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Lackawanna County v. Volk

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  1. Freedom of Information
Resolve Philly, represented by an RCFP attorney, is seeking access to youth foster care financial records.

Case Number: 2024-cv-3379

Court: Lackawanna County Court of Common Pleas 

Clients: Resolve Philly, Steve Volk

Entry of Appearance Filed: Aug. 7, 2024

Background: In February 2024, Resolve Philly reporter Steve Volk filed a public records request under Pennsylvania’s Right-to-Know Law seeking documents from Lackawanna County concerning social services benefits and other funding used to pay for youth foster care. The request asked the county to redact any confidential information from the responsive records. 

Lackawanna County denied Volk’s request, claiming that the records fell under exemptions in the Right-to-Know Law that protect a minor’s personal information and an individual’s social services records. Arguing that he sought financial data rather than personal identification information, Volk appealed to the Pennsylvania Office of Open Records. In April 2024, the OOR sided with the reporter and ordered the county to provide the requested records. 

Lackawanna County appealed the OOR’s decision to the Lackawanna County Court of Common Pleas. In August 2024, Paula Knudsen Burke, the Reporters Committee’s Local Legal Initiative attorney for Pennsylvania, began representing Volk and Resolve Philly in the matter.

Filings:

04-19-2024: OOR final determination

05-17-2024: Agency petition for review

08-07-2024: Requester entry of appearance

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