OPRA: police officer-involved lawsuits 2012-2019
Dear Nutley 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:
1. A list of all lawsuits and cases in which any officer of the police department was involved between 2012 and 2019. For each lawsuit/case, please provide the date (month and year) of the alleged incident at issue, whether the alleged incident was excessive force, settlement amount (if any), and final compensation amount ruled (if any).
2. Please provide copies of the complaint in any lawsuits and cases described above.
Yours faithfully,
UC Research
Taeho Kim,
The Office of the Municipal Clerk is in receipt of your OPRA Request No.
255-20 (attached). Please be advised that the responsive records are
located in an offsite storage facility and, therefore, an extension
through July 3, 2020 will be required in order to complete this request.
Thank you,
Ceci Tramontana
Clerk / Municipal Housing Liaison
Municipal Clerk’s Office
Township of Nutley, NJ
(973) 284-4951 x2233 Office
(973) 284-5668 Fax
[1]www.nutleynj.org
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Taeho Kim,
This correspondence shall serve as Nutley Township (the “Township”)’s
response to your request for access to government records pursuant to the
Open Public Records Act, N.J.S.A. 47:1A-1.1, et seq. (“OPRA”), which was
received by the Township on May 27, 2020. The Township sent you an
extension notice via email on June 4, 2020. Below is a list of each
request for access and the Township’s response to the same:
"Records requested:
1. A list of all lawsuits and cases in which any officer of the police
department was involved between 2012 and 2019. For each lawsuit/case,
please provide the date (month and year) of the alleged incident at issue,
whether the alleged incident was excessive force, settlement amount (if
any), and final compensation amount ruled (if any).
2. Please provide copies of the complaint in any lawsuits and cases
described above.”
Please see attached documents.
To the extent that you have also requested access to the above government
records under the common law, your stated interest in obtaining the
records must be balanced against the Township of Nutley’s interest in
nondisclosure. See Loigman v. Kimmelman, 102 N.J. 98 (1986). The
foregoing response to your request for access to government records
incorporates the aforementioned balancing test. Please note that "a
party's status as a litigant does not enlarge its access to government
records under OPRA”. MAG Entm't, LLC v. Div. of Alcoholic Beverage
Control, 375 N.J. Super. 534, 545-46 (App. Div. 2005). The Township of
Nutley reserves the right to raise any other grounds for denial not raised
in this response. Failure of the Township of Nutley to assert an
exemption or privilege does not act as a waiver of any grounds for
denial. Furthermore, a reviewing Court or the Government Records Council
("GRC") may deem a denial of access to be authorized on grounds other that
those advanced by a custodian. See Paffv. Twp. of Plainsboro,
A-2122-05T2, 2007 WL 957289, at *2 (App. Div., Apr. 2, 2007), affirming,
Paff v. Township of Plainsboro, GRC Complaint No. 2005-29 (March 2006).
If your request for access to a government record has been denied or
unfilled, you have a right to challenge the decision by the Township of
Nutley to deny access. At your option, you may either initiate a
proceeding in the Superior Court of New Jersey or file a complaint with
the GRC by completing the Denial of Access Complaint Form. You may
contact the GRC by toll-free telephone at 866-850-0511, by mail at P.O.
Box 819, Trenton, NJ, 08625, by e-mail at [1][email address], or on
its website at [2]www.state.nj.us/grc. The GRC can also answer other
questions about the law. All questions regarding complaints filed in
Superior Court should be directed to the Court Clerk in your County.
Sincerely,
Ceci Tramontana
Clerk / Municipal Housing Liaison
Municipal Clerk’s Office
Township of Nutley, NJ
(973) 284-4951 x2233 Office
(973) 284-5668 Fax
[3]www.nutleynj.org
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References
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2. http://www.state.nj.us/grc
3. http://www.nutleynj.org/