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Sent: Thursday, August 12, 2021, 11:27:38 PM CDT
Subject: 8-12-21: TC Atty cites 'atty-client privilege', seeks official OAG OK to withhold docs from me
DELIA GARZA
COUNTY ATTORNEY TRANSACTIONS DIVISION
ANN-MARIE SHEELY, DIRECTOR
BARBARA J. WILSON
JENNIFER KRABER
C.J. BRANDT, JR.
JAMES D. NICKELL
MATTHEW R. ENTSMINGER
LUCIO A. DEL TORO
FIRST ASSISTANT D. MICHELLE CASE
SHERINE E. THOMAS
EXECUTIVE COUNTY ATTORNEY
314 W. 11th STREET
GRANGER BLDG.,
5th FLOOR
AUSTIN, TEXAS 78701
P. O. BOX 1748
AUSTIN, TEXAS 78767
(512) 854-9513
FAX: (512) 854-4808
August 12, 2021
Via U.S. Mail
Mr. Justin Gordon, Division Chief
Office of the Attorney General of Texas---Open Records Division
P.O. Box 12548
Austin, Texas 78711-2548
Re: Request from John Kevin McMillan received on July 15, 2021 ((footnote)1)—Request for Ruling and Supplemental Brief
((footnote) 1 The original request was submitted by email on Wednesday, July 14, 2021, after business hours. Accordingly, the request is considered received on that day. Further, three additional follow up emails were sent by requestor on Thursday, July 15, 2021, again on Wednesday, July 28, 2021, and again on Thursday, July 29, 2021. The follow up emails have been included for your review. Additionally, pursuant to guidelines issued by the Texas Attorney General’s Office, the calculation of a governmental body’s 10- and 15-business day deadlines for responding to requests under the Public Information Act does not include any calendar days upon which a governmental body’s administrative offices are closed or operating with only a skeleton crew, or the governmental body’s records cannot be accessed because its staff is either working remotely or is directly involved in the public health or epidemic response. On March 13, 2020, the Governor declared a state of disaster in Texas due to COVID-19. On March 24, 2020, Travis County Judge Sarah Eckhardt signed a shelter-in-place order for Travis County. In response to these pronouncements, the employees of TCAO that are responsible for responding to PIA requests have been assigned to work remotely, with limited access to County records. Consequently, TCAO’s ability to respond to PIA requests has been delayed.)
Dear Mr. Gordon:
Pursuant to the Texas Public Information Act (“PIA”), the Travis County Attorney’s Office (“TCAO”) received a written request for records of all communications from January 1, 2021 to present containing a reference to the requestor, excluding those sent by the requestor himself.(footnote) 2
(footnote) 2 The requestor’s correspondence also contains a number of questions concerning the County Attorney’s knowledge of various alleged incidents. A governmental body is not required to answer questions in response to a request for records under the PIA; regardless, TCAO has no additional records that are responsive to these inquiries.
TCAO has determined the responsive information is excepted from required disclosure under Government Code section 552.107.
Accordingly, we request an Attorney General decision on the matter as required by section 552.301 of the Government Code. Our written comments stating the reason the raised exception applies are set out below. A representative sample of the responsive information is enclosed.
By copy of this letter we are informing the requestor that TCAO intends to withhold the responsive information and has asked for a decision from the Attorney General.
The responsive information contains attorney-client communications excepted from disclosure by Government Code section 552.107 and Texas Rule of Evidence 503. Government Code section 552.107(1) protects information covered by the attorney-client privilege.
When asserting the attorney-client privilege, a governmental body has the burden of providing the necessary facts to demonstrate the elements of the privilege in order to withhold the information at issue. Open Records Decision No. 676 at 6–7 (2002). First, a governmental body must demonstrate that the information constitutes or documents a communication. Id. at 7. Second, the communication must have been made “for the purpose of facilitating the rendition of professional legal services” to the client governmental body. Tex. R. Evid. 503(b)(1). The privilege does not apply when an attorney or representative is involved in some capacity other than that of providing or facilitating professional legal services to the client governmental body. In re Texas Farmers Ins. Exch., 990 S.W.2d 337, 340 (Tex. App.—Texarkana 1999, orig. proceeding) (attorney-client privilege does not apply if attorney acting in a capacity other than that of attorney).
Thus, a governmental body must inform your office of the identities and capacities of the individuals to whom each communication at issue has been made. Lastly, the attorney-client privilege applies only to a confidential communication, id. 503(b)(1), meaning it was “not intended to be disclosed to third persons other than those to whom disclosure is made in furtherance of the rendition of professional legal services to the client or those reasonably necessary for the transmission of the communication.” Id. 503(a)(5). Whether a communication meets this definition depends on the intent of the parties involved at the time the information was communicated. Osborne v. Johnson, 954 S.W.2d 180, 184 (Tex. App.—Waco 1997, no writ). Moreover, because the client may elect to waive the privilege at any time, a governmental body must explain that the confidentiality of a communication has been maintained. Section 552.107(1) generally excepts an entire communication that is demonstrated to be protected by the attorney-client privilege unless otherwise waived by the governmental body. See Huie v. DeShazo, 922 S.W.2d 920, 923 (Tex. 1996) (privilege extends to entire communication, including facts contained therein).
The responsive emails consist of communications between TCAO attorneys and administrative staff, as well as with employees and officials of other Travis County offices.(footnote) 3. (Footnote) 3 The privileged parties to the communications are as follows: Sherine Thomas, Ann-Marie Sheely, Michelle Case, and Matthew Entsminger, attorneys, and Ramiro Gonzalez, paralegal, of the TCAO; Patti Smith of the Travis County Auditor’s Office; Travis County Judge Andy Brown; and Sara Guerra Winn, Efrain De la fuente, and Ashley Zamarron of the Travis County District Attorney’s Office.
These communications were made for the purpose of rendering professional legal services and advice to Travis County officials and employees; specifically, the communications document TCAO attorneys providing legal assistance to Travis County offices in responding to public records requests previously submitted by the requestor. These communications were intended to be kept confidential and that confidentiality has been maintained. Accordingly, TCAO asserts these communications are protected by the attorney-client privilege and may be withheld under Government Code section 552.107.
In conclusion, we request your determination as to whether the responsive information may be withheld from the requestor. If you have any questions, please contact me at (512) 854-9642, or by e-mail at matthew.entsminger@traviscountytx.gov.
Sincerely,
Matthew Entsminger
Assistant County Attorney
Encl. Request for information; representative sample
c: John Kevin McMillan
8805 North Plaza Drive, Apt. 2418 Austin, Texas 78753
(via email at: mcmillanj@att.net, without enclosures)
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