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Request By:
[NO REQUESTBY IN ORIGINAL]

Opinion

Opinion By: Albert 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 Bell County Forestry Camp properly relied on KRS 197.025(1), incorporated into the Open Records Act by operation of KRS 61.878(1)(l), in denying Christopher A. Estep's April 17, 1998, request for material safety data sheets on "all cleaner and chemicals which inmates are required to use for cleaning in the institution." We believe that 97-ORD-134, and in particular the discussion at pages one through three of that decision, is controlling. A copy of the decision is attached hereto and incorporated by reference. Bell County Forestry Camp makes a sufficient showing under KRS 197.025(1) that material safety data sheets contain information about chemicals and cleaners which might be used by one inmate to inflict injury on another inmate, correctional staff, or person, and thus constitute a threat to the security of the institution.

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 supports the Bell County Forestry Camp's denial of a request for material safety data sheets, citing security concerns. The decision follows the precedent set in 97-ORD-134, which discusses similar issues regarding the potential for inmates to use information from such sheets to harm others or disrupt institutional security.
Disclaimer:
The Sunshine Law Library is not exhaustive and may contain errors from source documents or the import process. Nothing on this website should be taken as legal advice. It is always best to consult with primary sources and appropriate counsel before taking any action.
Requested By:
Christopher A. Estep
Agency:
Bell County Forestry Camp
Type:
Open Records Decision
Lexis Citation:
1998 Ky. AG LEXIS 136
Cites:
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