City of Sparks vs. Reno Newspapers, Inc. (Nev. Supreme Ct. – Aug. 3, 2017)
Persons seeking to operate medical marijuana establishments (MMEs) must register with the Department of Health and Human Services’ Division of Public and Behavioral Health (Division), NRS 453A.322(1), and, if located in a jurisdiction so requiring, obtain a business license, NRS 453A.326(3). Reno Newspapers, Inc., which owns and operates the Reno Gazette-Journal (RGJ), a daily newspaper, asked the City of Sparks to disclose copies of the business licenses of persons operating MMEs in the City. In response, the City produced the business licenses, but redacted the licensees’ identities from the documents. The RGJ demanded unredacted copies of the business licenses, and the City denied the subsequent request.
Thereafter, the RGJ filed a petition for a writ of mandamus in the district court to compel the City to disclose the redacted information. The district court held that the petition was procedurally proper and concluded that the City had a duty under the Nevada Public Records Act to disclose the identities of the business license holders, which duty was not exempted by NAC 453A.714’s confidentiality provision, granted the petition. The City appealed.