Simon Brown v The Information Commissioner

Simon Brown v The Information Commissioner

The appellant's request was found to be vexatious due to the excessive volume of requests, harassment of MOD staff, and the tenuous connection of the request to the core campaign purpose, which together outweighed any legitimate motive or public benefit, thus engaging section 14(1) FOIA.

Parties
Appellant: Simon Brown; Respondent: The Information Commissioner
Jurisdiction
England and Wales
Judgment Date
11 September 2024
Procedural Posture
Appeal / Final Judgment on the Papers
Outcome
Appeal dismissed
Legal Topics
Freedom of Information, Vexatious Requests, Public Authority Burden, Campaigning and FOIA
Information Law Administrative Law Freedom of Information Vexatious Requests Public Authority Burden Campaigning and FOIA

Case Brief

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Parties

Simon Brown

Appellant

The Information Commissioner

Respondent

Procedural Posture

Appeal / Final Judgment on the Papers

Legal Issues

  1. 1 Whether the appellant's FOIA request was vexatious under section 14(1) of the Freedom of Information Act 2000
  2. 2 Whether the Information Commissioner's Decision Notice was correct in law

Ratio Decidendi

The appellant's request was found to be vexatious due to the excessive volume of requests, harassment of MOD staff, and the tenuous connection of the request to the core campaign purpose, which together outweighed any legitimate motive or public benefit, thus engaging section 14(1) FOIA.

Court Disposition

Appeal dismissed