Opinion ID: 2623451
Heading Depth: 3
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: Challenge to CORA's Application: Burden of Proof

Text: Generally, the plaintiff has the burden to present facts to establish a claim under a particular act. However, under FOIA, the U.S. Supreme Court has held that the custodian of a record has the burden to show that the record is not an agency (public) record. United States Dep't of Justice v. Tax Analysts, 492 U.S. 136, 142 n. 3, 109 S.Ct. 2841, 106 L.Ed.2d 112 (1989). Therefore, even though the plaintiff has the burden of proof to show that CORA applies, when the parties dispute whether a document fits within the definition of a public record, in most cases the burden will fall on the custodian to show that the record is not a public record. Ordinarily, we agree with the U.S. Supreme Court that placing the burden of proof on the custodian of the record makes sense. In most cases, the custodian of a requested public record is a public entity. If a party requests a document that the public entity believes to be outside of the provisions of CORA, either because the public entity thinks it is not a public record as defined by CORA, or because it falls under one of the public record exceptions, the public entity is in the best place to demonstrate why CORA does not apply. This rule is consistent with both the public policy behind CORA, which favors disclosure, and the common sense notion that the burden should be on the party with the information necessary to explain why CORA does not apply to the requested document. See §§ 24-72-201, 204(6)(a), 7B C.R.S. (2003) (public records are to be open for inspection) (burden on custodian to show that disclosure would do substantial injury to the public interest). Nonetheless, the rationale for requiring the custodian to show that a document is not a public record does not extend to a situation where the custodian is not a public entity. In a case such as the one before us, where the custodian of the record has both a private and an official capacity, determining in what capacity the document is held resolves the underlying question of whether the document is a public record. If Hunt holds the document in his official capacity as County Manager, then the document is clearly a public record. Conversely, the document is not a public record if Hunt keeps it in his individual capacity. Thus, the premise of the normal situation, that the public entity is in the best position to provide information about the document, is not true when it is unclear whether the County, acting through its County Manager, is the custodian, or whether Hunt as an individual possesses that information. Because this approach entails resolving the entire case, and inspecting a personal diary to resolve a threshold question of whether the Act even applies, we do not find it to be a proper placement of the burden in this unique circumstance. We hold that in cases where it is not clear whether the custodian holds a record in an individual or official capacity, and thus whether the record is private or public, the requesting party must make a threshold showing that the document is likely a public record. Therefore, the requesting party must show that the requested material is likely a public record as defined by CORA: it was made, maintained, or kept by a public entity. As this initial showing requires only that the requesting party demonstrate that the document is likely to be a public record for purposes of establishing that the Act applies, not that it is definitively a public record, we do not find this requirement to be overly burdensome. Furthermore, it is consistent with both CORA, which seeks to ensure an open government, and our prior case law protecting individuals' privacy. We turn to those considerations now.