The flap over deleted e-mails in the Governor’s Office results in a lawsuit. Scott Eckersley, a lawyer who was fired from Governor Matt Blunt’s staff, has filed a suit in Jackson County Circuit Court, claiming several top Blunt aides ordered the illegal destruction of state e-mails – a violation of Missouri’s Sunshine Law.

Eckersley insists he repeatedly informed Blunt staffers that e-mails must be retained, and claims he was dismissed for doing so. He contends, in his suit, that the firing was a violation of state law protecting whistle-blowers.

Eckersley was let go last September. The Governor’s Office has claimed Eckersley was fired for a number of reasons – none of which had to do with the e-mails. The reasons given include a claim that he was fired for poor performance and another that he was conducting personal work on state time.