Source: http://www.scribd.com/doc/229422709/PEER-lawsuit-seeks-BLM-documents-on-Bundy-incidents
Timestamp: 2014-08-21 05:55:10
Document Index: 132480016

Matched Legal Cases: ['§ 552', '§ 552', '§ 552', '§ 1331', '§ 2201', '§ 1391', '§ 552', '§ 241', '§ 552']

PEER lawsuit seeks BLM documents on Bundy incidents
P. 1PEER lawsuit seeks BLM documents on Bundy incidentsPEER lawsuit seeks BLM documents on Bundy incidentsRatings: (0)|Views: 3,100
|Likes: 0Published by LVReviewJournalA public land advocacy group sued the Bureau of Land Management on Thursday to make public documents on the agency’s handling of the armed standoff with Southern Nevada rancher Cliven Bundy. The suit was filed by Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility, which said its requests for Bundy-related information filed under the Freedom of Information Act have been ignored.A public land advocacy group sued the Bureau of Land Management on Thursday to make public documents on the agency’s handling of the armed standoff with Southern Nevada rancher Cliven Bundy. The suit was filed by Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility, which said its requests for Bundy-related information filed under the Freedom of Information Act have been ignored.More info:Categories:Business/Law, Court FilingsPublished by: LVReviewJournal on Jun 12, 2014Copyright:Traditional Copyright: All rights reservedAvailability:Read on Scribd mobile: iPhone, iPad and Android.download as PDF, TXT or read online from ScribdFlag for inappropriate content|Add to collectionSee moreSee lesshttp://www.scribd.com/doc/229422709/PEER-lawsuit-seeks-BLM-documents-on-Bundy-incidents07/08/2014pdftextoriginal 1 UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT FOR THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA PUBLIC EMPLOYEES FOR ) ENVIRONMENTAL RESPONSIBILITY, ) 2000 P Street NW, Suite 240 ) Washington, D.C. 20036 ) ) Plaintiff, ) Civil Action # ) v. ) ) COMPLAINT
BUREAU OF LAND MANAGEMENT ) 1849 C St. NW, RM. 5665 ) Washington, DC 20240 ) ) Defendant. ) –––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– PRELIMINARY STATEMENT 1.
Plaintiff Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility (“PEER” or “Plaintiff”) brings this action under t
he Freedom of Information Act (“FOIA”
), 5 U.S.C. § 552, et seq
., as amended, in order to compel the Bureau of Land Management, (
, a Bureau of the Department of the Interior, to disclose records wrongfully withheld in failing to respond within the statutory deadline to Plaintiff’s
FOIA requests. 2.
Defendant’s statutory production period expired and it failed to produce any records in response to Plaintiff’s two FOIA requests sent via U.S. mail, fax, and email dated February 14, 2014 and April 18, 2014. 3.
FOIA requires that federal agencies respond to public requests for records, including files maintained electronically, to increase public understanding of the workings of government and to provide access to government information
. FOIA reflects a “
profound national 2 commitment to ensuring an open Gover nment” and directs agencies to “
adopt a presumption in favor of disclosure.” Presidential Mem., 74 Fed. Reg. 4683 (Jan. 21, 2009). 4.
Plaintiff is a non-profit organization with tax-exempt status dedicated to research and public education concerning the activities and operations of the federal government. 5.
On February 14, 2014, PEER ’s
FOIA request sought records summarizing incidents of violence or threats against BLM employees that occurred between January 1 and December 31, 2013. PEER requested that the summary include the date, location, and nature of the incident or threat together with a summary of what, if any, outcomes stemmed from the incident (e.g., arrest, conviction, ongoing investigation). 6.
On April 18, 2014, PEER sought records related to BLM’s
activities concerning Cliven Bundy, a rancher at the center of a much-publicized dispute with BLM regarding grazing fees owed for the use of BLM land for cattle grazing. Specifically, the records requested related to BLM’s
attempted roundup and impoundment of Bundy
s cattle on BLM land after Bundy failed to abide by a court order to remove them. See United States v. Bundy, 2013 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 95294 (D. Nev. July 9, 2013). Namely, PEER requested (1) all decision documents related to the decision to call off the roundup of Mr. Bundy’s trespassing cattle, (2) documents describing the disposition of cattle collected by BLM in that removal action, (3) any directives issued after April 1, 2014 by BLM to its subunits concerning protocols or advisories for handling similar incidents of armed resistance to lawful orders or other livestock trespass situations, and (4) any cautions or advisories issued to BLM employees since April 1, 2014 concerning personal safety. 7.
failure to provide any responsive documents is arbitrary and capricious and amounts to a denial of Plaintiff’s
FOIA request. This conduct frustrates the public’s right to 3 know how the Defendant (1) attempts to protect its public resource employees from violence and intimidation and (2) executes its statutory duty to manage public land in charged situations such as the Bundy incident, where threats against Defendant employees caused it to soften its response to Mr. Bundy’s grazing violations. 8.
Plaintiff constructively exhausted its administrative remedies under 5 U.S.C. § 552(a)(6)(C)(i), and now seeks an order from this Court requiring Defendant to immediately produce the records sought in its FOIA requests as well as other appropriate relief. JURISDICTION AND VENUE 9.
This Court has jurisdiction over this action under 5 U.S.C. § 552(a)(4)(B). This Court also has federal question jurisdiction over this action under 28 U.S.C. § 1331. 10.
This Court has the authority to grant declaratory relief pursuant to the Declaratory Judgment Act, 28 U.S.C. § 2201, et seq
This Court is a proper venue because Plaintiff resides in the District of Columbia. See 28 U.S.C. § 1391(e)(1)(C) (2011) (where defendant is the government or a government agent, a civil action may be brought in the district where the plaintiff resides if there is no real property at issue). Venue is also proper under 5 U.S.C. § 552(a)(4)(B). 12.
This Court has the authority t
o award costs and attorneys’ fees under 28 U.S.C. § 241
2 and 5 U.S.C. § 552(a)(4)(E). PARTIES
Plaintiff, PEER, is a non-profit public interest organization, with its main office located in Washington, D.C., and field offices located in California, Colorado, Florida, Massachusetts, Arizona, New Jersey, and Tennessee. Activity (4)FiltersAdd to collectionReview Add NoteLikeShowingAllMost RecentReviewsAll NotesLikesYou've already reviewed this. Edit your review.Rating 0/5Post notePost reviewPost replyPost note and like1 hundred readsLoad more
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