St. Louis Circuit Attorney Kimberly M. Gardner’s office has responded to a judge ordering the release of records by producing redacted documents.
Gardner was sued last year by the Post-Dispatch under the Missouri Sunshine Law after declining to provide access, claiming the records are exempt because they relate to legal action, causes of action or litigation involving a public governmental body, according to the lawsuit.
“We do not believe the statute or the case law interpreting supports the redaction,” said attorney Joseph E. Martineau of Lewis Rice who initiated the lawsuit on behalf of the Post-Dispatch newspaper. “The Circuit Attorney did release several documents, but they contained redacted material which we believe is not justified under the statute.”
Post-Dispatch journalist Joel Currier filed the request seeking all contracts the Circuit Attorney’s office has made with all third parties since January 1, 2017, according to Judge Joan Moriarty's order.
“We were not suing to have the contracts invalidated; just to see what they involved,” said Martineau. “I have never had a case where a circuit attorney has simply disregarded sunshine law requests, only to make some effort to comply months later and after a lawsuit is filed.
“Here we were seeking contracts involving public expenditures and the public has a right to know how its money is being spent, and for what. We are waiting to see what action the circuit attorney will take to comply. The current pandemic will likely slow things down as it has done with so many other things.”