King County, WA v. Sharkansky [1]

King County, Washington officials took two years to respond to Sound Politics [2] blogger Stefan Sharkansky's requests for information relating to the 2004 state gubernatorial election.  Sharkansky sought a list of county voters who had participated in the election, at a time when the election, which was decided by only 133 votes, faced challenges in two recounts and a trial.

In response to the delays, Sharkansky filed a lawsuit against the county and county officials.  His complaint [3] alleged violations of the the state's Public Records Act [4].  Sharkansky sought immediate release of the documents and statutory penalties under the Act.

King County and Sharkansky settled the case for $225,ooo [5].  Sharkansky also received the requested documents.