Mississippi § 93-21-109 - Records withheld from public disclosure.

§ 93-21-109. Records withheld from public disclosure.

Records maintained by domestic violence shelters, except the official minutes of the board of directors of the shelter, and financial reports filed as required by statute with the board of supervisors or municipal authorities or any other agency of government, shall be withheld from public disclosure under the provisions of the Mississippi Public Records Act of 1983. Any employee, contractor, volunteer or agent of a domestic violence shelter, or of any other entity in possession of information which would tend to identify a victim of domestic violence, who discloses any information that is exempt from disclosure under the Mississippi Public Records Act of 1983, or makes any observation or comment about the identity or condition of any person admitted to a shelter or receiving services of a shelter, unless directed to do so by an order of a court of competent jurisdiction, shall be civilly liable to the person whose personal information was disclosed in the amount of Ten Thousand Dollars ($10,000.00), plus any compensatory damages that the individual may have suffered as the result of the disclosure. No employee, contractor, volunteer or agent of a domestic violence shelter shall be compelled to testify in any civil matter, or surrender any documents, files, or other records of the shelter, regarding a victim of domestic violence or sexual assault without the consent of the victim, except as provided herein. A defendant may request from the court an in camera review of the materials in possession of any shelter employees, contractors, agents or volunteers to determine if there would be a good cause for allowing disclosure of the materials. In deciding on disclosure, the court shall consider the following factors: The materiality of the information to the defense; and The effect disclosure may have on the victim and the victim’s relationship with the employee, contractor, volunteer, or agent of the shelter. A resident or staff member of a domestic violence shelter shall not be required to disclose the street address or physical location of that shelter to any public or private agency. In all cases where the provision of a physical address is required, a post office box address for the domestic violence shelter shall be deemed sufficient.