Blunt settles lawsuit, will release thousands of emails
From Sunshine Review
24 December 2008
Missouri Gov. Matt Blunt agreed to settle a lawsuit that accused him and other officials of"knowingly and purposely" violating state open records laws by refusing to release emails. In exchange for the release of thousands of pages of emails, the special investigators agreed not to refile the lawsuit.[1]
Contents |
[edit] The Deal
The settlement, reached Tuesday, sees Blunt's office turning over emails from the accounts of Blunt and five of his staffers during a three month period in 2007. In a joint statement attorneys from both sides agreed this is a "comprehensive settlement of all the issues pertaining to the governor and his office. Both parties agree, settlement of this matter is in the best interests of the citizens of the State of Missouri and the parties."[1]
However, Blunt admitted no wrongdoing in the matter.
[edit] Eckersly
The controversy over records began in September 2007, when Scott Eckersly, then legal counsel to the governor's office, told officials they should acknowledge to the media that emails can be public records and must be retained. Two weeks later he was fired, and has since filed a wrongful termination and defamation lawsuit.
After the settlement Eckersly said "Any release of public records is a victory for us. I hope the original investigators' report will list the numerous violations that were uncovered."[1] He plans to continue his lawsuit.
