A letter written by Attorney General Chris Koster ends a long-running dispute between the administration of former Governor Matt Blunt and one of his top attorneys. Koster has signed a letter clearing former Blunt Administration attorney Scott Eckersley of any wrongdoing. Eckersley’s defamation of character suit against Blunt and some of his former staff members was dismissed in May. Eckersley received a $500,000 settlement from the state.

Eckersley filed suit against the administration in 2008, claiming the administration wrongly fired him and maligned his character after he warned it that the governor’s e-mail policy violated the state Sunshine Law.

The St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports that Koster withheld the letter from Eckersley until Eckersley promised to pay $200,000 to his attorneys, part of the Strong, Garner and Bauer law firm of Springfield. The law firm is closely tied to the Democratic Party. Koster is a Democrat. Koster’s office, though, denies his actions had anything to do with political considerations. The office says Koster merely wanted to make sure that the state wasn’t on the hook for any more legal fees.