Two Missouri journalism associations and several news organizations have filed a lawsuit against the Missouri State Highway Patrol, alleging the agency is violating the state’s open records law by withholding names and other information from traffic and boating crash reports.
The lawsuit, filed in Cole County Circuit Court, was brought by the Missouri Press Association and Missouri Broadcasters Association, along with Gray Media, Warden Publishing Company and Show-Me Press Association President Roxie Murphy.
The plaintiffs allege the Highway Patrol began redacting information from crash reports sometime in 2024, reversing a practice that had been in place since the late 1990s.
For decades, the agency made traffic and boating crash reports available online without redactions, allowing journalists and members of the public to identify people involved in crashes and obtain information about incidents on Missouri roads and waterways.
According to the lawsuit, the Highway Patrol previously informed visitors to its website that all information contained in crash reports was considered an open record and could not be withheld from the public.
The plaintiffs say the agency has since begun withholding names and other details, including the identities of people killed in traffic crashes, from its online database and responses to public records requests.
They argue the changes violate Missouri’s Sunshine Law, which requires certain government records to be available for public inspection.
The associations contend the redactions have made it more difficult for journalists to verify information about fatal crashes, investigate public safety issues and report on incidents affecting their communities.
“Missourians have had the right to see these records for decades, and that right did not expire when the MSHP unilaterally changed its policy,” Chad Stebbins, Executive Director of the Missouri Press Association, said in a statement.
“We are standing up for all Missourians who deserve to know and understand the safety issues surrounding roads they travel every day,” Stebbins continued. “When the government blacks out the name of someone killed on a public road, it is the whole community that is kept in the dark.”
Gray Media, one of the plaintiffs, operates television stations in several Missouri markets, including Cape Girardeau, Kansas City, Springfield and St. Louis.
The Missouri Broadcasters Association said its member stations have received complaints from viewers who were unable to obtain information about crashes involving people in their communities.
“People have been calling our member stations upset that they didn’t know that their neighbors or prominent community members were in a crash,” Chad Mahoney, President and Chief Executive Officer of the Missouri Broadcasters Association, said.
“Our stations serve people who deserve accurate, timely information about what happens on Missouri roads and waterways,” Mahoney continued. “We are asking the court to restore the access Missourians have always had.”
The lawsuit asks the court to order the Highway Patrol to provide complete, unredacted crash reports and restore public access to those records through its online database.
The plaintiffs are also seeking civil penalties and attorney’s fees.
The Highway Patrol’s response to the lawsuit was not included in the materials announcing the legal challenge.
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