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FREEDOM
 OF
 INFORMATION COMMISSIONOF THE STATE OF CONNECTICUT
18-20 Trinity Street
 Hartford,
 CT
 06106Telephone:
 (860)
 566-5682Toll-free
 (CT
 only):
 (866)374-3617
Fax:
 (860)566-6474
Kevin
 Brookman,Complainant(s) Notice of Meeting
against
Docket
 #FIC
 2009-551John Rose, Corporation
 Counsel,
Office
 of the Corporation Counsel,City of Hartford; and City of Hartford,
Respondents)
 February
 23,2010
Transmittal of
 Proposed
 Final
 Decision
In accordance with Section
 4-179 of the
 Connecticut General Statutes,
 the
 Freedom
 of
Information
 Commission hereby transmits to you the proposed
 finding
 and decision prepared by
the
 hearing
 officer
 in the
 above-captioned matter.
This
 will notify
 you
 that
 the
 Commission
 will
 consider this matter
 for
 disposition
 at its
meeting which will be held in the Freedom of
 Information
 Commission Hearing Room,
 18-20
Trinity
 Street, 1st
 floor, Hartford, Connecticut,
 at 2
 p.m.
 on
 Wednesday, April
 14,
 2010.
 At
that time and place you will be allowed to
 offer
 oral argument concerning this proposed findingand order. Oral argument shall
 be
 limited
 to ten
 (10)
 minutes.
 For
 good cause shown, however,the Commission may increase the period of time for argument. A request for additional timemust
 be
 made
 in
 writing
 and
 should
 be
 filed
 with
 the
 Commission
 ON OR
 BEFORE
 APRIL
 2 2010.
 Such request
 MUST BE 1) copied to
 all
 parties, or if the parties are represented, tosuch
 representatives,
 and 2) include a notation indicating such notice to all parties or theirrepresentatives.
Although a brief or memorandum of law is not required, if you decide to submit such adocument, the Commission requests that an
 original
 and
 twelve
 12)
 copies
 be
 filed
 ON
 OR
BEFORE
 APRIL
 2
2010.
 PLEASE
 NOTE:
 Any
 correspondence,
 brief
 or
 memorandumdirected to the Commissioners by any party or representative of any party MUST BE 1)copied to all parties, or if the parties are represented, to such representatives, 2) include anotation indicating such notice to
 all
 parties or their representatives and 3) be limited toargument. NO
 NEW
 EVIDENCE MAY BE SUBMITTED.
If you have already filed a briefer memorandum with the hearing
 officer
 and wish tohave that document distributed to each member of the Commission, it is requested that
 twelve
 12) copies
 be filed
 ON OR
 BEFORE
 APRIL
 2,
 2010
and
 that
 notice
 be
 given
 to all
 parties
 or
if
 the parties are represented, to their representatives, that such previously
 filed
 documentis being submitted to the Commissioners for review.
By Order
 of the
 Freedom
 of
 Information Commission
W.
 Paradis, Acting Clerk of the CommissionNotice
 to:
 Kevin BrookmanJohn Rose,
 Jr., Esq.
 
FREEDOM
 OF
 INFORMATION COMMISSIONOF THE STATE OF CONNECTICUTIn the Matter of a Complaint by Report of Hearing
 Officer
Kevin
 Brookman,
Complainantagainst Docket #FIC
 2009-551
John Rose, Corporation Counsel,
Office
 of the Corporation
 Counsel,
City
 of
 Hartford;
 and
City
 of
 Hartford,
Respondents February
 11,
 2010
The
 above-captioned matter
 was
 heard
 as a contested case on
 December
 17,2009,
at
 which time the complainant and the respondents appeared and presented testimony,exhibits
 and
 argument
 on the
 complaint.
After
 consideration of the entire record, the following facts are
 found
 andconclusions
 of law are
 reached:
1.
 The
 respondents
 are
 public agencies, within
 the
 meaning
 of
 §1-200(1), G.S.2. It is
 found
 that, by email dated September
 1,2009,
 the complainant requestedto review the following: Any
 and all
 documentation regarding
 the
 termination
 of
Hartford
 Police
 Officer
 Matthew Secore. Including, but not
limited
 to any and all
 internal
 investigations,
correspondence, e-mails, correspondence regarding LaborBoard hearings and rulings, appeals of any LaborBoard/mediation rulings as well as any and all records of
any
 funds
 spent or billed to the City for the use of outside
counsel in this matter.
3.
 It is
 found
 that, by email dated September 2, 2009, respondent Rose replied:
 ..
 .this
 is to
 acknowledge your email dated 9/1/09
 re
 FOI-
able documents related
 to the
 Secore case.
 The
 matter
 is
still
 in
 litigation
 and I
 will review
 and
 comply with yourrequest
 in
 that context.
 For the
 record, there
 is no
 outside
counsel
 concerned with
 the
 Secore matter.
 I
 will
 review
 
Docket
 #
 FIG
 2009-551
 Page
 2the law and the
 documents
 and to the
 extent there
 are
disclosable materials
 I
 will gather them
 and
 advise
 you
 that
they are
 available
 for
 inspection.
 I am
 sending
 your
 request
to
 such other City
 offices,
 agencies
 or
 departments
 as may
be
 in
 possession
 of
 documents relevant
 to
 your request.When
 I
 notify
 you
 that such
 disclosable
 documents
 are
available,
 you may
 call..
 .to
 schedule
 a
 time
 to
 reviewsame.
 Any
 copies
 you
 request will
 be
 billed
 at the
 statutory
per
 page
 rate.
4. It is
 found
 that,
 by
 email dated September
 17,
 2009,
 the
 complainant askedrespondent Rose
 for an
 update
 on
 where this request
 stands,
as the
 complainant
 had
not,
 as of
 that date, received
 any of the
 requested records
 from
 the
 respondents.
5.
 It is
 found
 that,
 by
 email dated September
 17,
 2009, respondent Rose replied:
 It is my
 opinion that since
 the
 Secore case
 is a
 matterpending
 and
 actively being litigated and, given
 the
 fact
 that
the
 file
 contains materials covered
 by the
 attorney clientprivilege,
 the
 records pertaining
 to
 that matter
 are
 protected
from
 disclosure
 by the
 provisions
 of the
 General Statutes,Sec.
 1-210.
6. By
 letter
 of
 complaint, sent
 via
 email
 on
 September
 19,2009,
 and
 received
 onon
 September
 21,
 2009,
 the
 complainant appealed
 to
 this Commission, alleging
 that the
respondents
 violated
 the
 Freedom
 of
 Information
 ( FOI )
 Act by
 failing
 to
 comply with
the
 request
 for
 records described
 in
 paragraph
 2,
 above.
 In his
 complaint,
 the
complainant requested that the maximum civil penalties
 be
 assessed against
 Mr.
 Rose
and
 any
 others involved
 in
 this matter.
7.
 Section
 1-200(5),
 G.S., provides: Public records
 or files
means
 any
 recorded data
 orinformation
 relating
 to the
 conduct
 of the
 public's
 business
prepared,
 owned, used, received
 or
 retained
 by a
 publicagency,
 or to
 which
 a
 public agency
 is
 entitled
 to
 receive
 a
copy
 by law or
 contract under section
 1-218,
 whether such
data
 or
 information
 be
 handwritten, typed, tape-recorded,printed, photostated, photographed
 or
 recorded
 by anyother
 method.
8.
 Section l-210(a), G.S., provides
 in
 relevant part that:
Except
 as
 otherwise provided
 by any
 federal
 law or
 statestatute,
 all
 records maintained
 or
 kept
 on
 file
 by any
 publicagency, whether
 or not
 such records
 are
 required
 by any

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