Port Authority Exempt From NJ Open Records Law, Court Rules

A New Jersey appeals court has ruled that the state's Open Public Records Act doesn't apply to the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey.

Thursday's ruling rejected an appeal by a man who was arrested by Port Authority police at the Hoboken PATH train station in 2010.

Vesselin Dittrich filed a request for documents and the Port Authority responded that some of the documents were exempted under the federal Freedom of Information Act. It also requested nearly $4,000 for copying costs.

Dittrich filed suit and argued that New Jersey's public records law, known as OPRA, should apply to the Port Authority.

But the appeals court ruled the Port Authority is exempt because it is a bistate agency and can't be subject to the control of any one state.

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