State Sen. Leah Vukmir, R-Wauwatosa, settled a year-long open records lawsuit with the Center for Media and Democracy Friday, according to a statement.
Vukmir is the second vice chairwoman of the American Legislative Exchange Council, which works with corporations and conservatives to write model legislation to be introduced in state legislatures throughout the country. CMD is a small Madison investigative reporting group.
According to the settlement agreement and release, CMD filed a lawsuit against Vukmir June 6, 2013 in the Dane County Circuit Court for alleged violations of the Wisconsin Public Records Law, which authorizes requesters to inspect or obtain copies of records maintained by government authorities.
The senator previously stated she had no records in her possession and claimed legislative immunity, according to a CMD article. She is now expected to release all records pertaining to a May ALEC conference in Oklahoma City, including emails from a private account. Vukmir agreed to pay $12,500 in court costs and attorney fees and $2,500 in damages, according to the settlement.
Vukmir’s office turned over multiple responsive records at the beginning of the investigation, according to her statement. However, multiple searches found a “pattern of inconsistent search results” in her personal Yahoo email account.
“I regret the technical issues we had fulfilling this request, but I have now fulfilled the request and turned over all records,” Vukmir said in the statement. “Additionally, I have worked to identify the problems we encountered through this process and have taken action to ensure that this will not be an issue in the future.”
CMD General Counsel Brendan Fischer said in the CMD article the case shows “legislators who deny open records requests and seek refuge behind improbable claims of immunity will be held accountable by the public, the media and the legal system.”
“[The settlement is] an acknowledgement that she withheld records that she shouldn’t have withheld,” Fischer said in a Milwaukee Journal Sentinel article.
According to the CMD article, the Attorney General settled the case after numerous court filings debating legislative immunity.
