It looks like someone is getting sued for evading the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) law. According to news sources, Ned Sloan of Greenville, South Carolina is suing South Carolina governor Nikki Haley. Based on the good government watchdog's accounts, Haley has failed to comply with his earlier FOIA request.
For years, Sloan has been fighting for an open and accountable government. This led the individual to submit a FOIA request last month as he sought information relating to the lawsuits filed against the S.C. Department of Transportation (SCDOT). Since this government agency has currently been facing a huge scandal, Sloan requested for the information to be made available. To be more specific, the request of Sloan was for information on over 17 lawsuits relating taxpayer money from the Insurance Reserve Fund (IRF) of the state. In order to obtain the information, Sloan requested access to public records pertaining these cases from Haley's office. All of these cases involved an issue with "damages alleging water on road surface(s)."
According to Sloan, he forwarded the FOIA request through certified mail. It was sent to the governor's office on December 16. Unfortunately, it's been a month and Sloan still has not received a reply. This is what led Sloan to sue the governor for not responding to his FOIA request.
Sources say that the FOIA requested by Sloan is his way of getting to the bottom of the traffic accidents that have recently been heading news in the past weeks. One of the accidents highlighted by the lawsuit related to the fatal car crash on Greenville County's Highway 25. By getting to the bottom of these accidents, Sloan can determine who is at fault.
As of this writing, there has not yet been any further information on the case. Governor Haley's office has not responded to the complaint too.
