Our firm recently settled a campaign finance enforcement action against the Citizens’ Alliance for Property Rights PAC, a political committee registered with the State of Washington. The complaint alleged numerous violations of state law related to the committee’s failures to timely report contributions, expenditures, and lobbyist employer activity. Interestingly, the Executive Director who drew a salary from the PAC was the same person who has filed hundreds of campaign finance complaints against various other candidates, political committees, and other entities in Washington since late 2016, a Thurston County resident named Glen Morgan.
“I’m glad to announce that we have prevailed in this action through a settlement that will benefit the State and send a message to political committees and lobbyist employers to properly report their financial activity,” says Walter Smith of the firm. “These violations bothered me because Mr. Morgan knew enough about the laws to file complaints against others, but his committee failed to live up to those laws. Our firm feels vindicated by this settlement and we see it as an appropriate punishment for hypocritical behavior.”
The defendant has paid $15,000 to resolve this action. As part of the resolution of the case, the firm has tendered $1,000 of the defendant’s settlement payment to the State of Washington.
