Ron King, Fire Marshal/Code Official for the City of Nitro, et al. v. Richard J. Nease and Lorinda J. Nease

Summary

This document is a dissenting opinion in a West Virginia Supreme Court of Appeals case concerning whether the State Freedom of Information Act authorizes a public body to impose retrieval or search fees. Justice Benjamin argues that the statute permits fees only for the actual cost of reproducing records and that the majority’s contrary interpretation conflicts with the statute’s plain language and policy favoring government transparency.

Questions Presented

1. Whether West Virginia Code § 29B-1-3(5) authorizes a public body to charge retrieval or search fees, rather than only fees reasonably calculated to reimburse the actual cost of reproducing requested records.
2. Whether the Freedom of Information Act's liberal-construction mandate and the expressio unius canon preclude charging retrieval or search fees not expressly authorized by the statute.

Disposition

other