The New Mexico Supreme Court has thrown out an appeal by prison health care contractor Corizon aiming to prevent publication of settlement agreements it reached with inmates alleging physician sexual abuse and malpractice.
Corizon will now have to release the records requested and pay fees for violating the Public Records Act, according to court officials. The case stems from a lawsuit originally filed in 2016 by two newspapers, the Albuquerque Journal and the Santa Fe New Mexican, alongside the nonprofit New Mexico Foundation for Open Government.
The New Mexico Supreme Court’s decision affirms prior rulings reached by two lower courts in the case. A district court ruling found that Corizon was obligated to release the records because it had performed a public function while under contract with a state agency.
The state Department of Corrections had contracted the company to provide health care to inmates at a cost of $37 million per year, according to officials.
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