State v. Bobbitt, 249 OrApp 181 (2012)

Holding:   Oregon’s bank privacy laws allowed banks to disclose financial records to the police when there is suspicion that the law has been violated. This requires that the bank have an independent suspicion, not that it rely on the fact that the police suspect that the law has been violated.

1)   Courts divine legislative intent “by examining the text of the statute in context, as well as, if necessary, legislative history and applicable canons of statutory construction.” citing State v. Gaines. at p. 187.

2)  Where there is no statutory definition, Courts give common words their “plain and ordinary” meaning, and consult contemporary dictionaries to divine what is plain and ordinary. at p. 187.

3)   Where a statute’s context, plus the desire for a “natural reading” compel it, a Court will adopt a construction that almost adds a word to the statute. at pp. 189-93.

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