Opinion
Opinion By: Gregory D. Stumbo, Attorney General; James M. Ringo, Assistant Attorney General
Open Records Decision
The question presented in this appeal is whether Northern Kentucky University (NKU) violated the Open Records Act in the disposition of Cynthia H. Valletta's open records request for a copy of her personnel file and a copy of any other records concerning her. Because Ms. Valletta is a "public agency employee," she is entitled to copies of the requested records that relate to her by virtue of KRS 61.878(3), regardless of whether those records are preliminary and would otherwise be exempt under KRS 61.878(1)(i). Accordingly, to the extent NKU denied Ms. Valletta access to any records which relate to her, it violated the Open Records Act in denying her request on the basis of KRS 61.878(1)(i) .
By e-mail dated September 27, 2005, Ms. Valletta submitted the following open records request to NKU for the following records:
1. Arne Almquist always takes notes on his PDA during our meetings and I'd like a copy of those notes.
2. He stated to me in 2002 that he was putting a letter of reprimand in my personnel file concerning the way I spoke to him about Jada. I received a copy of the material in my personnel file and it wasn't there. It's possible that he [h]as a personal set of files in which he keeps such records and if so I'd like a copy of what he has concerning me.
3. I'd like a copy of my personal file that is in Human Resources.
4. He's been meeting with Jennifer on a regular basis regarding complaints he's received about her job performance. I'd like to see what statements have been made about me. I'm sure that anything that doesn't apply to me can be redacted. My reason for this is that he claims I never tried to resolve the problems down here by going through proper channels when all along I was reporting them to Jennifer and being assured by her that she had passed them along. She also claims she never complained to Arne about working with me, but rather has always praised my job performance repeating and even recently told him she was putting me in for the Regents Award. He says that she has complained. I need a way to determine who is lying to me in order to be clear in the grievance I am filing.
5. On Monday April 12, 2004, I attended a Staff of Steely meeting to explain Kentucky's Public and Open Records policy to them. Despite what I had to say, several people claimed that they were convinced that Arne kept track of things people did that he didn't like and that an Open Records Request even to see their personal file would result in negative consequences.
By letter dated October 4, 2005, Sara L. Sidebottom, Vice President for Legal Affairs and General Counsel, NKU, responded to Ms. Valletta's request, advising:
This correspondence is in response to your email request to view your personnel file (s). Please note that you are entitled to view and make copies of any official record regarding your employment with Northern Kentucky University without fear of negative consequences. As far as any possible notes taken by Mr. Almquist during meetings with him, these are subject to open records to the extent the notes have been included in your departmental file. However, preliminary drafts, notes and correspondence with private individuals, whether in electronic or printed form, if not included in your file or part of a final action taken by the University are exempt from the open records act under KRS 61.878(1)(i). As for your personal file in Human Resources, you may schedule a time with Suzanne Ritchie (ext. 6386) to view the file and request copies as needed.
On December 8, 2005, Ms. Valletta initiated the instant appeal, challenging NKU's position that the records she was requesting would only be available to her if they were placed in her personnel file or part of a final action taken by NKU.
We are asked to determine whether NKU's response violated the Open Records Act. For the reasons that follow, we conclude that Ms. Valletta is entitled to copies of records that relate to her by virtue of KRS 61.878(3), regardless of whether those records are preliminary and would otherwise be exempt under KRS 61.878(1)(i). To the extent NKU denied Ms. Valletta access to any records which relate to her that were not in her personnel file, on the basis of KRS 61.878(1)(i), it violated the Open Records Act.
As a public agency employee, Ms. Valletta has a greater right of access to records that relate to her than the public generally. KRS 61.878(3) provides:
No exemption in this section shall be construed to deny, abridge, or impede the right of a public agency employee, including university employees, an applicant for employment, or an eligible on a register to inspect and to copy any record including preliminary and other supporting documentation that relates to him. The records shall include, but not be limited to, work plans, job performance, demotions, evaluations, promotions, compensation, classification, reallocation, transfers, layoffs, disciplinary actions, examination scores, and preliminary and other supporting documentation. A public agency employee, including university employees, applicant, or eligible shall not have the right to inspect or to copy any examination or any documents relating to ongoing criminal or administrative investigations by an agency.
In analyzing this provision, the Attorney General has recognized:
. . . KRS 61.878(3) overrides any of the exemptions to public inspection set forth in KRS 61.878(1)(a) through (j), 1 with the exception of those noted in the concluding sentence of the provision, when an open records request is submitted by a public agency employee. The final sentence of the provision authorizes an agency to withhold examinations and "documents relating to ongoing criminal or administrative investigations by [the] agency" even when they are requested by the public agency employee and relate to him. Thus, as a rule of general application, KRS 61.878(3) mandates release of otherwise exempt records to a public agency employee. However, where the employee is under investigation and the documents relate to that investigation, the request can properly be denied. See, e.g., 93-ORD-37; 93-ORD-74.
In contrast, this office has recognized that a public agency employee is entitled to review records relating to administrative actions which he or she initiated. Thus, in 93-ORD-19, we held that a public agency employee could inspect handwritten notes generated by the agency's affirmative action officer in the course of investigating a formal complaint filed by the employee, even though those notes were otherwise exempt per KRS 61.878(1)(i). We reaffirmed that decision in 93-ORD-24, holding that the agency improperly withheld handwritten notes prepared by an agency officer during an investigation of a complaint initiated by the requester to whom the notes related.
95-ORD-97, p. 4.
By virtue of the rights granted by KRS 61.878(3), Ms. Valletta is entitled "to inspect and to copy any record including preliminary and other supporting documentation that relates to [her]." Thus, preliminary drafts, notes and correspondence with private individuals, whether in electronic or printed form, which relates to Ms. Valletta, even if not contained in her personnel file, which would be otherwise shielded from disclosure by KRS 61.878(1)(i) as to the public generally, must be made available to Ms. Valletta if it, in fact, "relates" to her. Accord, 94-ORD-9; 95-ORD-97; 96-ORD-8; 98-ORD-34; 01-ORD-126; 03-ORD-118.
Moreover, in 05-ORD-181, at pages 6 and 7, this office discussed the term "relates" found in KRS 61.878(3), explaining:
The term "relate" is defined as having "connection, relation, or reference," The American Heritage College Dictionary, 1173 (4th ed.), and does not always require specific references in the form of a name. To the extent that the contents of the letter relate to the Sheriff, his office, and his employees, he and his employees are entitled to inspect and obtain a copy of it. The mandatory stricture found at KRS 61.878(3) overrides any otherwise applicable exception, including KRS 61.878(1)(j), to compel disclosure of the letter and supporting documentation.
Based on the foregoing, we find that if NKU denied Ms. Valletta access to records that relate to her, but were not in her personnel file, it violated the Open Records Act. If such records exist, they should be made available for her inspection.
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.
Footnotes
Footnotes
1 KRS 61.878(1)(k) and (l) authorize nondisclosure of records made confidential by federal or state law and are not overridden by KRS 61.878(3).