Dona Ana County has been ordered to pay $90,000 to pet advocacy group that alleged in a lawsuit that officials failed to provide records from alleged animal mistreatment cases.
The Las Cruces Sun-News reports that 3rd Judicial District Judge Mary Rosner ruled in late January that the county "had not acted in a manner consistent with the well-articulated public policy of the state of New Mexico" regarding open records sought by Animal Village, NM.
Court documents say instead of providing the records all at once, Animal Village received them in batches over the course of months.
The county claimed it couldn't release certain records because of a law enforcement-related exemption.
But Rosner found the exemption wasn't applicable.
The county could appeal or seek a settlement for a lesser amount.
___
Information from: Las Cruces Sun-News.
Copyright 2017 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.