November 12, 2014

On May 2, 2013, New York City finally released emails from the Mayor’s office relating to the hiring of former Schools Chancellor Cathie Black. The emails had been the subject of a FOIL request made by journalist Sergio Hernandez, who is represented pro bono by SSD attorneys Elizabeth Wolstein and Raffi Melkonian. In a series of decisions, New York trial and appellate courts rejected the City’s claims that the emails should be considered privileged, and on May 2, 2013, the New York Court of Appeals denied the City’s request for leave to file a final appeal. The Hernandez litigation has received significant coverage in the local and national media, and many news organizations and legal commentators have criticized City’s failure to turn over the emails more promptly.

Coverage of the case can be found here: