News Outlet Sues Oklahoma Agency Over Redacted Flight Records

Lawsuit Seeks Full Passenger Logs

OKLAHOMA CITY — Oklahoma Voice and its parent organization have filed an open records lawsuit against the Oklahoma Department of Transportation, claiming the agency unlawfully withheld information about the use of the state plane.

The lawsuit, filed by States Newsroom doing business as Oklahoma Voice, says the department redacted passenger names and failed to disclose the purposes of dozens of flights, despite requirements under state law. The case was filed in Oklahoma County District Court.

Request for Records

Oklahoma Voice requested the records in July. The request sought travel logs for all individuals who used the state plane, including the date, time, passenger list, duration, purpose and total cost of each trip.

According to the lawsuit, the department provided the logs but removed some passenger names from flights involving the Governor’s Office. The agency also left blank the purpose of more than 50 flights or marked them as “not provided.”

The complaint states that only the Governor’s Office and the Department of Public Safety failed to provide the purpose of their trips. The lawsuit argues that this information was missing because the agencies did not give it to the Transportation Department in the first place.

Questions About Transparency

The lawsuit says the agency also released vague or incomplete explanations for some trips. Four flights were described only as “visits” or “airport visits,” while 13 listed the purpose simply as a “meeting” or “event.”

Leslie Briggs, an attorney with the Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press who represents Oklahoma Voice, wrote in the lawsuit that ODOT’s attorney said the agency “can not provide information that has not been received.” The attorney added that if a purpose was not included, the department “does not fill in the blanks.”

The lawsuit also notes that the department’s attorney cited a provision of the Oklahoma Open Records Act that allows the Department of Public Safety to keep confidential personal information and records considered tactical in nature.

Dispute Over Redactions

In November, the Transportation Department said it had unredacted copies of the flight logs but would not release them. The Governor’s Office has said that previous redactions protected the names of Department of Public Safety employees and the children of Gov. Kevin Stitt.

The lawsuit argues that state law requires disclosure of the printed name of each traveler and the purpose of each landing, including whether it involved a speech, meeting or service. It also says the law requires agencies to maintain complete travel logs and make them available to the public upon request.

What the Suit Seeks

The lawsuit asks the court to order the department to release the unredacted records and to require the agency to keep complete records going forward. It also seeks reasonable costs and attorneys fees.

Briggs said the case aims to ensure “maximum transparency allowed by law.” She said the goal is to clarify what information can be redacted and what must be gathered under statute so the public can understand how taxpayer money is used.