During a second day of testimony in the defamation case against former Butler County Commissioner Jim Eckstein, the defendant himself took the witness stand and refuted a report from a state Attorney General Office’s investigation.

According to Eckstein, Special Agent Gary Talent’s accounting of an interview between them is erroneous.

Eckstein said he never told Talent there was a kickback pay raise for county personnel director Lori Altman to receive an extra 20 percent pay hike in exchange for former Commissioner Dale Pinkerton being left off the hook for a drunken driving pullover.

According to Eckstein, Talent’s report has numerous lies about what was said in their interview.

Pinkerton, Lori Altman, and her husband, Scott Altman, are the plaintiffs.

Earlier in the day’s testimony, County Assistant District Attorney Ben Simon also took the witness stand saying Eckstein told him the rumor was true.

The trial is on-going, and expected to continue into next week.