Judge denies Mayor Scott’s bid to dismiss inspector general lawsuit

BALTIMORE (WBFF) — A judge has dealt a major setback to Baltimore City Hall in the ongoing legal fight between the city’s Office of the Inspector General and Mayor Brandon Scott’s administration over access to city records.

Judge Pamela White, in a decision released Friday, ruled in favor of Inspector General Isabel Cumming and denied the mayor’s request to dismiss the inspector general’s lawsuit against the city. The ruling is the latest development in a legal back-and-forth between Cumming and the mayor’s office centered on the inspector general’s ability to obtain city documents.

Kurt Nachtman, a Baltimore attorney and partner at Silverman Thompson, called the decision “a crushing loss for the Baltimore city mayor.”

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Taxpayer advocate David Williams said, “This is great news for the city, for taxpayers,” and warned that limiting an inspector general’s access can undermine oversight.

“When you have a mayor or any elected official that can withhold information from an inspector general, the whole process becomes political and there’s no guarantee that any of this waste fraud or abuse will ever be brought to light,” Williams said.

The dispute began after Cumming started probing a program under the Mayor’s Office of Neighborhood Safety and Engagement, known as MONSE. The investigation was intended to uncover possible fraud. Cumming said the city’s law department suddenly cut off which documents she could access last January and tried to limit her subpoena power.

Nachtman said the judge’s ruling reflects a close reading of the city’s governing documents.

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“The judge really took a look at the charter that was passed and voted on by the citizens of Baltimore,” Nachtman said. “And the constitution says that the inspector general shall have a right to review these materials,”

Williams said the inspector general’s ability to operate independently depends on direct access to records.

“The inspector general needs to be independent. The inspector of general also needs direct access to records to ensure that they can do reports, that they do investigations,” he said.

FOX45 News reached out to the mayor’s office for comment. A spokesperson said the office is reviewing the order but not commenting because the matter remains in active litigation.

Follow FOX45 reporter Keith Daniels on X and Facebook. Send tips to Kdaniels@sbgtv.com.