Louisiana Public Records Law: Request for email correspondence on postmortem testing

Dear Dillon Bergin,

Thank you for registering with Louisiana Department of Health.

Your Login ID is:  requests@muckrock.com

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Dear Dillon Bergin:
Thank you for your interest in the public records of Louisiana Department of Health. Your request has been received and is being processed in accordance with the Louisiana Public Records Act. Your request was received in this office on 2/19/2022 and given the reference number P002261-021922 for tracking purposes.
Name of Documents Requested: Records Requested: To Whom It May Concern:

Pursuant to the Louisiana Public Records Law, I hereby request the following records:

All email correspondence, and all underlying documentation contained herein, between January 1st, 2020 and the date that this request is ultimately fulfilled, sent to, from or copied to former state epidemiologist Dr. Raoult Ratard or current state epidemiologist Theresa Sokol that contain the following non-case-sensitive-key-string: ‘post-mortem testing’ or “postmortem testing.”

We, Documenting COVID-19, are a nonprofit organization working on behalf of news organizations, academics and other public bodies to provide clear, timely information for public dissemination. We have recently published our findings in The New York Times, The Washington Post and other publications.

This information is in the public interest as coronavirus remains a threat to public health. If access to the records I am requesting will take longer than the required amount of time, please contact me with information about when I might expect copies or the ability to inspect the requested records.

The requested documents will be made available to the general public, and this request is not being made for commercial purposes.

In the event that there are fees, I would be grateful if you would inform me of the total charges in advance of fulfilling my request. I would prefer the request filled electronically, by e-mail attachment if available or CD-ROM if not.

Thank you in advance for your anticipated cooperation in this matter. I look forward to receiving your response to this request within 3 business days, as the statute requires.

Sincerely,

Dillon Bergin

Upload documents directly: https://www.muckrock.com/
Your request will be forwarded to the relevant department(s) to locate the information you seek and to determine the volume and any costs associated with satisfying your request. You will be contacted about the availability and/or provided with copies of the records in question.

PLEASE NOTE: Although LDH’s records are generally subject to disclosure under the Louisiana Public Records Act (La. R.S. 44:1, et seq.), it is possible that confidentiality and/or privilege issues may be encountered in the processing of your request.  If so, LDH will immediately notify you of any such issues and work with you to resolve them.

You can monitor the progress of your request at the link below, and you'll receive an email when your request has been completed.

Thank you,
Louisiana Department of Health

Dear Dillon Bergin,

RE: PUBLIC RECORDS REQUEST of February 19, 2022, Reference # P002261-021922

Dear Dillon Bergin,

Your public records request is being processed; it is estimated that it will require an additional 15-30 days for collection and review of the prospective records before they will be available for inspection or reproduction.

It is possible that after this review that some or all of the prospective records may be exempt from disclosure, or that confidentiality and/or privilege issues may prevent the disclosure of the requested records. If so, LDH will contact you immediately to state the legal basis for withholding any records responsive to your request.

Sincerely,

Michael Coleman
Attorney at Law
Bureau of Legal Services (BLS)