On July 16, the American Civil Liberties Union of Missouri (ACLU of Missouri) filed a Sunshine Law suit against St. Louis County because the County would not release an FBI audit regarding the embezzlement of county funds by Edward Mueth.
Today, Judge David Lee Vincent III issued his final judgment in this case.
"We brought this suit to promote transparency when St. Louis County claimed that the documents were not public records subject to the Sunshine Law," said Tony Rothert, legal director of the ACLU of Missouri. "The Court rightly rejected the County’s interpretation of Missouri law, found the records to be public and has ordered their production."
“We are pleased that the court agreed that the FBI audit is a public document and is subject to the Missouri's Sunshine Law," said Jeffrey Mittman, executive director of the ACLU of Missouri. "While we are disappointed that the audit will contain redactions, this does not detract from the real victory that records will see the light of day and be subject to citizen scrutiny."
When the audit is received, the ACLU of Missouri will post it on its website.