Open Government Guide

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Open Records

   V. PROCEDURE FOR OBTAINING RECORDS

      D. Court action.

            12. Settlement, pros and cons.


The dearth of reported cases in the District and anecdotes from reporters suggest that most disputed requests are settled through the Mayor's (now the Office of the Secretary's) FOIA officer. The obvious point is that settling has no precedential value for other similar disputes that arise, and it may be worthwhile to establish clear rules for new and potentially highly contested areas.



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