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Opinion

Opinion By: Jack Conway, 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 Board of Veterinary Examiners properly relied on KRS 61.878(1)(h) in denying the Animal Legal Defense Fund's November 2, 2011, request for all records "against the Taylor County Animal Shelter . . . between January 2007 and the present," insofar as the requested records relate to an ongoing investigation. However, the Board's initial response was procedurally deficient because it contained nothing more than a recitation of the exception upon which it relied. Although the Board corrected this error in supplemental correspondence directed to this office after ALDF initiated an open records appeal, the Board erred in failing to advise ALDF whether it maintains other records responsive to the request, and, if so, the statutory basis for withholding them.

In its November 3, 2011, response, the Board advised ALDF that "[t]he information requested is exempt from disclosure per KRS 61.878(1)(h)," reciting the language of the statute but offering no explanation of how KRS 61.878(1)(h) applies to the records withheld. Shortly thereafter, ALDF initiated this appeal asserting that the Board "did not meet its statutory burden of proof in sustaining the blanket denial of the request for records from 2007 to the present, . . . identify[ing] the documents, or groups of documents withheld, or adequately explain[ing] how KRS 61.878(1)(h) applies to those records."

In supplemental correspondence directed to this office, the Board elaborated on its position. 1 Board attorney Mark Brengelman acknowledges receipt of a complaint against the Taylor County Animal Shelter, over which the Board exercises regulatory control, alleging "improper euthanization of animals, including burying animals in the ground who had been euthanized and not using an incinerator for the purpose of disposing of euthanized animals" as well as the use of prison labor to carry out these tasks and prisoners' statements that some animals were buried alive. Continuing, Mr. Brengelman explained that the Board launched an investigation into the complaint and that the investigation is ongoing. It was the Board's position that "premature release of the documents may lead to the intimidation of prospective witnesses, destroying, tampering with, or creating records or other evidence, and material witnesses making themselves unavailable for interview during the investigation."

Because it is authorized to take disciplinary action against the Taylor County Animal Shelter under 201 KAR 16:080 Section 6 and KRS 321.235(7) "for violation of applicable statutes and administrative regulations," and the records to which ALDF requested access were compiled in the process of detecting or investigating violations of these statutes and regulations, 2 the Board satisfies parts one and two of the three-part test found at KRS 61.878(1)(h). Because the Board articulates actual harm from premature release of records responsive to ALDF's request, satisfying the third part of the test, we affirm its denial of the request as it relates to the current investigation of the Taylor County Animal Shelter. Nevertheless, ALDF's request encompassed records dating back to January 2007, and it is incumbent on the Board to conduct a search of its files to determine if complaints have been filed against, investigations conducted into, or disciplinary action imposed on the Taylor County Animal Shelter from 2007 to the present other than the complaint and investigation now underway. The Board's duties under the Open Records Act will not be fully discharged until it notifies ALDF, in writing, whether its search yielded any responsive records and, if so, it provides ALDF with copies of those records.

The Kentucky Board of Veterinary Examiners violated KRS 61.880(1) in its original response to ALDF's request because it failed to briefly explain how KRS 61.878(1)(h) applies to the records withheld. KRS 61.880(1) requires both a written statement of the exception upon which reliance is placed and "a brief explanation of how the exception applies to the record withheld. " Kentucky's courts have construed this provision to require "particular and detailed information in response to a request for documents." Edmondson v. Alig, 926 S.W.2d 856, 858 (Ky. App. 1996). The Board furnished "particular and detailed information" in its December 7 supplemental response thereby mitigating the deficiencies in its original response at least insofar as that response addressed its current investigation of the Taylor County Animal Shelter. It remains for the Board to conduct a broader search for records dating back to January 2007 "using methods which can reasonably be expected to produce the records requested," 95-ORD-96, p. 7 cited in 11-ORD-031, p. 3, and to provide ALDF with copies of the records. If its good faith search yields no results, it remains for the Board to issue a written response to ALDF confirming that no additional responsive records exist.

We affirm the Board's invocation of KRS 61.878(1)(h) to support nondisclosure of records compiled in its current investigation of the Taylor County Animal Shelter based on the authorities cited in its supplemental response and the cogent explanation of their application to the disputed records. The Board references a line of open records decisions recognizing the three-part test for agency invocation of KRS 61.878(1)(h) and postulated on the legislative declaration that the exception "shall not be used by the custodian of records to delay or impede the exercise of rights granted by KRS 61.870 to 61.884." KRS 61.878(1)(h). While we continue to ascribe to the view that "[t]he inclusion of this language imports a legislative resolve that the exceptions be invoked judiciously, and only when each of the [three-part test] has been met," 08-ORD-021, p. 11, 12, the Board successfully establishes that records relating to its current investigation of the Taylor County Animal Shelter fall squarely within the parameters of KRS 61.878(1)(h). With regard to the current complaint, the Board is acting as an agency involved in administrative adjudication pursuant to 201 KAR 16.080 Section 6 and KRS 321.235(7), the disputed records were compiled in the process of detecting and investigating the alleged statutory or regulatory violations, and disclosure of those records would harm the Board's investigation and enforcement action through the intimidation of prospective witnesses and the spoliation of evidence. We, therefore, find no error in the Board's denial of this portion of ALDF's request.

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.

Distributed to:

Wendy CromwellJeff BolerMark Brengelman

Footnotes

Footnotes

1 ALDF objected to our consideration of the Board's supplemental response, arguing that it was not submitted in a timely fashion. 40 KAR 1:030 Section 2 states that the Attorney General "shall consider any response [to his notification of appeal] received before the [open records] decision is prepared. . . ." Although that notification directs the receiving agency to respond within five business days, that deadline is not statutorily mandated and requests for extensions of time for filing responses are regularly granted.

2 We trust that documents other than the complaint that initiated the investigation are at issue in this appeal. Generally, complaints, or other initiating documents, do not enjoy protection under KRS 61.878(1)(h) since they are not "actively, specifically, intentionally, and directly compiled as an integral part of a specific detection or investigation process." OAG-89-11, p. 4. Complaints do, however, generally enjoy protection under KRS 61.878(1)(i) and (j), the preliminary documents exceptions, until final action is taken or a decision to take no action is made. City of Louisville v. Courier-Journal, 637 S.W.2d 658 (Ky. App. 1982).

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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:
Animal Legal Defense Fund
Agency:
Kentucky Board of Veterinary Examiners
Type:
Open Records Decision
Lexis Citation:
2012 Ky. AG LEXIS 1
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