City of Charlotte ordered by judge to pay $125,000 in fees

The order to pay attorney fees came after a three year legal battle with WBTV over public records.

By David Hodges

Updated: Mar. 18, 2024 at 6:30 PM EDT

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (HERE News) – Charlotte taxpayers are on the hook for the city’s refusal to hand over public records to WBTV. A judge has signed an order for the city to pay WBTV more than $125,000 of your tax dollars.

The Legal Battle

The new order came after the N.C. Court of Appeals heard the case in 2023 and ruled in an opinion the city improperly withheld public records. At issue was a request made by WBTV Investigative Reporter David Hodges for records showing the results of a teambuilding survey taken by members of the Charlotte City Council in late 2020.

City staff hired the private firm EY to conduct the survey as part of a bigger effort to improve the working relationship between the then-city council. At the time, WBTV reported the cost of the contract to be $46,500 for three weeks of work. The city refused to release the records, prompting WBTV to file a lawsuit in June 2021.

After the lawsuit was initiated, the city eventually produced the survey responses in June 2022, after more than a year of resisting to do so.

Ruling for Attorney Fees

An attorney for the city argued WBTV should not be awarded attorney fees for prevailing because the records were turned over prior to the conclusion of the lawsuit. However, the court found that “this sequence of events compels a conclusion that Gray Media’s (WBTV) actions substantially precipitated the ultimate disclosure of the records.”

In an email, a spokesperson for the City of Charlotte wrote they wouldn’t comment on active litigation. The order for attorney fees was the last outstanding issue in the now resolved case.

Final Words

Copyright 2024 HERE News. All rights reserved.

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