Sec. 7. (a) An action may be filed by any person in any court of competent jurisdiction to:

(1) obtain a declaratory judgment;

(2) enjoin continuing, threatened, or future violations of this chapter; or

(3) declare void any policy, decision, or final action:

(A) taken at an executive session in violation of section 3(a) of this chapter;

(B) taken at any meeting of which notice is not given in accordance with section 5 of this chapter;

(C) that is based in whole or in part upon official action taken at any:

(i) executive session in violation of section 3(a) of this chapter;

(ii) meeting of which notice is not given in accordance with section 5 of this chapter; or

(iii) series of gatherings in violation of section 3.1 of this chapter; or

(D) taken at a meeting held in a location in violation of section 8 of this chapter.

The plaintiff need not allege or prove special damage different from that suffered by the public at large.

(b) Regardless of whether a formal complaint or an informal inquiry is pending before the public access counselor, any action to declare any policy, decision, or final action of a governing body void, or to enter an injunction which would invalidate any policy, decision, or final action of a governing body, based on violation of this chapter occurring before the action is commenced, shall be commenced:

(1) prior to the delivery of any warrants, notes, bonds, or obligations if the relief sought would have the effect, if granted, of invalidating the notes, bonds, or obligations; or

(2) with respect to any other subject matter, within thirty (30) days of either:

(A) the date of the act or failure to act complained of; or

(B) the date that the plaintiff knew or should have known that the act or failure to act complained of had occurred;

whichever is later. If the challenged policy, decision, or final action is recorded in the memoranda or minutes of a governing body, a plaintiff is considered to have known that the act or failure to act complained of had occurred not later than the date that the memoranda or minutes are first available for public inspection.

(c) If a court finds that a governing body of a public agency has violated this chapter, it may not find that the violation was cured by the governing body by only having taken final action at a meeting that complies with this chapter.

(d) In determining whether to declare any policy, decision, or final action void, a court shall consider the following factors among other relevant factors:

(1) The extent to which the violation:

(A) affected the substance of the policy, decision, or final action;

(B) denied or impaired access to any meetings that the public had a right to observe and record; and

(C) prevented or impaired public knowledge or understanding of the public's business.

(2) Whether voiding of the policy, decision, or final action is a necessary prerequisite to a substantial reconsideration of the subject matter.

(3) Whether the public interest will be served by voiding the policy, decision, or final action by determining which of the following factors outweighs the other:

(A) The remedial benefits gained by effectuating the public policy of the state declared in section 1 of this chapter.

(B) The prejudice likely to accrue to the public if the policy, decision, or final action is voided, including the extent to which persons have relied upon the validity of the challenged action and the effect declaring the challenged action void would have on them.

(4) Whether the defendant acted in compliance with an informal inquiry response or advisory opinion issued by the public access counselor concerning the violation.

(e) If a court declares a policy, decision, or final action of a governing body of a public agency void, the court may enjoin the governing body from subsequently acting upon the subject matter of the voided act until it has been given substantial reconsideration at a meeting or meetings that comply with this chapter.

(f) In any action filed under this section, a court shall award reasonable attorney's fees, court costs, and other reasonable expenses of litigation to the prevailing party if:

(1) the plaintiff prevails; or

(2) the defendant prevails and the court finds that the action is frivolous and vexatious.

The plaintiff is not eligible for the awarding of attorney's fees, court costs, and other reasonable expenses if the plaintiff filed the action without first seeking and receiving an informal inquiry response or advisory opinion from the public access counselor, unless the plaintiff can show the filing of the action was necessary to prevent a violation of this chapter.

(g) A court may assess a civil penalty under section 7.5 of this chapter only if the plaintiff obtained an advisory opinion from the public access counselor before filing an action under this section as set forth in section 7.5 of this chapter.

(h) A court shall expedite the hearing of an action filed under this section.

As added by Acts 1977, P.L.57, SEC.1. Amended by Acts 1979, P.L.39, SEC.5; P.L.67-1987, SEC.6; P.L.38-1992, SEC.1; P.L.70-1999, SEC.1 and P.L.191-1999, SEC.1; P.L.179-2007, SEC.6; P.L.134-2012, SEC.15.