A court case which illustrated the current intra-party battles between traditional Republicans, who have long been serving the party and their Trumpy upstart counterparts, decided today in a Yankton County Court room with the traditional Republicans emerging victorious.
If you remember the court case that made the media earlier this year, “YANKTON COUNTY REPUBLICANS vs. DUANE BECKER, GREG ADAMSON, ROGER MEYER, DISTRICT 18 REPUBLICAN POLITIAL ACTION COMMITTEE” the most recently elected version of the Yankton County Republican Party had initiated a lawsuit against the former board, who, before their departure, made a decision as a body to form a political action committee so they could spend funds that they had raised consistent with the wishes of their donors.
The lawsuit was brought by the new board in an attempt to claw back those funds because they believed they could spend them better.
As it had been related by the media:
On Dec. 7, Butch Becker, the outgoing treasurer, used these assets to write a check for $12,000 to the District 18 Republican Political Action Committee, an organization formed one week earlier by three now-former members of the Yankton County GOP’s executive board: Becker, Vice Chair Roger Meyer and State Committeeman Greg Adamson.
and..
Meyer further added that the legally defined scope of the PAC is to support Republican candidates, meaning the money will not be used to “go on vacation” or other superfluous activities.
Of course, the current GOP Board didn’t like that. And so, they brought suit. Inexplicably, they hired an expert in Florida Probate Law, and the traditional GOP group that made up the defendants hired Joel Arends, who has litigated a number of politically involved cases successfully.
This afternoon in front of Judge Cheryl Gering, on behalf of the defendants, their attorney Joel Arends, argued that the courtroom was not the venue for the fight, arguing free speech on the former boards’ part, and that a court of law was not the venue to resolve and intraparty dispute.. to which the judge apparently agreed.
As I’m informed happened late this afternoon, I’m told the judge agreed, and dismissed the case, delivering a win to the defendants.
I hope to have my hands on the court decision in short order, but that’s what I’m getting through the grapevine tonight.
it’s great to see people give their personal honor and their promise to donors, and to see them fight hard to keep their promise and honor intact.