The Attorney General of Texas
JIM MAllOX Demmber 21. 1984
Attomoy Qolle7al
-r&lo Ifike Driacoll Opinion No. ~~-260
lIarria County Attormy
1001 ?reetm, Suits 634 Rer Availability of inforutioa
sourt00, Texas 77~302 froo mental health recordr
Deer lb. Driacoll:
You have requcated our opinioo regarding the availability to the
public of inartrumaatr filed in l mentally ill docket in the office of
thm county clerk.
4824Abula*va..sunela The Opy Recorda Act. article 6252-17a, eection 3(a)(l).
uR8e,m.7mb27s2 V.TX.8. .’ provider that:
*1-
(a) All informetion collected, assembled. or
ml Tun. Ml@ 70s rintained by governmental bodice purauant to lav
l4Wslm. TX. ms2.2r11 .or ordinance or in connection'vith the traneactiom
71- of offic:M buoineea ia public informetion ind
available to the public during normnl buoineaa
hoorm of my governmental body, uith the follarfnl
ass Dloadww. aella 2l2
~vwoclc DL miws acnptionr only:
2w7474222
(1) information deemed confidential by lav,
either Corutitutional, etatutory, or by judictil
UON.lUllh.(uu~
MIAsen,TX. 7sml.le4w
decision. : . .
Slm22447
Art&lee 5547-11 end 5547-12, V.T.C.S., provide:
All qplicationa, petition., certifiutea. and
lll~her'papera permitted or required to be filed
in the county court by thir code &all be filed
uith’thi county clerk of the proper county who
lball fil,e the ~mameand ladorae .oo each paper the
dete filtid and the~docket number and hir offichl
rQputur4.
Each emd> every atatemeot of factm. together
with r~et: and every other writing which dieeloaee
intiuto d.etaila of the personal and privite, life
of the llxueed or the patient or vhich diecloaea
intiute detaila of the pereooal life of any and
p. 1158
Honorable Mike Drlscoll - Page 2 (JM-260)
all membera of the family of the accused or the
patient, in a mentally ill docket in the office of
the county clerk are hereby declared to be public
records of a private nature which may be used,
inepected. or copied- only by a written order of
the county judge, r-probate judge, a court of
domestic relations j;dge, or a district judge of
the county in which &e docket la located, and no
such order ehall isac;;! until the issulng judge has
determined fnformall,y to his satiafactioo that
aaid use. inepection, or copying is juetified and
in the public intererlt:. (Emphaaia added).
Section 3(a)(l) excepts :Irom disclosure under the Open Record8
Act all informetioo made confi,dential by law. Article 5547-12 makes
confidential certain records filed in connection with any proceedings
under the Mental Health Code. The cltatemeot of facts io every such
proceeding is clearly excepted from dieclosure. Other material ia
excepted only if it “disclosejs intimate details of the personal and
private life of the accused” or of a member of his family. 10 our
opioion. the county clerk. in consultation with the county attorney,
muat make the initial detJ!l-mination as to whether particular ..
informetioo satisfies these cr:iteria.
(
The test imposed by arti’::le 5547-12 is similar to that used by
tbe Texas Supreme Court in detwmininn whether Information is exceoted
from disclosure by e co-n Iav. r