The Prince William County Commonwealth’s Attorney’s Office has been ordered to pay a $22,250 sanction for violating Virginia’s Freedom of Information Act (FOIA). The FOIA law is intended to promote government transparency and public awareness of government activities.
Valeria Juarez, a citizen of Fairfax County, filed a lawsuit in 2023 after a series of FOIA requests either failed to include all requested documents or contained so many redactions that they were unreadable. Juarez contended that the Commonwealth’s Attorney’s Office initially failed to provide 172 requested emails, and when they were eventually produced, they were so heavily redacted that they contained no meaningful information.
