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Opinion

Opinion By: Gregory D. Stumbo, Attorney General; James M. Ringo, 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 Commonwealth's Attorney for the 46th Judicial Circuit properly denied Mr. Swink's request for a copy of the Grand Jury proceedings that was held on February 3, 2003. Pursuant to KRS 61.878(1)(h), records compiled and maintained by the Commonwealth's Attorney pertaining to criminal investigations or criminal litigation are exempted from the provisions of the Kentucky Open Records Act, and remain exempted after enforcement action, including litigation, is completed, or a decision is made to take no action. We believe that 00-ORD-116, a copy of which is attached hereto and incorporated by reference, is controlling.

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.

Richard Swink, # 166068 D-5Northpoint Training CenterP.O. Box 479Burgin, KY 40310

Kenton R. SmithCommonwealth's AttorneyP.O. Box 249Brandenburg, KY 40108

LLM Summary
The Attorney General's decision upheld the denial of Mr. Swink's request for a copy of the Grand Jury proceedings by the Commonwealth's Attorney for the 46th Judicial Circuit. The decision cited 00-ORD-116 as controlling precedent, which supports the exemption of records related to criminal investigations or litigation from the Kentucky Open Records Act. The decision affirms that such records remain exempt even after the completion of enforcement actions or decisions not to take action.
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Requested By:
Richard Swink
Agency:
Commonwealth’s Attorney for the 46th Judicial Circuit
Type:
Open Records Decision
Lexis Citation:
2005 Ky. AG LEXIS 301
Cites:
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