From the Hotline

By Teri Henning, General Counsel
Pennsylvania Newspaper Association

Q: Are solicitor’s bills public records?

A: The bills themselves should still be public, as are other records that reflect money spent by public agencies, but in a Feb. 28, 2006 ruling, the Commonwealth Court held that the portions of the bills that describe the services rendered are not public.

As a result, agencies may now redact parts of legal bills that describe the legal services provided to the public agency. The full decision, authored by Judge Robert Simpson (and joined in by Judge Renee Cohn Jubelirer) can be found at www.courts.state.pa.us/OpPosting/CWealth/out/594CD05_2-28-06.pdf. Judge Rochelle S. Friedman dissented from the opinion.

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