10-year Sunshine Law case in Cole County ends, more than $48,000 paid out to Malin
Ryan Shiner
JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (KMIZ)
A 10-year case in Cole County has ended.
A satisfaction of judgement has ended in Aaron Malin’s case against the Cole County Prosecutor’s Office. Malin had previously asked a judge to reprimand the office for not disclosing documents between the prosecutor’s office and a drug task force, according to previous reporting.
A judgement entered on June 12 indicates that $48,362.50 will be paid to Malin to cover attorney fees, costs and expenses.
“I’m glad this litigation has finally wrapped up. Unfortunately, the office’s initial response to Mr. Malin’s request back in 2015 set the tone for some fairly contentious litigation,” Cole County Prosecutor Locke Thompson wrote in an email on Tuesday. “I am appreciative that Mr. Malin agreed to come to the table to find an amicable solution to the case. Once everyone had a better understanding of the intent behind the request and our ability to find responsive records given the wording of the initial request, we were able to provide documents that were of particular interest to Mr. Malin.”
Malin’s attorney told ABC 17 News that the final check was received on Monday.
“Ten years ago Aaron Malin set out to make sure that the Cole County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office would be required to obey the Sunshine Law. It turned out to be a much longer, much harder fight than he possibly could have imagined, including three trips to the Court of Appeals and back. But the courts finally – and fully – vindicated his position, along the way establishing precedents that will help Missourians enjoy government transparency for years to come,” Dave Roland, director of litigation for the Freedom Center of Missouri, said in an email.