Asheville Watchdog’s lawsuit alleging the city of Asheville violated North Carolina’s open meetings laws can proceed, a judge has ruled.
Judge Robert Ervin filed a brief order Aug. 8 affirming that The Watchdog and fellow plaintiff Sunshine Request, an Asheville-based public interest project that publishes results of public records requests, have standing in the case, rejecting arguments the city made in a July 25 hearing.
“We’re gratified that Judge Ervin rejected the City of Asheville’s attempt to brush aside our lawsuit, which we and our partners filed only after failing to persuade the city to honor both the spirit and the letter of the state’s open meetings laws,” Watchdog Executive Editor Peter H. Lewis said. “Public business should be conducted in public. Our goal in this legal action is to prevent future violations of Sunshine laws by city administrators.”…