AP
6/22/23
Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds has agreed to settle a lawsuit filed by journalists who sought to require her office to respond to public record requests.
A state panel agreed Wednesday to pay more than $100,000 in attorney fees to settle the cases. Reynolds settled the lawsuit about two months after the Iowa Supreme Court refused to dismiss the case filed by the liberal-leaning Bleeding Heartland blog, Iowa Capital Dispatch and Iowa Freedom of Information Council, which focuses on open government issues.
The court unanimously rejected the governor’s argument that her office wasn’t required to respond in a timely manner to record requests and that she could bypass the state’s open records law by simply ignoring the requests. The organizations filed the lawsuit in 2021.
Earlier Wednesday, the State Appeal Board approved $135,000 to cover legal fees for the organizations, though the one Democrat on the three-member board objected.
Auditor Rob Sand said state law intends that those who violate the open records law should pay fees related to the violation and a fine. The settlement, he noted, pays the fees with public money and doesn’t include a fine.