FOIA Friday: City of Detroit beef has its day in court
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The city is in court Friday over a public records dispute with a small business seeking information about truck traffic near Stellantis' new east side Jeep plant.
Why it matters: The hearing is expected to involve rare judicial scrutiny over the city's response — or lack thereof — to a public records request, this time from Grosse Pointe Moving & Storage.
Driving the news: The moving company wants to hold Detroit in contempt of court for breaking a recent court settlement outlining the production of public documents the company sought.
- Wayne County Circuit Judge Charles Hegarty is scheduled to hear arguments at 11am.
The big picture: This case hits on overarching problems with Michigan's Freedom on Information Act (FOIA), which dictates how public documents must be provided upon request.
- Citizens and journalists often face obstacles getting records promptly because Michigan's law offers vague timelines and weak penalties when cities don't follow the law.
Catch up fast: Grosse Pointe Moving & Storage — in business on Jefferson since 1985 — sued Detroit in March after saying its January FOIA request went unanswered.
- The city agreed to the court settlement in May to produce the requested documents by June 15.
The big question: The company received documents last month but suspects the city is withholding records about an agreement between it and Stellantis regarding traffic flowing to and from a nearby warehouse, which expanded in concert with the Jeep plant.
The other side: "I have no idea why they think that would possibly be something that we do," corporation counsel Conrad Mallett, who oversees the city's law department, tells Axios.
- The city has supplied the company with all records in its possession related to its FOIA request, according to Mallett and city court filings.
The intrigue: A city engineer wrote a letter in January 2022 informing Stellantis that it needs to secure approvals from business owners that would be affected by any modifications to local roads accommodating increased truck traffic.
- Without the company's approval, the city reconstructed Terminal Street in front of Grosse Pointe Moving & Storage's location and reduced its available street parking.
- "There are no documents that were produced to demonstrate how the city of Detroit got from a No to a Yes on accommodating Stellantis," a lawyer for the moving company wrote in a brief filed Tuesday.
Of note: Stellantis declined to comment on the case Thursday when reached by Axios.