FOIA Activity: 11 New Procedural or Substantive Decisions

We have added 11 decisions of a procedural or substantive nature filed between April 7, 2019 and April 13, 2019. These are associated with 10 FOIA cases pending in federal district court. Note that because there can be delays between the date a decision is made and when it shows up on PACER, this listing includes only decisions that appeared on PACER during this period.

Click on the date to view the full text of the decision. Click on a case title below to view other details for that case, including links to the docket report and complaint.

1. ALN 2:2016cv00083 — Siegelman v. United States Department of Justice et al

   • April 8, 2019: MEMORANDUM OPINION – For the reasons stated, the Court grants Mr. Siegelmans motion for an award of attorneys fees and litigation costs. The Court instructs the parties to confer and to try to agree on a modest payment of fees and costs. If the par ties cannot agree, then Mr. Siegelman may filed an amended petition for fees and costs, consistent with the analysis in this opinion. If Mr. Siegelman files an amended fee petition, then the Court will set a deadline for OPR to respond to the updated petition. Signed by Judge Madeline Hughes Haikala on 4/8/2019. (KEK)
2. DC 1:2015cv01091 — POITRAS v. DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY et al

   • April 11, 2019: MEMORANDUM OPINION regarding the plaintiff's [45] Motion for an Award of Attorneys' Fees and Costs. Signed by Chief Judge Beryl A. Howell on April 11, 2019. (lcbah1)
3. DC 1:2017cv00781 — BARTKO v. UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE

   • April 11, 2019: MEMORANDUM OPINION re [72] Order on Defendants' Motion for Partial Summary Judgment. Signed by Judge James E. Boasberg on 4/11/2019. (lcjeb3)
4. DC 1:2018cv00454 — ROGERS v. EXECUTIVE OFFICE FOR UNITED STATES ATTORNEYS

   • April 9, 2019: MEMORANDUM OPINION. Signed by Judge Reggie B. Walton on April 9, 2019. (lcrbw2)
5. MOW 5:2018cv06129 — Jordan v. U.S. Department of Labor

   • April 9, 2019: ORDER AND OPINION (1) DENYING PLAINTIFF'S MOTION TO RECONSIDER, (2) DENYING PLAINTIFF'S MOTION FOR PARTIAL SUMMARY JUDGMENT, (3) GRANTING DEFENDANT'S MOTION FOR SUMMARY JUDGMENT, AND (4) DENYING AS MOOT PLAINTIFFS MOTION TO JOIN A PARTY, DEFENDANT'S MOTION FOR PROTECTIVE ORDER, AND PLAINTIFFS MOTION FOR ORDER. Signed on 4/9/19 by District Judge Ortrie D. Smith. (Matthes Mitra, Renea)
6. NYS 1:2017cv00976 — Wessler v. United States Department of Justice et al

   • April 10, 2019: OPINION: The decedents and their surviving family members indeed have privacy interests in the medical records that Wessler seeks. However, it is also true that the public has a strong interest in understanding the operations of its government. Tha t interest is particularly compelling when the information sought concerns the circumstances under which pretrial detainees individuals presumed to be innocent under the law died while in the custody of the Marshals. Balancing the privacy interests of the decedents and their families against the strong public interest in the records' disclosure, this Court finds that the production of the documents does not constitute an unwarranted invasion of personal privacy. Accordingly, defendants' motion for partial summary judgment is denied and plaintiff's cross-motion for partial summary judgment is granted. SO ORDERED. (Signed by Judge Sidney H. Stein on 4/10/2019) (kv)
7. OHS 3:2016cv00021 — DeWitt v. Commissioner of the Internal Revenue Service

   • April 11, 2019: ORDER – Upon review of the Commissioners Status Report (Doc. # [21] ), and the record as a whole, it is hereby ORDERED that: 1. The Notation Order previously staying this case is VACATED, and the Clerk of Court is directed to reopen this case on th e Courts docket. 2. Dispostive motionsincluding motions for summary judgmentsmust be filed by May 17, 2019. 3. Additional case-management dates, if necessary, will be set upon the resolution of dispostive motions. (Dispositive motions due by 5/17/2019.). Signed by Magistrate Judge Sharon L. Ovington on 4/11/2019. (srb)(This document has been sent by regular mail to the party(ies) listed in the NEF that did not receive electronic notification.)
8. PAE 2:2016cv05632 — THE WOLK LAW FIRM v. UNITED STATES OF AMERICA NATIONAL TRANSPORTATION SAFETY BOARD

   • April 9, 2019: MEMORANDUM AND/OR OPINION. SIGNED BY HONORABLE EDUARDO C. ROBRENO ON 04/09/2019. 04/09/2019 ENTERED AND COPIES E-MAILED.(nds)
   • April 9, 2019: ORDER THAT DEFENDANT'S MOTION FOR SUMMARY JUDGMENT [51] IS GRANTED. PLAINTIFFS' PRAYER FOR RELIEF IN COUNT II OF THE AMENDED COMPLAINT [16] IS GRANTED IN PART, ETC. PLAINTIFF'S AMENDED COMPLAINT [16] IS DISMISSED WITH PREJUDICE. THE CLERK OF COURT SHALL MARK THIS CASE CLOSED. SIGNED BY HONORABLE EDUARDO C. ROBRENO ON 04/09/2019. 04/09/2019 ENTERED AND COPIES E-MAILED.(nds)
9. WAW 2:2018cv01141 — The Human Rights Defense Center et al v. U.S. Department of Homeland Security et al

   • April 10, 2019: MINUTE ORDER SETTING TRIAL DATE AND RELATED DATES by Judge Thomas S. Zilly: Length of Trial: *1 day*. Bench Trial is set for 12/2/2019 before Judge Thomas S. Zilly. Dispositive motions due by 9/12/2019, Motions in Limine due by 10/31/2019, Tria l briefs and Agreed Pretrial Order to be submitted by 11/15/2019, Proposed Findings of Fact and Conclusions of Law to be submitted by 11/18/2019, Pretrial Conference set for 11/22/2019 at 01:30 PM in Courtroom 15206 before Judge Thomas S. Zilly.(MW)
10. WAW 2:2018cv01442 — The Human Rights Defense Center et al v. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services et al

    • April 11, 2019: JOINT STATUS REPORT AND ORDER re Dkt. [22] Joint Status Report due by 5/6/2019. Signed by Judge James L. Robart. (SWT)