CARLINVILLE, IL. (ECWd) –
The City of Carlinville is fighting its 4th lawsuit where it is alleged that they violated the Illinois Freedom of Information Act (“FOIA”) by denying public records from people who requested copies of them.
This particular suit was received at the Macoupin County Circuit Clerk’s office on Friday, October 19, 2017.
It is case number 2017-MR-126, and I have confirmed this is the “anonymous FOIA requester” that was the topic of discussion at the xx Carlinville City Council meeting. It was filed naming Lisa Thomas as the FOIA requester.
We will publish the actual Complaint when we can get our hands on a copy of it.
Previous FOIA suits, still working their way thru the Court system are:
- 2017-MR-25 filed by John Kraft
- 2017-MR-82 filed by John Kraft
- 2017-MR-101 filed by Robert Bogue
- 2017-MR-126 filed by Lisa Thomas (the subject of this article)
In the Carlinville City Council meeting from April 17, 2017, the council discussed this particular FOIA request and decided they didn’t need to answer it since there was no name of the FOIA requester – it looks like a Judge will answer that question for them.
1 Comment
Robert O. Bogue
Posted at 09:38h, 23 OctoberThose board members yet willing to be objective, (if there are any left) need to seek out independent sources; or even their own private attorney to explore the prevailing circumstances. They need to read and understand the FOIA laws and to be absolutely certain their actions are in compliance with Illinois Law. I’m convinced, they will reach a new understanding inconsistent with their past actions.
As a board member, it is their responsibility to do what is right for the community, the taxpayers, the voters, and to follow Illinois Law. Ultimately, the consequences of blindly following bad legal advice, of keeping public information from the public and of participating in this illegal practice will be felt by all taxpayers in Carlinville.