In January, the department denied a public records request from New York Focus requesting call logs for the phone number that the agency advertises to people who need help filing claims.
On July 7, after the agency denied an appeal, New York Focus brought an Article 78 lawsuit against the agency, arguing that the records must be disclosed under the law. The case is pending.
“This lawsuit is about making sure New Yorkers can keep tabs on what the Department of Labor is doing and whether it is serving the public as it should,” said Michael Linhorst, the attorney at Cornell Law School’s First Amendment Clinic who filed the suit. “The department appears to be trying to misapply an unrelated confidentiality law to keep the records hidden.”
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