Baltimore city has not provided any court-ordered documents ahead of November deadline, inspector general says
Baltimore Inspector General Isabel Cumming says the city has so far not provided any court-ordered documents ahead of a November deadline.
Cumming confirmed in a statement to CBS News Baltimore that the Office of Inspector General (OIG) "has not yet received any documents in response to the subpoenas that were outlined in the case with Baltimore City."
Last month, a judge ruled in the OIG's favor after a months-long legal battle over city records between Baltimore Mayor Brandon Scott and his allies against Cumming. The judge ordered that the city must produce the documents within 45 days, setting the final deadline at Nov. 5.
In a ruling on Sep. 16, Baltimore Circuit Court Judge Pamela White granted a summary judgment in the inspector general's favor in almost every respect and stated that she was "deeply disappointed" in the city's arguments in the case.
CBS News Baltimore has reached out to city officials for a response to the latest statement by Cumming.
The OIG is tasked with investigating complaints of fraud and financial waste to enhance efficiency and accountability in the city's government. Cumming has said that her office's legal action against the city sought to prevent officials from interfering with OIG investigations and confidential systems.
The OIG's lawsuit demanded access to city records as well as the authority for Cumming's office to issue and enforce subpoenas.
The legal dispute
The legal dispute between Cumming and the city began when the inspector general was investigating a program under the Mayor's Office of Neighborhood Safety and Engagement (MONSE).
Cumming said the city's law department abruptly cut off the documents she could access last January and worked to limit her subpoena power.
"The money that fuels government is that of the taxpayers, and the oversight office belongs to the taxpayers," Cumming previously told WJZ Investigates. "The roadblocks for the OIG lately have been many from the law department."
Cumming's attorney argued in court that the city's new policy restricting her access was unlawful.
Attorney Anthony May argued that the restrictions put Cumming "in a catch-22, either compromise the integrity of investigations or she is beholden to the city solicitor's office to tell them who she is investigating."
May said the city had failed to fulfill 49 recent subpoena requests. He also said the city's attempts to treat Cumming's requests the same as requests from members of the public were misguided.