Keywords: Public Records. Supervisor of Public Records. Police, Records. Constitutional Law, Access to criminal records. Regulation. Practice, Civil, Complaint.
[Excerpt] – “A convicted criminal has a statutory right to request public records concerning the crime he committed and to receive a response consistent with the public records law. The plaintiff, Adam James Bradley, appeals from an order dismissing his complaint alleging violations of the public records law, G. L. c. 66, and various other claims. The complaint alleged that the defendant, the records access officer (RAO) for the Department of State Police (department),[1] violated the public records law by ignoring Bradley’s requests for records, as well as two orders issued by the Commonwealth’s supervisor of records (supervisor) directing the RAO to respond. A Superior Court judge allowed the RAO’s motion to dismiss for failure to state a claim, and a judgment dismissing the complaint entered. Because Bradley plausibly alleged violations of the public records law, we vacate in part the judgment, and remand the case for further proceedings.”
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