Morgan v. Kilmartin
- Filed: 10/17/2018
- Status: Closed
- Latest Update: Oct 17, 2018
This is an appeal filed on behalf of former House Minority Leader Patricia Morgan whose access to documents pertaining to the former Attorney General’s expenditure of more than $50M in funds from the “Google settlement” was was stymied by hundreds of questionable redactions.
This is an appeal to the RI Supreme Court filed by ACLU of RI cooperating attorney Lynette Labinger on behalf of former House Minority Leader Patricia Morgan whose access to documents pertaining to the former Attorney General’s expenditure of more than $50M in funds from the “Google settlement” was stymied by hundreds of questionable redactions. Update: May 2019: In a letter to the ACLU, Attorney General Neronha’s office indicated they had reviewed all of the redacted documents initially provided Morgan and are now making public many of those documents in unredacted form.
An ACLU of RI blog post on this issue: Has the Attorney General Put the Final Lapel Pin in The Coffin of the Access to Public Records Act?
May 29, 2019
Attorney General Reverses Former AG, Releases Documents in Google Settlement Fund Case
The ACLU of Rhode Island today announced a major development in its R.I. Supreme Court appeal on behalf of former House Minority Leader Patricia Morgan, whose access to documents pertaining to former Attorney General (AG) Peter Kilmartin’s expenditure of more than $50M in funds from the “Google settlement” was stymied by thousands of questionable redactions that he made in response to her Access to Public Records Act request.
Jan 22, 2019
ACLU Asks State Supreme Court to Address Key Open Records Issues in Google Settlement Fund Case
Calling the controversy “one of the most significant challenges to the public’s right to know under the state’s Access to Public Records Act” since its enactment, the ACLU of Rhode Island today filed an appeal to the R.I. Supreme Court on behalf of former House Minority Leader and Gubernatorial candidate Patricia Morgan, whose access to documents pertaining to the Attorney General’s expenditure of more than $50M in funds from the “Google settlement” has been stymied by hundreds of questionable redactions.
Oct 15, 2018
Citing Public Interest, Judge Rules in Favor of Fee Waiver in Google Settlement Records Request
In an important victory for open government, R.I. Superior Court Judge Melissa Long today ruled that the Attorney General must waive fees for any additional documents that are delivered as part of state Representative Patricia Morgan’s request for information on how the AG’s Office spent more than $50M in Google settlement funds. Citing an inherent public interest in the records, Judge Long also rejected the AG’s argument that records requestors should have to prove financial hardship in order to have fees waived.
Oct 12, 2018
ACLU Files Brief in Support of Requiring AG to Waive Fees for Google Settlement Records
The ACLU of Rhode Island today filed a “friend of the court” brief in support of state Representative Patricia Morgan’s request for a waiver of more than $4,000 in fees that the Attorney General is demanding in her quest for documents pertaining to the AG’s expenditure of more than $50M in funds from the “Google settlement.” The brief also asks the court to reject the basis offered by the AG for many redactions in the documents that have already been given to Morgan, who has thus far paid more than $3,700 for partial release of the records.
Oct 03, 2018
ACLU Releases Critical Analysis of AG’s Handling of Request for Records on Google Settlement Money
The ACLU of Rhode Island today issued a critical analysis of the Attorney General’s (AG) response to State Representative Patricia Morgan’s Access to Public Records Act (APRA) request for documents pertaining to the AG’s expenditure of more than $50M in funds from the settlement of a recent Google lawsuit with the State. Representative Morgan has thus far been charged more than $3,700 for partial release of the records, some of which are heavily redacted. The ACLU’s analysis highlights “the clear need for legislation to strengthen the law.”
Related News & Podcasts
May 29, 2019
Attorney General Reverses Former AG, Releases Documents in Google Settlement Fund Case
The ACLU of Rhode Island today announced a major development in its R.I. Supreme Court appeal on behalf of former House Minority Leader Patricia Morgan, whose access to documents pertaining to former Attorney General (AG) Peter Kilmartin’s expenditure of more than $50M in funds from the “Google settlement” was stymied by thousands of questionable redactions that he made in response to her Access to Public Records Act request.
Jan 22, 2019
ACLU Asks State Supreme Court to Address Key Open Records Issues in Google Settlement Fund Case
Calling the controversy “one of the most significant challenges to the public’s right to know under the state’s Access to Public Records Act” since its enactment, the ACLU of Rhode Island today filed an appeal to the R.I. Supreme Court on behalf of former House Minority Leader and Gubernatorial candidate Patricia Morgan, whose access to documents pertaining to the Attorney General’s expenditure of more than $50M in funds from the “Google settlement” has been stymied by hundreds of questionable redactions.
Oct 15, 2018
Citing Public Interest, Judge Rules in Favor of Fee Waiver in Google Settlement Records Request
In an important victory for open government, R.I. Superior Court Judge Melissa Long today ruled that the Attorney General must waive fees for any additional documents that are delivered as part of state Representative Patricia Morgan’s request for information on how the AG’s Office spent more than $50M in Google settlement funds. Citing an inherent public interest in the records, Judge Long also rejected the AG’s argument that records requestors should have to prove financial hardship in order to have fees waived.
Oct 12, 2018
ACLU Files Brief in Support of Requiring AG to Waive Fees for Google Settlement Records
The ACLU of Rhode Island today filed a “friend of the court” brief in support of state Representative Patricia Morgan’s request for a waiver of more than $4,000 in fees that the Attorney General is demanding in her quest for documents pertaining to the AG’s expenditure of more than $50M in funds from the “Google settlement.” The brief also asks the court to reject the basis offered by the AG for many redactions in the documents that have already been given to Morgan, who has thus far paid more than $3,700 for partial release of the records.
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