The City of Grayville has paid $6,000 to settle a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) lawsuit filed earlier this year.
The lawsuit was filed in April by the Coalition Opposing Governmental Secrecy and Metric Media, LLC, which operates as SE Illinois News. The case was settled out of court last week with a negotiated payment of $6,000, and the complaint was subsequently dismissed.
According to court records, the Coalition alleged that Grayville officials failed to comply with a FOIA request seeking a list of all residential and commercial building permits issued between November 1 and December 1, 2024. The plaintiffs initially sought statutory penalties ranging from $2,500 to $5,000 per alleged violation. City officials stated the failure to respond was unintentional and occurred during a transition between email service providers. The FOIA request was reportedly routed to a spam folder and went unnoticed, prompting the lawsuit.
The plaintiffs were represented by Edward Weinhaus of St. Louis and Adam Florek of North Caldwell, New Jersey. Grayville was represented by City Attorney Jay Walden. Edwards County Circuit Judge Brian Shinkle dismissed the case following the settlement.
The lawsuit was filed in Edwards County, despite Grayville City Hall being located in White County.