Moore v. USPS, No. 17-00773, 2018 WL 4903230 (N.D.N.Y. Oct. 9, 2018) (D'Agostino, J.)

Moore v. USPS, No. 17-00773, 2018 WL 4903230 (N.D.N.Y. Oct. 9, 2018) (D'Agostino, J.)

Re:  Request for "letters sent by the Postal Service directing employees to a 'non existent' address for psychiatric evaluations"

Disposition:  Granting defendant's motion for summary judgment

• Exemption 6:  "[T]he Court finds that the information requested by Plaintiff falls within Exception 6[.]"  The court explains that "[t]he types of letters requested by Plaintiff are considered medical records and are stored with each individual employee's medical file."  "The letters will likely include names and addresses of employees, and could possibly include phone numbers, email address, or other identifying information."  "The very nature of the letter, a referral for a psychiatric evaluation, is such that it includes information about a person's potential medical or psychological condition."  "As such, the requested materials are likely to contain information similar to that which may be found within a medical or personnel file."  The court finds that "[t]he substantial privacy interest in employee medical records outweighs any public interest in the information."  "Given the fact that the requested material could potentially include identifying information of postal employees and material related to physical or psychological conditions, the Court finds that disclosure of the information would constitute an unwarranted invasion of personal privacy."  "Plaintiff fails to provide any coherent public interest in the information or evidence that the Postal Service has acted in bad faith."