Judge admonishes city's bid to hide police brutality settlement

[SummerMadness]

Judge on city's bid to hide police brutality settlement: 'You can't just willy-nilly shield this from the public

A U.S. district court judge today said she never ordered a police brutality lawsuit settlement agreement involving the City of Bayonne to be sealed, paving the way for the release of the document.

The agreement is at the center of a dispute between The Jersey Journal and Bayonne, which declined this newspaper's Open Public Records Act request for the document, saying it was sealed by Judge Cathy L. Waldor. Waldor was the judge who presided over the federal litigation that resulted in the settlement.

 

[HannahT]

I'm confused by this. It sounds like the victim's family does not want this released either.

Attorneys for Bayonne and Walsh's family o that the family could be harassed if the details of the settlement are released to the public.The parties to the settlement include two children.

Why would this newspaper want this released against the family's wishes?

I realize the lawsuit is about it being sealed or not sealed. Yet, the family really should have some say since they were the ones being victimized.

 

[SummerMadness]

I'm confused by this. It sounds like the victim's family does not want this released either.

Why would this newspaper want this released against the family's wishes?

I realize the lawsuit is about it being sealed or not sealed. Yet, the family really should have some say since they were the ones being victimized.

Why should information on police brutality be sealed from the public? Especially when they foot the bill for such cases? Sealing this information is similar to what we see with sexual harassment and abuse cases, someone is paid and then we don't know this behavior is occurring, which does nothing more than allow the wrongdoers continue. Confidentiality/sealing documents should not be used a way to hide wrongdoing.

 

[HannahT]

Why should information on police brutality be sealed from the public? Especially when they foot the bill for such cases? Sealing this information is similar to what we see with sexual harassment and abuse cases, someone is paid and then we don't know this behavior is occurring, which does nothing more than allow the wrongdoers continue. Confidentiality/sealing documents should not be used a way to hide wrongdoing.

If the family is afraid of being harassed after the information is made public - would that discourage others from wanting to deal with the same thing?

It's the family that claims they don't want the information public. The ones that experienced the police brutality afterall.

They should be able to find some happy medium so the victimized family of this type of abuse aren't abused once again.

This just does NOT seem right due to the fact they are victims of a crime.

 

[SummerMadness]

If the family is afraid of being harassed after the information is made public - would that discourage others from wanting to deal with the same thing?

It's the family that claims they don't want the information public. The ones that experienced the police brutality afterall.

They should be able to find some happy medium so the victimized family of this type of abuse aren't abused once again.

This just does NOT seem right due to the fact they are victims of a crime.

Then simply redact the names.

 

[HannahT]

Then simply redact the names.

If you read the article that you linked too? It mentioned their objection to that as well.

The Jersey Journal has repeatedly told Bayonne it would accept a copy of the agreement with the names of the minors redacted. The attorneys for Bayonne and Walsh's family said today that would not be good enough because readers would be able to identify the minors based on their relationship to Walsh.

I guess we just don't acknowledge the victim's family privacy and wishes in this case.