Compliance May 26, 2011
NH High Court to Hear Arguments for Releasing Pensioner Names
May 26, 2011 (PLANSPONSOR.com) – The New Hampshire Supreme Court is set to hear arguments on June 16 in the case over a newspaper’s request for the names of the 500 pension recipients who received the highest payments in 2009.
Reported by Rebecca Moore
In September, a superior court judge ordered the system to release the information the Manchester Union Leader newspaper sought under the Right-to-Know Law (see NH Retirement System Appealing Order to Release Retiree Names). The system posted a list of information on more than 23,500 pension recipients displaying the adjusted gross pension amount, the benefit type, and the last position the retiree worked, but no names.
The New Hampshire Retirement System says the court misinterpreted the Right-to-Know law in the ruling, noting that the law refers to public employees and the retirees are no longer public employees. The NHRS maintains that releasing the names of pension recipients would be a violation of those recipients’ right to privacy.