City erroneously claims a police excessive force settlement is under court seal

The City of Bayonne told The Jersey Journal that a settlement agreement involving a police excessive force lawsuit had been sealed by a federal judge and could not be released. The news outlet filed an Open Public Records Act (OPRA) complaint in Superior Court. The OPRA judge didn’t rule for or against release, but had Read More …

Lawsuit seeks settlement docs/terms prior to formal signing of agreement

Settlement agreements involving governmental agencies or officials are public records.  However, public agencies often balk at releasing these records or disclose only the final signed agreement at best. Settlements often involve large sums of public money, whether paid by a governmental agency or its insurer (taxpayer-funded premiums are commensurate with payments under the policy), but formalization Read More …