Emails and legal documents regarding legal matters regarding council member Ron Witt
Dear Robbinsville Township,
This is a request for public records made under OPRA and the common law right of access. I am not required to fill out an official form. Please acknowledge receipt of this message.
Records requested:
Any and all records regarding any legal or administrative actions regarding or against council member Ron Witt including all emails and written communication. All communications that are related to discovery with regard to any/all employee harassment claims and any all emails or communications or reported harassment between Robbinsville township employees and council member Ron Witt. All emails and internal communications regarding Ron Witt and potential legal matters regarding employee harassment between township legal council and township administration.
Yours faithfully,
Mark Robertson
Dear Mr. Robertson:
Please be advised that a request for “any and all records” is not a valid OPRA request as per Appellate Court Division decision Elizabeth Mason v. Hoboken - Docket No. A-0508-06T5, that states specificity is required for a proper OPRA request. The court noted that OPRA was not intended to be used as a fishing expedition or as a research tool to compile unknown documents and that a person must know which records he or she wants and ask for those specific documents. Also, pursuant to MAG Entertainment, LLC v. Div. of Alcoholic Beverage Control, 375 N.J. Super. 534 (App. Div. 2005), "OPRA does not countenance open-ended searches of an agency's files" and requires requested documents to be identified with "reasonable clarity."
With regard to emails, you would need to provide dates or a range of dates of the documents, senders and/or receivers (names, departments or titles) for us to be able to find the documents should they exist. With regard to written communications, internal communications, and “all communications,” you would need to provide us with the type of record (i.e. a letter, memo, resolution, etc.), the date or range of dates of the record and any other pertinent information that would help us locate the record should it exist.
With regard to emails and communications between township legal counsel and township administration, this portion of your request would also need to be clarified to provide dates or range of dates of said emails and communications.
Once we receive these clarifications, we will be happy to conduct a search to locate the documents you are seeking.
Michele Seigfried
Municipal Clerk
Robbinsville Township
2298 Route 33
Robbinsville NJ
609-259-3600 x1107
Fax: 609-259-3645