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ATTORNEY
GENERALOFTEXAS
GREG
ABBOTT
August10,2010
Mr.
Gary
Grief
ExecutiveDirectorTexasLotteryCommissionP.O.Box16630Austin,Texas78761-6630
0R2010-12086
DearMr.Grief:YouaskwhethercertaininformationissubjecttorequiredpublicdisclosureunderthePublicInformationAct(the"Act"),chapter552
ofthe
GovernmentCode.
Your
requestwasassigned
ID#
389777.TheTexasLotteryCommission(the"commission")receivedarequestforawrittenstatementmade
by
aspecifiedlotterywinner.
You
claimthatthesubmittedinformationisexceptedfromdisclosure
under
section552.101
of
theGovernmentCode.
We
haveconsideredtheexception
you
claimandreviewedthesubmittedinformation.
We
havealsoconsideredcommentssubmitted
by
anattorney("Gardere")representingthelotterywinner.
See
Gov't
Code
§
552.304(interestedpartymaysubmitcommentsstating
why
informationshouldorshouldnot
be
relbsed).
"
:,
,'Section552.101
ofthe
GovernmentCodeexceptsfromdisclosure"informationconsideredtobeconfidential
by
law,eitherconstitutional,statutory,or
by
judicial
decision."
Gov't
Code§552.101.Thissectionencompassesinfonnationprotected
by
otherstatutes.Section466.022
of
theGovernmentCodeprovidesinpart:(a)Exceptasotherwiseprovided
by
law,allcommissionrecordsaresubjecttopublicinspection
in
accordancewithChapter552.(b)
In
additiontocommissionrecordsexceptedfromdisclosureunderChapter552,thefollowinginformationisconfidentialandisexemptfromdisclosure:
POST
OFFICE
Box
12548,
AUSTIN,
TEXAS
78711-2548:TEL:(512)463-2100
WWW.OAG.STATE.TX,US
AI1-
Equal
Emplo)'molf
Opportunit),
Emp/oJ'a'
on
Ruyclu[
Papa
Mr.GaryGrief-Page2
(3)
thestreetaddressandtelephonenumber
of
a
prizewinner,
if
theprizewinnerhasnotconsentedtotherelease
of
theinfonnation.
Id.
§466.022(a),(b)(3)(emphasisadded).Youhavemarkedthehomeaddress
of
theindividualwhopurchasedthewinninglotteryticket.Youassertthisinfonnationisconfidentialundersection466.022(b)(3).However,youstatethepurchaseris"notconsideredtheprizewinner."
See
16
T.A.C.
§
401.309(a)(defining"prizewinner"asname
of
personwhopresentedvalidticket,claimedlotteryprizeandrecognized
by
theTexasLotteryasthepersonentitledtoreceivelotteryprizepaymentsandisnot
an
assignee
of
thelotteryprize).Youexplainthatthepurchaserisone
of
thetrustors
of
atrustcreatedtoclaimtheprize,andthecommissionconsidersthetrusttobetheprizewinner.Basedonyourrepresentationsthatthepurchaserisnottheprizewilmer,wefindtheinformationpertaining
to
thepurchaserisnotconfidentialpursuanttosection466.022.Accordingly,noportion
of
thesubmitted'informationmaybewithheldundersection552.101onthisbasis.ThecommissionandGarderearguetheinfonnationisprotectedbycommon-lawprivacy.Section552.101
of
theGovernmentCodealsoencompassescommon-lawprivacywhichprotectsinfonnation
ifit
(1)containshighlyintimateorembarrassingfacts,thepublication
of
whichwouldbehighlyobjectionabletoareasonableperson,and
(2)
is
notoflegitimateconcerntothepublic.
Indus.Found.
v.
Tex.
Indus.AccidentBd.,
540S.W.2d668,685(Tex.1976).Thisofficehasfoundthatinfonnationthatreflectsanindividual'spersonalfinancialdecisionsandisnotrelatedtoafinancialtransactionbetweentheindividualandagovernmental'body
is
protectedbycommon-lawprivacy.
See
OpenRecordsDecisionNos.600(1992),545(1990).Garderearguesthataportion
of
thesubmittedinfonnationisconfidentialpursuanttocommon-lawprivacyand"specialcircumstances."However,theThirdCourt
of
Appealsrecentlyruledthatthe"specialcircumstances"exceptionfoundinpastAttorneyGeneralOpenRecordsDecisionsdirectlyconflictswithTexasSupremeCourtprecedentregardingcommon-lawprivacy.
Tex.
Dep't
of
Pub.Safety
v.
Cox
Tex.
Newspapers,
.
L.P.andHearstNewspapers,L.L.c.,
287S.W.3d390(Tex.
App.-'
Austin2009,pet.filed).Thecourt
of
appealsruledthatthetwo-parttestsetoutin
IndustrialFoundation
isthe"solecriteria"fordetenniningwhetherinfonnationcanbewithheldunde,rconunon-lawprivacy.
Id.;
seealsoIndus.Found.,
540S.W.2dat686.Garderealsoarguestheinfonnationisprotectedbyconstitutionalprivacy,whichconsists
of
twointerrelatedtypes
of
privacy:(1)therighttomakecertainkinds
of
decisionsindependentlyand
(2)
anindividual'sinterestinavoidingdisclosure
of
personalmatters.
SeeWhalen
v.
Roe,
429U.S.589,599-600(1977);OpenRecordsDecisionNos.600at3-5(1992),478
at4
(1987),455at3-7(1987).Thefirsttypeprotectsanindividual'sautonomywithin"zones
of
privacy"whichincludemattersrelatedtomarriage,procreation,contraception,familyrelationships,andchildrearingandeducation.ORD455at
4.
The
Mr.
Gary
GriE;f
-Page3secondtype
of
constitutionalprivacyrequiresabalancingbetweentheindividual'sprivacyinterestsandthepublic'sneedtoknowinformation
of
publicconcem.
Id.
at
7.
Thescope
of
informationprotectedisnarrowerthanthatunderthe
conU110n-law
doctrine
of
privacy;constitutionalprivacyundersection552.101isreservedfor"themostintimateaspects
of
humanaffairs."
Id.
at5(quoting
Ramie
v.
City
a/Hedwig
Village,Tex.,
765F.2d490(5thCir.1985)).Uponreview,aportion
ofthe
submittedinformationishighlyintimateorembarrassingand
of
no
legitimateconcemtothepublic.Therefore,thecommissionmustwithholdtheinformationwemarkedundersection552.101inconjunctionwithcommon-lawprivacy.However,noportion
of
theremaininginformationishighlyintimateorembarrassingand
of
no
legitimateconcemtothepublic.Furthermore,thisinfonnationdoesnotrelateto"themostintimateaspectsofhumanaffairs."
See
id.
Accordingly,thedepartmentmustwithholdtheinformation
we
havemarkedundersection552.101
of
theGovemmentCodeinconjunctionwithcommon-lawprivacy,butmaynotwithholdany
of
theremaininginfomlationonthebasis
of
eithercommon-laworconstitutionalprivacy.Garderearguesportions
of
theinformationshouldbewithheldundertheattomey-clientprivilege,which
is
covered
by
section552.107
of
theGovemmentCode.Garderealsoarguestheinformationrelatestoacriminalinvestigation,andthereforesubjecttothelawenforcementexceptionundersection552.108
of
theGovemment
CodEl.
However,sections552.107and552.108onlyprotecttheinterests
of
agovemmentalbodyandarenotdesignedtoprotecttheinterests
of
privateparties.
See
OpenRecordsDecisionNos.177(1977)(govemmentalbodymaywaivestatutorypredecessortosection552.108),676at
10-11
(2002)(attomey-clientprivilegeundersection552.107(
1)
maybewaived);
seealso
OpenRecordsDecisionNo.522at4(1989)(discretionaryexceptionsareintendedtoprotectonlytheinterests
of
govemmentalbody
as
distinctfromexceptionsintendedtoprotectinformationdeemedconfidentialbylaworinterests
of
thirdparties).Accordingly,thecommission
,may
notwithholdanyportion
of
thesubmittedinformationundersections552.107or552.108.Insummary,thecommissionmustwithholdtheinformationwemarkedundersection552.101inconjunctionwithcommon-lawprivacy.Theremaininginformationmustbereleased.
..
Thisletter
rulil1gis
limitedtotheparticularinfomlationatissueinthisrequestandlimited
to
thefacts
as!
presentedtous;therefore,thisrulingmustnotberelieduponasapreviousdeterminationregardinganyotherinformationoranyothercircumstances.Thisrulingtriggersimportantdeadlinesregardingtherightsandresponsibilities
of
thegovemmentafbodyand
ofthe
requestor.Formoreinformationconcemingthoserightsandresponsibilities,pleasevisitourwebsiteathttp://www.oag.state.tx.us/open/indexor1.php,orcalltheOffice
of
theAttomeyGeneral'sOpenGovemmentHotline,tollfree,at(877)673-p839.Questionsconcemingtheallowablechargesforprovidingpublic
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