Raimondo Agrees to GoLocal’s Demands, Pledges to Release State Police Records on 38 Studios
Friday, February 10, 2017
In October, GoLocal filed suit against Governor Gina Raimondo, the Head of Public Safety and the RI State Police requesting the release of the State Police records of interviews in the 38 Studios criminal investigation.
GoLocal’s lawsuit against Raimondo and others was set for hearing at the end of the month.
Raimondo petitioned the court to have the suit dismissed claiming she was not in possession of the documents.
GET THE LATEST BREAKING NEWS HERE -- SIGN UP FOR GOLOCAL FREE DAILY EBLASTToday, a press release issued by Raimondo's office Friday says, "...Rhode Island State Police Colonel Ann Assumpico has directed her agency to review and release the non-grand jury documents in the agency's possession. Those documents will be released as soon as a review is complete."
She also claimed that she "will file a petition in Rhode Island Superior Court early next week to release the documents from the grand jury investigation."
GoLocal's attorney Tom Dickinson said about the Governor's decision, "It's certainly encouraging to hear that the Governor and the State Police now agree with GoLocalProv that the 38 Studios investigation materials are public records and that we don't have to wait for the court to rule on grand jury records. GoLocalProv requested investigative records -- not grand jury transcripts -- back last year in the first week of August. That's over six months ago.
Dickinson is a former Assitant Attorney General In Rhode Island under Jeff Pine, "The State Police told us they would go through the records, and it would take 65 hours to review them all. When we didn't get all the public records we asked for, we had to file a lawsuit in Superior Court. Rhode Island's public records law says that the public is to get access within ten business days of the request. We've now been waiting over six months. Now that the Governor and the State Police agree that these records are public it's long past time to deliver on that promise."
As GoLocal reported about the suit in October:
GoLocalProv.com's attorney Tom Dickinson filed the lawsuit in Superior Court against Raimondo and State Police Colonel Kevin Barry for the release of the State Police interviews and notes relating to the 38 Studios investigation, with Barry sued in his role as acting Superintendent of the State Police and as acting Director of Public Safety.
READ THE LAWSUIT BELOW
In the complaint filed in Superior Court, GoLocal asserted, “There is high public interest to access the items included within the GoLocalProv APRA request. As the Attorney General stated, 38 Studios involved 'bad politics, bad public policy, and bad business decisions."
"Access to the records sought in the GoLocalProv APRA request is vital in order to examine and expose to public view the causes of these admittedly bad decisions. On October 14, 2016, Governor Raimondo issued a statement indicating a desire for the release of documents and materials from the 38 Studios investigation," stated GoLocal.
GoLocal had explicitly asserted that it is not seeking grand jury records.
“It is somewhat mind-boggling that the taxpayers lose tens of millions of dollars, that the four-year investigation finds no criminal charges, and then the Raimondo Administration blocks the release of the most basic records — the interviews,” said Josh Fenton, CEO of GoLocalProv.
Related Slideshow: GoLocalProv’s Lawsuit Against Governor Raimondo - October 17, 2016
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