DUNWOODY, Ga. — A lawsuit brought against the City of Dunwoody regarding alleged violations of Georgia’s Open Records Act is over, and now the plaintiff is being ordered to pay up.
Joseph Hirsch sued the City of Dunwoody and several city officials and staff over allegations that they had violated open records laws and refused to provide requested materials.
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Hirsch originally filed his lawsuit against the city in 2023, arguing in court, now for years, that city personnel had violated the law and had not furnished public records for his requests.
In December, Hirsch lost his case when a DeKalb County Superior Court judge ruled in favor of the city’s motion for summary judgment.
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“This has been very difficult for the City employees named in this civil action,” Dunwoody Mayor Lynn Deutsch said in a statement. “The Court’s orders grant summary judgment in favor of the City and the individual defendants, and I’m gratified that our employees have been vindicated. It was also important for us to seek attorneys’ fees for the costs associated with our defense. We owe that to taxpayers. Unfortunately, we cannot recoup the cost of time wasted on this.”
Then in May, the judge ruled that Hirsch would be on the hook for attorneys fees after the city filed in court to have him cover those costs.
In June, Hirsh was ordered to pay attorneys fees for the City of Dunwoody and the individual employees named as defendants.
Those fees total $182,478.10, according to court records and a statement from the City of Dunwoody.
Channel 2 Action News has reached out to Hirsch’s attorney for comment.
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