This post was updated Aug. 27 at 8:12 p.m.
UCLA’s head of strategic communications asked a court on Wednesday to block the UC Board of Regents from releasing a report that her lawyers allege would damage her reputation.
Mary Osako, the university’s vice chancellor for strategic communications since 2019, requested a temporary restraining order and a preliminary injunction to block the regents from releasing an investigative report including details about her workplace relationships, performance and conduct, according to the court filing, first reported by L.A. Material. The substance of the allegations is redacted in the court filings.
Seven current and former UCLA employees requested the report under the California Public Records Act, according to Osako’s petition for a writ of mandate, a filing asking a court to order a government body to comply with its legal obligations.
CPRA allows the public to request records held by state and local government agencies, including the UC. CPRA allows requests to be denied if releasing the information would violate privacy.
Osako did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Chancellor Julio Frenk said in an emailed statement that Osako has led UCLA Strategic Communications through one of the university’s most challenging periods.
“Mary’s work has required strong judgment and hard calls, which she has consistently made while nurturing a culture of fairness and camaraderie,” Frenk said in the statement. “UCLA values Mary’s leadership and unwavering commitment to the Bruin community’s best interest in all that she does.”
The filing solely serves to block access to Osako’s private information, said Paul Rigali, Osako’s attorney, in an emailed statement.
“There is no conflict between Mary, UC and the alma mater she loves, including the fact that there have never been and are not any disciplinary actions of any kind against Mary,” he said. “This is a routine filing and, broadly, a necessary action that people take to combat individuals seeking to exploit the records act for their own gain.”
The employees who filed the requests had strained working relationships with Osako, according to her petition. Osako also alleged in her petition that the report contains factual inaccuracies, omissions and assumptions – many of which relied on anonymous complaints, witness statements and uncorroborated claims.
“As a result, the Report’s findings and conclusions are disputed and do not provide a reliable basis upon which members of the public may fairly assess Ms. Osako’s conduct, character, or professional qualifications,” Osako’s attorneys said in the petition.
Before joining UCLA, she previously served in senior communications roles at companies including Amazon, Yahoo! and Activision Blizzard.
The California Superior Court granted Osako a temporary restraining order Wednesday and scheduled a hearing about her request for a preliminary injunction for late September. UCLA is prohibited from releasing the report until the hearing.
[Related: UCLA names alumna first vice chancellor of strategic communication]
Grutman Law, P.C., a law firm specializing in workplace and campus investigations, prepared the report in December after it investigated allegations related to Osako’s performance as a UCLA employee and senior administrator, according to a declaration that Osako filed Wednesday.
Rigali said in his declaration that UCLA principal campus counsel Jennifer Tobkin informed him that the regents did not intend to oppose Osako’s request for a temporary restraining order.
Her attorneys argued in the petition that the report is a personnel record that would be an invasion of her privacy if publicized. The restraining order application also states that Osako was not publicly or privately disciplined following the investigation.
“Disclosure of the Report would also cause substantial and immediate harm to my professional reputation,” Osako said in her declaration.
