EVERETT — The state Court of Appeals upheld Monday a lower court’s decision to dismiss a public records lawsuit that sought a half-million dollars in damages from Snohomish County.
The suit arose from three requests for financial information that F. Robert Strahm sent the county in April 2016. The records related to the county budget and property inventory.
Strahm filed his lawsuit in May of 2017. In it, he accused the county of failing to provide records and not providing information fast enough, as required under the state Public Records Act. He alleged the county withheld records without proper explanation and neglected to provide “the fullest assistance” as required by law.
Strahm’s suit asked for penalties for each page and each day that public records may have been withheld.
In 2018, county attorneys asked King County Superior Court to dismiss the suit. Judge Jim Rogers granted their motion.
The recent appellate ruling agreed that a county records officer had given Strahm an adequate response to one request by sending an email explaining where he could find the information, online or in paper format.
The appeals judges also affirmed that Strahm could not pursue claims over two other requests. The court deemed any ruling premature, because the county was still responding to the requests and had taken no final action to deny information.
“Each of the county’s communications evidenced its efforts to provide Strahm with responsive documents,” the judges wrote. “The county repeatedly asked Strahm if he found the records responsive, asked him to clarify his request, and stated its willingness to continue working to provide responsive documents.”
The judges noted that state law does not require the county to convert a record into an alternative electronic format from how it’s kept internally.
Strahm represented himself in court. In his lawsuit, he described himself as a property owner in Snohomish County and provided a business address in downtown Everett.
Reached by phone Monday, a man answering to his name said, “I’ll appeal that,” and asked a reporter not to call back. Then he hung up.
Noah Haglund: 425-339-3465; nhaglund@heraldnet.com. Twitter: @NWhaglund.+
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