Opinion ID: 77938
Heading Depth: 4
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: Sufficiency of the Dominy Affidavit

Text: The Tribe first contends that the affidavit of Dominy, the representative designated by the EPA to demonstrate that the search was adequate, is insufficient evidence by which to judge the search's reasonableness because he was not the person who conducted the search and was not even in his position at the time the search was conducted. It is true that Dominy is the current Region 4 Chief of the EPA FOIA and Records Services Division. However, it is also undisputed that Dominy did not personally perform the search regarding the Tribe's FOIA requests; Jennifer Pearce was the employee who coordinated those efforts. The EPA points to at least two other Circuits that have held that the agency employee who actually performed a search need not be the one to supply an affidavit or sworn testimony describing the adequacy of the search so long as an official responsible for supervising the search efforts has provided testimony in one form or another. See Maynard v. C.I.A., 986 F.2d 547, 560 (1st Cir.1993) (holding that affidavits of officials responsible for supervising search efforts are sufficient to fulfill the personal knowledge requirement of Fed.R.Civ.P. 56(e)); Patterson v. I.R.S., 56 F.3d 832, 840-41 (7th Cir.1995) (holding that declarant's reliance on a standard search form completed by his predecessor was appropriate). Although this Circuit has not pronounced a rule requiring testimony from the person who performed the search in order to demonstrate its adequacy under Rule 56, it need not do so in this case. Because the district court below granted depositions of other agents who actually performed the search, and because those depositions were submitted in the Rule 56 record, this court need not reach the issue of whether the Dominy Affidavit, in isolation, would be sufficient to demonstrate the adequacy of the FOIA search. Here, the Tribe not only deposed Dominy, but also Pearce who undisputedly participated in the search. As the district court correctly noted in its summary judgment order in favor of the EPA, whether that affidavit was adequate, in isolation, was irrelevant because the Court . . . granted wide latitude to the Plaintiff in conducting additional discovery.