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Dear Friend,
We’re excited to share that we won a landmark decision from the California Supreme Court in our lawsuit under the California Public Records Act (CPRA)!
We gratefully acknowledge the dedication and partnership of our co-counsel in achieving this significant victory:
- Thomas Zito, Disability Rights Advocates
- Neel Chatterjee and Monte Cooper, King & Spalding
- Andrew Kim, Megan Bettles, and Faraz Behnamjou, Goodwin Procter
The case:
In this case, we were investigating police “sweeps” in Gilroy involving unhoused communities. When Gilroy failed to produce police body-camera footage—and later destroyed it—the dispute grew into precedent-setting litigation about the public’s right to access records and hold government accountable under the CPRA.
The ruling:
In its decision, the California Supreme Court confirmed that declaratory relief is available to enforce the CPRA “where the declaration would resolve an ongoing dispute regarding the parties’ rights and obligations in a manner that has some likelihood of affecting future requests for public records or future conduct relating to such requests.” In other words, courts can formally declare that a city violated the CPRA even when the requested records no longer exist—including in cases where records were destroyed, like the body-camera footage at issue here.
Why this matters:
✅ Accountability: Public agencies can be held responsible for record destruction
✅ Precedent: The ruling sets a statewide standard for future CPRA enforcement
✅ Transparency: Reinforces the public’s fundamental right to access government information
🔗 Read our full press release here
Thank you for standing with us in protecting transparency, accountability, and the public’s right to know.
With gratitude,
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