Baltimore lawyers seek to block inspector general's records lawsuit

Baltimore lawyers asked a judge on July 10 to throw out Inspector General Isabel Cumming’s records lawsuit and reject what they called her demand for “unfettered access” to city files. The dispute centers on whether Baltimore’s watchdog can get the documents it says it needs to investigate misconduct, spending and contract decisions inside city government.

The city’s latest court filing asked the Baltimore City Circuit Court to dismiss the case and deny summary judgment. Lawyers for Mayor Brandon Scott argued that Cumming is seeking access to records, attorney-client communications and taxpayer-funded legal representation without authority, and said the inspector general’s subpoena power applies only to entities outside city government.

Cumming sued the city on February 24, 2026, after she said the administration denied or heavily redacted records tied to the Mayor’s Office of Neighborhood Safety and Engagement, known as MONSE, and the SideStep youth diversion program. Her office received about 200 pages in response to some requests, much of it blacked out, after the city began treating inspector general subpoenas like Maryland Public Information Act requests in June 2025.

Baltimore voters created the Office of the Inspector General in 2018 as an independent office, and the advisory board was made citizen-based in 2022. Cumming has said the office has handled nearly 5,000 hotline complaints and more than 200 investigations since 2018, and has warned that her ability to investigate possible wrongdoing has been sharply limited since access was cut back.

Councilman Mark Conway introduced a charter amendment that would make the inspector general a co-custodian of city records and give the office the same access that city IT has. Conway said the change would go to voters in November if it clears the city process, and he said the administration removed access that had existed for about 20 years.

A judge has already denied Baltimore’s request to seal records sought by the inspector general. The lawsuit seeks to protect the office’s independence, direct access to information and subpoena authority under the City Charter, while the administration says any broader access would have to come from the Maryland General Assembly, not the courts.