State ex rel. Parisi v. Dayton Bar Ass'n Certified Grievance Comm.

Attorney Loses Fight for Access to Her Own Disciplinary Records

This case involved an attorney named Parisi who worked for the Dayton Bar Association and faced disciplinary proceedings. When she tried to get copies of records related to her own disciplinary case, the Bar Association's grievance committee refused to release them. Parisi then went to court, asking a judge to force the committee to turn over the documents under Ohio's public records law.

The court sided with the Bar Association and denied Parisi's request. The judge ruled that records from attorney disciplinary proceedings are specifically protected from public disclosure under Ohio Supreme Court rules that govern how lawyers are regulated. Even though Ohio generally requires government agencies to provide public records when requested, the court found that attorney disciplinary records fall under a special exception.

What this means for workers: This ruling shows that even when you're the subject of workplace disciplinary proceedings, you may not automatically have the right to access all related records. Professional licensing boards and similar regulatory bodies often have special rules that limit access to disciplinary files, even for the professionals involved. Workers facing disciplinary action should understand what records they can and cannot access in their specific situation.