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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 the Pike Circuit Court Clerk is not bound by the provisions of the Kentucky Open Records Act, and therefore cannot be said to have violated the Act by failing to respond to Tracy Daniels's July 29, and August 4, 1999, requests for records relating to case numbers 90-CR-237 and 97-CR-00239 within three business days of receipt of those requests. We believe that 98-ORD-6, a copy of which is attached hereto and incorporated by reference, is controlling.

In a letter to this office dated September 13, 1999, Pike Circuit Court Clerk W. David Deskins indicated that on September 13 a copy of Mr. Daniels's file was sent to him. Mr. Deskins further indicated that copies of two tapes identified in Mr. Daniels's request would be sent to him upon prepayment of copying charges. Although not statutorily obligated to do so, the Pike Circuit Court Clerk complied, in all material respects, with Mr. Daniels's requests. If Mr. Daniels is dissatisfied with Mr. Deskins's response, he must seek redress for his grievance through the courts.

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 decision concludes that the Pike Circuit Court Clerk is not obligated under the Kentucky Open Records Act to respond to requests for records within three business days, as evidenced by the case involving Tracy Daniels's requests. The decision follows the precedent set in 98-ORD-006, which is directly applicable to this case. Although the Clerk was not required to comply, the decision notes that the Clerk did respond to Daniels's requests in a satisfactory manner, and any further grievances should be pursued through the courts.
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:
Tracy Daniels
Agency:
Pike Circuit Court Clerk
Type:
Open Records Decision
Lexis Citation:
1999 Ky. AG LEXIS 166
Cites:
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