Opinion ID: 2354141
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 4

Heading: The scope of discovery in a PRA case

Text: ¶ 16 As mentioned above, the trial court limited discovery and, in view of limited responses to discovery requests, granted summary judgment to the County. On review, the Court of Appeals affirmed the trial court's ruling and analogized the scope of discovery in a PRA lawsuit to that allowable in a FOIA case. This approach is inconsistent with the civil rules and our cases analyzing this issue. ¶ 17 We have previously held that, unless express procedural rules have been adopted by statute or otherwise, the general civil rules control. In Spokane Research & Def. Fund v. City of Spokane, 155 Wash.2d 89, 105, 117 P.3d 1117 (2005), we considered whether intervention was allowed in a PRA action. We relied on CR 81 to answer this question, which provides that the civil rules govern except where these rules are inconsistent with rules or statutes applicable to special proceedings. [6] What constitutes a special proceeding is mostly governed by statute, and the PRA statutes do not create a special proceeding subject to special rules, such as those that apply in proceedings involving garnishment, unlawful detainer, and sexually violent predators. Since the statutes are silent, we held the normal civil rules are appropriate for prosecuting a PRA claim. More specifically, since the PRA statute is silent concerning intervention, we concluded that intervention is therefore allowed in a PRA case. Spokane Research, 155 Wash.2d at 104-05, 117 P.3d 1117. Similarly here, because the PRA is silent about discovery, no reason exists to treat discovery any differently than intervention, especially given the PRA's policy of broad disclosure. We hold, therefore, that the civil rules control discovery in a PRA action. [7] ¶ 18 Under the court rules, what constitutes relevant discovery is broad. Parties may obtain discovery regarding any matter, not privileged, which is relevant to the subject matter involved in the pending action. CR 26(b)(1). We have previously said that the decision not to disclose records and the reasons behind that decision are precisely the subject matter of a suit brought under the Public Records Act. PAWS, 125 Wash.2d at 270, 884 P.2d 592 n.17. And we expanded this in our most recent Yousoufian opinion, which made agency culpability the focus in determining daily penalties, thus making discovery regarding motivation relevant. Yousoufian v. Office of Ron Sims, 168 Wash.2d 444, 460, 229 P.3d 735 (2010). Of course, it may be within the trial court's discretion to narrow discovery, but it must not do so in a way that prevents discovery of information relevant to the issues that may arise in a PRA lawsuit. ¶ 19 As mentioned, the Court of Appeals held that [d]iscovery which seeks information concerning `the policies, procedures, and operational guidelines' for an agency's operations `far exceeds the limited scope of discovery usually allowed in a FOIA case concerning factual disputes surrounding the adequacy of the search for documents,' so the Alliance's motion to compel discovery was properly denied. NASC, 153 Wash. App. at 264-65, 224 P.3d 775 (quoting Schiller v. Immigration & Naturalization Serv., 205 F.Supp.2d 648, 653 (W.D.Tex.2002)). But the PRA and FOIA are not analogous regarding discovery, because the PRA includes a statutory penalty provision, while FOIA does not. [8] The rules of discovery provide that all relevant information likely to lead to admissible evidence is discoverable. What is relevant in a PRA action will differ from that in a FOIA action, because a PRA action will often involve issues not implicated by FOIA actions. ¶ 20 For example, the agency's motivation for failing to disclose or for withholding documents is relevant in a PRA action. Whether an agency withheld records in bad faith is the principal factor in determining the amount of a penalty. Yousoufian, 168 Wash.2d at 460, 229 P.3d 735 (quoting Amren v. City of Kalama, 131 Wash.2d 25, 37-38, 929 P.2d 389 (1997)). In addition to good or bad faith, the agency's overall culpability is the focus of the penalty determination. Yousoufian, 168 Wash.2d at 460, 467-68, 229 P.3d 735 (listing factors to aid in culpability determination). An agency that sought clarification of a confusing request and in all respects timely complied but mistakenly overlooked a responsive document should be sanctioned less severely than an agency that intentionally withheld known records and then lied in its response to avoid embarrassment. Discovery is required to differentiate between these situations. Here, the Alliance attempted to determine why Knutsen's computer was replaced when it was, through both discovery and subsequent PRA requests. It was, after all, the replacement of Knutsen's computer that foiled the agency in obtaining the record it sought, that is, the complete electronic file information logs for the undated seating chart. CP at 51. The County's culpability level would be heightened, therefore, if the computer was replaced and its contents destroyed to prevent disclosure. See RCW 42.56.100. Relevancy in a PRA action, then, includes why documents were withheld, destroyed, or even lost. ¶ 21 In this case, the County, in response to most requests, refused discovery completely, as it did not respond to the interrogatories or requests for production at all. This was improper. Under our rules, answers to interrogatories are to be served within 30 days of service, CR 33(a), and the same is true for requests for production, CR 34(b), or else the party must seek a protective order. The County was required to respond to the Alliance's requests. The County additionally objected to and refused to answer deposition questions as being outside the scope of a PRA action, relying on its own interpretations of the PRA statutes and case law. A party must answer deposition questions unless instructed not to because of privilege or discovery abuse. CR 30(d), (h). As in any other civil suit, the County should have responded to the interrogatories and allowed Knutsen to answer the deposition questions or else sought a protective order. ¶ 22 Since discovery was not allowed to proceed, the record is incomplete, and we remand to the trial court for appropriate discovery. More expansive discovery will likely lead to information or records relevant to the PRA requests made in this case. Although the arguments have focused on the seating chart with the names of Ron and Steve, discovery should predictably reveal who inserted those names into the chart, and whether any documents, communications, or other written materials exist that prompted the inclusion. Discovery that was not so limited would also have revealed what the County did in order to find those documents. The discovery the Alliance was able to obtain shows that the County's search for the requested documents was inadequate, bringing us to the next issue.