Lawsuit renewed seeking e-mails from Mo. governor

Monday, August 25, 2008
JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) -- A bipartisan pair of prominent attorneys has renewed a lawsuit seeking e-mail records from Gov. Matt Blunt's office.

The amended lawsuit filed Monday also renews an assertion that someone acting under the control of the governor's office sought to destroy backup e-mail records.

The new version of the lawsuit was filed by former Democratic Lt. Gov. Joe Maxwell and Republican attorney Louis Leonatti. They were appointed by a court as special assistant attorneys general after Blunt's office objected to the legal authority of a St. Louis lawyer chosen by Attorney General Jay Nixon's office.

Nixon named an investigatory team last fall to look into whether Blunt's office is complying with Missouri's Sunshine Law and document retention policies.