Lawsuit Over Whether Governor Crist Must Return Campaign Contributions Made Before He Left Republican Party Bogged Down in Procedural Dispute

On June 22, two Florida Republican donors had brought a lawsuit in state court in Florida, alleging that because Governor Charlie Crist switched from being a Republican candidate for U.S. Senate, to being an independent candidate for U.S. Senate, that he must return campaign contributions made by people who object to what he did.

That case, Morton v Crist, had been filed in circuit court in Collier County, 10-3846-ca.  Governor Crist, as the Defendant, had the case moved to federal court, because Crist is running for a federal office, and federal campaign finance laws supercede state campaign finance laws, for candidates for Congress and President.  The federal case is in U.S. District Court, Middle district, Fort Myers, number 2:10-cv-450.

On July 26, the Plaintiffs filed a motion to move the case back to state court.  They argue this is not a campaign finance lawsuit, but a lawsuit over breach of contract.  It will probably take several weeks for the federal court to decide whether to return the case to state court.  See this story.


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