Pinnacol must release records on Pebble Beach trip, judge rules

luxury trip for top insurance agents

By Tim Hoover
The Denver Post
Posted: 08/20/2010
http://www.denverpost.com/ci_15834490

Expense reports for executives of Pinnacol Assurance, the state-chartered workers' compensation fund, are public records, a Denver judge ruled Thursday, rejecting the insurer's efforts to close the documents.

The ruling from Denver District Judge Morris B. Hoffman gave a victory to KMGH-Channel 7, which had requested expense records for board members and Pinnacol executives who went on a luxury golf and wine-tasting outing in Pebble Beach, Calif., in May.

Though Pinnacol had previously released records of such trips, it rejected the 7News request, saying doing so would hurt its business operations. Pinnacol is a quasi-governmental agency that operates similar to a private business but enjoys certain tax advantages and its board is appointed by the governor.

Pinnacol attorney Timothy O'Neill argued Thursday that the purpose of the trip was to reward top-performing insurance agents who sold Pinnacol policies. Releasing information about the trip would reveal how much was spent on these agents, giving business secrets to competitors.

But Bruce Jones, attorney for the TV station, said 7News had proposed redacting the names of insurance agents who went on the trip from expense records.

In ruling for 7News, Hoffman said the expense reports were "clearly" public records. He said the law governing Pinnacol plainly states it's a political subdivision, and it cites specific records Pinnacol does not have to make public.

These records didn't fall under those exceptions, Hoffman said.

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