Sun-Sentinel Company v. United States Department of Homeland Security
United States District Court for the Southern District of Florida
431 F. Supp. 2d 1258 (2006)
- Written by Jack Newell, JD
Facts
Florida was hit by four different hurricanes in 2004. The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) (defendant) provided $1.2 billion in assistance to the state. Thirty-one million dollars was provided to Miami-Dade County alone, even though the county was relatively unaffected by the hurricanes. Many individuals were indicted for fraudulent assistance claims. A report by the Office of the Inspector General determined that payouts were not based on actual losses, there was not an overall damage assessment of the county, there was no oversight of inspections, and claim inspectors were poorly trained. Sun-Sentinel Company (plaintiff) submitted a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request for FEMA’s National Emergency Management Information System, a database FEMA used to track assistance awards to claimants. FEMA responded by producing data on each claimant, including the type and amount of assistance received, zip codes, the items damaged, and the type of damage. FEMA withheld the names and addresses of the claimants under FOIA exemption 6. Exemption 6 allowed an agency to withhold personal information the release of which would pose an unwarranted invasion of personal privacy. Sun Sentinel sued for release of the names and addresses.
Rule of Law
Issue
Holding and Reasoning (Marra, J.)
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