Judge orders release of dash cam video but denies plaintiff’s recovery

In an OPRA case in Hunterdon County, the Judge favored disclosure of a dash cam video based on one precedent but denied reimbursement of the plaintiff’s legal fees based on another that was the basis for the public agency’s non-disclosure. As stated in the below blog post, when there are conflicting decisions that relate to a case, court rules allow a judge to decide which decision to follow. There are two conflicting, published Appellate Division decisions that relate to disclosure of police dashboard camera footage — North Jersey Media Group, Inc. v. Township of Lyndhurst and John Paff v. Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office. The Hunterdon County Judge, and also a Middlesex County Judge in a 2016 decision, chose to follow the latter case, which both regarded as aligned with the Legislature’s intent in drafting OPRA.

 

NJ Open Government Notes
Hunterdon judge orders disclosure of police dash-cam video, denies OPRA requestor’s attorney fees.
by John Paff
March 29, 2017

 
NJ Advance Media for NJ.com
Judge rules N.J. town must release video of cop’s DWI arrest
by Dave Hutchinson
March 29, 2017 (updated 3/30/17)