Firm sues NV House candidate Amy Vilela and her campaign manager, alleging unpaid consulting fees

[ehrnst]

A company that said it provided consulting services to the campaign of progressive 4th Congressional District candidate Amy Vilela in its earliest stages is now suing her for breach of contract, saying she owes more than $90,000.

The People’s Project LLC filed a lawsuit May 8 in Clark County against Vilela and her campaign manager Keenan Korth, who described the situation as “a very small matter.”
................................................................

The company alleges that it contracted with Vilela to provide political consulting services from August 2017 through the primary. They say Vilela agreed to pay them as much as $8,000 a month plus 15 percent of fundraising proceeds, and said they provided everything from “emotional support” to scheduling services, interview coaching and assets for grooming and dressing.

The lawsuit says People’s Project notified Vilela’s campaign that they were resigning in December — just as sexual harassment allegations against incumbent Rep. Ruben Kihuen were emerging and her campaign’s chances started looking brighter — and the parties determined the consulting firm was owed $22,802. But they say she has only paid them $3,751, and that Korth, the member who remains with the campaign, is receiving funds due to the whole company and has competed against the group.

They also allege he has made unspecified racist and sexist remarks, and that Vilela’s Federal Election Commission filings don’t show payments made to, or debts owed to, the company. They’re asking for $90,000 in compensation for conspiracy, breach of contract and unjust enrichment.

https://thenevadaindependent.com/article/firm-sues-house-candidate-amy-vilela-and-her-campaign-manager-alleging-unpaid-consulting-fees

[Me.]

1. Supported By...

Nina Turner, Lucy Flores & Cenk...

[DURHAM D]

2. Why am I laughing? nt

[Me.]

7. You Know

[NurseJackie]

24. Of course. No surprise there.

(I'm trying hard not to laugh.)

[Me.]

25. Join The Crowd

[RandySF]

3. Why am I not surprised?

[Wellstone ruled]

4. Oops!

[Hortensis]

5. Why on earth didn't Vilela run for county commission or

some such thing to get some needed experience and do some good, before even considering running for national office? All these complete newbies flooding in. Neither big-league campaigns nor being a legislator are jobs for amateurs, especially the latter.

Ms. Vilela is backed by the Our Revolution and other fringe groups, which she probably was too inexperienced to take a clue from. These groups keep encouraging people who aren't going to win to run up debt. And what do they do for them when they lose? Cosign on an equity loan against their homes? Not hardly. Expensive learning experience.

[ehrnst]

6. Like Cynthia Nixon... ego tells them that political office is easy....

and they are supported by orgs who are long on talk, but short on actual experience.

[Hortensis]

9. Sure, and we can understand and admire the passion

and energy that develop that can-do spirit in amateur citizens. This poor woman was inspired by the death of her daughter to get involved. But the spirit needs to be based on some genuine can-do. U.S. congress? Nevada has crying need for better medical policy, regulation and funding. How about trying for the state legislature?

As you say, some organizations are encouraging people to run over their heads, but also a full-time campaign industry has grown up that needs to be fed 24/7/365. Even those without much experience themselves know to follow up their sales pitches with contracts to "just sign here."

[ehrnst]

10. When lack of experience is "cred"

then one is in the Trump supporter mindset.

[Hortensis]

16. Goodness knows 2016 should have taught

everyone to coolly scrutinize all candidates, and their records, very carefully for character, competence, experience. Who supports them and why? Who does not and why?

[RandySF]

8. I hope no chairs are thrown.

[Cha]

11. Can't pay their bills, eh? Who is this person, anyway?

Is she a Dem?

[Blue_true]

13. Our Revolution. Sort of explains everything.

Wonder whether she is hiding her tax returns.

[Cha]

14. Oh wow.. yeah, that does explain it.

Mahalo, Blue_true

[Gothmog]

12. Who is surprised by this?

[oasis]

15. Not ready for prime time due to half baked connections. nt

[sheshe2]

17. Not a good start, now is it.

[George II]

18. Some of these "progressive" candidates are "progressive" until it comes time to pay the bills....

This isn't the first time we've seen something like this months after a bill came due. Wasn't there a situation like this (not a campaign consulting company, though) where a campaign failed to pay a town in the San Diego area for security at a rally in 2016?

[mcar]

19. Incompetence or something else?

[mythology]

20. For all the people taking a dig at the Our Revolution connection,

please remember the 2008 Clinton campaign also didn't pay some vendors.

https://www.politico.com/story/2008/03/cash-strapped-clinton-fails-to-pay-bills-009259

A pair of Ohio companies owed more than $25,000 by Clinton for staging events for her campaign are warning others in the tight-knit event production community — and anyone else who will listen — to get their cash upfront when doing business with her. Her campaign, say representatives of the two companies, has stopped returning phone calls and e-mails seeking payment of outstanding invoices. One even got no response from a certified letter.

Their cautionary tales, combined with published reports about similar difficulties faced by a New Hampshire landlord, an Iowa office cleaner and a New York caterer, highlight a less-obvious impact of Clinton’s inability to keep up with the staggering fundraising pace set by her opponent for the Democratic presidential nomination, Illinois Sen. Barack Obama.

And in 2016:

http://whotv.com/2016/03/11/police-frustrated-with-clinton-campaign-over-unpaid-bills/

The Clinton campaign says as soon as they receive an invoice, they'll pay the Des Moines Police Department for the services they provided at the Katy Perry concert last October.

City Hall provided Channel 13 a copy of the invoice that has already been sent. The invoice is dated Nov. 19, 2015. The bill is almost $1,800.

The Marshalltown Police Department is dealing with the same problem.

“We have requested reimbursement from the Clinton campaign. We haven't received that payment yet,” said Marshalltown Police Chief Michael Tupper.

Sometimes campaigns don't pay bills either on time or at all. Maybe they didn't have the money, maybe one person in accounting thought somebody else was going to pay it, maybe it got lost in the pile of paperwork. But using it to mock the Our Revolution group when it's commonplace is just silly.

[Jim Lane]

21. You just don't understand how to assess allegations against a campaign.

If the candidate is Hillary Clinton, then the allegations are just allegations. Furthermore, even if the charge is true, it's no big deal.

On the other hand, if the candidate is a Democrat endorsed by Our Revolution, then the mere bringing of the lawsuit against her is proof positive that the Democratic candidate is completely in the wrong, which in turn is proof positive that she should not be nominated or elected.

Looking into the details, let alone hearing both sides of the story, is completely unnecessary in either case. In fact, only a Russian troll could think otherwise.

[herding cats]

22. Did Hillary's campaign make good? NT

[ehrnst]

23. Whataboutism. Not just for the Right wing anymore...

Especially when one points out that no one felt that the Clinton Campaign needed to be sued in order to get paid.

You need to post out of date stories to support your false equivalence. Of course you didn't post that she paid them:

https://www.usatoday.com/story/onpolitics/2013/01/23/hillary-clinton-campaign-debt-free/1857991/

I think you forget all of the savaging of Hillary here on DU for attending fundraising events, specifically by those who align closely with Our Revolution. She had to. Obama didn't do much fundraising during his presidency.

So the Our Revolution connection is valid.