City of Los Angeles v. Superior Court
Opinion
Opinion
Hastings, J.
The City of Los Angeles (City) petitions for a peremptory writ of mandate after the superior court ordered it to give copies of nine deposition transcripts to real party in interest, Adam J. Axelrad. The principal issue presented is whether a party may utilize the California Public Records Act, Government Code sections 6250 et seq., in order to obtain documents generated in litigation in which the City was a party. We conclude in the affirmative.
Statement of the Case
On September 23, 1994, Axelrad submitted requests to the office of the city attorney pursuant to the California Public Records Act for all but four deposition transcripts in the following cases, each of which had been concluded: Torres v. City of Los Angeles (Super. Ct. L.A. County, No. C 714345); Rivera v. City of Los Angeles (Super. Ct. L.A. County, No. NWC 52890); and Braezell v. City of Los Angeles (U.S. Dist. Ct. (C.D.Cal.), No. CV 90-4743 WJR). The City refused to comply with the request.
Axelrad brought a petition in the Los Angeles County Superior Court to mandate compliance with the California Public Records Act. The court granted the petition and ordered the City to give Axelrad copies of the…