The Tennessee Court of Appeals has overturned sanctions against Brentwood attorney Connie Reguli, who sought public records related to her case. The trial court had previously denied her request, an action which appellate judge Jeffrey Usman deemed incorrect. Reguli’s appeal was successful, with the sanctions order being vacated earlier this week.
Reguli, a former family law attorney, was representing a 14-year old client in a sexual assault case against Williamson County juvenile detention center monitor Juan Cruz. As part of her legal strategy, she attempted to obtain public records to confirm whether public funds had been utilised in Cruz’s defense.
Judge Usman clearly stated in his decision that Reguli’s efforts to access public records was an effort to “vindicate her right” to such data. “In general, this is the definition of a proper purpose, and there does not appear to be any dispute that Ms. Reguli genuinely wanted to obtain these public records which she reasonably believed she had a legal right to access.”
Although the exact details of the trial court’s original denial remain opaque, this development in the Tennessee Court of Appeals reinforces the notion of legal professionals’ rights to access public records when relevant to a case.