South Whidbey resident Eric Hood recently lost his effort to reopen a 2021 public records lawsuit against the city of Langley.

Island County Superior Court Judge Christon Skinner filed an order denying Eric Hood’s motion to vacate a judgment in the case based on allegations that the city provided false information in the original case.

Skinner originally dismissed the case in January 2023, finding that Langley provided documents in a timely manner and that Hood abandoned his request by not paying a $10 fee.

Hood is a prolific public records requester and filer of records-related lawsuits. Under the Public Records Act, agencies must provide documents with limited exemptions.

In February 2024, Hood filed a motion for reconsideration with the court. He claimed that the evidence shows that the city misled the judge about an email that wasn’t delivered.

After a new round of back-and-forth motions, the city’s attorney and Hood argued their case before Skinner on March 25. On April 16, Skinner filed his decision denying Hood’s motion, finding that a court rule Hood cited doesn’t allow a litigant to challenge an underlying judgment and that Hood didn’t prove that the new evidence would have changed the outcome.

Yet the legal skirmishes between Hood and Langley are not over. Earlier this year, the state Court of Appeals heard arguments in Hood’s appeal of Superior Court Judge Carolyn Cliff’s order for Langley to pay penalties and fees in a 2016 case, as well as Langley’s appeal of Cliff’s decision not to sanction Hood’s attorney for a “frivolous” motion.

Cliff had decided in Hood’s favor in one issue in his sprawling lawsuit over a request he made for a former mayor’s calendar, diaries and other documents. But Hood argued that the amount of penalties and fees was too little and that the judge’s reasoning for the amount was flawed.

Both sides are awaiting an opinion from the Appeals Court.