Opinion ID: 1836005
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 11

Heading: what constitutes a public record?

Text: [14] The City contends that the court erred in finding that the documents sought by the appellees were public records. It argues that the evidence showed that the documents did not belong to the City. It mainly relies on Forsham v. Harris, [14] a U.S. Supreme Court decision applying the federal Freedom of Information Act (FOIA). [15] Under Forsham and other Supreme Court interpretations of the federal act, an agency must create the records or exercise its right to obtain them before a requesting party can obtain an order for disclosure. The appellees counter that they can distinguish Forsham. They contend that physical possession presents only one factor indicating ownership of records. They argue that requiring physical possession would permit governmental entities to easily avoid disclosing records by simply declining to take possession of them. So the initial question we address is whether Nebraska's statutes require physical possession of the requested materials.