A Tiger with No Teeth: The Case for Fee Shifting in State Public Records Law

A federal lawsuit filed against the city of Columbia, Missouri, alleging police brutality seemed destined for headlines in 2010. At its core was an incident in which a routine traffic stop for a broken taillight erupted into a “fracas” in which police allegedly both tased and beat a man and threw a woman to the ground. A Columbia Daily Tribune reporter following the case filed a public records request for any documents concerning the incident. A police spokesperson contacted him days later to let him know the records were ready for pickup.