By Odessa American
Originally published Oct. 20, 2023
The Odessa American’s almost four-year battle with the City of Odessa over public records access is over, as the Texas Supreme Court on Friday declined to take up the OA’s appeal of an appellate court decision in March to dismiss the lawsuit.
AIM Media Texas LLC attorney John Bussian said the Odessa American “went the distance” — in its case that is a lot like the one against Uvalde— to try to hold the City to the requirement in the Texas public records law that the government ‘promptly’ turn over public records, rather than months later.
“The ruling today to leave standing the 2-1 decision by the Eastland Court of Appeals means that the public is without a remedy when the government delays producing records until after a lawsuit is filed to enforce the right to know,” Bussian said.