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Meehan has yet to pay legal costs for ballot challenge
Republican Pat Meehan’s campaign reported finishing last month with about $900,000 in the bank. But that total does not reflect what will end up being an expensive slate of legal fees associated with defending his ballot position.
Meehan, who got to stay on the 7th District primary ballot after a challenge spearheaded by Democratic opponent Bryan Lentz, has yet to pay a dime to the law firm Cozen O’Connor, almost two months after it started representing him, according to campaign finance data. It’s unusual for a lawyer to work without an initial retainer, let alone go several weeks without sending a bill.
Campaign manager Bryan Kendro said the campaign has yet to receive a bill “that I’m aware of.” Former Commonwealth Court Judge James Colins, who represented Meehan in the case, did not return calls Friday afternoon.
“I would fully expect that will be on the next quarterly [report],” Kendro said. “We expect to pay for the legal services that were used and to pay the going rate. … I don’t expect it to be cheap.”
Lentz’s campaign has reported spending $35,000 in legal fees associated with the costs so far, but his campaign said that doesn’t yet reflect the total cost.
May 7, 2010 at 3:34 pm
Tags: Bryan Lentz, PA-7, Pat Meehan
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michael livingston
May 7th, 2010
But once people realize he’s going to win, the money will come in quickly. Just ask Pat Toomey.
bill healy
May 8th, 2010
Surprise,surprise another Republican with a trail of red ink behind him, don’t repubs believe in paying bills? Last thing the 7th district needs is another borrow and spend republican. Go Lentz.
bill healy
May 8th, 2010
Pat Toomey is going to lose big in November.
P. O'Neill
May 8th, 2010
Healy, you better watch what your own man is doing. Lentz has a six figure bill for lawyers and private eyes that he used for his Hail Mary tactic. He knows he has no shot at beating Meehan so he went all in on the petition challenge – when even local Democrats were telling him there was nothing there and there was only one guy with any bad signatures. He hasn’t paid that bill yet because the state and national Democrats would shut off the money spigot to him when they see how much he spends. He took his shot and missed – badly.
CG
May 8th, 2010
Sorry, guys –
Bryan has deep support in the 7th district, and has revealed the forgery used by his opponent’s team. As the article states, he is the only one who is paying his bill so far.
How are the criminal cases going? I am interested in seeing more updates as these cases move forward.
mystery ann
May 8th, 2010
How much did Meehan raise this last period? Why do you fail to mention that, Dan? Boo…
Let’s be honest — Lentz is already conducting his contingency campaign. You’re not going to be D.A. either, Bryan.
lostindunkindos
May 9th, 2010
The stench of pervasive fraud will linger even if the election court did not treat it as an election code event.
If the ancient and contentedly corrupt war board was not the benificiary of a historical majority (including partisan Da’s and Attorney Generals), the crimes would never have been comitted and would have been the subject of arrests of 9 big name republican political operaterors in Delco.
Getting away with a crime does not make it the legit subject political celebration.
The moral resposne should be outrage and a call for justice no cheesey talking point blog dreck.
David Diano
May 9th, 2010
Shouldn’t the Meehan campaign have listed the legal fees as a “campaign debt”, even if they didn’t pay anything yet?
bill healy
May 10th, 2010
Dave Republicans don’t pay debts they run up they blame them on Democrats.