Richmond settles for $549,000 in FOIA obstruction whistleblower suit

Richmond’s government agreed to pay $549,000 to settle a whistleblower lawsuit filed by its former public-records officer, after a legal fight that ran up more than $670,000 in defense costs alone. ([vpm.org](vpm.org/news/2026-04-10/rva-foia-lawsuit-connie-clay-odie-donald-ii-petula-burks-avula-stoney))

The plaintiff, Connie Clay, served as Richmond’s Freedom of Information Act officer from July 2023 to January 2024 and sued the city in March 2024, alleging officials pressured her to withhold records requested under FOIA and retaliated after she raised concerns about potential violations. Richmond’s settlement includes money to cover a portion of Clay’s attorneys’ fees and costs; city officials said the agreement was not an admission of wrongdoing. ([vpm.org](vpm.org/news/2026-04-10/rva-foia-lawsuit-connie-clay-odie-donald-ii-petula-burks-avula-stoney))

Clay offered only a brief statement after the deal: “matter has been amicably resolved and there will be no further comment.” ([vpm.org](vpm.org/news/2026-04-10/rva-foia-lawsuit-connie-clay-odie-donald-ii-petula-burks-avula-stoney))

Court filings and pretrial disputes turned the case into a public stress test for how a city preserves and produces records, including text messages. Richmond Circuit Court Judge Claire G. Cardwell allowed the whistleblower claim to proceed in February 2025, and later stepped in to review two city-issued phones amid a contentious discovery dispute about whether all relevant texts had been produced. ([richmonder.org](richmonder.org/judge-rules-ex-foia-officers-case-against-richmond-can-move-forward/))

For Hidalgo County taxpayers, the takeaway is not partisan, it is structural: when records systems break down, the public pays twice, first in staff time and outside counsel, then potentially in settlements and fee awards. Under the Texas Public Information Act, a requestor who substantially prevails in court can trigger an award of litigation costs and reasonable attorney fees, a direct financial exposure for the governmental body. ([texas.public.law](texas.public.law/statutes/tex._gov%27t_code_section_552.323))

Hidalgo County’s own public-records workflow is centralized in its Open Government Division for many departments, with written requests accepted by email at open.records@co.hidalgo.tx.us, by fax at (956) 292-7034, in person at 505 S. McColl Road, Suite J, Edinburg, or by mail to the county executive office at the same McColl Road address. The county’s process also splits custody: offices like the Hidalgo County Clerk, District Clerk, Sheriff, Tax Assessor-Collector and Elections Department handle many of their own record categories directly. ([tx-hidalgocounty2.civicplus.com](tx-hidalgocounty2.civicplus.com/3321/How-to-request-Public-Information))

Texas law requires public information to be produced “promptly,” and if an agency wants to withhold material, it generally must seek an attorney general ruling within tight deadlines or risk a legal presumption that the information is public. In the most serious scenarios, state law also creates criminal exposure for willful destruction or alteration of public information, or for an officer’s criminally negligent failure or refusal to provide access. ([texas.public.law](texas.public.law/statutes/tex._gov%27t_code_section_552.221))