JEFFERSON CITY — Here’s the text of the letter Attorney General Chris Koster provided to former state attorney Scott Eckersley as part of the state’s oral agreement:

To Whom It May Concern:

The Eckersley v. Blunt case was pending when I began serving as Missouri’s elected Attorney General in January of 2009. The claim arose from Mr. Eckersley’s termination from his job as Deputy General Counsel for then Governor Blunt. This case has been resolved by the parties. This letter is being written to assure, to the extent possible, that Mr. Eckersley is able to move forward personally and professionally without any misconceptions remaining.

Following Mr. Eckersley’s termination, written statements were issued to various media outlets, claiming Mr. Eckersley never offered advice pertaining to Missouri’s Sunshine Law. The evidence in this case refutes this assertion. Also, to the extent statements were made that implied Mr. Eckersley was doing family legal work without permission, our review indicates such statements to be inaccurate. It was learned during discovery that Mr. Eckersley had requested and received permission to perform some limited legal work for his family. Lastly, among various additional accusations were inferences or statements that Mr. Eckersley was possibly using illegal drugs. Statements to this effect are without basis.

Although this case arose before I took office, and did not involve either me or my staff, one of my tasks as Attorney General is to handle litigation involving the state as fairly and justly as possible. This letter represents an attempt toward that end.

Sincerely,

Chris Koster

Attorney General