Tennessee Legislature Destroyed Jeremy Durham Documents: Report

NASHVILLE, TN — Legislative staff destroyed "files, documents, photographs, emails and other information" connected to embattled and disgraced former State Rep. Jeremy Durham after the investigation into claims of sexual harassment and his ouster from the General Assembly.

Responding to an open-records request from The Tennessean, Director of Legislative Administration Connie Ridley said the former lawmaker's computers, iPad and other materials given to him have been "returned to factory default settings."

"As a result, any inactive persons’ files, documents, photographs, emails and other information (has) become irretrievable," Ridley wrote to the newspaper.

Before it was destroyed, however, it was turned over to the office of the state attorney-general, so while Ridley's office no longer has access to it, the information does still exist, which a Nashville attorney argues means Ridley is still required to produce it. Ridley said had the newspaper asked for the information immediately following the conclusion of the investigation that eventually led to Durham's historic ouster, she would have been able to provide it.

"We appreciate Ms. Ridley’s statement that the requested records became available upon the conclusion of the investigation conducted for the House of Representatives by the attorney general’s office. We believe the law requires that the General Assembly request the return of a copy of its records, so they can be made available pursuant to the Public Records Act," Waller Lansden attorney Robb Harvey said.

The Tennessean's request for comment from the AG's office and the office of Speaker of the House Beth Harwell were not immediately answered.

Image via Wikimedia user wdwd, used under Creative Commons