On May 7, Joseph Greenwald & Laake principal attorney Timothy Maloney argued in the Maryland Court of Appeals regarding whether or not a state agency supervisor’s personal notes about an employee are required to be disclosed to a worker under the Maryland Public Information Act. The Court heard competing slippery-slope arguments about the case.
Maloney argued that the MPIA’s transparency would be violated if supervisors could place their personnel information in a private folder and exempt them from disclosure by labeling them as private. However, the opposing side argued that compelling disclosure would invade privacy of supervisors.
The issue stems from the case of Bernadette Lamson, an employee of the Montgomery County attorney’s office, is entitled to the personal notes her employer kept in her personal moleskin journal. The Montgomery County Circuit Court and the intermediate Court of Special Appeals have upheld the denial of Lamson’s MPIA request
Maloney said, “There is only one reason she took those notes. She was acting a public government supervisor.”
Maloney is a preeminent trial lawyer who has obtained millions of dollars in recoveries for his clients in a wide variety of matters, including civil rights, employment discrimination, whistleblower actions and high-stakes business litigation. He is a committed advocate for the public good who has held leadership roles with many civic and charitable organizations.
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