in Re Renee Moore, Austin Police Department Custodian of Records for the Austin Police Department And the City of Austin ( 2019 )


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  •           TEXAS COURT OF APPEALS, THIRD DISTRICT, AT AUSTIN
    NO. 03-19-00233-CV
    In re Renee Moore, Austin Police Department Custodian of Records for the
    Austin Police Department; and the City of Austin
    ORIGINAL PROCEEDING FROM BASTROP COUNTY
    OPINION
    Relators Renee Moore, Austin Police Department Custodian of Records for the
    Austin Police Department (APD), and the City of Austin (the City) have filed a petition for writ
    of mandamus challenging the trial court’s denial of the City’s motion to quash a subpoena duces
    tecum that compels production of certain police records. We will conditionally grant mandamus
    relief.
    BACKGROUND
    The State of Texas indicted real party in interest VonTrey Jamal Clark, a former
    APD police officer, for the offense of capital murder. Counsel for Clark, in preparation for trial,
    sought to review the personnel files of five former and current APD officers who had
    investigated the alleged offense. The State served a subpoena duces tecum on the City, seeking
    production of the records requested by the defense. 1 The City filed a motion to quash the
    subpoena, arguing that the records contained confidential material that was not subject to
    disclosure. See Tex. Loc. Gov’t Code § 143.089(g) (“A fire or police department may maintain a
    personnel file on a fire fighter or police officer employed by the department for the department’s
    use, but the department may not release any information contained in the department file to any
    agency or person requesting information relating to a fire fighter or police officer.”). However,
    the City agreed to “tender all confidential records to the Court to conduct an in camera inspection
    for Brady / Giglio material that may be contained in the confidential records.” 2 Following a non-
    evidentiary hearing, the trial court denied the motion to quash, including the City’s request that
    the court conduct an in camera inspection of the records. This mandamus proceeding followed. 3
    STANDARD OF REVIEW
    We apply a two-pronged test for granting mandamus relief in criminal cases:
    “(1) whether the relator has an adequate remedy at law to address his complaint, and (2) whether
    what he seeks is a ministerial act, not involving discretion or judicial decision-making.” In re
    State ex rel. Mau, 
    560 S.W.3d 640
    , 644 (Tex. Crim. App. 2018); see also Dickens v. Court of
    Appeals, 
    727 S.W.2d 542
    , 548 (Tex. Crim. App. 1987). A relator satisfies the first prong by
    1
    In its brief to this Court filed in response to the City’s petition, the State explained that
    it subpoenaed the records to comply with the requirements of the criminal discovery statute,
    Article 39.14 of the Texas Code of Criminal Procedure, and because Clark “moved for access to
    those records and [the trial court] ordered the State to request them.”
    2
    See Brady v. Maryland, 
    373 U.S. 83
    (1963); Giglio v. United States, 
    405 U.S. 150
    (1972).
    3
    The real parties in interest to this proceeding are Clark and the State. Clark has filed a
    response in opposition to the mandamus petition. The State, on the other hand, has filed a
    response in support of the petition, “insofar as it requires [the trial court] to review Relator’s
    privileged files in camera before ordering any form of disclosure.”
    2
    showing “that a remedy at law, though it technically exists, ‘may nevertheless be so uncertain,
    tedious, burdensome, slow, inconvenient, inappropriate, or ineffective as to be deemed
    inadequate.’” In re State ex rel. Weeks, 
    391 S.W.3d 117
    , 122 (Tex. Crim. App. 2013) (quoting
    Greenwell v. Court of Appeals for the Thirteenth Judicial Dist., 
    159 S.W.3d 645
    , 648–49 (Tex.
    Crim. App. 2005)). “A relator may satisfy the second prong by establishing that he has a clear
    right to the relief he seeks under law that is definite and unambiguous, and that ‘unquestionably
    applies to the indisputable facts of the case.’” 
    Mau, 560 S.W.3d at 644
    (quoting In re State ex
    rel. Young v. Sixth Judicial Dist. Court of Appeals, 
    236 S.W.3d 207
    , 210 (Tex. Crim. App.
    2007)).
    ANALYSIS
    Ministerial duty
    The City contends that the trial court had a ministerial duty to conduct an in
    camera inspection of the records prior to ordering their disclosure. Under the circumstances in
    this case, we agree.
    A defendant does not have a “general right to discovery” of all evidence in the
    State’s possession. See United States v. Bagley, 
    473 U.S. 667
    , 675 (1985) (“The prosecutor is
    not required to deliver his entire file to defense counsel, but only to disclose evidence favorable
    to the accused that, if suppressed, would deprive the defendant of a fair trial.”); Weatherford v.
    Bursey, 
    429 U.S. 545
    , 559 (1977) (“There is no general constitutional right to discovery in a
    criminal case, and Brady did not create one.”). However, under Brady and its progeny, the
    State’s failure to disclose evidence “favorable to an accused violates due process if the evidence
    is material to the accused’s guilt or punishment.” Ex parte Chaney, 
    563 S.W.3d 239
    , 266
    3
    (Tex. Crim. App. 2018) (citing Brady v. Maryland, 
    373 U.S. 83
    , 87 (1963)). “It is irrelevant
    whether the evidence was suppressed inadvertently or in bad faith, and the defense need not
    request disclosure because the State’s duty to disclose is an affirmative one.” 
    Id. (citing United
    States v. Agurs, 
    427 U.S. 97
    , 112–13 (1976)). “For purposes of a Brady claim, ‘the State’
    includes the prosecution, other lawyers and employees in the prosecutor’s office, and members
    of law enforcement connected to the investigation and prosecution of the case.” 
    Id. (citing Ex
    parte Miles, 
    359 S.W.3d 647
    , 665 (Tex. Crim. App. 2012)). “Favorable evidence includes
    exculpatory evidence and impeachment evidence.”          
    Id. (citing Bagley,
    473 U.S. 667
    , 676
    (1985)).    “Exculpatory evidence justifies, excuses, or clears a defendant from fault.
    Impeachment evidence disputes, disparages, denies, or contradicts other evidence.” 
    Id. (citing Harm
    v. State, 
    183 S.W.3d 403
    , 408 (Tex. Crim. App. 2006)). Impeachment evidence includes
    information that tends to discredit the testimony of witnesses for the State. See Giglio v. United
    States, 
    405 U.S. 150
    , 154–55 (1972).
    Additionally, in Texas, article 39.14 of the Code of Criminal Procedure requires
    the State to disclose to the defense any documents and other materials “not otherwise privileged
    that constitute or contain evidence material to any matter involved in the action and that are in
    the possession, custody, or control of the state or any person under contract with the state.” Tex.
    Code Crim. Proc. art. 39.14(a).      “If only a portion of the applicable document, item, or
    information is subject to discovery under this article, the state is not required to produce or
    permit the inspection of the remaining portion that is not subject to discovery and may withhold
    or redact that portion.” 
    Id. art. 39.14(c).
    “The state shall inform the defendant that a portion of
    the document, item, or information has been withheld or redacted,” and upon “request of the
    defendant, the court shall conduct a hearing to determine whether withholding or redaction is
    4
    justified under this article or other law.” 
    Id. Moreover, even
    when the documents are “otherwise
    privileged” and thus not subject to disclosure under article 39.14(a), the State is required under
    article 39.14(h) to “disclose to the defendant any exculpatory, impeachment, or mitigating
    document, item, or information in the possession, custody, or control of the state that tends to
    negate the guilt of the defendant or would tend to reduce the punishment for the offense
    charged.” 
    Id. art. 39.14(h).
    Thus, under both Brady and article 39.14, the responsibility for disclosing
    evidence favorable to the defense rests with the State. However, in certain cases, the trial court
    also plays a critical role in the discovery process. Both the United States Supreme Court and the
    Court of Criminal Appeals have held that when the defense requests access to confidential or
    privileged information, the trial court should conduct an in camera inspection of the materials
    prior to ordering disclosure of the information. See Pennsylvania v. Ritchie, 
    480 U.S. 39
    , 60–61
    (1987); Thomas v. State, 
    837 S.W.2d 106
    , 113–14 (Tex. Crim. App. 1992).
    In Ritchie, the defendant in a child-sexual-assault case served a subpoena on a
    child-protective-services agency, seeking access to records relating to current and prior
    allegations of abuse that had been made against the 
    defendant. 480 U.S. at 43
    . The agency
    refused to comply with the subpoena, claiming that the records were privileged under
    Pennsylvania law. 
    Id. Specifically, the
    relevant statute provided that all reports and other
    information obtained during an agency investigation must be kept confidential, subject to certain
    exceptions including disclosure pursuant to a court order. 
    Id. at 43–44.
    The trial court refused to
    order the agency to disclose the file, the case proceeded to trial, and the defendant was convicted.
    
    Id. at 44–45.
    5
    On appeal, the defendant argued that the failure to disclose the contents of the file
    violated his constitutional rights. 
    Id. at 45.
    The Pennsylvania Supreme Court agreed and
    concluded that the defendant, “through his lawyer, [was] entitled to review the entire file to
    search for any useful evidence.” 
    Id. at 46.
    According to the Pennsylvania court, the trial court’s
    in camera examination of the file was insufficient; the defendant “was unlawfully denied the
    opportunity to have the records reviewed by ‘the eyes and the perspective of an advocate,’ who
    may see relevance in places that a neutral judge would not.” 
    Id. The United
    States Supreme Court granted certiorari “in light of the substantial and
    conflicting interests” of the government and the defendant. 
    Id. Although the
    Court agreed with
    the Pennsylvania court that the defendant was entitled to have the trial court review the agency
    file for possible Brady material, see 
    id. at 57–58,
    the Court disagreed with the lower court’s
    decision “to the extent that it allows defense counsel access to the [agency] file,” 
    id. at 61.
    The
    Court explained that “[t]o allow full disclosure to defense counsel in this type of case would
    sacrifice unnecessarily the Commonwealth’s compelling interest in protecting its child abuse
    information.” 
    Id. at 60.
    “If the [agency] records were made available to defendants, even
    through counsel, it could have a seriously adverse effect on Pennsylvania’s efforts to uncover
    and treat abuse.” 
    Id. The Court
    added, “The Commonwealth’s purpose would be frustrated if
    this confidential material had to be disclosed upon demand to a defendant charged with criminal
    child abuse, simply because a trial court may not recognize exculpatory evidence. Neither
    precedent nor common sense requires such a result.” 
    Id. at 61.
    The Court concluded that the
    defendant’s interest “in ensuring a fair trial can be protected fully by requiring that the [agency]
    files be submitted only to the trial court for in camera review.” 
    Id. at 60.
    Moreover, “[a]n in
    camera review by the trial court will serve Ritchie’s interest without destroying the
    6
    Commonwealth’s need to protect the confidentiality of those involved in child-abuse
    investigations.” 
    Id. at 61.
    The Court of Criminal Appeals reached a similar conclusion in Thomas v. State.
    In Thomas, the defendant was charged with capital 
    murder. 837 S.W.2d at 107
    . Prior to trial,
    the defendant applied for a subpoena duces tecum “to compel the production from Dallas Crime
    Stoppers of any information pertaining to [the crime].” 
    Id. at 108.
    The trial court quashed the
    subpoena “on the ground that the requested information was deemed confidential and could not
    be released without a specific court order.” 
    Id. The relevant
    statutes were Texas Government
    Code sections 414.007, which provided that Crime Stoppers records “relating to reports of
    criminal acts are confidential,” and 414.008, which provided that “[r]ecords of . . . a local crime
    stoppers program concerning a report of criminal activity may not be compelled to be produced
    before a court or other tribunal except on the order of the supreme court.” Tex. Gov’t Code
    §§ 414.007, .008(b). The case proceeded to trial and the defendant was convicted of capital
    murder and sentenced to death. 
    Thomas, 837 S.W.2d at 107
    .
    On direct appeal to the Court of Criminal Appeals, the defendant argued that the
    failure to produce the Crime Stoppers records had violated his constitutional rights. 
    Id. at 109.
    Following the Supreme Court’s analysis in Ritchie, the court agreed that the failure to produce
    the records implicated the defendant’s due-process rights under Brady and concluded that the
    defendant “has the right to production of crime stoppers information in possession of the local
    Dallas Crime Stoppers program, the Crime Stoppers Advisory Council, or the Dallas County
    District Attorney’s Office.” 
    Id. at 112–14.
    “However,” the court added, “to allow a defendant unlimited access to the
    information would unnecessarily compromise the State’s interest in fostering law enforcement
    7
    and its efforts to do so by protecting the identity of crime stoppers informants.” 
    Id. at 114.
    The
    court observed that the law-enforcement interest promoted by the crime-stoppers statute is “quite
    compelling” and “justifies the confidentiality provisions of the current statute.” 
    Id. at 113.
    “The
    problem,” as the court saw it, was that “the confidentiality provisions of the crime stoppers
    statute, as interpreted by the trial court and as applied to the appellant, reach too far. They
    operate to totally bar a defendant access to information that may be material, whether in the
    possession of the State or any other person.” 
    Id. The court
    explained, “Denial of access to
    information which would have a reasonable probability of affecting the outcome of a defendant’s
    trial abridges a defendant’s due process rights and undermines the court’s duty to vindicate Sixth
    Amendment rights. There is no interest that could be asserted by the Legislature that would be
    compelling enough to justify such a result.” 
    Id. To balance
    the State’s interest in law enforcement with the defendant’s interest in
    access to information that may be material to his case, the court required the trial court to
    conduct an in camera inspection of the records:
    We believe that both the State’s interest and the defendant’s interest can be served
    by providing that crime stoppers information should be inspected by the trial court
    in camera. Neither the attorneys for the State or defendant should be present. It
    will be the responsibility of the court to determine if the produced information
    contains Brady evidence. The court must, in its sound discretion, take steps to
    ensure that, to the extent possible, the information remains confidential. If
    information is deemed material at the time it is inspected or at any future stage of
    the trial, it must be released to the defendant pursuant to well-settled precedent.
    At the conclusion of trial, the information shall be sealed and made part of the
    record.
    
    Id. at 114
    (emphasis added).
    8
    Thomas was not the first case in which the Court of Criminal Appeals required the
    trial court to conduct an in camera inspection of confidential material that was sought by a
    criminal defendant. Texas Bd. of Pardons & Paroles v. Miller, 
    590 S.W.2d 142
    (Tex. Crim.
    App. 1979), was a pretrial mandamus proceeding similar to the case before us. In Miller, the
    defendant, who was charged with making obscene phone calls, obtained a subpoena duces tecum
    requiring the Board to produce “all files and letters concerning [the defendant] and all letters
    written to the Board by . . . the defendant’s ex-wife,” who was the complainant in the case. 
    Id. at 142.
    The defendant argued that “the purpose of the subpoenaed documents was to show the bias
    and prejudice of the complaining witness.” 
    Id. at 143.
    The Board filed a motion to quash the
    subpoena duces tecum, citing former article 42.12 of the Code of Criminal Procedure, which
    provided that “[a]ll information obtained in connection with inmates of the Texas Department of
    Corrections . . . shall be confidential and privileged information and shall not be subject to public
    inspection.” 
    Id. The trial
    court overruled the motion to quash and ordered that the documents be
    tendered to defense counsel. 
    Id. The Board
    then filed a petition for writ of mandamus with the
    Court of Criminal Appeals. 
    Id. In granting
    mandamus relief, the court observed that “[t]he conflict is between the
    Sixth Amendment right of [the defendant] to confront his accusers and the Board’s statutory
    privilege necessary to preserve confidentiality and to encourage the frank and candid discussion
    necessary to its function.” 
    Id. Although the
    court agreed with the Board that “the need for
    confidentiality is presented here,” the court would not allow “a statutory enactment to take
    precedence over a constitutional right.” 
    Id. at 144.
    Thus, to balance the competing interests of
    the Board and the defendant, the court required the trial court to conduct an in camera inspection
    of the requested documents:
    9
    The trial court in the present case will examine the letters of [the defendant’s ex-
    wife] to the Board in chambers. If the court is of the opinion that any of such
    letters would tend to show bias, prejudice or motive to testify, such letter or letters
    should be made available to counsel for defense for cross-examination purposes
    only after [the ex-wife] testifies. Making the letters available will be a matter of
    discretion on the part of the trial court and can be reviewed where there has been
    an abuse of such discretion discussed below.
    
    Id. The court
    added, “the in-chambers inspection must be conducted in a manner conducive to
    ‘scrupulous protection against any release or publication of material not found by the court, at
    that stage, . . . relevant to the issues of the trial for which it is sought.’ The trial court must give
    due and proper regard for the Board’s need for confidentiality.” 
    Id. (quoting United
    States v.
    Nixon, 
    418 U.S. 683
    , 714 (1974)).
    The above and other authorities establish that when a party seeks to compel the
    production of confidential or privileged documents, the trial court is required to conduct an in
    camera inspection of those documents prior to ordering their disclosure. 4 See 
    Ritchie, 480 U.S. at 60
    –61; 
    Thomas, 837 S.W.2d at 114
    ; 
    Miller, 590 S.W.2d at 144
    ; see also 
    Nixon, 418 U.S. at 713
    –14 (approving trial court’s procedure of ordering “an in camera examination of the
    subpoenaed material” that trial court considered to be “presumptively privileged”); In re State,
    Nos. 09-15-00192-CR & 09-15-00193-CR, 2015 Tex. App. LEXIS 12083, at *7 (Tex. App.—
    Beaumont Nov. 25, 2015, orig. proceeding) (mem. op., not designated for publication)
    (conditionally granting mandamus relief when trial court ordered State to “produce a recording
    of a drug transaction of a confidential informant” in compliance with disclosure requirements of
    4
    We note that in civil cases, the Texas Supreme Court has conditionally granted
    mandamus relief when the trial court has failed to conduct an in camera inspection of allegedly
    confidential or privileged records and the records are the only evidence to substantiate the claim
    of privilege. See, e.g., In re M-I L.L.C., 
    505 S.W.3d 569
    , 579–80 (Tex. 2016) (orig. proceeding);
    Weisel Enters., Inc. v. Curry, 
    718 S.W.2d 56
    , 58 (Tex. 1986) (per curiam) (orig. proceeding).
    10
    article 39.14, “without first examining the recording in camera and determining whether an
    exception to the [Rule 508 informant’s identity] privilege applies”). Thus, the question in this
    case is whether the personnel files subject to the subpoena contain confidential or privileged
    information.
    The statute at issue here is Section 143.089(g) of the Texas Local Government
    Code, which provides that “[a] fire or police department may maintain a personnel file on a fire
    fighter or police officer employed by the department for the department’s use, but the department
    may not release any information contained in the department file to any agency or person
    requesting information relating to a fire fighter or police officer.”    Tex. Loc. Gov’t Code
    § 143.089(g). This Court and others have characterized Section 143.089(g) personnel files as
    “confidential and not subject to disclosure,” “privileged,” “not available for public inspection,”
    and not to be released “to anyone under any circumstances.” Canada v. State, 
    547 S.W.3d 4
    , 20
    (Tex. App.—Austin 2017, no pet.); In re Jobe, 
    42 S.W.3d 174
    , 181 (Tex. App.—Amarillo 2001,
    orig. proceeding); City of San Antonio v. San Antonio Express-News, 
    47 S.W.3d 556
    , 562
    (Tex. App.—San Antonio 2000, pet. denied); Ealoms v. State, 
    983 S.W.2d 853
    , 859
    (Tex. App.—Waco 1998, pet. ref’d); City of San Antonio v. Texas Att’y Gen., 
    851 S.W.2d 946
    ,
    952 (Tex. App.—Austin 1993, writ denied). Moreover, the parties do not dispute that the
    personnel files subject to the subpoena include confidential or privileged material. Accordingly,
    on this record, we conclude that the trial court has a ministerial duty to conduct an in camera
    inspection of the subpoenaed documents prior to determining what, if any, portion of them
    should be disclosed. See 
    Ealoms, 983 S.W.2d at 859
    (“Here, there is no question that the
    [Section 143.089(g)] file requested by Ealoms is privileged by statute. Thus, in determining
    Ealoms’ right to the privileged material, the court was obligated to conduct an in camera review
    11
    of the evidence.”). Cf. Abbott v. City of Corpus Christi, 
    109 S.W.3d 113
    , 119 (Tex. App.—
    Austin 2003, no pet.) (observing that in context of Public Information Act cases, “the contents of
    a subsection (g) file are always subject to court review by in camera inspection to determine
    whether it contains information that should have been forwarded to a subsection (a) file and
    made subject to disclosure”).
    Adequate remedy at law
    It is well established that “an appeal may become an inadequate remedy from
    pretrial discovery orders if a relator could not receive relief on appeal.” 
    Dickens, 727 S.W.2d at 550
    (Tex. Crim. App. 1987); see also 
    Miller, 590 S.W.2d at 143
    (agreeing with relator that “the
    issues raised by the service of a subpoena duces tecum in the context of a criminal trial and the
    [relator’s] assertion of [a] statutory privilege . . . are such that any legal decision affecting the
    privilege is not susceptible to meaningful review through the normal criminal appellate
    processes”). In this case, the City, similar to the Board in Miller, does not have an adequate
    remedy at law. Once the Section 143.089(g) files are disclosed, the disclosure cannot be undone,
    and at the very least, Clark’s attorneys will have access to the confidential files. However, Clark
    contends that “there is an easy remedy for protecting that confidentiality: a protective order.”
    We disagree. As the United States Supreme Court observed in Ritchie, if confidential records
    “were made available to defendants, even through counsel, it could have a seriously adverse
    effect” on the City’s interest in maintaining the confidentiality of the files. See 
    Ritchie, 480 U.S. at 60
    (emphasis added). Thus, absent an in camera inspection of the files, a protective order
    would be an inadequate remedy for the City.
    12
    Procedural objections
    Finally, we address the procedural objections to granting mandamus relief that
    Clark has raised in his response in opposition to the City’s petition. Clark asserts that we should
    deny mandamus relief because: (1) the mandamus record is inadequate; (2) the dispute hinges on
    “key facts omitted from the City’s petition”; (3) the City’s request for extraordinary relief was
    “untimely”; and (4) “mandamus was pursued without first giving the trial court an opportunity to
    hear why a protective order would be inadequate.” None of these contentions have merit.
    The rules require that the relator must file with its mandamus petition: “(1) a
    certified or sworn copy of every document that is material to the relator’s claim for relief and
    that was filed in any underlying proceeding; and (2) a properly authenticated transcript of any
    relevant testimony from any underlying proceeding, including any exhibits offered in evidence,
    or a statement that no testimony was adduced in connection with the matter complained.” Tex.
    R. App. P. 52.7(a). Here, the City filed with its petition certified copies of the indictment, the
    subpoena, its motion to quash the subpoena, and the trial court’s order denying the motion to
    quash. No other documents were necessary to our disposition of this mandamus proceeding. 5
    Moreover, it is undisputed that no testimony was taken and no evidence was admitted at the
    hearing on the City’s motion to quash. Therefore, the City was not required to provide a
    reporter’s record of that hearing.
    Clark also contends that the City omitted “key facts” from its petition. We
    disagree.   The “key facts” are that Clark sought the production of records that contain
    confidential information, the City requested that the district court conduct an in camera
    5
    We also note that if Clark believed that additional materials were necessary, the rules
    allow for supplementation of the record by the relator or “any other party.” See Tex. R. App. P.
    52.7(b). However, Clark has chosen not to supplement the record.
    13
    inspection of those records prior to ordering their disclosure, and the district court denied the
    City’s request. The City included those facts in its petition.
    We also disagree with Clark’s assertion that the City’s request for mandamus
    relief was untimely. Mandamus is an equitable remedy designed to “aid the diligent and not
    those who slumber on their rights,” and an unreasonable delay in filing a mandamus petition may
    be grounds for denying relief. See Rivercenter Assocs. v. Rivera, 
    858 S.W.2d 366
    , 367 (Tex.
    1993). However, in this case, the City filed its mandamus petition less than two months after the
    hearing at which the trial court orally denied the motion to quash and only one week after the
    trial court entered its written order denying the motion. This is not the type of delay that justifies
    the denial of mandamus relief. See In re Jim Walter Homes, Inc., 
    207 S.W.3d 888
    , 900 (Tex.
    App.—Houston [14th Dist.] 2006, orig. proceeding) (concluding that seven-week delay in filing
    mandamus petition did not justify denial of mandamus relief). Cf. In re Xeller, 
    6 S.W.3d 618
    ,
    624 (Tex. App.—Houston [14th Dist.] 1999, orig. proceeding) (sixteen-month delay justified
    denial of mandamus relief); In re State ex rel. Hilbig, 
    985 S.W.2d 189
    , 192 (Tex. App.—San
    Antonio 1998, orig. proceeding) (ten-month delay justified denial of mandamus relief); Bailey v.
    Baker, 
    696 S.W.2d 255
    , 256 (Tex. App.—Houston [14th Dist.] 1985, orig. proceeding)
    (concluding that four-month delay was unreasonable when relator waited to file mandamus
    petition until approximately two weeks prior to trial). We also cannot conclude that Clark has
    been harmed by the purported delay in seeking mandamus relief. See In re Mabray, 
    355 S.W.3d 16
    , 22–23 (Tex. App.—Houston [1st Dist.] 2010, orig. proceeding) (requiring showing of harm
    to real party in interest before mandamus relief may be denied on ground of unreasonable delay);
    In re Hinterlong, 
    109 S.W.3d 611
    , 621 (Tex. App.—Fort Worth 2003, orig. proceeding) (same).
    14
    Finally, there is no merit to Clark’s assertion that the City should have asked the
    trial court to enter a protective order before seeking mandamus relief. Entering any such order
    without first conducting an in camera inspection would have been inadequate to protect the
    confidentiality of the requested records. As the City observes, “[e]ven the most restrictive
    protective order would permit attorneys for the State and the defense to review the confidential
    records.” Thus, an in camera inspection is necessary to ensure that the parties review only the
    records that are required to be disclosed under Brady and article 39.14. After the trial court has
    conducted an in camera inspection of the records, then it can enter a protective order for any
    material that it orders to be produced.
    CONCLUSION
    We conclude that the trial court has a ministerial duty to conduct an in camera
    inspection of the Section 143.089(g) files before determining what, if any, portion of them
    should be disclosed and that the City lacks an adequate remedy at law from the trial court’s
    failure to do so. Accordingly, the City’s petition for writ of mandamus is conditionally granted.
    See Tex. R. App. P. 52.8(c). The writ will issue only if the trial court fails to (1) vacate its order
    denying the City’s motion to quash; (2) conduct an in camera inspection of the requested records
    consistent with the procedures described by the Court of Criminal Appeals in Thomas and
    Miller, supra; and (3) enter an order quashing the subpoena to the extent that the subpoena
    compels the production of any materials that the trial court determines are not required to be
    produced under Brady and article 39.14.
    15
    __________________________________________
    Gisela D. Triana, Justice
    Before Chief Justice Rose, Justices Triana and Smith
    Filed: July 11, 2019
    16