Shapiro v. DOJ, No. 16-1959, 2020 WL 3103946 (D.D.C. June 11, 2020) (Friedrich, J.)

Shapiro v. DOJ, No. 16-1959, 2020 WL 3103946 (D.D.C. June 11, 2020) (Friedrich, J.)

Re:  Request for Lewis List, used to determine whether allegations of misconduct must be disclosed in connection with court proceedings, and related materials

Disposition:  Denying defendant's motion for summary judgment; denying plaintiff's cross-motion for summary judgment

• Litigation Considerations, Vaughn Index/Declaration:  The court holds that "[t]he Department must . . . 'identify with reasonable specificity the information withheld from each document,' provide 'a reasonably detailed justification for invoking the exemption,' connect 'the claimed justification with the specific information withheld,' . . . and 'for each withholding . . . discuss the consequences of disclosing the sought-after information' . . . ."  The court finds that, "in most instances, the affidavits do not describe 'each document or portion thereof withheld' in enough detail for the Court to evaluate the claimed exemption."  "[T]he Court cannot discern whether the Department has 'claim[ed] exemptions too broadly, thereby sweeping unprotected information within the statute’s reach.'"