Legal tab about $1.5 million for Blunt e-mail, staff lawsuits

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. -- The legal dispute over Gov. Matt Blunt's e-mails and a fired staff attorney has cost taxpayers about $1.5 million.

Records show the state has spent more than $900,000 to defend Blunt and several past and present administration officials against a lawsuit by former legal counsel Scott Eckersley.

Eckersley's suit alleges he was defamed and wrongly terminated after raising concerns about e-mail deletions in the governor's office. Blunt's office says he was fired for legitimate reasons.

Records show the state also has spent nearly $600,000 for an attorney general's investigation into Blunt's e-mail practices.