Rockford Police Benevolent & Protective Ass'n v. Morrissey , 398 Ill. App. 3d 145 ( 2010 )


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  •                              No. 2--09--0100    Filed: 1-22-10
    ______________________________________________________________________________
    IN THE
    APPELLATE COURT OF ILLINOIS
    SECOND DISTRICT
    ______________________________________________________________________________
    ROCKFORD POLICE BENEVOLENT AND ) Appeal from the Circuit Court
    PROTECTIVE ASSOCIATION, UNIT #6             ) of Winnebago County.
    )
    Plaintiff-Appellee,                 )
    )
    v.                                          ) No. 08--CH--349
    )
    LARRY MORRISSEY, Mayor of the City of )
    Rockford, CHET EPPERSON, Chief of Police )
    for the City of Rockford Police Department, )
    and THE CITY OF ROCKFORD POLICE             )
    DEPARTMENT,                                 ) Honorable
    ) Ronald L. Pirrello,
    Defendants-Appellants.              ) Judge, Presiding.
    _________________________________________________________________________________
    JUSTICE O'MALLEY delivered the opinion of the court:
    Defendants, Larry Morrissey, the mayor of Rockford (mayor), Chet Epperson, the chief of
    the Rockford police department (chief), and the City of Rockford Police Department (department),
    appeal the order of the circuit court of Winnebago County granting the cross-motion for summary
    judgment of plaintiff, the Rockford Police Benevolent and Protective Association, Unit #6, and
    denying defendants' cross-motion for summary judgment on plaintiff's Freedom of Information Act
    (FOIA) (5 ILCS 140/1 et seq. (West 2006)) request that seeks to compel defendants to disclose the
    results of a three-part survey1 conducted by Rockford College at the behest of the department.
    1
    While defendants argue that the documents in question are actually an "audit," defendants
    nevertheless persistently refer to the documents as a "survey." We adopt this terminology and note
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    Defendants argue that the survey should not be disclosed, under the theories that it is exempt as an
    audit (see 5 ILCS 140/7(1)(n) (West 2006)), as a personnel matter (see 5 ILCS 140/7(1)(b)(ii) (West
    2006)), and under the self-critical analysis privilege. Defendants also argue that plaintiff is not
    entitled to an award of attorney fees or, alternatively, if plaintiff is entitled to attorney fees, then the
    trial court's fee award was excessive. We affirm.
    The following factual summary is taken from the record on appeal. Plaintiff is the union
    representing the police officers employed by the department.
    In 2007, the department asked a Rockford College class to conduct an anonymous three-part
    survey. The survey would be given to sworn police officer employees of the department, civilian
    employees of the department, and residents living in the "Weed & Seed" area of Rockford.
    Defendants represent that the purpose of the survey was to assess the department's performance. The
    department's employees were also asked to rate their job satisfaction.
    On October 31, 2007, plaintiff submitted FOIA requests seeking disclosure of (1) the three-
    part survey, (2) records about certain financial expenditures and invoices relating to the department
    for the period beginning April 10, 2006, through October 31, 2007, (3) public records that the chief
    had access to or control over in regard to money accounts, funds, credit cards, and cash supplied by
    the City of Rockford or the department, and (4) department records pertaining to all sick-time usage
    for the period beginning January 1, 2004, and ending October 31, 2007. On November 27, 2007,
    defendants denied the first three requests and agreed to the fourth request, subject to agreed-upon
    limitations. As pertinent here, the FOIA request for the survey was denied based on the audit
    exception (5 ILCS 150/7(1)(n) (West 2006)), the self-critical analysis privilege as developed under
    that our use of the term "survey" is not meant to prejudge defendants' contention.
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    the federal common law, and the deliberative process/preliminary draft exception (5 ILCS
    140/7(1)(f) (West 2006)).
    Plaintiff filed this action to contest defendants' denial of its first three FOIA requests. During
    pretrial negotiations, the parties were able to come to an agreement concerning the second and third
    FOIA requests, for disclosure of the records of financial expenditures and invoices and the public
    records that the chief had access to or control over. The parties filed cross-motions for summary
    judgment regarding the disclosure of the survey. On September 29, 2008, the trial court heard
    argument on the cross-motions for summary judgment. The court directed the parties to submit their
    positions regarding attorney fees.
    On October 9, 2008, the trial court entered judgment on the FOIA request and attorney fees.
    The trial court held that the survey was not exempt from disclosure either as an audit or pursuant to
    the self-critical analysis privilege, or any other privilege. The trial court expressly determined that
    the "fundamental purpose of the request for the 3-part Survey was not to further commercial
    interests" and that plaintiff was entitled to reasonable attorney fees in an amount to be determined.
    Defendants filed a motion to reconsider. The trial court denied defendants' motion to
    reconsider, accepted plaintiff's supplemental petition for attorney fees, determined that plaintiff was
    due an award of attorney fees of over $14,000, and ordered defendants to produce the three-part
    survey within 48 hours. Defendants filed a motion to stay enforcement of the order, which the trial
    court granted pending the outcome of this appeal. Defendants timely appeal.
    Defendants appeal from the trial court's grant of summary judgment in favor of plaintiff. We
    review de novo the trial court's grant of a motion for summary judgment. Blair v. Nevada Landing
    Partnership RBG, LP, 
    369 Ill. App. 3d 318
    , 322 (2006).
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    Defendants' first contention on appeal is that the survey constitutes an audit for purposes of
    section 7(1)(n) of the FOIA (5 ILCS 140/7(1)(n) (West 2006)) and that as an audit, it is exempt from
    disclosure. Section 7(1)(n) of the FOIA exempts:
    "Communications between a public body and an attorney or auditor representing the
    public body that would not be subject to discovery in litigation, and materials prepared or
    compiled by or for a public body in anticipation of a criminal, civil or administrative
    proceeding upon the request of an attorney advising the public body, and materials prepared
    or compiled with respect to internal audits of public bodies." 5 ILCS 140/7(1)(n) (West
    2006).
    Under the FOIA, public records are presumed to be open and accessible. Illinois Education
    Ass'n v. Illinois State Board of Education, 
    204 Ill. 2d 456
    , 462 (2003). Indeed, the FOIA clearly sets
    forth the legislative intent behind its enactment:
    "Pursuant to the fundamental philosophy of the American constitutional form of
    government, it is declared to be the public policy of the State of Illinois that all persons are
    entitled to full and complete information regarding the affairs of government and the official
    acts and policies of employees consistent with the terms of this Act. Such access is
    necessary to enable the people to fulfill their duties of discussing public issues fully and
    freely, making informed political judgments and monitoring government to ensure that it is
    being conducted in the public interest.
    This Act is not intended to be used to *** disrupt the duly-undertaken work of any
    public body independent of the fulfillment of any of the fore-mentioned rights of the people
    to access to information.
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    ***
    These restraints on information access should be seen as limited exceptions to the
    general rule that the people have a right to know the decisions, policies, procedures, rules,
    standards, and other aspects of government activity that affect the conduct of government and
    the lives of any or all of the people. The provisions of this Act shall be construed to this
    end." 5 ILCS 140/1 (West 2006).
    When a public body receives a proper request for information, it must comply with the request unless
    one of the section 7 (5 ILCS 140/7 (West 2006)) exemptions applies. Illinois Education 
    Ass'n, 204 Ill. 2d at 463
    .
    If the public body seeks to use one of the section 7 exemptions as a ground for refusing to
    disclose the requested information, it must give written notice specifying the particular exemption
    it is claiming to authorize the denial. Illinois Education 
    Ass'n, 204 Ill. 2d at 464
    . If the party seeking
    the information challenges in the circuit court the public body's denial, the public body shoulders the
    burden of proving that the records in question fall within the claimed exemption. Illinois Education
    
    Ass'n, 204 Ill. 2d at 464
    . To meet its burden and to assist the court in making its determination, the
    public body must provide a detailed justification for its claim of exemption, addressing the requested
    records specifically and in a manner allowing for adequate adversarial testing. Illinois Education
    
    Ass'n, 204 Ill. 2d at 464
    . With these principles in mind, we turn to defendants' particular
    contentions.
    Defendants note that "audit" is not defined within the FOIA. Defendants also correctly note
    that the fundamental rule in interpreting a statute is to ascertain and give effect to the intent of the
    legislature. People ex rel. Birkett v. Konetski, 
    233 Ill. 2d 185
    , 193 (2009). The best evidence of
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    legislative intent is the language used in the statute, giving that language its plain and ordinary
    meaning. 
    Konetski, 233 Ill. 2d at 193
    . Defendants note that "audit" is defined as a methodical
    examination and review. Defendants assert that the survey at issue here was actually an "audit," as
    it was a methodical examination and review of the department's performance as viewed by
    department personnel and the local public. Defendants conclude that this assessment of the
    department's performance qualifies as an audit subject to the section 7(1)(n) exemption. We
    disagree.
    In the first instance, defendants provide no detailed rationale (see Illinois Education 
    Ass'n, 204 Ill. 2d at 464
    ) to explain their bare conclusion that the survey (again, we note that this is
    defendants' own terminology) qualified as an "audit" under section 7(1)(n) of the FOIA. Because
    of this failure alone, we could properly hold that defendants did not meet their burden of providing
    a "detailed justification," "addressing the requested documents specifically." (Emphasis in original.)
    Illinois Education 
    Ass'n, 204 Ill. 2d at 464
    .
    In the second place, defendants offer no explanation of how the survey satisfies the definition
    of an "audit." The noun "audit" is defined as "a formal or official examination and verification of
    books of account (as for reporting on the financial condition of a business at a given date or on the
    results of its operations for a given period)" and as "a methodical examination and review of a
    situation or condition (as within a business enterprise) concluding with a detailed report of findings
    : a rendering and settling of accounts." Webster's Third New International Dictionary 143 (1993).
    "Audit" is also defined as "the final report following a formal examination of books of account : an
    account as adjusted by auditors : final statement of account." Webster's Third New International
    Dictionary 143 (1993). As a verb, "audit" is defined as "to examine and verify (as the books of
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    account of a company or a treasurer's accounts)." Webster's Third New International Dictionary 143
    (1993). Interestingly, these definitions all place "audit" into a financial or accounting context, even
    though the word is applicable in other contexts. Plaintiff asserts, without relevant authority to
    support its contention, that "audit" invariably means a formal examination of an organization's
    financial situation. While neither plaintiff nor we have found any Illinois authority to support this
    contention, we note that the dictionary definition offers some small support. In any event,
    defendants offer no explanation as to how the survey here is a "methodical examination" of the
    department's condition or situation, or how a subjective questionnaire about job satisfaction and
    performance, completed by department personnel and members of the public, qualifies as a
    "methodical examination."
    On the other hand, a "survey" is defined as "a study of a specified area or aggregate of units
    (as human beings) usu. with respect to a special condition or its prevalence or with the objective of
    drawing conclusions about a larger area or aggregate : a systematic collection and analysis of data
    and esp. statistical data on some aspect of an area or group." Webster's Third New International
    Dictionary 2302 (1993). The survey here seems to fit more comfortably into the definition of
    "survey," in that questions about job performance and satisfaction seem to have the purpose of
    "drawing conclusions about" the department as a whole. Moreover, the format of questions about
    job satisfaction and performance surely leads to a tabulation and statistical analysis of the data
    collected in the survey. Based on our review of the ordinary meaning of the word "audit," we cannot
    conclude that the trial court erred in determining that the survey was not exempt as an audit.
    Accordingly, we reject defendants' first contention.
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    Defendants also contend that the "internal audit conducted at the request of the Rockford
    Police Department is a job performance evaluation for the Police Department, essentially a personnel
    matter," which falls under the exemption for personnel files. 5 ILCS 140/7(1)(b)(ii) (West 2006).
    Once again, defendants fail to explain how the survey can be considered a personnel matter when
    the questions did not pertain to individuals and the responses were anonymous. Likewise, we reject
    the suggestion that the department as a whole is entitled to a personnel file exemption, as the
    personnel files exemption seeks to prevent an invasion of an individual's personal privacy, and not
    a public body's "privacy."
    Next, defendants contend that the survey should be exempt from disclosure under the self-
    critical analysis privilege. Defendants contend that, in order to assert the self-critical analysis
    privilege, a party must show that: (1) the information sought resulted from a self-critical analysis
    undertaken by the party seeking protection; (2) the public has a strong interest in protecting the free
    flow of the information sought; (3) the information is of the type whose flow would be curtailed if
    discovery were allowed; and (4) the document was prepared with the expectation that it would be
    kept confidential and has in fact been kept confidential. See Tice v. American Airlines, Inc., 
    192 F.R.D. 270
    , 272-73 (N.D. Ill. 2000). Defendants assert that it is "undisputed" that the survey
    "resulted from a self-critical analysis undertaken by the City of Rockford." Defendants assert that
    it also meets the other elements of the federal common-law privilege.
    Defendants' argument fails on several grounds. In the first place, the FOIA enumerates its
    exemptions in section 7. A self-critical analysis exemption is not to be found among the enumerated
    exemptions. The FOIA presumes that requested information should be released unless the
    information falls under one of the section 7 exemptions, which are to be read narrowly. Carter v.
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    Meek, 
    322 Ill. App. 3d 266
    , 268 (2001). Under well-settled rules of statutory construction, we may
    not depart from the statute's plain language by reading into it exceptions, limitations, or conditions
    the legislature did not express. People ex rel. Madigan v. Kinzer, 
    232 Ill. 2d 179
    , 184-85 (2009).
    The fact that the FOIA does not expressly include an exemption for self-critical analysis means that
    we cannot read that exemption into it.
    Second, we note that the self-critical analysis privilege has not been adopted by the Illinois
    courts. Indeed, privileges are disfavored because they are in derogation of the search for truth.
    People ex rel. Birkett v. City of Chicago, 
    292 Ill. App. 3d 745
    , 749 (1997), aff'd, 
    184 Ill. 2d 521
    (1998). Privileges are strictly construed as exceptions to the general duty to disclose. 
    Birkett, 292 Ill. App. 3d at 749
    . Our supreme court has consistently stated that "the extension of an existing
    privilege or establishment of a new one is a matter best deferred to the legislature." Birkett, 
    184 Ill. 2d
    at 528. Thus, the judiciary has an institutional bias against creating a heretofore unknown
    privilege as a matter of common law. Instead, the courts refer the creation and expansion of
    privileges to the legislative arena. Because the legislature has not adopted the self-critical analysis
    privilege into the FOIA, we will not create such a privilege here.
    Third, we note that defendants' use of federal cases to support the self-critical analysis
    privilege is doubly dubious. In the first place, decisions of federal district courts are not binding
    upon state courts and are, at most, persuasive authority. 
    Birkett, 292 Ill. App. 3d at 754
    . Second,
    and more importantly, however, Illinois courts have repeatedly noted that the Illinois version of the
    FOIA is different from the federal version and is, therefore, subject to a different interpretation.
    
    Carter, 322 Ill. App. 3d at 269
    (citing Lieber v. Board of Trustees of Southern Illinois University,
    
    176 Ill. 2d 401
    (1997), and American Federation of State, County & Municipal Employees v. County
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    of Cook, 
    136 Ill. 2d 334
    (1990), to support proposition that the Illinois FOIA differs from, and is
    interpreted differently than, the federal FOIA). For these reasons, we cannot accept defendants'
    argument and authority for creating a self-critical analysis privilege in this matter.
    Defendants next contend that we should create a self-critical analysis privilege because the
    legislature codified this privilege into the Code of Civil Procedure via the Medical Studies Act (735
    ILCS 5/8--2101 et seq. (West 2006)). Citing Roach v. Springfield Clinic, 
    157 Ill. 2d 29
    , 40 (1993),
    defendants argue that the self-critical analysis privilege embodied in the Medical Studies Act ensures
    that "members of the medical profession will effectively engage in self-evaluation of their peers in
    the interest of advancing the quality of health care." Defendants urge, by analogy to the Medical
    Studies Act, that we should likewise create a self-critical analysis privilege that applies to the FOIA.
    We disagree.
    The fact that the legislature codified this privilege in relation to the internal quality control
    of medical institutions means that the legislature easily could have codified the provision into the
    FOIA, had it chosen to do so. The privilege's presence in the Medical Studies Act juxtaposed against
    its absence in the FOIA strongly supports the opposite of defendants' argument--that the legislature
    deliberately omitted the privilege from the FOIA and we should not engraft it into the FOIA. See
    Adames v. Sheahan, 
    233 Ill. 2d 276
    , 311 (2009) (particular language included in one part of a
    congressional enactment and omitted in another raises the presumption that Congress intended the
    inclusion or exclusion). Accordingly, we reject defendants' invitation to create a self-critical analysis
    privilege in relation to the FOIA.
    Defendants' final contention on appeal is that plaintiff should not have received an award of
    attorney fees. Alternatively, defendants contend that, even if an award of attorney fees was
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    appropriate, this award was excessive. When considering a challenge to a party's entitlement to
    attorney fees under the FOIA, we review the trial court's decision for an abuse of discretion.
    Callinan v. Prisoner Review Board, 
    371 Ill. App. 3d 272
    , 277 (2007). "An abuse of discretion will
    be found where the court applied the wrong legal standard." 
    Callinan, 371 Ill. App. 3d at 277
    .
    We begin our consideration of defendants' contention with the text of the FOIA. Prior to
    2004, section 11(i) of the FOIA provided:
    "If a person seeking the right to inspect or receive a copy of a public record
    substantially prevails in a proceeding under this Section, the court may award such person
    reasonable attorneys' fees if the court finds that the record or records in question were of
    clearly significant interest to the general public and that the public body lacked any
    reasonable basis in law for withholding the record." 5 ILCS 140/11(i) (West 2002).
    Effective January 1, 2004, section 11(i) was amended. As of the time plaintiff filed this case, section
    11(i) provided, pertinently:
    "If a person seeking the right to inspect or receive a copy of a public record
    substantially prevails in a proceeding under this Section, the court may award such person
    reasonable attorneys' fees and costs. If, however, the court finds that the fundamental
    purpose of the request was to further the commercial interests of the requestor, the court may
    award reasonable attorneys' fees and costs if the court finds that the record or records in
    question were of clearly significant interest to the general public and that the public body
    lacked any reasonable basis in law for withholding the record." 5 ILCS /140/11(i) (West
    2006).
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    Under the pre-amended version of the provision, a plaintiff was eligible to receive an award of
    attorney fees if it proved that (1) it substantially prevailed; (2) the records were of significant interest
    to the general public; and (3) the public body lacked any reasonable basis in law for withholding the
    records. 5 ILCS 140/11(i) (West 2002); 
    Callinan, 371 Ill. App. 3d at 274
    . To be eligible for attorney
    fees under the current version of the provision, a plaintiff without a commercial interest need prove
    only that it substantially prevailed, while a plaintiff with a commercial interest is still required to
    prove that its request served a public interest and that the defendant lacked a reasonable basis for
    withholding the records. 5 ILCS 140/11(i) (West 2006); 
    Callinan, 371 Ill. App. 3d at 275
    .
    Defendants argue that plaintiff's motivation was primarily commercial and that it thus had
    to prove that it substantially prevailed, that the records were of significant interest to the general
    public, and that defendants lacked any reasonable basis in law for withholding the records.
    Defendants also assert that, in any event, plaintiff did not substantially prevail. We disagree.
    The trial court expressly held that "[p]laintiff's fundamental purpose of the request for the 3-
    part [s]urvey was not to further commercial interests." Further, in awarding plaintiff attorney fees,
    the trial court impliedly determined that plaintiff had substantially prevailed. "[W]hen a trial court
    finds that a plaintiff has substantially prevailed, it should grant attorney fees to a noncommercial
    plaintiff." 
    Callinan, 371 Ill. App. 3d at 277
    . The court may deny fees only where special
    circumstances would render the fee award unjust, such as where the plaintiff avoids the expense of
    attorney fees by proceeding pro se, the defendant settles with the plaintiff solely to end a frivolous
    suit and avoid litigation expenses, the plaintiff was not instrumental in achieving the remedy sought,
    or the plaintiff agreed to waive its right to pursue attorney fees. 
    Callinan, 371 Ill. App. 3d at 277
    .
    The trial court made no finding of any special circumstance that would justify denying plaintiff's fee
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    request. Likewise, defendants do not argue that there were any special circumstances that would
    justify denying plaintiff's fee request. Considering the evidence in the record, we conclude that an
    award of attorney fees to plaintiff was not an abuse of discretion.
    Citing Lovell v. Department of Justice, 
    589 F. Supp. 150
    , 153-54 (D.D.C. 1984), and Kuffel
    v. United States Bureau of Prisons, 
    882 F. Supp. 1116
    , 1127 (D.D.C. 1995), Defendants argue that
    whether a plaintiff substantially prevailed is determined by considering whether the plaintiff's actions
    caused the defendant to release the records. Defendants do not, however, close the analytical loop
    and attempt to demonstrate that plaintiff's suit did not cause defendants to turn over the survey.
    Perhaps defendants intend to imply that, because they have not yet made the survey available to
    plaintiff, pending the outcome of this appeal, we should hold that plaintiff has failed to earn the
    disclosure of the survey. On the other hand, there is nothing in the record to suggest that defendants
    would have released the three-part survey routinely or in the absence of plaintiff's lawsuit. Thus, we
    conclude that, even though defendants cite authority about how to determine whether a party has
    substantially prevailed for the purposes of section 11(i) of the FOIA, defendants' lack of argument
    effectively concedes the point that plaintiff did indeed substantially prevail in winning the disclosure
    of the survey, and the record amply supports this conclusion.
    Defendants also argue that plaintiff's motivation in requesting the survey was primarily
    commercial. Defendants reason that plaintiff is a union, which exists to further the interests of its
    members with respect to their wages, benefits, and working conditions. Defendants further contend
    that the "fundamental purpose of the requests was to further [p]laintiff's commercial interest in the
    collective bargaining arena." Once again, however, defendants fail to close the analytical loop and
    demonstrate a relationship between plaintiff's request for the survey and its motivation to advance
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    its collective bargaining position. Such a relationship, between collective bargaining and a survey
    of union and nonunion employees' job satisfaction and the public's perception of the effectiveness
    of the department, is not immediately apparent.
    These considerations also serve to distinguish the authority on which defendants rely.
    Defendants cite Lieber v. Board of Trustees of Southern Illinois University, 
    316 Ill. App. 3d 266
    , 270
    (2000), to illustrate the manner in which a commercial interest will defeat a plaintiff's request for
    attorney fees. There, the plaintiff owned university-approved, off-campus freshman housing and
    sought to compel the university, pursuant to the FOIA, to disclose the names and addresses of
    accepted but not enrolled freshmen who had expressed an interest in off-campus housing. The
    plaintiff's commercial interest is manifest. Likewise, it is clear that the information sought, the
    names and addresses of accepted but not enrolled freshmen interested in off-campus housing, is of
    little interest to the general public. Here, by contrast, a survey of the public dealing, in part, with the
    public's perception of the effectiveness of the local police department is of obvious and compelling
    interest to the general public. Further, it is difficult to see the nature of plaintiff's purported
    commercial interest. Accordingly, we find Lieber to be distinguishable. For the foregoing reasons,
    we cannot say that the trial court abused its discretion in deeming plaintiff eligible for reasonable
    attorney fees pursuant to section 11(i) of the FOIA.
    Defendants argue alternatively that the award of fees was excessive. Defendants note that
    the "policy behind [section 11(i) of the FOIA] is to prevent someone from expending thousands of
    dollars on attorney fees solely to support a commercial interest and then seeking to have taxpayers
    who have little or no interest in the information, pay his or her attorney fees." Lieber, 
    316 Ill. App. 3d
    at 270. Defendants further note that the fee provision was intended neither as a reward for a
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    successful plaintiff nor as a punishment for the government for wrongly withholding records. Hamer
    v. Lentz, 
    132 Ill. 2d 49
    , 62 (1989). Defendants assert that the award of over $14,000 in attorney fees
    is punitive and clearly excessive.
    Again, defendants do not close the analytical loop and demonstrate (or even assert) that
    plaintiff's counsel's time spent on this matter was unreasonable, or that in light of his experience and
    the complexity of the issues here his billing rate was excessive compared to the usual and customary
    rate in the locality for such services. We are left only with the conclusory assertion that the fees were
    excessive.
    Defendants point to the trial court's "uncertainty" in making its fee award. That "uncertainty"
    consisted of four questions to plaintiff's attorney about his supplemental fee petition, plus the
    instruction to leave blank the space for attorney fees to be awarded. The trial court then proceeded
    to award plaintiff the full amount of attorney fees sought. We agree with plaintiff that the record
    fails to show that the trial court was uncertain about the fee award.
    Further, the cases cited by defendants are inapposite. Hamer recites only that the fee award
    is neither a reward for a successful plaintiff nor a punishment for a recalcitrant government. We see
    no reason to place a union, which is a not-for-profit organization whose budget is determined by
    dues collected from its membership, and which seeks the representation of an attorney, in a different
    position from an individual who makes a FOIA request utilizing his or her own attorney. Both have
    to spend their limited resources on the services of an attorney. As Hamer suggests, the fee award
    provision is designed to give the average individual the ability to make and prosecute a FOIA request
    of the government. 
    Hamer, 132 Ill. 2d at 62
    (the purpose of the fee provision "is to ensure
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    enforcement of the FOIA," "by removing the burden of legal fees, which might deter litigants from
    pursuing legitimate FOIA actions"). Thus, Hamer actually supports plaintiff's position.
    Lieber is inapposite because it presupposes that the plaintiff has a commercial interest and
    that the information sought is of interest to only the plaintiff, to be used in furthering its commercial
    goals. As we have seen, the trial court's determination, that advancing its commercial interests was
    not plaintiff's fundamental purpose in making its FOIA request, was not erroneous. Likewise, here,
    unlike in Lieber, the information sought was of significant interest to the general public. Lieber's
    concern, then, that an individual could make the taxpayers pay his attorney to advance his
    commercial interests via the FOIA, is not present here. Lieber offers no support to defendants'
    position in light of the circumstances present in this case. Accordingly, we reject defendants'
    argument that the attorney fee award was excessive.
    For the foregoing reasons, the judgment of the circuit court of Winnebago County is
    affirmed.
    Affirmed.
    SCHOSTOK and HUDSON, JJ., concur.
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