Tacoma Public Library v. Woessner

Carolyn Woessner sought copies of two personnel reports from Tacoma Public Library (the Library) under Washington’s public disclosure act, RCW 42.17. The reports contain the names and identification numbers of Library employees, as well as salary, sick and vacation leave hours, and a summary of benefits. The Library provided Woessner with redacted reports, from which employee names and numbers were deleted. Woessner again requested unredacted reports. The Library denied the request, asserting that the reports were exempt from disclosure because they contained private employee information. The…