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City Must Pay Law Firm In Oklahoma Dash-Cam Case

view from a dashboard camera
Serge Melki
/
Flickr Creative Commons

An Oklahoma judge has ruled the city of Claremore owes a law firm more than $41,000 in a public records case relating to dashboard camera video.

A state appeals court ruled in 2013 the videos are public records. The Oklahoma Supreme Court declined later that year to hear an appeal by Claremore officials. The state's highest court also ordered the city to pay attorney's fees as determined by a trial court.

The Tulsa World reports Associate District Judge Sheila Condren has ruled Claremore must pay about $41,300 in fees and costs to attorneys from a Vinita law firm.

Clinton Ward and his firm have sued the city a second time because they allege the municipality, after receiving an Open Records request, failed to produce records showing exactly how much public money was spent on the case. That lawsuit is pending. The Vinita firm seeking the video records of a client sued the city in May 2011, alleging that the municipality violated the Open Records Act in refusing to provide requested videotapes and audiotapes from the arrest of Richard Stangland, a 22-year-old Claremore man who was charged in March of that year with aggravated driving under the influence of alcohol. Stangland pleaded guilty in August 2011 to a reduced charge of DUI and received an 18-month deferred sentence. Arguing for the release of the records, attorney Stephen Fabian said then that audiotapes and videotapes are covered by the Open Records Act. Ballard told the court that videotapes are evidentiary and subject to the privilege of confidentiality.

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