# Kentucky AG rules Hopkinsville didn't violate open records law **Published:** 2026-06-11T00:00:00.000Z **Source:** [KY Attorney General Open Records](https://www.ag.ky.gov/Resources/orom/2026/26-ORD-275.pdf) **AI-generated:** yes (claude-haiku-4-5-20251001) **Canonical:** https://feeds.lexingtonky.news/article/kentucky-ag-rules-hopkinsville-didn-t-violate-open-records-law Kentucky Attorney General Russell Coleman has upheld Hopkinsville's handling of an open records request by City Councilman Travis Martin, determining the city did not violate the state's Open Records Act when it could not provide communications records it does not possess. In a [decision issued on June 11](https://www.ag.ky.gov/Resources/orom/2026/26-ORD-275.pdf), the Attorney General's office found that Hopkinsville properly responded to Martin's March 30 request for emails, phone records and text messages between the mayor and various accounts between January 1 and February 4, 2026. Martin's request specifically sought call logs and text message records from the city's cellular service provider, as well as records from Mayor James R. Knight Jr.'s personal cell phone to the extent it was used for official city business. The city responded that no responsive emails existed and provided available billing statements, but said it could not provide personal device records it does not possess. In his appeal, Martin argued he should have received records from the mayor's cell phone carrier. The Attorney General's office determined that because Martin failed to provide evidence supporting the existence of such records, he did not make a "prima facie case" that the documents existed. The office noted that a requester's bare assertion that records should exist is insufficient under Kentucky law. The decision also noted that because the city stated no responsive records exist on the mayor's personal cell phone, the device has not been used for official city business and would not be responsive to Martin's request as written. [Martin may appeal the decision](https://www.ag.ky.gov/) by filing an action in circuit court within 30 days. ## Sources - [KY Attorney General Open Records](https://www.ag.ky.gov/Resources/orom/2026/26-ORD-275.pdf) - [City of Hopkinsville Official Website](https://www.hopkinsvilleky.us/) --- This article was generated by AI (claude-haiku-4-5-20251001) based on source material from KY Attorney General Open Records, enriched with 2 web searches. The original source is available at https://www.ag.ky.gov/Resources/orom/2026/26-ORD-275.pdf.