Skip to content

Case Detail

[Subscribe to updates]
Case TitleCALLIMACHI v. NATIONAL ARCHIVES AND RECORDS ADMINISTRATION
DistrictDistrict of Columbia
CityWashington, DC
Case Number1:2020cv02199
Date Filed2020-08-11
Date ClosedOpen
JudgeJudge James E. Boasberg
PlaintiffRUKMINI CALLIMACHI
Case DescriptionJournalist Rukmini Callimachi submitted three FOIA requests to the National Archives and Records Administration. Her first FOIA request was for records concerning the 1989 Romanian revolution. Her second FOIA request was for records concerning the 1989 Malta summit between President George Bush and Mikhail Gorbachev. NARA told Callimachi that it had located thousands of potentially responsive records, many of which were classified. NARA suggested that she proceed with a mandatory declassification review. She declined to pursue that alternative. NARA then told her that since the responsive records were in the George Bush presidential library, they could not be processed remotely. Callimachi's third FOIA was for records concerning the 1989 execution of Romanian leader Nicolae Ceausescu. NARA told her that there were 60 publicly available responsive pages and an additional 18 pages that needed to be processed. After hearing nothing further from the NARA, Callimachi filed suit.
Complaint issues: Adequacy - Search, Failure to respond within statutory time limit, Litigation - Attorney's fees

DefendantNATIONAL ARCHIVES AND RECORDS ADMINISTRATION
Documents
Docket
Complaint
Complaint attachment 1
Complaint attachment 2
Complaint attachment 3
Complaint attachment 4
Complaint attachment 5
User-contributed Documents
 
Docket Events (Hide)
Date FiledDoc #Docket Text
2020-08-111COMPLAINT against NATIONAL ARCHIVES AND RECORDS ADMINISTRATION ( Filing fee $ 400 receipt number ADCDC-7449941) filed by RUKMINI CALLIMACHI. (Attachments: # 1 Exhibit A-E, # 2 Exhibit F-J, # 3 Exhibit K-O, # 4 Civil Cover Sheet, # 5 Summons)(Topic, Matthew) (Entered: 08/11/2020)
2020-08-112NOTICE of Appearance by Matthew Topic on behalf of RUKMINI CALLIMACHI (Topic, Matthew) (Entered: 08/11/2020)
2020-08-12Case Assigned to Judge James E. Boasberg. (zsb) (Entered: 08/12/2020)
2020-08-123SUMMONS (3) Issued Electronically as to NATIONAL ARCHIVES AND RECORDS ADMINISTRATION, U.S. Attorney and U.S. Attorney General (Attachment: # 1 Notice and Consent)(zsb) (Entered: 08/12/2020)
2020-09-284NOTICE of Appearance by Daniel Patrick Schaefer on behalf of NATIONAL ARCHIVES AND RECORDS ADMINISTRATION (Schaefer, Daniel) (Entered: 09/28/2020)
2020-09-285ANSWER to Complaint by NATIONAL ARCHIVES AND RECORDS ADMINISTRATION.(Schaefer, Daniel) (Entered: 09/28/2020)
2020-09-28MINUTE ORDER: The Court ORDERS that the parties shall confer and submit a joint proposed briefing schedule by October 13, 2020. So ORDERED by Judge James E. Boasberg on 09/28/2020. (lcjeb2) (Entered: 09/28/2020)
2020-09-28Set/Reset Deadlines: Joint Proposed Briefing Schedule due by 10/13/2020. (znbn) (Entered: 09/29/2020)
2020-09-296RETURN OF SERVICE/AFFIDAVIT of Summons and Complaint Executed. NATIONAL ARCHIVES AND RECORDS ADMINISTRATION served on 8/24/2020 (Topic, Matthew) (Entered: 09/29/2020)
2020-09-297RETURN OF SERVICE/AFFIDAVIT of Summons and Complaint Executed on United States Attorney General. Date of Service Upon United States Attorney General 8/27/2020. (Topic, Matthew) (Entered: 09/29/2020)
2020-09-298RETURN OF SERVICE/AFFIDAVIT of Summons and Complaint Executed as to the United States Attorney. Date of Service Upon United States Attorney on 8/28/2020. Answer due for ALL FEDERAL DEFENDANTS by 9/27/2020. (Topic, Matthew) (Entered: 09/29/2020)
2020-10-139Joint STATUS REPORT by NATIONAL ARCHIVES AND RECORDS ADMINISTRATION. (Attachments: # 1 Text of Proposed Order)(Schaefer, Daniel) (Entered: 10/13/2020)
2020-10-13MINUTE ORDER: The Court ADOPTS the parties' 9 Joint Status Report and ORDERS that they shall file a further joint status report by December 14, 2020, and every sixty days thereafter pending further order of the Court. So ORDERED by Judge James E. Boasberg on 10/13/2020. (lcjeb2) (Entered: 10/13/2020)
2020-10-13Set/Reset Deadlines: Status Report due by 12/14/2020. (znbn) (Entered: 10/14/2020)
2020-12-1410Joint STATUS REPORT by NATIONAL ARCHIVES AND RECORDS ADMINISTRATION. (Schaefer, Daniel) (Entered: 12/14/2020)
2020-12-15MINUTE ORDER: The Court ADOPTS the parties' 10 Joint Status Report and ORDERS that they shall file a further joint status report by February 12, 2021. So ORDERED by Judge James E. Boasberg on 12/15/2020. (lcjeb2) (Entered: 12/15/2020)
2020-12-15Set/Reset Deadlines: Joint Status Report due by 2/12/2021. (nbn) (Entered: 12/15/2020)
2021-02-1211Joint STATUS REPORT by NATIONAL ARCHIVES AND RECORDS ADMINISTRATION. (Attachments: # 1 Text of Proposed Order)(Schaefer, Daniel) (Entered: 02/12/2021)
2021-02-12MINUTE ORDER: The Court ADOPTS the parties' 11 Joint Status Report and ORDERS that they shall file a further joint status report by April 13, 2021. So ORDERED by Judge James E. Boasberg on 2/12/2021. (lcjeb2) (Entered: 02/12/2021)
2021-02-12Set/Reset Deadlines: Status Report due by 4/13/2021. (nbn) (Entered: 02/16/2021)
2021-04-0612NOTICE OF SUBSTITUTION OF COUNSEL by Stephen DeGenaro on behalf of NATIONAL ARCHIVES AND RECORDS ADMINISTRATION Substituting for attorney Daniel Schaefer (DeGenaro, Stephen) (Entered: 04/06/2021)
Hide Docket Events
by FOIA Project Staff
Skip to toolbar