Investigators add Ed Martin to Sunshine Law suit against Blunt
Martin
Ed Martin’s legal problems just got a bit stickier.
The special assistant attorneys general alleging violations of the Sunshine Law against the Blunt administration are seeking to add Martin in his individual capacity to their lawsuit. Martin is the former chief of staff to Gov. Matt Blunt.
Attorneys Louis Leonatti and Joseph Maxwell sought to add Martin to the suit after deposing him and combing through records of e-mails released by the Blunt administration. Martin had previously been sued only in his official capacity as chief of staff.
Leonatti and Maxwell, appointed by Cole County Circuit Court Judge Richard Callahan, filed their amended petition today. The case is tentatively scheduled for trial late this month.
The new petition uses depositions and e-mail records to allege that the governor’s office didn’t have a records retention policy and that the governor’s office failure to provide records that I had requested when I worked for the Springfield News-Leader is a violation of Sunshine Law.
The new petition also drops Dan Ross (head of the state’s IT department), Richard AuBuchon (former acting head of Office of Administration), and Larry Schepker (current head of OA) from the suit.
Leonatti and Maxwell also indicated their plan to depose Blunt himself on Dec. 11, though there are indications Blunt will object to that date.
So Tony, was the AG’s office retaining all emails all this time? Or does that “record retention policy” requirement only apply to Blunt?
Nick,
Of course the policy applies to all of government. The question is, have e-mails that are responsive to Sunshine Law requests been deleted, destroyed, or denied? The evidence in the case against the governor is that they were. E-mails that were about matters of public policy were deleted (by Ed Martin) and denied to exist. The evidence is that they existed.
I’m unaware of e-mails existing in the AG’s office that weren’t provided that were responsive to Sunshine Law requests. (Short of the allegations made by Tom Sullivan in a column I wrote a few months ago).
Tony
Leeeeeaaaaavvve Ed alone.
thanks for keeping us updated, Tony…
good, investagative reporting…
with facts.
the plot thinkens every day…
mr. ed better have a good lawyer.
Ed Martin looks more and more like a crook every day.
If one state employee looses his or her job after we spent tens of thousands of our tax dollars on this loser’s legal bills Jay Nixon should be recalled from office.
Ed Martin and his ilk are the reason people have lost faith in their government. He needs to be escorted to the nearest prison and left to rot for his crimes against Missourians.
Leave Ed Martin alone??
Not a chance. Ed Martin is a liar and a coward and he needs to be held accountable for his criminal acts.
Tony,
How much money have we spent on this clown’s lawyer?
Lock this bum up!
Nick quit defending what cannot be defended. You may like or know Ed personally but regretably he has acted without honor in this matter. The sooner we realize this, the better our prty will be. I am not sure what Ed’s punishment should be but it should be severe. What he did is wrong, wrong and wrong.
Let’s focus on Jay Nixon and how before he has even been sworn in he is breaking his ridiculous campaign promises.
How did a guy like Ed ever pass the bar exam? As the bible clearly states, “you will reap what you sow.” Ed might need to get a combine to handle this messy “harvest” he created…
I thought so, this is just more B.S. about the fictitious E-Mails. Looks like they would get tired of beating a dead horse.