under the APRA to prevent such disclosure, and that the records requested by the newspaper should be disclosed.4 Sherman, it should be noted, did not file for summary judgment on its cross-claim against the city, the sole custodian of the records being sought.

Robinson duly objected to Sherman’s motion for summary judgment. Although Robinson conceded the absence of factual issues, he asserted that under the OBR and a Newport ordinance he was entitled to the injunctive relief that he had requested in his complaint. He also contended that the disciplinary records should remain [876]*876confidential under the provisions of the APRA.

After a hearing on Sherman’s motion for summary judgment, a Superior Court trial justice granted Sherman’s motion on the first two counts in Robinson’s complaint that had sought to enjoin the city from releasing any disciplinary proceeding documents from Robinson’s personnel file, or from commenting on the disciplinary complaints that had been filed against Robinson.5 The trial justice rejected Robinson’s contention that the OBR shielded the requested documents from public disclosure. The trial justice, however, failed to expressly consider whether the records should have remained private under the Newport city ordinance or the specific provisions of the APRA. Instead, she accepted completely Sherman’s general contention that Robinson’s personnel file records should be disclosed as public records under the APRA. The trial justice, pursuant to Super.R.Civ.P. 54(b), then entered final judgment in favor of Sherman on counts 1 and 2 in Robinson’s complaint. She ordered the defendant City of Newport to make available to Sherman all documents pertaining to disciplinary complaints lodged against Robinson, together with the “underlying reports and statements in support of said disciplinary complaints.”6 Robinson timely appealed.

In his appeal, he contends that none of the records and reports contained in his personnel file and sought by Sherman are public and, thus, are not subject to disclosure pursuant to the express mandate of the APRA, the OBR, and the Newport city ordinance.

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Bluebook (online)
770 A.2d 873, 29 Media L. Rep. (BNA) 2016, 2001 R.I. LEXIS 129, 2001 WL 514768, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/robinson-v-malinoff-ri-2001.