Office of Information Practices

U Memo 20-7
March 3, 2020
Complaint Records

In accordance with the decision in OIP Opinion Letter Number F20-02 (Opinion F20-02), OIP found in U Memo 20-7 that the Hawaii State Ethics Commission (SEC) properly denied the requester’s request for a copy of records that “pertain to the State Ethics complaint” submitted by her.  In Opinion F20-02, OIP had concluded that the SEC properly denied a request for a redacted copy of the investigation file that pertained to that requester’s complaint to the SEC, because the State Ethics Code, Chapter 84, HRS, includes a confidentiality provision that protects SEC investigation files from disclosure, and, therefore, the requested records, whether government or personal records, may be withheld under the UIPA.  HRS § 84-31(b) (2012); HRS §§ 92F-13(4), -22(5) (2012).