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County staff recommends upholding FOIA denial for medical‑examiner files citing statutory exemption
Summary
County staff told commissioners a FOIA request for medical‑examiner files and toxicology reports was denied because the Medical Examiners Act exempts investigatory medical records; staff recommended the board uphold the denial and explained the legal reasoning against the requester’s cited precedent.
Staff described a Freedom of Information Act request that sought medical examiner case files and toxicology summaries for a specific drug/alkaloid from January 2022 to the present. The staff member explained the cost and workload involved in compiling, redacting and producing potentially hundreds of files and said the FOIA request was denied because the Medical Examiners Act exempts medical records, notes and investigatory materials from disclosure under FOIA.
The presenter reviewed the requester's appeal arguments — including a cited 1991 court precedent — and said that a 2001 state law amendment (Public Act 26 of 2001) clarified the statutory exemption so that the county's denial should be sustained. The staff member recommended the board deny the appeal on statutory grounds. A motion was made to deny the FOIA request and recommendation; the board moved forward accordingly.
