MU files notice of appeal in open records lawsuit

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

Attorneys for the University of Missouri Board of Curators filed a notice of appeal on Friday after a Boone County judge ruled against the university in an open records lawsuit.

The notice of appeal came four days after the Beagle Freedom Project put in their request for MU to pay $238,508.61 in fees.

Judge Jeff Harris ordered a $1,000 fine against the UM System for violating the law when it charged the BFP a high price for a records request.

The Beagle Freedom Project sued MU in May 2016 after the university gave an estimate of $82,222 to fulfill a request for records about animals used in research. The request was part of a larger Beagle Freedom Project campaign that included requests to at least a dozen universities, most of which provided the records at little or no cost, according to court documents.

University of Missouri spokesman Christian Basi said the university will have a comment when the official appeal is filed in court.