Opinion ID: 3169677
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: Executive Sessions and the FOAA

Text: [¶18] “Except as otherwise provided by statute or by section 405, all public proceedings must be open to the public and any person must be permitted to attend a public proceeding.” 1 M.R.S. § 403(1). The Legislature has stated that the broad purpose of the FOAA is to ensure that government entities’ “actions be taken openly.” Id. § 401; see Dow v. Caribou Chamber of Commerce & Indus., 2005 ME 113, ¶ 9, 884 A.2d 667 (“The purpose of FOAA is to open public proceedings and require that public actions and records be available to the public.” (quotation marks omitted)). Because the FOAA “shall be liberally construed and applied to promote its underlying purposes and policies as contained in the declaration of 9 legislative intent,” 1 M.R.S. § 401, we strictly interpret any statutory exceptions to the FOAA. Med. Mut. Ins. Co. of Me. v. Bureau of Ins., 2005 ME 12, ¶ 5, 866 A.2d 117. [¶19] Pertinent here, an exception to the requirement of open public meetings is made for executive sessions that comply with specified conditions. See 1 M.R.S. § 405. An executive session may only be held for a purpose that is enumerated in section 405 of the FOAA, id. § 405(6), such as for “[c]onsultations between a body or agency and its attorney concerning the legal rights and duties of the body or agency.” Id. § 405(6)(E). “A motion to go into executive session must indicate the precise nature of the business of the executive session,” id. § 405(4), and “[m]atters other than those identified in the motion to go into executive session may not be considered in that particular executive session,” id. § 405(5). “An ordinance, order, rule, resolution, regulation, contract, appointment or other official action may not be finally approved at an executive session.” Id. § 405(2). [¶20] “[A] public body charged with violating the terms of the [FOAA] during an executive session has the burden of proving that its actions during the executive session complied with an exception to” the open meeting requirement of the FOAA. Underwood v. City of Presque Isle, 1998 ME 166, ¶ 19, 715 A.2d 148. If the administrative record demonstrates that the body or agency used the executive session for the stated, authorized purpose, the use of the executive 10 session will be upheld. Cf. Blethen Me. Newspapers, Inc. v. Portland Sch. Comm., 2008 ME 69, ¶¶ 15-18, 947 A.2d 479 (vacating a judgment of the Superior Court that ordered the disclosure of documents prepared for and created during an executive session when the administrative record demonstrated that the executive session was held for a permitted purpose and adhered to that purpose). [¶21] In reviewing whether a government entity complied with the FOAA, we review factual findings for clear error, Town of Burlington v. Hosp. Admin. Dist. No. 1, 2001 ME 59, ¶ 22, 769 A.2d 857, but review the trial court’s interpretation of the FOAA de novo, Cyr v. Madawaska Sch. Dep’t, 2007 ME 28, ¶ 9, 916 A.2d 967. “When interpreting a statute, we accord its words their plain meaning.” Cyr, 2007 ME 28, ¶ 9, 916 A.2d 967. If the meaning is clear, we will not look beyond the words of the statute, unless the result would be illogical or absurd. Id.