Barry v. Haaland, No. 19-3380, 2021 WL 1177798 (D.D.C. Mar. 29, 2021) (Friedrich, J.)

Barry v. Haaland, No. 19-3380, 2021 WL 1177798 (D.D.C. Mar. 29, 2021) (Friedrich, J.)

Re:  Request for "'[a]ll investigations and [Inspector General] reports concerning [a third party]'"

Disposition:  Granting defendant's motion for summary judgment with respect to plaintiff's FOIA claim

• Litigation Considerations, Exhaustion of Administrative Remedies:  The court holds that "[b]ecause [plaintiff] did not exhaust his administrative remedies, 'summary judgment on this issue is consistent with the purposes of exhaustion and FOIA's detailed administrative scheme.'"  The court relates that "DOI responded to [plaintiff's] request in April 2019, indicating that the information sought was exempt from disclosure pursuant to FOIA exemptions 6 and 7(c)."  "At that time, DOI also advised [plaintiff] of his right to an administrative appeal."  "[Plaintiff] does not dispute that he did not file an administrative appeal, and he offers no excuse in his complaint or briefs for his failure to do so."