Attorney seeks to quash subpoena seeking Hawley's testimony

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. -- U.S. Sen. Josh Hawley's attorney is asking a court to quash a subpoena against the former Missouri attorney general in a lawsuit over an open records dispute.

In motions filed Thursday, attorney Lowell Pearson argued Hawley shouldn't be deposed because he is a "high-level public official," and those officials should be required to testify only in extreme circumstances.

The subpoena was issued in a lawsuit filed by St. Louis attorney Elad Gross, a Democratic candidate for Missouri attorney general in 2020. He sued Gov. Mike Parson's administration after Parson's office charged $3,600 to process Gross' open records request. Gross complained about the bill to then-Attorney General Hawley's office, which sided with Parson.

The St. Louis Post-Dispatch reported Pearson also argues the subpoena was improperly served and Gross hasn't proven Hawley, who is not named in the lawsuit, has any relevant information to share.

Information from: St. Louis Post-Dispatch, http://www.stltoday.com