Anchorage’s acting health director Joe Gerace poses for a photo after taking journalists on a walkthrough tour of the Sullivan Arena shelter on Nov. 1, 2021. In the decision, Superior Court Judge Andrew Guidi said that one document is protected under attorney-client privilege — a September 2022 memorandum from the a city human resources deputy director to a former acting municipal attorney.
Guidi ruled that report does not involve information normally protected, like payroll, medical files, or equal rights commission files. And releasing it also doesn’t constitute an invasion of privacy, he said. “But, as embarrassing as it may be, from the standpoint of the citizens’ right to know how their government is functioning, the result of the Municipality’s investigation would be highly informative,” Guidi said.
Whether the court will order that either record must be unsealed depends on the outcome of any reconsideration motion or further appeal, Guidi said.