West Virginia Code § 5A-8-24

Protection of personal information relating to judicial officers,
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prosecutors, and law-enforcement officers.
(a) This section shall be known as Daniel's Law.
(b) This act shall be liberally construed in order to accomplish its purpose and the public
policy of this state, which is to enhance the safety and security of certain public officials in
the justice system, including judicial officers, prosecutors, federal and state public
defenders, federal and state assistant public defenders, and law-enforcement officers, who
serve or have served the citizens of West Virginia, and the immediate family members of
these individuals, to foster the ability of these public servants whuo perform critical roles in
the justice system, and to carry out their official duties without fear of personal reprisal from
affected individuals related to the performance of their publtic functions.
(c) Definitions. — As used in this section:
(1) "Disclose" means to publish, publicly display, dilstribute, deliver, circulate, post, lend,
provide, advertise, or disseminate by any measns including, but not limited to, electronic
transmission and on any medium including, but not limited to, the Internet.
(2) "Immediate family member" means spouse, child, parent, or any other family member
related by blood or by law to the judicial officer, prosecutor, or law-enforcement officer, and
who resides in the same residence as the judicial officer, prosecutor, federal or state public
defender, federal or state assistant public defender, or law-enforcement officer.
(3) "Judicial officer" means the chief justice or an associate justice of the United States
Supreme Court, a judge of the United States Court of Appeals, a judge of a federal district
court, a magistrate ju dge of a federal district court, any other judge for a court established
by federal lawV, the chief justice or a justice of the Supreme Court of Appeals of West
Virginia, a circuit judge, a family law judge, a magistrate, an administrative law judge, a
municipal court judge, or any other judge established by state law.
(4) "Law-enforcement officer" shall have the same definition as that term is defined in
§29B-1-2 of this code.
(5) "Prosecutor" means United States Attorney or his or her assistant United States
attorneys, any other prosecutor established by federal law, the Attorney General of the State
of West Virginia or his or her assistant attorneys general, a county prosecuting attorney or
his or her assistant prosecuting attorneys, or any other prosecutor established by state law.
(d) Unless written permission is first obtained from the individual, a state or local
government agency shall not knowingly disclose, redisclose, or otherwise make available the
home address or unpublished home or personal telephone number of any active, formerly
active, or retired judicial officer, prosecutor, federal or state public defender, federal or
state assistant public defender, or law-enforcement officer.
(e) Unless written permission is first obtained from the individual, a person, business, or
association shall not disclose, redisclose, or otherwise make available the home address or
unpublished home or personal telephone number of any active, formerly active, or retired
judicial officer, prosecutor, federal or state public defender, federal or state assistant public
defender, or law-enforcement officer under circumstances in which a reasonable person
would believe that providing such information would expose another to harassment or risk of
harm to life or property. e
(1) A civil action may be maintained by the active, formerly active, or rertired judicial officer,
prosecutor, federal or state public defender, federal or state assistant public defender, or
law-enforcement officer, or any other person residing at the home address of the active,
formerly active, or retired judicial officer, prosecutor, federal or state public defender,
federal or state assistant public defender, or law-enforcementt officer, for any violation of
subsection (e) of this section.
(2) The court may award:
(A) Actual damages, but not less than $1,000, sfor each violation of this act;
(B) Punitive damages, if applicable, in accoirdance with §55-7-29 of this code;
(C) Reasonable attorney's fees and other litigation costs reasonably incurred; and
(D) Any other preliminary or equitable relief as the court deems appropriate.
(f) Any active, formerly active, or retired judicial officer, prosecutor, federal or state public
defender, federal or state assistant public defender, or law-enforcement officer whose home
address or unpublish ed home or personal telephone number is disclosed, redisclosed, or
otherwise maVde available by any person, business, or association may request that the
person, business, or association in violation of subsection (e) of this section that disclosed,
redisclosed, or otherwise made available the information to refrain from that action and
remove the information.
(g) Any immediate family member of any active, formerly active, or retired judicial officer,
prosecutor, federal or state public defender, federal or state assistant public defender, or
law-enforcement officer whose name, home address, or unpublished home or personal
telephone number, which may be used alone or in conjunction with any other information to
identify the person as the family member of an active, formerly active, or retired judicial
officer, prosecutor, federal or state public defender, federal or state assistant public
defender, or law-enforcement officer, is disclosed, redisclosed, or otherwise made available
by any person, business, or association in violation of subsection (e) of this section may
request that the person, business, or association that disclosed, redisclosed, or otherwise
made available the information to refrain from that action and remove the information.
(h) A request to refrain and remove information pursuant to subsection (f) or (g) of this
section shall be made in writing to the person, business, or association that disclosed,
redisclosed, or otherwise made available the information.
(1) Upon receipt of a written request to refrain and remove information, the person,
business, or association that disclosed, redisclosed, or otherwise made available the
information shall immediately remove the information from any location where the
information has been disclosed which is within the control of the person, buesiness, or
association.
(2) A civil action may be maintained by the individual whose information is disclosed,
redisclosed, or otherwise made available for failure to comply wiuth a request to refrain and
remove the information made pursuant to subdivision (1) of this subsection, and the court
may award injunctive or declaratory relief. If the court grantts injunctive or declaratory
relief, the person, business, or association responsible for the violation shall be required to
pay reasonable attorney's fees and other litigation costs reasonably incurred by the judicial
officer, prosecutor, federal or state public defender, federal or state assistant public
defender, law-enforcement officer, or immediate family member thereof, as applicable and
appropriate. s
(3) A person who willfully refuses to remove information within 24 hours of receipt of the
written request pursuant to subdivisgion (1), subsection (h) of this section is guilty of a
misdemeanor and, upon conviction thereof, shall be fined not more than $1,000, or confined
for up to six months, or both fiened and confined.
(i) This section does not prohibit disclosures required by state or federal law.

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