 ATTORNEY GENERAL OF TEXAS GREG ABBOTT | |
|
February 6, 2004 Mr. James M. Frazier, III
OR2004-0917 Dear Mr. Frazier: You ask whether certain information is subject to required public disclosure under chapter 552 of the Government Code. Your request was assigned ID# 195753. The Texas Department of Criminal Justice (the "department") received a request for all records relating to the requestor. You claim that the submitted information is excepted from disclosure under sections 552.101 and 552.117 of the Government Code. We have considered the exceptions you claim and reviewed the submitted information. You assert that some of the submitted information is excepted from disclosure under section 552.101 of the Government Code. Section 552.101 excepts from disclosure "information considered to be confidential by law, either constitutional, statutory, or by judicial decision," including information that is encompassed by the common-law right to privacy. See Industrial Found. v. Texas Indus. Accident Bd., 540 S.W.2d 668 (Tex. 1976), cert. denied, 430 U.S. 931 (1977). Information is protected from disclosure under the common-law right to privacy if (1) it contains highly intimate or embarrassing facts, the release of which would be highly objectionable to a reasonable person, and (2) it is not of legitimate concern to the public. See id. at 685 In Morales v. Ellen, 840 S.W.2d 519 (Tex. App.--El Paso 1992, writ denied), the court applied the common-law right to privacy addressed in Industrial Foundation to an investigation of allegations of sexual harassment. The investigation files at issue in Ellen contained third-party witness statements, an affidavit in which the individual accused of the misconduct responded to the allegations, and the conclusions of the board of inquiry that conducted the investigation. See 840 S.W.2d at 525. The court upheld the release of the affidavit of the person under investigation and the conclusions of the board of inquiry, stating that the disclosure of such documents sufficiently served the public's interest in the matter. Id. The court further held, however, that "the public does not possess a legitimate interest in the identities of the individual witnesses, nor the details of their personal statements beyond what is contained in the documents that have been ordered released." Id. Therefore, when there is an adequate summary of an investigation, the summary and any statements of the person under investigation must be released, but the identities of the victims and witnesses must be redacted and their detailed statements must be withheld from disclosure. However, when no adequate summary exists, detailed statements regarding the allegations must be released, but the identities of witnesses and victims must still be redacted from the statements. In accordance with Ellen, this office typically has required the release of a document analogous to the conclusions of the board of inquiry in Ellen, but has held that a governmental body must withhold both the identities of victims and witnesses of alleged sexual harassment and any information that would tend to identify such a victim or witness. In this instance, we do not find that the submitted documents include an adequate summary of the department's investigation of the alleged sexual harassment. We therefore conclude that the department must release the information regarding the allegations, but only after redacting the victim's and the witnesses' identifying information we have marked as coming within the common-law right of privacy. We next consider your claim under section 552.117 of the Government Code. Section 552.117(a)(3) excepts the home address and telephone number, social security number, and family member information of current or former employees of the department. Accordingly, the department must withhold the information we have marked pursuant to section 552.117(a)(3). We note, however, that the requestor has a special right of access to his own information pursuant to section 552.023. See Gov't Code § 552.023 (a person has a special right of access to information that is excepted from public disclosure under laws intended to protect that person's privacy interest as the subject of the information). Thus, the requestor's own information may not be withheld under section 552.117(a)(3) and must be released to the requestor.(1) In summary, the department must release the statements from the sexual harassment investigation at issue, but only after redacting the identifying information we have marked as coming within the common-law right of privacy. The department must withhold the information we have marked under section 552.117. The remaining information must be released to the requestor. This letter ruling is limited to the particular records at issue in this request and limited to the facts as presented to us; therefore, this ruling must not be relied upon as a previous determination regarding any other records or any other circumstances. This ruling triggers important deadlines regarding the rights and responsibilities of the governmental body and of the requestor. For example, governmental bodies are prohibited from asking the attorney general to reconsider this ruling. Gov't Code § 552.301(f). If the governmental body wants to challenge this ruling, the governmental body must appeal by filing suit in Travis County within 30 calendar days. Id. § 552.324(b). In order to get the full benefit of such an appeal, the governmental body must file suit within 10 calendar days. Id. § 552.353(b)(3), (c). If the governmental body does not appeal this ruling and the governmental body does not comply with it, then both the requestor and the attorney general have the right to file suit against the governmental body to enforce this ruling. Id. § 552.321(a). If this ruling requires the governmental body to release all or part of the requested information, the governmental body is responsible for taking the next step. Based on the statute, the attorney general expects that, within 10 calendar days of this ruling, the governmental body will do one of the following three things: 1) release the public records; 2) notify the requestor of the exact day, time, and place that copies of the records will be provided or that the records can be inspected; or 3) notify the requestor of the governmental body's intent to challenge this letter ruling in court. If the governmental body fails to do one of these three things within 10 calendar days of this ruling, then the requestor should report that failure to the attorney general's Open Government Hotline, toll free, at (877) 673-6839. The requestor may also file a complaint with the district or county attorney. Id. § 552.3215(e). If this ruling requires or permits the governmental body to withhold all or some of the requested information, the requestor can appeal that decision by suing the governmental body. Id. § 552.321(a); Texas Dep't of Pub. Safety v. Gilbreath, 842 S.W.2d 408, 411 (Tex. App.--Austin 1992, no writ). Please remember that under the Act the release of information triggers certain procedures for costs and charges to the requestor. If records are released in compliance with this ruling, be sure that all charges for the information are at or below the legal amounts. Questions or complaints about over-charging must be directed to Hadassah Schloss at the Texas Building and Procurement Commission at (512) 475-2497. If the governmental body, the requestor, or any other person has questions or comments about this ruling, they may contact our office. We note that a third party may challenge this ruling by filing suit seeking to withhold information from a requestor. Gov't Code § 552.325. Although there is no statutory deadline for contacting us, the attorney general prefers to receive any comments within 10 calendar days of the date of this ruling. Sincerely, Amy D. Peterson
c: Mr. Sina Zareian
Footnotes 1. We note, however, that the submitted documents contain information that is confidential with respect to the general public. See Gov't Code § 552.023 (person or his authorized representative has special right of access to information that is excepted from public disclosure under laws intended to protect person's privacy interest as subject of the information); see also Open Records Decision No. 481 at 4 (1987) (privacy theories not implicated when person asks governmental body for information concerning the person himself or herself). Thus, in the event the department receives another request for this information from someone other than this requestor or his authorized representative, the department must ask this office for a decision whether the information is subject to public disclosure. POST OFFICE BOX 12548, AUSTIN, TEXAS 78711-2548 TEL: (512) 463-2100 WEB: WWW.OAG.STATE.TX.US |