Missouri Attorney General’s Office filed suit against the City of Kansas City, MO, for violating Missouri’s Sunshine Law. Despite receiving a simple, lawful request for documents six weeks ago, Mayor Quinton Lucas’s office has failed to comply, denying Missourians their right to transparency and raising serious questions about how taxpayer dollars are being used to push a progressive political agenda and subvert the will of the people’s elected representatives.
“Missourians have a right to know how their money is being spent—and my office will not stand by while public officials try to hide the truth,” said Attorney General Andrew Bailey. “Transparency is a fundamental obligation under Missouri law.”
On March 3, 2025, the Attorney General’s Office submitted three Sunshine Law requests to the City of Kansas City. These requests sought receipts, billing statements, and records relating to outside legal counsel retained by Mayor Lucas and other city officials. Kansas City responded by claiming it would provide a cost estimate for documents within 15 days. Instead, more than 40 days later, the city has produced nothing—no records, no cost estimate, no communication, and no explanation for the delay.
“The people’s elected representatives took bold action to support law enforcement in Kansas City,” Attorney General Bailey continued. “Mayor Lucas has fought the people of Missouri every step of the way. We asked a simple question: how many millions of taxpayer dollars are being spent on out-of-state law firms to subvert the will of the people and fund a progressive political agenda? Instead of answering, it’s been crickets.”
The Attorney General’s Office filed the lawsuit in Jackson County Circuit Court, demanding that the City of Kansas City comply immediately and seeking civil penalties for knowing and purposeful violations of Missouri’s Sunshine Law. The complaint states: “The City failed to provide the requested records or deliver a detailed explanation of the cause for further delay and the place and earliest time and date that the record will be available for inspection within the three days required by Section 610.023.3.”
Attorney General Bailey emphasized the stakes for Missourians: “Our government answers to the people—it does not get to hide from them. My office takes Sunshine Law violations seriously, and we will not stop until Missourians get the full transparency they deserve.”
Today’s action sends a clear message: elected officials are not above the law, and the Attorney General’s Office will defend the public’s right to know how their tax dollars are being spent.
Original source can be found here.