Court Sanctions County and Redevelopment Authority in FHHS Transparency Case

Historic Fairmont Heights High School Site

On July 7, the Circuit Court for Prince George’s County sanctioned Prince George’s County and the Redevelopment Authority of Prince George’s County (“RDA”) after both failed to serve discovery responses in litigation brought by Greater Capitol Heights Improvement Corporation (“GCHIC”) over public records and transparency concerning the historic Fairmont Heights High School site.

The Court found that the County and RDA “failed to serve timely responses” to GCHIC’s interrogatories and requests for production. The Court granted GCHIC’s sanctions motion and ordered both defendants to serve full and complete verified interrogatory answers, full and complete written responses to document requests, production of all nonprivileged responsive documents, and any privilege log within five days.

“This case is about a simple principle: public records about public land belong to the public,” said Bradley E. Heard, President of GCHIC and counsel in the litigation. “The Fairmont Heights High School site is a major public asset in the heart of our community. The public should not have to sue, fight prepayment demands, and then seek court sanctions just to learn what its government is doing.”

GCHIC’s lawsuit alleges that the County and RDA unlawfully withheld public records about the proposed redevelopment of the historic Fairmont Heights High School site—one of two schools built in the segregation era to educate the County’s Black students. It also alleges excessive prepayment demands and a failure to properly evaluate GCHIC’s public-interest fee-waiver request. The complaint further claims county officials intentionally excluded GCHIC from redevelopment communications because of its community-oriented advocacy and viewpoint concerning the school’s redevelopment. GCHIC originally sought the records in March 2025.

At the center of the dispute is a proposal by a private company, MegaMind Media LLC, to be gifted the county-owned site to construct a film studio and company headquarters. GCHIC has advanced a mixed-use, transit-oriented redevelopment plan that leverages the site’s proximity to two Metro stations and includes multifamily housing for working families and seniors, community uses, and preservation of the school’s historic legacy.

The sanctions order comes after GCHIC served discovery on April 13, 2026, seeking records and sworn responses concerning the County’s and RDA’s handling of the Fairmont Heights High School redevelopment process, the Maryland Public Information Act request at issue in the lawsuit, communications with preferred stakeholders, and the proposed use of the historic school property. The County filed no opposition to GCHIC’s sanctions motion. RDA opposed the motion, but the Court granted sanctions against both defendants.

“This ruling is all the more significant because the County officials’ approach to discovery mirrors the very transparency failures that forced this lawsuit in the first place,” Heard said. “When public agencies delay, demand money up front from nonprofits acting in the public interest, withhold records, and then fail to answer discovery in court, residents have every reason to ask what they are trying to keep hidden.”