Freedom Center of Missouri

VICTORY: Court Rules Sheriff May Not Withhold Documents, But Shortchanges Victorious Attorneys

April 19, 2018 Dave Comments 0 Comment

14779 Audrain Rd. 815 Mexico, Missouri www.mofreedom.org (573) 567-0307 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: CONTACT: Dave Roland April 18, 2018 (573) 567-0307 VICTORY: Circuit Judge Rules Sheriff May Not Withhold Documents Related to Law Enforcement Officer’s Death, But Shortchanges Victorious Attorneys Mexico, Missouri—Early in 2007 a mid-Missouri narcotics officer named Melissa Winnie alleged misconduct on the part of several of her co-workers. Less than a year later, she was dead. For more than a decade…

Congratulations, You Won! Now Pay Up.

November 15, 2017 Dave Comments 1 comment

On paper, Missouri’s Sunshine Law offers hope that if a citizen can prove in court that the government unlawfully denied a citizen’s access to public records or a public meeting, the citizen might recover the expenses they incurred associated with the lawsuit as well as limited civil penalties. In practice, however, it is very, very rare for courts to award expenses or civil penalties – although it does sometimes occur, as in our Cole County Prosecuting Attorney case. To win…

Good News for Government Transparency!

January 12, 2017 Dave Comments 0 Comment

Last year the Freedom Center of Missouri expanded its mission to include not only constitutional litigation, but also litigation under this state’s Sunshine Law, which guarantees citizens the right to obtain open public records and to attend – and record! – open public meetings of government entities. The Freedom Center’s Director of Litigation, Dave Roland, had already been handling several Sunshine Law cases, and the Freedom Center recently adopted four of those. That is why we are very pleased to…