U MEMO 26-12

U MEMO 26-12
May 13, 2026
Internal Investigation Report of Alleged Workplace Violence; No Suspension or Discharge

Requester sought an internal investigation report regarding an allegation of workplace violence by a government employee (Employee), which did not result in the suspension or discharge of the Employee.  OIP concluded that the Employee had a significant privacy interest in the report under section 92F-14(b)(4), Hawaii Revised Statutes (HRS).  When a requested record carries a privacy interest, section 92F-14(a), HRS, requires OIP to then determine whether the public interest in disclosure outweighs the Employee’s significant privacy interest.  In the context of employee misconduct information, five non-exclusive factors set forth by the Hawaii Supreme Court guide this balancing test: (1) the government employee’s rank; (2) the degree of wrongdoing and strength of evidence against the employee; (3) whether there are other ways to obtain the information; (4) whether the information sought sheds light on a government activity; and  (5) whether the information is related to job function, or is of a personal nature.  After weighing these factors, OIP concluded that the public interest in disclosure did not outweigh the Employee’s significant privacy interest in the information in the report and that the County of Hawai‘i Mayor’s Office properly withheld the report under the UIPA’s privacy exception, section 92F-13(1), HRS.