ESPN has filed a lawsuit against the University of Notre Dame alleging that the school is violating Indiana's public record laws by withholding police incident reports of possible campus crimes involving certain student-athletes, the Associated Press reports.
The lawsuit, which was filed on behalf of ESPN and its reporter Paula Lavigne on Jan. 15, says that advisory opinions stating the university is subject to the state's public record laws have been issued on two separate occasions, once in October and a second time earlier this month.
In the October opinion, state Public Access Counselor Luke Britt stated that while the university itself is private, the Notre Dame Security Police Department is a public law enforcement agency subject to the pertinent laws. In January, Britt wrote that private universities in Indiana with professional police forces should follow Indiana's public record laws, adding that his October opinion "is not compulsory."
Notre Dame cited three previous advisory opinions agreeing with the idea that a university's police department is not a public agency in its argument stating that the university is obeying state law. University spokesman Dennis Brown said Wednesday that Notre Dame believes its practices are in "full accord with the Access to Public Records Act and consistent with multiple advisory opinions that have addressed this matter over the past 12 years," adding, "We are confident that our position will be affirmed in court."
The lawsuit, which was filed on behalf of ESPN and its reporter Paula Lavigne on Jan. 15, says that advisory opinions stating the university is subject to the state's public record laws have been issued on two separate occasions, once in October and a second time earlier this month.
In the October opinion, state Public Access Counselor Luke Britt stated that while the university itself is private, the Notre Dame Security Police Department is a public law enforcement agency subject to the pertinent laws. In January, Britt wrote that private universities in Indiana with professional police forces should follow Indiana's public record laws, adding that his October opinion "is not compulsory."
Notre Dame cited three previous advisory opinions agreeing with the idea that a university's police department is not a public agency in its argument stating that the university is obeying state law. University spokesman Dennis Brown said Wednesday that Notre Dame believes its practices are in "full accord with the Access to Public Records Act and consistent with multiple advisory opinions that have addressed this matter over the past 12 years," adding, "We are confident that our position will be affirmed in court."