FOIA Friday: Small business feels "in the dark"
Add Axios as your preferred source to
see more of our stories on Google.
Illustration: Lindsey Bailey/Axios
The owner of a longtime small business, Grosse Pointe Moving & Storage, near Stellantis' new east side Jeep plant wants to hold the city in contempt of court for failing to produce documents under a court order last month about truck traffic.
Why it matters: The dispute illustrates the extreme measures and deep pockets it can take to pry public records from the city — especially those tied to large-scale economic development projects supported with public funding.
What they're saying: Company owner Taylor Lydon tells Axios he wants the documents to help understand how truck traffic from a warehouse supporting the Jeep plant will affect his 38-year-old business.
- He fears trucks entering and leaving the warehouse will line up in front of his business, hindering access for employees, customers and vendors.
- "It felt as though we've been purposely kept at an arm's length, or in the dark."
Catch up fast: The moving company sued Detroit in March after its January FOIA request went unanswered.
- The city told the court in a filing it had been looking for the records, explaining it receives over 7,000 requests annually.
- The city agreed to a court settlement in May to produce the requested documents by June 15.
- Grosse Pointe Moving & Storage lawyers say in a court filing that several important documents were omitted from the records the city sent via email on June 15. The city tells Axios that it responded fully to the FOIA request with all responsive documents in its possession.
What's next: The moving company's motion for contempt heads to court next Friday.
- If it ultimately prevails, state law prescribes fines between $2,500 and $7,500 for each FOIA violation.
- The city also could be ordered to pay the company's attorneys' fees.
Of note: Stellantis declined Axios' request for comment about the lawsuit.