Coombs et al. v. County of Monmouth

Legal Counsel: Walter Luers, Esq.

Docket No.: MON-L-003195-18

Statutory provision at issue: N.J.S.A. 47:1A-6(g.)

Question Presented

Can the Monmouth County, NJ government deny OPRA requests solely on the basis that they will be automatically published online?

Holding

The Monmouth County Superior Court, Assignment Judge Lisa P. Thornton ruled that the county violated the Open Public Records Act by denying requests.

Outcome

Monmouth County was ordered to respond to records requests via OPRAmachine, ending the denials that took place from 2018-19 under the new policy.

Case documents

Final decision - Coombs et al. v. County of Monmouth