Source: San Diego Union Tribune
DEL MAR — Michael Robertson, the Internet entrepreneur who founded MP3.com in 1997, is suing the Del Mar Union School District for denying some of his recent requests under the California Public Records Act for internal emails.
Robertson, a Del Mar resident, filed the lawsuit in San Diego Superior Court on Aug. 8. Robertson’s two sons attended schools in the elementary school district, now with one in high school and the other finishing in June.
The lawsuit alleges that Del Mar Union wrongfully denied Robertson’s requests for all emails to and from Trustee Comischelle Rodriguez. According to court documents, the district has only released emails sent between Rodriguez and Superintendent James Peabody.
Robertson said he has made several request under the state’s open records law, which says any writing pertaining to the public’s business is public record, unless it is exempt, such as personnel evaluations.
Peabody, the district’s superintendent, said he could not comment on a pending lawsuit.
Robertson said he originally decided to pursue the emails to learn how the district spends taxpayer money. He said he became upset earlier this year when parents began receiving automated-phone calls with Peabody’s voice about a grass-roots campaign on the state budget crisis. Robertson said the call came at 7 p.m. on a Sunday to the emergency contact number he gave the district. He complained to the administration, and found out Peabody read a script written by the teacher’s union.
Robertson, a UCSD graduate, gained international fame when he founded MP3.com, a platform for music sharing that grew to more than 750,000 streaming and downloadable songs from 250,000 artists. The company went public in 1999, raising $344 million.
The Recording Industry of America successfully sued MP3.com for copyright infringement. Robertson paid $150 million to five recording labels as part of a settlement. Vivendi then bought MP3.com for $372 million in 2001.
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