Opinion ID: 2520291
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: K.S.A. 2004 Supp. 45-221(a)(30)

Text: Data Tree contends the inquiry as to whether a public agency may withhold certain personal information from disclosure under K.S.A. 2004 Supp. 45-221(a)(30) is whether there is a reasonable expectation of privacy with regard to that information. The district court found the exceptions to disclosure set out in 45-221 must be given meaning or anything held by the government would be open. The district court determined that sensitive information may be redacted before distribution to the public and, in this case, that private information including social security numbers, mothers' maiden names, and dates of births clearly came within the purview of the disclosure exception in 45-221(a)(30). K.S.A. 2004 Supp. 45-221(a) provides: Except to the extent disclosure is otherwise required by law, a public agency shall not be required to disclose: . . . (30) Public records containing information of a personal nature where the public disclosure thereof would constitute a clearly unwarranted invasion of personal privacy. We note that K.S.A. 45-221 was amended three times in 2004; however, the amendments have no bearing on this case. See K.S.A. 2004 Supp. 45-221 (L. 2004, ch. 171, sec. 30); K.S.A. 2004 Supp. 45-221g (L. 2004, ch. 177, sec. 1); K.S.A. 2004 Supp. 45-221h, (L. 2004, ch. 151, sec. 1). The KORA, K.S.A. 45-215 et seq., was passed by the legislature to ensure public confidence in government by increasing the access of the public to government and its decision-making processes. Telegram Publishing Co. v. Kansas Dept. of Transportation, 275 Kan. 779, Syl. ¶ 2, 69 P.3d 578 (2003). The primary focus of case law interpreting the KORA is on the overriding public policy set forth in K.S.A. 45-216(a), which provides: It is declared to be the public policy of the state that public records shall be open for inspection by any person unless otherwise provided by this act, and this act shall be liberally construed and applied to promote such policy. This is reiterated in K.S.A. 45-218(a), which states in part: All public records shall be open for inspection by any person, except as otherwise provided by this act. See Telegram Publishing Co., 275 Kan. at 785; Cypress Media, Inc. v. City of Overland Park, 268 Kan. 407, 416, 997 P.2d 681 (2000). Determining whether the district court correctly applied the KORA and a particular exception to disclosure is a question of law involving interpretation of statute. Wichita Eagle & Beacon Publishing Co. v. Simmons, 274 Kan. 194, Syl. ¶ ¶ 3, 14, 50 P.3d 66 (2002); Cypress Media, Inc., 268 Kan. at 416. The KORA provides specific exceptions to disclosure; however, the exceptions are to be narrowly interpreted, and the burden is on the public agency opposing disclosure. Telegram Publishing Co., 275 Kan. at 785; Wichita Eagle & Beacon Publishing Co., 274 Kan. 194, Syl. ¶ 3. K.S.A. 2004 Supp. 45-221(a), which contains the statutory exceptions to disclosure, sets out in detail 46 categories of records which public agencies are not required to disclose. The KORA does not prohibit disclosure of records contained within these exceptions but makes their release discretionary with the agency's official records custodian. Harris Enterprises, Inc. v. Moore, 241 Kan. 59, 63-64, 734 P.2d 1083 (1987). Only two Kansas cases have had the opportunity to address the disclosure exception at issue here, Southwest Anesthesia Serv., P.A. v. Southwest Med. Ctr., 23 Kan. App. 2d 950, 952-53, 937 P.2d 1257 (1997), and Burroughs v. Thomas, 23 Kan. App. 2d 769, 772, rev. denied 262 Kan. 959 (1997). In Southwest Anesthesia, the Court of Appeals found the exception in 45-221(a)(30) was inapplicable to the open records at issue because the medical center did not present any testimony or evidence in support of this exception. 23 Kan. App. 2d at 953. In Burroughs, a coroner filed an autopsy report concerning Burroughs' death. Burroughs' spouse sought disclosure of the coroner's records. In determining whether an exception under 45-221(a)(30) applied in this situation, the Court of Appeals found that generally only the person whose privacy was invaded can bring a cause of action for invasion of privacy. Because Kansas does not provide for survival of a cause of action for invasion of privacy, the Court of Appeals concluded the exception to disclosure of public records in 45-221(a)(30) did not apply. 23 Kan. App. 2d at 772. Neither Southwest Anesthesia nor Burroughs is helpful in this case. Acknowledging the paucity of case law on this particular exception, Data Tree cites several Kansas Attorney General opinions regarding treatment of 45-221(a)(30). The Supreme Court is not bound by the conclusions of attorney general opinions; however, the opinions are persuasive authority. See General Building Contr., LLC v. Board of Shawnee County Comm'rs, 275 Kan. 525, 536, 66 P.3d 873 (2003). In Att'y Gen. Op. No. 2002-55, the Kansas Attorney General determined the issue under 45-221(a)(30) was whether the information is of a highly personal nature. Looking at federal law analysis of the protection from state intrusion into fundamental aspects of personal privacy and whether such information is given protection, the decision maker considers: (1) if the party asserting the right has a legitimate expectation of privacy [in that information], (2) if disclosure serves a compelling state interest, and (3) if disclosure can be made in the least intrusive manner. If the first factor is not met, the second and third factors need not be addressed. The Attorney General considered that the information sought in this particular inquiry was water usage, billing history, and contact information. Another subsection of 45-221 already required release of this information if requested. See K.S.A. 2004 Supp. 45-221(a)(26). Furthermore, this information was to be shared between municipally operated utility companies for use in billing customers and not disseminated to the general public. The Attorney General concluded customers had no reasonable expectation that this information would remain confidential. Interpreting the operative phrase of 45-221(a)(30) in Att'y Gen. Op. No. 2001-33, the Kansas Attorney General stated: We believe that a high standard is suggested by the words, `clearly unwarranted invasion of personal privacy.' The privacy interest is one that applies only when release would reveal truly intimate details, or present some unusual danger. The Attorney General derived this standard from Connecticut, which had adopted the Restatement (Second) of Torts § 652D (1977) definition of a tort action for the invasion of personal privacy. Connecticut was attempting to establish an objective standard to determine what information can be closed as constituting an invasion of personal privacy under the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA), see 5 U.S.C. § 552 (2000), and held that home addresses of public employees were open under the Act as such disclosure was not highly offensive. The records sought in that Kansas Attorney General opinion were the membership list of the Coffeyville City Golf Course, including home addresses. The Attorney General noted that Kansas had a statute, K.S.A. 21-3914 (now repealed; L. 2003, ch. 126, sec. 5), which made it a crime to obtain a list of names and addresses from public records for the purpose of offering for sale any property or service to the persons therein listed. (Kansas has now enacted civil penalties for such violations as part of the KORA. See K.S.A. 2004 Supp. 45-230; L. 2003, ch. 126, sec. 1.) Consequently, the Attorney General found that this statute would have no meaning if this information was closed and, therefore, in Kansas names and addresses are open absent special circumstances. Interestingly, the opinion notes that Att'y Gen. Op. Nos. 98-38 and 87-168 had previously concluded that social security numbers may be closed because of the danger of identity theft. See Att'y Gen. Op. No. 2001-33. Data Tree discusses two Kansas Attorney General opinions on social security numbers: One finding no expectation of privacy in social security numbers when, according to Data Tree, the number is contained on a document that the individual knows and expects that others will see, the other finding no public interest in disclosing the social security number of a crime victim. See Att'y Gen. Op. Nos. 98-38 and 97-39. Att'y Gen. Op. No. 97-39 stated that [g]iven the plethora of laws that require disclosure of one's social security number, it is our opinion that an individual has no reasonable expectation of privacy in his or her social security number as against the government when applying for a professional, occupational, or marriage license. (Emphasis added). The opinion was addressing 1997 S.B. 140, sec. 6, requiring social security numbers on certain license applications, as part of enactments facilitating the ability of the Kansas Department of Social and Rehabilitation Services to enforce child support obligations. K.S.A. 45-221(a)(30) was not an issue and not discussed. Data Tree does not discuss a Kansas Attorney General opinion that determined social security numbers supplied in connection with the annual registration of attorneys are not subject to disclosure pursuant to 45-221(a)(30) at the discretion of the Clerk of the Appellate Courts. See Att'y Gen. Op. No. 87-168. The opinion indicated the purpose of the privacy exception has been stated as: `[The privacy exception] is intended to exempt information in government records that relates to the intimate details of a person's private life. The public's right to have access to information contained in government records is thus qualified by protection of an individual's right to maintain the privacy of personal matters having no bearing on matters of public interest.' Frederickson, Letting the Sunshine In: An Analysis of the 1984 Kansas Open Records Act, 33 U. Kan. L. Rev. 205, 256 (1985). Att'y Gen. Op. No. 87-168. Noting that § 7 of the federal Privacy Act of 1974, see 5 U.S.C. § 552a (2000), gives an individual a privacy interest in his or her social security number, the Attorney General found the release of an individual's social security number, in this instance, would be an invasion of personal privacy. The attorney registration form also includes an attorney's date of birth, among other information. The Attorney General further opined: We know of no law which prohibits disclosure of the other information contained in the list. The information does not fall under the privacy exception as disclosure would not constitute a `clearly unwarranted invasion,' and the public's right to know outweighs any privacy interests in the information. `Information such as place of birth, date of birth, date of marriage, employment history, and comparable data is not normally regarded as highly personal [ dependent upon where it is found ] . . . .' Department of State v. Washington Post Co., 456 U.S. 595, 600, 102 S. Ct. 1957, 1961, 72 L .Ed. 2d 358 (1982). (Emphasis added.) Att'y Gen. Op. No. 87-168. Data Tree cites Ohio Attorney General Opinion No. 96-034, which it claims is virtually identical to this case. The inquiry in the Ohio case asked whether a county recorder has the obligation to redact social security numbers on recorded documents prior to recording. The Ohio Supreme Court had issued a decision in State ex rel. Beacon Journal Publishing Co. v. Akron, 70 Ohio St. 3d 605, 640 N.E.2d 164 (1994), that reasoned because disclosure of employees' social security numbers would violate their constitutional rights to privacy, release of the numbers would be prohibited by federal law. Therefore, for purposes of Ohio's public records law, release of social security numbers comprised records the release of which is prohibited by state or federal law. Cf. K.S.A. 2004 Supp. 45-221(a)(1) (public agencies are not required to disclose records, the disclosure of which is specifically prohibited or restricted by federal or state law, including rules of the Kansas Supreme Court to restrict or prohibit disclosure). The Ohio Attorney General determined that State ex rel. Beacon Journal Publishing Co. did not impose an obligation to remove social security numbers on documents submitted for recording because a similar expectation of privacy did not exist. Because a county recorder receives and records instruments in accordance with specific directives and recording the instruments is for the purpose of keeping public records, the Attorney General reasoned a person who furnishes his or her social security number in connection with a mortgage, financing statement, or other recordable instrument which is then submitted for recording should not reasonably expect the number to thereafter remain a private matter. Therefore, it was the context within which a social security number is furnished that determines a person's expectation of privacy. Oh. Att'y Gen. Op. No. 96-034. The Register of Deeds correctly notes that Data Tree's reliance on the Ohio Attorney General opinion is misplaced because the question presented there was whether the county recorder was required to remove or redact social security numbers that appear on mortgages and other documents before recording the document. The opinion does not address the issue of discretionary redaction of such information upon a request to purchase bulk copies of public records maintained by the Register of Deeds. Data Tree would find instructive Professor Frederickson's suggestion that the words `clearly unwarranted' appear to limit the application of the privacy exception to records containing personal information, the release of which would serve no public purpose. A balancing formula is created and appears to tilt toward disclosure of records, because that result serves the overall intent of the act. Frederickson, Letting the Sunshine In: An Analysis of the 1984 Kansas Open Records Act, 33 Kan. L. Rev. 205, 256 (1985). The Register of Deeds points out that Data Tree has not suggested a public purpose for release of social security numbers and, to the contrary, that no public purpose exists for the release of social security numbers, mothers' maiden names, and dates of births. Professor Frederickson also stated that the KORA was based in part on the Kentucky Open Records Act. See 33 Kan. L. Rev. at 207. The Register of Deeds contends Kentucky courts have held that the release of social security numbers may be restricted as an invasion of personal privacy. In Zink v. Commonwealth, 902 S.W.2d 825 (Ky. App. 1994), an attorney requested the Kentucky Department of Workers Compensation provide him access to injury reports filed with the department which contained personal information including names, home addresses, telephone numbers, dates of births, social security numbers, and more. The Department denied the request in part based on an exemption from Kentucky open records on the grounds that access to the reports would constitute a clearly unwarranted invasion of personal privacy. The district court granted summary judgment in favor of the Department. To determine whether the requested information constituted a clearly unwarranted invasion of personal privacy, the Kentucky Court of Appeals applied the analysis from its Supreme Court in Kentucky Bd. of Examiners of Psychologists v. Courier-Journal & Louisville Times Co., Ky., 826 S.W.2d 324 (1992). The first determination is whether the information is of a personal nature. If so, the next determination is whether public disclosure would constitute a clearly unwarranted invasion of personal privacy. This requires a comparative weighing of antagonistic interests where the privacy interest in nondisclosure is balanced against the general rule of inspection and its underlying policy of openness for the public good, and the circumstances of a given case affect the weighing or balancing of interests. 902 S.W.2d at 828. The Kentucky Court of Appeals found that the information contained in the injury reports was clearly of a personal nature. Moving to the next determination, the court stated the analysis did not turn on the purpose of the request for information or the identity of the person making the request. Rather, what should be considered is the extent to which disclosure would serve the principal purpose of the open records act, an approach the United States Supreme Court has taken in analyzing requests under the FOIA, citing Dept. of Justice v. Reporters Committee, 489 U.S. 749, 774-75, 103 L. Ed. 2d 774, 109 S. Ct. 1468 (1989). 902 S.W.2d at 828. Applying the balancing or weighing portion of its analysis, the Kentucky Court of Appeals found the information contained in the injury reports would reveal little or nothing about an agency's conduct and the public interest in disclosure was de minimis at best. 902 S.W.2d at 829. Weighing the interests of the injured workers, particularly the release of the workers' social security numbers, the court stated: Those nine digits today represent no less than the keys to an information kingdom as it relates to any given individual. Access to a wealth of data compiled by both government agencies and private enterprises such as credit bureaus is obtainable simply upon presentation of the proper social security number. 902 S.W.2d at 829. Data Tree appears to advocate applying principles dealing with the tort of invasion of personal privacy to the analysis of what would constitute a clearly unwarranted invasion of personal privacy. However, this would divorce the analysis from the underlying public purpose of the KORA. See Telegram Publishing Co., 275 Kan. 779, Syl. ¶ 2. It appears that courts generally analyze the issue by balancing the privacy interests of the individual with the public's need to know. See Kentucky Bd. of Examiners of Psychologists, 826 S.W.2d 324; 33 Kan. L. Rev. at 256; Annot., What Constitutes Personal Matters Exempt from Disclosure by Invasion of Privacy Exemption Under State Freedom of Information Act, 26 A.L.R. 4th 666, § 2. Applying a balancing test to the case at hand, the Register of Deeds seeks to redact social security numbers, mothers' maiden names, and dates of births from Data Tree's public records request. Clearly, social security numbers are considered information of a personal nature. In addition to the Attorney General opinions and case law discussed above, Kansas statutes lend support to the personal or private nature of social security numbers. See K.S.A. 2004 Supp. 8-240(b)(1) (social security numbers are not required as identifying numbers on drivers licenses); K.S.A. 2004 Supp. 25-2320(b) (social security numbers must be removed from voter registration records made available to the public); K.S.A. 2004 Supp. 44-550b(a)(4) (social security numbers as an exception to open records under the Workers Compensation Act). An individual's social security number, date of birth, and mother's maiden name are often used as identifiers for financial accounts or for obtaining access to electronic commerce. Most people would consider this information of a personal nature. The United States Supreme Court, interpreting the FOIA, stated that information is `private' if it is `intended for or restricted to the use of a particular person or group or class of persons: not freely available to the public.' Reporters Committee, 489 U.S. at 763-64. Birth dates have been held to be private and their disclosure a clear invasion of personal privacy. See Oliva v. United States, 756 F. Supp. 105, 107 (E.D.N.Y. 1991); Scottsdale Unified School Dist. v. KPNX, 191 Ariz. 297, 955 P.2d 534 (1998). We see no reasons why social security numbers, mothers' maiden names, and dates of births do not fall into this privacy realm. Data Tree makes a valid argument that the Register of Deeds is unique in that it is the depository of documents specifically for public notice, and that individuals may have some lesser expectation of privacy in these documents. The weighing balance may very well tilt more heavily in favor of full public disclosure where disclosure would serve the principal purpose of the KORA. However, the information being sought by Data Tree is not for its public notice properties but for commercial purposes, i.e., the sale of the information to business interests which have no relationship to the transaction recorded. The public interest to be served by releasing unredacted documents with social security numbers, mothers' maiden names, and dates of births to a data collection company which intends to sell this information for a profit is at best insignificant. Based upon the specific facts of this case, we conclude that where balancing the privacy interests of the individual with the public's need to know or, more specifically, where disclosure of the personal or private information fails to significantly serve the principal purpose of the KORA, nondisclosure is favored if such nondisclosure complies with other requirements of the KORA. We further conclude that under the specific facts of this case, the Register of Deeds did not abuse his discretion in determining that public disclosure of the personal information within the documents requested constituted a clearly unwarranted invasion of personal privacy.