{"disclaimer":"This is a summary of public court records and is not legal advice. Missouri slip opinions may be modified or withdrawn; consult the official source.","party":{"slug":"sheriff-carl-hefner-in-his-capacity-as-sheriff-of-stoddard-county-missouri-defendant","displayName":"SHERIFF CARL HEFNER, in his capacity as Sheriff of Stoddard County, Missouri, Defendant-","totalCases":1},"cases":[{"caseId":"moappsd:sd38762:undated","opinionId":"22212eb3-7e09-5b4e-92b5-67ee859c2caf","slug":"the-oliver-firm-lc-plaintiff-respondent-v-sheriff-carl-hefner-in-his-capa-d38762","caseName":"THE OLIVER FIRM, L.C., Plaintiff-Respondent\nv.\nSHERIFF CARL HEFNER, in his capacity as Sheriff of Stoddard County, Missouri, Defendant-Appellant, and AMY HOLDEN, in her capacity as Records Custodian for the Stoddard County Sheriff's Department, Defendant","caseNumber":"SD38762","court":"moappsd","courtLabel":"Missouri Court of Appeals, Southern District","decisionDate":null,"year":2026,"display_summary":"The Oliver Firm, L.C., representing the Pennington family, sued Sheriff Carl Hefner for violating Missouri's Sunshine Law by refusing to provide a bodycam video showing a deputy killing the family's dog. The trial court found the Sheriff knowingly violated the law and ordered him to pay a civil penalty, attorney fees, and costs. The appellate court affirmed the trial court's judgment, rejecting the Sheriff's arguments that the case was moot, that the court lacked authority to impose a penalty, and that the fees were unreasonable. The court also granted the Plaintiff's motion for attorney fees on appeal and remanded the case for their award.","primaryTopic":"administrative-law","topicSlugs":["administrative-law","appellate-procedure","standard-of-review","civil-procedure"],"outcomeNorm":"affirmed","officialSourceUrl":"https://www.courts.mo.gov/file.jsp?id=230673","detailUrl":"https://ott.law/missouri-courts/opinions/the-oliver-firm-lc-plaintiff-respondent-v-sheriff-carl-hefner-in-his-capa-d38762","relatedPracticeAreas":[{"slug":"criminal-law","label":"Criminal Law","href":"/practice-areas/criminal-law","score":20,"source":"tag","evidence":["tag: criminal-law"],"url":"https://ott.law/practice-areas/criminal-law"},{"slug":"litigation","label":"Civil Litigation","href":"/practice-areas/litigation","score":12,"source":"topic","evidence":["topic: civil-procedure","topic: appellate-procedure"],"url":"https://ott.law/practice-areas/litigation"}],"role":"appellant"}]}