School Board Sues Journalists Over Records Requests In South Jersey

CHERRY HILL, NJ — Journalists in South Jersey are asking a judge to dismiss a lawsuit brought against them by the Cherry Hill Board of Education for allegedly abusing the Open Public Records Act (OPRA) request procedure in the state.

The Board is suing reporter Benjamin Shore and the news outlet he owns and operates, Shore Investigates, LLC after what school officials called "a long, demonstrable history of filing numerous cumbersome, vexatious, and...invalid OPRA requests."

Benjamin's brother, Daniel, is also listed as a defendant for his role in filing an OPRA request with the Board on behalf of the news outlet.

In a motion filed on March 23 in Camden County Superior Court, the legal team of CJ Griffin, who is representing the group, said leaders on the Board are taking advantage of a 2024 amendment to OPRA.

A provision in the act allows for agencies to sue defendants who seek records "with the intent to substantially interrupt the performance of government function (s)."

According to Griffin, that "is being weaponized in this case" and unfairly targets Shore for filing 14 requests in all of 2025.

A majority of these requests, the defense said, are in relation to how public funds are being utilized.

Along with the dismissal of the case brought by the Board, Griffin's team is asking for attorney fees and court costs on behalf of the defendants.

In their original complaint filed in Camden County Superior Court on Feb. 20, leaders of Cherry Hill Schools said the repeated calls for information were "duplicative, onerous, and meant to harass the Board."

In one case, Benjamin Shore filed an OPRA request for the security camera footage from the Board's meeting room on Dec. 16, 2025, when information on a township improvement project was being given with slides and photos that filled the view of the stream that was offered.

According to court filings, the Board denied his request and said that releasing the footage "would compromise the integrity of the District's security system by revealing its capabilities and vulnerabilities."

Shore was then offered the opportunity to view the footage in person, which he denied and answered by questioning why that would remove any security concerns.

In response, Assistant Superintendent Jason Schimpf listed coverage levels, potential blind spots, image and resolution quality, whether cameras record in color or black and white, and whether audio is captured.

Shore then offered what he described as compromises, such as cropping the video and removing the audio, to eliminate the identification of certain qualities and characteristics.

Schimpf denied his request once more, leading Shore to alert him of pending litigation.

"OPRA is supposed to be a collaborative process and it doesn't feel like there is much collaboration when you won't compromise or even explore other solutions to balance the security interests with the public's right to know," Shore asserted.

Schimpf again upheld his decision.

"I have done nothing but work with you since I arrived in Cherry Hill," Schimpf responded. "We can disagree on the interpretation of statute, but please do not accuse me of working in bad faith."

Shore then filed a Verified Complaint on Feb. 10 in Camden County Superior Court.

He is seeking judgment declaring that he is entitled to access the files under common law, that the defendants be ordered to prompt disclosure with redactions if needed, costs associated with his filing, and other relief as the Court deems just and equitable.

Shore also operated a website to accept OPRA requests from the public in order to ensure they were being sent in properly to the school board.

The Board asserted that the website looked "strikingly similar" to their website and included no disclaimer to show that it is not affiliated.

After asking him to deactivate the portal, the Board sent Benjamin a cease and desist letter regarding the website.

Shore then reached out to multiple school officials, court filings revealed, advertising a new OPRApro.com site that he said would save the district time and money.

In their lawsuit, the Board of Education wants an order for Shore to remove his first website, chpsopra.com.

The Board is also seeking to bar each Shore brother from filing requests under OPRA and the common law for one year, and then limit the number moving forward.

They are also looking to get a protective order against the defendants that denies their request for relief.

Along with attorneys' fees and costs of suit, the Board is requesting any other relief as the Court may see fit.

Patch reached out to the Cherry Hill Board of Education for comment on the March 23 motion to dismiss their suit, and is yet to hear back.

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