Seattle City Attorney Pete Holmes issued the following statement after the Washington State Court of Appeals upheld yesterday that the death-scene photographs of musician Kurt Cobain are exempt from disclosure under the Washington State’s Public Records Act and that the disclosure of the photographs would violate the Cobain family’s due process rights under the 14th Amendment of the United States Constitution:
“As both a father and an advocate for victims’ rights, I’m relieved the Court upheld that death-scene images are not appropriate for disclosure. After a family member endures the tragedy of losing a loved one, we have a moral obligation to protect their privacy. No one should worry whether they’ll happen upon photos of a family member’s body as they scroll through their social media feed.
“As a member of Washington State’s Sunshine Committee, I regularly advocate to open more records for public access, but out of respect to family members, I continue to believe releasing images of a person’s scene of death is out-of-bounds. I’m pleased with the Court’s thorough analysis of the issue, and I’m thankful to the attorneys in my office who defended the City, and, resultingly, the Cobain family members’ right to privacy.”