Pinos Altos water association suit drags on
Written by
Geoffrey Plant
on December 8, 2020
A civil lawsuit filed in District Court in May against the Pinos Altos Mutual Domestic Water Consumers Association — which asks a judge to enforce an Inspection of Public Records Act request and accuses the association’s board of violating the state’s Open Meetings Act — is highlighting the pitfalls that
pro se, or self-represented, litigants risk when bringing an action in civil court in New Mexico.
Pinos Altos resident Mark Johnson, himself a former president of the water association, asked in his lawsuit that members of the association be forced to comply with New Mexico’s open government laws and produce water usage records for “the number of gallons billed through each Association meter from June 1, 2018, to May 31, 2019 — or just the beginning or ending readings — along with the account number, meter number, address and account name.”