On May 13, the Mackinac Center requested files related to an individual licensed by the state. LARA said they would respond by June 5. More than two months later, the agency had not provided the documents and ignored a follow-up request. In response, the Mackinac Center Legal Foundation filed a lawsuit asking the court to enforce the state’s open records law.
CASE UPDATE: After the Mackinac Center Legal Foundation filed the lawsuit, LARA almost immediately produced the requested documents. The MCLF dismissed the lawsuit.
Laws requiring public bodies to provide public records are a fundamental element of making government transparent to the people. An important element of this is ensuring that public documents are released in a timely manner. The Mackinac Center sent a Freedom of Information Act request to the Michigan Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs. The request was for files related to an individual licensed by the state. LARA said they would respond by June 5. After more than two months, the agency has not provided the documents and ignored a follow-up request. On August 9, the Mackinac Center Legal Foundation sued the state of Michigan for refusing to provide the public documents.
After the Mackinac Center Legal Foundation filed the lawsuit, LARA almost immediately produced the requested documents. The MCLF dismissed the lawsuit.
