The Eleventh Judicial Circuit Court of the State of Missouri has ruled in the City of St. Peter ’s favor in a lawsuit filed in 2007 by the Great Rivers Environmental Law Center . The Judge also ruled that the Great Rivers Environmental Law Center should pay court costs for the court case.

Judge Ted House ruled for the City of St. Peters on all counts of the lawsuit, saying “the evidence of record does not support a finding that the City of St. Peters committed a knowing violation of the Open Records Law”…and “the City of St. Peters acted reasonably and in accordance with law in determining that the records sought by Plaintiff were subject to the ‘litigation exception.’”

In a press release, St. Peters Mayor Len Pagano (pictured above) said “We are very pleased that after a thoughtful and thorough review, the Court has decided the City of St. Peters was following the law regarding this issue.”  Mayor Pagano add that “the City of St. Peters very conscientiously follows local, state and federal laws and regulations. In fact, when this information request was made by the Great Rivers Environmental Law Center a year ago, we immediately sought guidance from the Missouri Attorney General’s office regarding the question. We will continue to do what is necessary to protect the City and our residents’ interests.”