The suit, filed last week in Warren County Circuit Court, charges Walter and his wife with defamation and tortious intrusion upon seclusion. Contacted Monday night, White declined to answer any questions about the lawsuit and referred inquiries to attorney Chris McDonough. McDonough defined tortious intrusion as "basically spying on the guy." "Yes, I'm aware of the lawsuit," Walter told The Record. "I can't comment about the suit, but I've had to hire an attorney to defend myself." McDonough said the lawsuit stemmed from an incident following a Wright City Board of Aldermen meeting on October 9. McDonough said after the meeting, White and Wright City Planning and Zoning Officer Jamey Abercrombie went to a local restaurant for a beer. According to one person familiar with the incident, who asked to not be identified, Walter and his wife allegedly waited in their car outside the restaurant. "They were lying in wait for the guy," said McDonough. "The actions border on stalking and it is an invasion of privacy." When White came out of the bar, Walter and his wife followed the mayor while he drove home. The source alleges that Walter believed White was intoxicated and called the Wright City Police Department to report he was driving erratically. Wright City Police Chief Henry Matthews acknowledged a telephone complaint was made to his department on Oct. 9 and that an investigation was conducted. Matthews declined to comment on the results of the investigation. But McDonough said White "categorically denies" any allegation that he was intoxicated on the night of Oct. 9. "This is a personal witch-hunt," McDonough observed. "You can't go around accusing people of being intoxicated without some merit to those charges." McDonough said White was seeking "complete vindication" through the lawsuit. Once Walter and his wife have been served with a summons, McDonough indicated the couple's attorney would have 30 days to file a reply. "Then we'll proceed with the discovery phase and we'll set the case for trial," McDonough said. "It's difficult to predict how long the entire process will take at this point. "But I do expect this case will be a trial by jury," added McDonough. "Defamation cases are difficult cases to make but we feel we have a very strong case in this instance."