DocketNumber: No. CV93 0307378
Citation Numbers: 1994 Conn. Super. Ct. 6845, 9 Conn. Super. Ct. 841
Judges: VERTEFEUILLE, JUDGE.
Filed Date: 7/18/1994
Status: Non-Precedential
Modified Date: 4/18/2021
Bridgeport city attorney for plaintiff.
Pro se defendant.
The plaintiff appeals a decision of the defendant Freedom of Information Commission ("FOIC" or "Commission") ordering the plaintiff to disclose records relating to the amount of attorneys' fees paid by the City of Bridgeport to a private attorney who represented the City Police Department in a hearing before the Bridgeport Board of Police Commissioners. This appeal is brought pursuant to General Statutes §
Juan P. Gonzalez, a Bridgeport police officer, was disciplined by the Bridgeport Board of Police Commissioners for an off-duty incident. Prior to deciding upon the discipline the Board of Police Commissioners held a hearing to determine the appropriate disciplinary action. The Bridgeport Police Department was represented during the hearing by Attorney Donald Houston. By letter dated November 13, 1992, after the conclusion of the hearing, Officer Gonzalez requested the plaintiff to disclose the amount of attorneys' fees paid to Houston for his representation of the Police Department during the hearing. When the information was not disclosed by the plaintiff, Gonzalez filed an appeal with the FOIC.
At the time of the FOIC hearing Gonzalez had taken various actions to challenge the discipline imposed on him by the Board of Police Commissioners. He had filed complaints with the State Commission on Human Rights and Opportunities ("CHRO") and the State Board of Labor Relations ("SBLR"). He had also given notice to the City of Bridgeport of his intention to file a lawsuit against the City, although no suit has been filed. The FOIC rejected the plaintiff's contention that the information sought was exempted from disclosure pursuant to General Statutes §
General Statutes §
The court shall not substitute its judgment for that of the agency as to the weight of the evidence on questions of fact. The court shall affirm the decision of the agency unless the court finds that substantial rights of the person appealing have been prejudiced because the administrative findings, inferences, conclusions, or decisions are: (1) In violation of constitutional or statutory provisions; (2) in excess of the statutory authority CT Page 6847 of the agency; (3) made upon unlawful procedure; (4) affected by other error of law; (5) clearly erroneous in view of the reliable, probative, and substantial evidence on the whole record; or (6) arbitrary or capricious or characterized by abuse of discretion or clearly unwarranted exercise of discretion.
General Statutes §
There is no dispute that the plaintiff Comptroller of the City of Bridgeport is aggrieved by the FOIC order directing him to disclose the records requested by Officer Gonzalez. The plaintiff contends that the records are exempt from disclosure and he therefore possesses a specific personal and legal interest in the disclosure of these records which has been adversely affected by the Commission's ruling against his claims. Light Rigging Co. v.Department of Public Utility Control,
The plaintiff's first claim is that the information sought is exempt under General Statutes §
Nothing in sections
1-15 ,1-18a ,1-19 to1-19b , inclusive, and1-21 to1-21k , inclusive shall be construed to require disclosure of . . . records pertaining to strategy and negotiations with respect to pending claims or pending litigation to which the public agency is a party until such litigation or claim has been finally adjudicated or otherwise settled. . . .
Both parties agree that Gonzalez' complaints filled with the CHRO and the SBLR and his notice of intention to file suit against the City constitute "pending claims" and/or "pending litigation" within the statutory definitions of those terms in General Statutes §
In a factually similar case where invoices for attorneys' fees were claimed to be exempt under Section
The plaintiff next contends that the requested records are exempt from disclosure under General Statutes §
Nothing in sections
1-15 ,1-18a ,1-19 to1-19b , inclusive, and1-21 to1-21k , inclusive, shall be deemed in any manner to . . . affect the rights of litigants, including parties to administrative proceedings, under the laws of discovery of this state. . . .
The FOIC found that the plaintiff failed to prove his claim under Section
In his memorandum of law filed with the court, the plaintiff sets forth at length the discovery rights of litigants as set forth in the General Statutes and Practice Book provisions. He fails, however, to point to any evidence in the record which shows that disclosure of the amount of attorneys' fees paid would affect the discovery rights of litigants or parties to the administrative CT Page 6849 proceedings brought by Officer Gonzalez. Furthermore, at the hearing before the FOIC, Officer Gonzalez testified that he no longer intends to sue the City of Bridgeport so discovery in such a lawsuit is not at issue. Plaintiff fails to address this important fact.
The plaintiff's argument is simplistic: once suit is brought or an administrative proceeding is commenced, the party initiating the actions surrenders his rights under the Freedom of Information Act, General Statutes §
The plaintiff's final two arguments against disclosure are sketchy at best. He contends that the FOIC ruling interferes with a pending labor grievance brought by Officer Gonzalez. "The FOIA's final decision interferes with the SPMA pending complaint because the SPMA has the jurisdiction to determine if the requested material should be disclosed." This contention is wholly unsupported by any evidence in the record. Moreover, it parallels the argument, rejected above, that once an administrative proceeding is begun, the party initiating the action surrenders all his rights under the FOIA. There is no merit to this claim.
The plaintiff's final claim is that the proposed disclosure of the attorneys' fees paid violates the separation of powers provision of Article
There is no merit to any of the plaintiff's claims and this appeal accordingly is dismissed.
VERTEFEUILLE, JUDGE. CT Page 6850