Judge Orders Former Easley Staffers Deposed

Wake County Superior Court Judge Howard Manning’s order is a victory for the public’s right to know. Carolina Journal’s Jon Ham reports on yesterday’s hearing over the public records lawsuit brought by CJ and other media outlets.

Ordered deposed are:

• Cari Boyce, former Communications Director for Easley and currently Vice President of Corporate Communications for Progress Energy Service Company.

• Sherri Johnson, who followed Boyce as Communications Director to Easley and is currently Manager of Communications and government Relations for the NC Office of State Controller.

•Renee Hoffman, former Press Secretary to Governor Mike Easley and current employment unknown.

• Seth Effron, former Deputy Press Secretary to Easley and currently Communications Director for the State Energy Office in the NC Department of Commerce.

All four, including Easley, are defendants in the lawsuit. The suit, filed in April, 2008, contends Easley and his staff violated the state’s Public Records Law by ordering that certain e-mail records be destroyed, destroying at least one written document, devising e-mail retention policies that deviated from the law, and failing to provide for preservation of public records.