NC media sue Easley, allege violations of public records law

RALEIGH (AP) -- Media organizations from across North Carolina have sued Gov. Mike Easley, charging that his administration violated the state's public records law through the "systematic deletion, destruction or concealment" of e-mail messages.

The complaint filed Monday in Wake County Superior Court asks a judge to declare that Easley violated the law because his staff told cabinet agency employees to delete or destroy e-mails sent to and from the governor's office.

The lawsuit stems from accusations made by a former spokeswoman at the Department of Health and Human Services. Debbie Crane accused the governor's press office of directing that such e-mails be deleted.

Easley and his attorneys have said there's no evidence that such a systematic destruction occurred.

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