Court finds that home and e-mail addresses are public records under OPRA

In an October 27, 2009, 9-page written opinion, Ocean County Superior Court Assignment Judge Vincent J. Grasso ruled that the Township of Plumsted must provide an OPRA requestor with: a) a list of the e-mails of those who signed up to receive the Township's "Plumsted Township Alerts," and b) copies of Tort Claim Notices filed against the Township without redactions of the home addresses of those filed the tort claim notices. 

The case is captioned Geier v. Township of Plumsted et als, Docket No. OCN-L-3718-09.  I have put in on-line here.

On page 8 of his decision, Judge Grasso stated that his ruling was limited to the case's particular facts, and that it should not be taken as a broad ruling that home and e-mail addresses are always available under OPRA.  Judge Grasso said that "under a different scenario, it is conceivable that that one's home address or e-mail could be protected from public access."