St. Peter Herald v. City of St. Peter

COYNE, Justice.

Does the Minnesota Data Practices Act require compliance with a request to make public a letter which puts a city on notice of claimed damages? The trial court ruled that the Data Practices Act does not require the city to produce the notice of claim, and a divided panel of the court of appeals affirmed. We reverse, albeit reluctantly, and hold that the city is required to produce the notice of claim.

The facts are undisputed: On June 24, 1991 the St. Peter City Council met in closed meeting. 1 The closure of the meeting prompted reporters for the St. Peter Herald and The Free…