This is an official copy of the following document.
June 20, 1997
Subject: Whether social services workers of the
Cabinet for Families and Children fall within the phrase
"the public," as used in KRS 403.770(1), so that a
district or circuit court clerk may not lawfully supply such
personnel with a complete copy of a domestic violence petition.
Written by: Gerard R. Gerhard
Requested by: Angela M. Ford, General Counsel,
Cabinet for Human Resources
Syllabus: Local social services workers acting in
their official capacity are not members of "the
public," as that phrase is used in KRS 403.770(1).
Accordingly, they may not, upon such basis, be properly denied a
copy of a domestic violence petition displaying the address of an
adult or child shown upon the petition.
OAGs cited: None.
Statutes construed: KRS 209.010; 209.030(3); 209.140;
403.770(1); 620.040; 620.050(3); 620.050(4).
Opinion of the Attorney General
This office was asked, in substance, to indicate whether a
district or circuit court clerk is prevented, by KRS 403.770(1),
from providing to what is now the Cabinet for Families and
Children, or its local social services workers, a copy of a
domestic violence petition which displays the actual address of
the petitioner, and where applicable, minor children.
In our view the answer is no. Local social services workers,
acting in their official capacity, are not members of "the
public," as that phrase is used in KRS 403.770(1).
Accordingly, they may not, upon such basis, be properly denied
access to the address of one who has tendered a domestic violence
petition, or the address of children shown in such petition.
Discussion follows.
The question arises because some court clerks deny local
social services workers a copy of a domestic violence petition
(AOC form 275.1) with the petitioner's address or that of minor
children visible, based upon language contained in the Circuit
Clerk's Manual (Rev. 7/14/92, Section 605.1) indicating that only
the petitioner and the petitioner's counsel are entitled to
access to the domestic violence file containing the petitioner's
address and the address of any minor children. Additionally, a
letter of the General Counsel for the Administrative Office of
the Courts indicates, in part, that "there is no authority
for allowing the original petition to be made public, which is
what the clerk would be doing in copying the original to social
services."
KRS 403.770(1) provides:
The court, when issuing an emergency protective order, when authenticating a foreign protective order, or when causing the issuance of a summons, shall order the omission or deletion of the petitioner's address, and the address of any minor children from any documents to be made available to the public, or to the person or persons who engaged in the alleged act or acts of domestic violence and abuse.
The Cabinet and its agents (for example, local social services
workers employed by the Cabinet) have express statutory duties
regarding the protection of both adults and children who might be
abused. Those duties call for the Cabinet to receive and
investigate information regarding possible abuse of adults or
children. See, for example, KRS 209.010, 209.030(3), 620.040, and
620.050(3).
Given the statutory role of the Cabinet for Families and
Children, its employees, when acting in their official capacity,
cannot properly be considered as a part of "the public"
from which the address of the petitioner or minor children is to
be withheld in accordance with KRS 403.770(1). Reinforcing this
view is the fact that information obtained by the Cabinet's
employees is under statutory confidentiality constraints. See KRS
209.140 and KRS 620.050(4).
For a court clerk to deny local social services workers a copy
of a domestic violence petition showing the address of one who
has tendered a domestic violence petition, or the address of
children mentioned in such petition, on the theory that social
services workers are among "the public" as used in KRS
403.770(1), would be inconsistent with the official role of such
workers. Providing such document, on the other hand, furthers the
public interest in facilitating delivery of services to those who
have been victims of abuse or neglect.
The view expressed in this opinion will not require the
generation of an additional document. Under current practice, a
copy of a domestic violence petition form is forwarded to local
social services workers. In some instances, however, certain
address information contained upon the form is masked. The effort
to mask such information is obviated by the view expressed above.
A. B. CHANDLER III
ATTORNEY GENERAL
Gerard R. Gerhard
Assistant Attorney General