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Request By:
[NO REQUESTBY IN ORIGINAL]

Opinion

Opinion By: A. B. Chandler III, Attorney General; Amye L. Bensenhaver, Assistant Attorney General

Open Records Decision

This matter having been presented to the Attorney General in an open records appeal, and the Attorney General being sufficiently advised, we find that the Kentucky State Penitentiary cannot afford Mr. Johnson access to a document which does not exist. Because Dr. Hiland is a state employee, there is no employment contract governing his employment. Therefore, Kentucky State Penitentiary cannot be said to have violated the provisions of the Open Records Act by failing to release the requested record to Mr. Johnson. We believe 96-ORD-62, a copy of which is attached hereto and incorporated by reference, and in particular the discussion at page 2, is controlling.

A party aggrieved by this decision may appeal it by initiating action in the appropriate circuit court pursuant to KRS 61.880(5) and KRS 61.882. Pursuant to KRS 61.880(3), the Attorney General should be notified of any action in circuit court, but should not be named as a party in that action or in any subsequent proceeding.

LLM Summary
The Attorney General's decision concludes that the Kentucky State Penitentiary did not violate the Open Records Act by failing to provide Mr. Johnson with a non-existent employment contract for Dr. Hiland, a state employee. The decision follows the precedent set in 96-ORD-062, which discusses the inability of a public agency to provide documents that do not exist.
Disclaimer:
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Requested By:
David Johnson
Agency:
Kentucky State Penitentiary
Type:
Open Records Decision
Lexis Citation:
1996 Ky. AG LEXIS 323
Cites:
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