Amended lawsuit accuses Blunt of violating public records laws
From Sunshine Review
4 December 2008
A revised lawsuit against Missouri Gov. Matt Blunt and his former chief of staff accuses the Governor of "knowingly and purposely" violating state open records laws by refusing to release emails. The suit, brought by special court appointed investigators, seeks fines against the two men, along with the governor's office.[1]
Contents |
[edit] Evolution of the lawsuit
Along with specific charges against Blunt, the amended suit adds former chief of staff Ed Martin as a defendant, accusing him of knowingly or purposely violating records laws. It alleges Martin told a reporter he could not produce his emails, when they were in fact still available on his computer as well as backup disks. With the addition of Martin, three officials who were named in earlier versions of the suit were removed.[2]
The cost of the lawsuit is nearing the million dollar mark. [3]
Blunt is highly critical of those bringing suit against him, saying the investigators "ought to be ashamed of themselves". [4]
[edit] Initial investigation
The revised suit is the latest round in a year long battle over Blunt's emails. It began in September 2007, when the Springfield News]Leader requested emails between the governor's office and anti-abortion interests. After they were told that no such emails existed, Attorney General Jay Nixon appointed investigators to see if Blunt was complying with email retention laws.
[edit] Reactions and ramifications
Blunt, who did not seek re-election and has one month left in office, said the investigators were "struggling to come up with sort of a coherent case," evidenced by the removal of the three and addition of Martin. Meanwhile, Martin declared, “The claims against me are unfounded. This is a politically motivated suit by Attorney General Jay Nixon.”[2]
Missouri law allows for fines up to $1,000 for government officials and bodies who "knowingly" violated open records laws, and up to $5,000 for those who "purposely" violated the laws. The investigators are attempting to take Blunt's deposition Dec. 11.[1]
[edit] Eckersley Deposition
In a deposition for the case, Scott Eckersley, former Blunt administration lawyer, described how Martin gloated about not turning emails over to the Springfield News-Leader. Eckersley said he was fired after warning officials that they were making inaccurate statements about the Sunshine Law. He has filed a wrongful termination and defamation lawsuit against Blunt and his office.[5]
[edit] References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Associated Press, Fines sought against Mo. governor over records law, December 4, 2008
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Kansas City Star, Revised lawsuit accuses Gov. Blunt of violating sunshine law, December 4, 2008
- ↑ Cost in Mo. gov. legal battles hits $1M, Associated Press, December 5, 2008
- ↑ Blunt: E-mail investigation "ridiculous", WGEM.com, December 10, 2008
- ↑ Kansas City Star, Eckersley claims Martin knew copies of Sunshined e-mails were available, but denied request anyway, December 11, 2008
