Readers of this blog know that we usually represent OPRA requestors, but we also have represented public officials and public agencies. In our work, we come across common mistakes made by public agencies. This … >
Appellate Division Win - Kratovil v. City of New Brunswick
On July 13, 2022, the Appellate Division decided Kratovil v. City of New Brunswick, which is an OPRA case in which we represented the Plaintiff. A copy of the opinion is available here. In this case, Pla… >
Proposed Government Records Council Regulations
On May 16, 2022, the Government Records Council (“GRC”) published amended proposed regulations that contain important changes in how the GRC handles cases and operates. The most important change is… >
Appellate Division Win -- Reversal of Sanctions Award
Today, we discuss a case that is not related to OPRA. In the published opinion of Wolosky v. Fredon Township, we secured the reversal of a sanction of $45,589.35 in counsel fees against our client, Jesse Wolosk… >
Civil Penalty Case: McMorrow v. Borough of Englewood Cliffs
Although OPRA gives Superior Court and the Government Records Council authority to issue civil penalties, starting at $1,000 for the first violation, for knowingly and willfully violating OPRA, cases that conta… >
Cohn Lifland Appellate Win -- Malanga v. West Orange
On May 3, 2022, the Appellate Division issued a decision in Malanga v. Township of West Orange, in which the Court reversed the trial court in part and remanded the case to the trial court for further proceedin… >
Public Employee Payroll Records
Under OPRA, public employee “payroll records” are public records. But this deceptively simple term can become difficult to apply. Certainly, an employee’s base gross salary is a public record… >
Update on Irvington's Abuse of OPRA Lawsuit Against Senior Citizen
On our website, we previously highlighted an NBC4 I-Team report that broke a story on an Irvington senior citizen who was sued by her own town for filing too many OPRA requests. The report is here. (Full disclo… >
One of the strengths of OPRA is that it is a fee-shifting statute, which means that if an OPRA requestor wins their case in Court, the public entity must pay the requestor’s reasonable legal fees and cost… >
Supreme Court Update: Libertarians for Transparent Government
On March 7, 2022, the Supreme Court released its opinion in Libertarians for Transparent Government v. Cumberland County. In this case, Libertarians asked for a copy of a settlement agreement that resolve… >
