Because the Statute Relied Upon by the State Police to Deny a FOIL Request Did Not Pertain to the Sought Documents, the Request Should Have Been Granted/Court Cannot Substitute Another Ground for Denial

The Third Department determined an inmate’s FOIL request for lab reports, raw data, logbook entries, chain of custody forms and other documentation relating to the taking of blood samples should have been granted:

Courts reviewing administrative determinations may only rely on the grounds invoked by the agency, and if those grounds are improper, the courts may not substitute what they deem a legitimate or more appropriate basis … . Respondent relied on the portion of Executive Law § 995-c that states, “DNA records contained in the state DNA identification index shall be released” for only limited purposes, one of which is “for criminal defense purposes, to a defendant or his or her representative, who shall also have access to samples and analyses performed in connection with the case in which such defendant is charged” (Executive Law § 995-c [6] [b]).  For purposes of that statute, a DNA record is defined as “DNA identification information prepared by a forensic DNA laboratory and stored in the state DNA identification index for purposes of establishing identification in connection with law enforcement investigations or supporting statistical interpretation of the results of DNA analysis.  A DNA record is the objective form of the results of a DNA analysis sample” (Executive Law § 995 [8]).

Petitioner seeks lab reports, raw data, logbook entries, chain of custody forms and other documentation related to the taking of the blood sample and transporting of the sample and results.  He acknowledges that he has already received the actual DNA results from the Division of Criminal Justice Services. Aside from the lab reports that he has already received from another source, it does not appear that these documents are kept in the State’s DNA identification index, so they do not fall within the definition of DNA records.  Thus, Executive Law § 995c (6), which only applies to DNA records, does not apply to the majority of petitioner’s request.  As respondent failed to prove that the only ground it invoked for denial would exempt the requested documents – aside from the lab reports of DNA results that petitioner has already received and is not seeking on appeal – petitioner is entitled to receive those other documents… . Matter of Karimzada v O’Mara, 515412, 3rd Dept 11-21-13