DATE: Tuesday, April 8, 1997                TAG: 9704080003

SECTION: LOCAL                   PAGE: B10  EDITION: FINAL 

TYPE: Editorial 

                                            LENGTH:   34 lines

A RIGHT TO KNOWVIRGINIA BEACH DID THE RIGHT THING WHEN IT BEGAN PUBLISHING A MONTHLY SUMMARY OF COURT CASES IT RESOLVES.

Virginia Beach City Attorney Leslie L. Lilley is to be commended for his office's decision to begin publishing a monthly summary of court cases it resolves.

``We want to avoid even the perception that there may be private settlements with public funds,'' said Lilley last week.

That's how it should be.

Most cities in Hampton Roads are self-insured. They pay court settlements with taxpayers' dollars. Taxpayers have a right to know where that money goes.

Unfortunately, Virginia Beach's open policy is the exception rather than the rule in Hampton Roads.

Portsmouth will answer public inquiries about legal settlements, but does not publish the results.

Chesapeake, Norfolk and Suffolk all keep some legal settlements secret.

Curiously, Norfolk City Attorney Phil Trapani admitted to staff writer Marc Davis that the city might have no right to keep such payments secret, but he argued that by doing so Norfolk helped protect the privacy of those who file suit against the city.

We disagree. People who file suit know that all lawsuits are a matter of public record. While individuals and corporations may have a right to keep legal settlements secret, cities should not.

We urge the other cities of Hampton Roads to follow Virginia Beach's lead. When it comes to taxpayers' money, there must be a full accounting.

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