April 9, 2009

Mr. James Mu

Assistant General Counsel

Texas Department of Criminal Justice

Office of the General Counsel

P.O. Box 4004

Huntsville, Texas 77342-4004

OR2009-04739

Dear Mr. Mu:

You ask whether certain information is subject to required public disclosure under the Public Information Act (the "Act"), chapter 552 of the Government Code. Your request was assigned ID# 339504.

The Texas Department of Criminal Justice (the "department") received a request for information pertaining to a specified sexual harassment complaint. You claim that portions of the submitted information are excepted from disclosure under sections 552.101 and 552.107 of the Government Code. We have considered the exceptions you claim and reviewed the submitted information.

Section 552.101 of the Government Code excepts from public disclosure "information considered to be confidential by law, either constitutional, statutory, or by judicial decision." Gov't Code § 552.101. This section encompasses the common-law right of privacy, which protects information that is 1) highly intimate or embarrassing, such that its release would be highly objectionable to a reasonable person, and 2) not of legitimate concern to the public. Indus. Found. v. Tex. Indus. Accident Bd., 540 S.W.2d 668 (Tex. 1976).

In Morales v. Ellen, 840 S.W.2d 519 (Tex. App.--El Paso 1992, writ denied), the court addressed the applicability of the common-law privacy doctrine to files of an investigation of allegations of sexual harassment. The investigation files in Ellen contained individual witness statements, an affidavit by the individual accused of the misconduct responding to the allegations, and conclusions of the board of inquiry that conducted the investigation. Id. at 525. The court ordered the release of the affidavit of the person under investigation and the conclusions of the board of inquiry, stating that the public's interest was sufficiently served by the disclosure of such documents. Id. In concluding, the Ellen court held that "the public did 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.

Thus, if there is an adequate summary of an investigation of alleged sexual harassment, the investigation summary must be released under Ellen, but the identities of the victims and witnesses of the alleged sexual harassment must be redacted, and their detailed statements must be withheld from disclosure. See Open Records Decision Nos. 393 (1983), 339 (1982). If no adequate summary of the investigation exists, then all of the information relating to the investigation ordinarily must be released, with the exception of information that would identify the victims and witnesses. In either case, the identity of the individual accused of sexual harassment is not protected from public disclosure. Common-law privacy does not protect information about a public employee's alleged misconduct on the job or complaints made about a public employee's job performance. See Open Records Decision Nos. 438 (1986), 405 (1983), 230 (1979), 219 (1978).

The submitted information contains an adequate summary of an investigation into a sexual harassment allegation. In accordance with the holding in Ellen, the department must generally release the summary and the statement of the accused, redacting information that identifies the alleged victim and witnesses. We note, however, that the requestor is the alleged victim in this instance. Section 552.023 of the Government Code gives a person or the person's authorized representative a special right of access to information that is excepted from public disclosure under laws intended to protect that person's privacy interests. See Gov't Code § 552.023. Thus, here, the requestor has a special right of access to her own information, and the department may not withhold that information from her under section 552.101 in conjunction with common-law privacy. ⁽¹⁾ See id.; Open Records Decision No. 481 at 4 (1987) (privacy theories not implicated when individual requests information concerning herself). Accordingly, the department must release the summary and statement of the accused, redacting only the information that identifies a witness. We have marked the identifying information accordingly. The remainder of the sexual harassment investigation, including witness statements and other supporting documentary evidence, must be withheld under section 552.101 of the Government Code in conjunction with common-law privacy and the holding in Ellen.

We note that the statement of the accused contains information subject to section 552.117 of the Government Code. ⁽²⁾ Section 552.117(a)(3) excepts from public disclosure the present and former home addresses and telephone numbers, social security numbers, and family member information of current or former department employees, regardless of whether the current or former employee complies with section 552.1175. Id. § 552.117(a)(3). Therefore, the department must withhold the information we have marked pursuant to section 552.117(a)(3).

Next, we address your argument under section 552.107(1) of the Government Code. This section protects information coming within the attorney-client privilege. When asserting the attorney-client privilege, a governmental body has the burden of providing the necessary facts to demonstrate the elements of the privilege in order to withhold the information at issue. Open Records Decision No. 676 at 6-7 (2002). First, a governmental body must demonstrate that the information consists of or documents a communication. Id. at 7. Second, the communication must have been made "for the purpose of facilitating the rendition of professional legal services" to the client governmental body. Tex. R. Evid. 503(b)(1). The privilege does not apply when an attorney or representative is involved in some capacity other than that of providing or facilitating professional legal services to the client governmental body. In re Tex. Farmers Ins. Exch., 990 S.W.2d 337, 340 (Tex. App.--Texarkana 1999, orig. proceeding) (attorney-client privilege does not apply if attorney acting in a capacity other than that of attorney). Governmental attorneys often act in capacities other than that of professional legal counsel, such as administrators, investigators, or managers. Thus, the mere fact that a communication involves an attorney for the government does not demonstrate this element. Third, the privilege applies only to communications between or among clients, client representatives, lawyers, and lawyer representatives. Tex. R. Evid. 503(b)(1)(A)-(E). Thus, a governmental body must inform this office of the identities and capacities of the individuals to whom each communication at issue has been made. Lastly, the attorney-client privilege applies only to a confidential communication, id. 503(b)(1), meaning it was "not intended to be disclosed to third persons other than those to whom disclosure is made in furtherance of the rendition of professional legal services to the client or those reasonably necessary for the transmission of the communication." Id. 503(a)(5).

Whether a communication meets this definition depends on the intent of the parties involved at the time the information was communicated. Osborne v. Johnson, 954 S.W.2d 180, 184 (Tex. App.--Waco 1997, no writ). Moreover, because the client may elect to waive the privilege at any time, a governmental body must explain that the confidentiality of a communication has been maintained. Section 552.107(1) generally excepts an entire communication that is demonstrated to be protected by the attorney-client privilege unless otherwise waived by the governmental body. See Huie v. DeShazo, 922 S.W.2d 920, 923 (Tex. 1996) (privilege extends to entire communication, including facts contained therein).

You have marked information that the department seeks to withhold under section 552.107(1). You indicate that the marked information constitutes a communication between a department attorney and staff, and that the communication was made for the purpose of facilitating the rendition of professional legal services to the department. You also indicate that the attorney-client privilege has not been waived. Based on your representations and our review of the information at issue, the department may withhold the information you have marked under section 552.107(1) of the Government Code.

In summary, with the exception of the redacted sexual harassment summary and statement of the accused, which must be released, the department must withhold the sexual harassment investigation documents under section 552.101 of the Government Code in conjunction with common-law privacy and the holding in Ellen. The department must also withhold the information we have marked pursuant to section 552.117(a)(3) of the Government Code. The department may withhold the information it has marked under section 552.107 of the Government Code.

This letter ruling is limited to the particular information 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 information or any other circumstances.

This ruling triggers important deadlines regarding the rights and responsibilities of the governmental body and of the requestor. For more information concerning those rights and responsibilities, please visit our website at http://www.oag.state.tx.us/open/index_orl.php, or call the Office of the Attorney General's Open Government Hotline, toll free, at (877) 673-6839. Questions concerning the allowable charges for providing public information under the Act must be directed to the Cost Rules Administrator of the Office of the Attorney General at (512) 475-2497.

Sincerely,

Sarah Casterline

Assistant Attorney General

Open Records Division

SEC/jb

Ref: ID# 339504

Enc. Submitted documents

c: Requestor

(w/o enclosures)

Footnotes

1. We note, however, that if the department receives another request for this particular information from a different requestor, the department should again seek a decision from us before releasing this information.

2. The Office of the Attorney General will raise a mandatory exception on behalf of a governmental body, but ordinarily will not raise other exceptions. Open Records Decision Nos. 481 (1987), 480 (1987), 470 (1987).

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