KSTP-TV v. Metropolitan Council

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KSTP-TV (KSTP) requested videos that contained recordings of two incidents on Metro Transit buses. Metro Transit, a division of Metropolitan Council, had evaluated the conduct of the drivers of both buses but did not discipline either of them. Metro Transit refused KSTP’s requests, concluding that the videos contained private personnel data on the bus drivers, and therefore, the videos were exempt from disclosure. KSTP filed a complaint under the Minnesota Government Data Practices Act with the Office of Administrative Hearings. An administrative law judge concluded that the recordings were public data and, accordingly, that KSTP was entitled to the video data. The court of appeals affirmed. The Supreme Court reversed, holding (1) video data from public buses is personnel data under the Data Practices Act only if it is maintained exclusively because an individual subject of the data is a government employee; and (2) to determine whether particular data is personnel data under the Act, a government entity must classify the data at the time a request for access to the data is made. Remanded to the Office of Administrative Hearings for further proceedings. View "KSTP-TV v. Metropolitan Council" on Justia Law