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Las Vegas resort sues tea party group over hotel bill
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LAS VEGAS REVIEW-JOURNAL
Some Tennessee tea partiers are in hot water with a Las Vegas gambling resort that's accusing them of skipping out on a big hotel bill.
On Monday Venetian Casino Resort, LLC., filed suit against Tea Party Nation Corporation of Franklin, Tenn., alleging the group owes $642,144 for canceling a conservative conclave last year.
The event, which had been scheduled for July 14-18, 2010, was first postponed until October and ultimately canceled.
The Daily Caller reported at the time there was a lack of people willing to pay $399 for a weekend pass or $125 per day to hear speakers such as conservative commentator Laura Ingraham or politician Sharron Angle, who at the time was in the midst of a failed campaign to oust Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Las Vegas.
The lawsuit covers the dates for the proposed July event.
Judson Phillips of Tea Party Nation said he hasn't seen the lawsuit and wouldn't comment on the accusations. Las Vegas Sands spokesman Ron Reese said the company would have no comment on the case.
Documents in the case filed in Clark County District Court allege the group reserved 1,637 room nights in the Palazzo hotel from Wednesday, July 14, 2010, through the following Saturday.
The Venetian and Palazzo resorts are owned by Las Vegas Sands Corp., and regularly host conservative political events. Las Vegas Sands CEO Sheldon Adelson is a major Republican political donor.
According to a contract attached to the complaint, the reservation included an agreement by Tea Party Nation to pay the resort $579,148 in the event of a cancellation, of which the resort alleges the group still owes $554,148. An 18 percent interest charge added $87,996 to the amount the resort wants to collect.
It's not the first time Tea Party Nation ran into problems hosting an event.
After charging up to $549 to attend a February 2010 event that included a speech by former vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin, some in the tea party political movement accused the for-profit Tea Party Nation of leveraging conservative enthusiasm for monetary gain.
When the October event in Las Vegas was canceled, some Nevada conservatives were relieved.
"They were kind of opportunistic," Frank Ricotta, vice chairman of the Clark County Republican Party and a former state director of Nevada Patriots, said at the time.
Debbie Landis, the head of Action is Brewing, a Northern Nevada tea party group, told the Review-Journal the cancellation was "the best news I've heard all day."
Contact reporter Benjamin Spillman at bspillman@reviewjournal.com or 702-477-3861.
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Before the self righteous Tea Party people lecture us about fiscal policy and paying off your debt, why don't they first get their own house in order. Quite frankly I find this story funny if it wasn't so sad.
why dont they contact the "tea party lady" from Reno, she is such a big talker or Ms. Palin...they all hung around them. And now some of them sitting in Washington and don't know A from B . ...talk is cheap
what is it with some of you people, the president said ....he said at the time when the corporation came to vegas and spend the money on wine and dine that should not happen and then they ask for a bailout.....did he say when these"people" made reservations not to pay...so stop blaming everything on the president..
Is she hot?
Day of Reckoning almost here (can't wait!)...stupid Dems and GOP'ers don't have a clue!!
Our military, law enforcement, and ELECTED OFFICIALS need to HONOR THEIR OATH TO THE U.S. CONSTITUTION!!!
oathkeepers.org
Can anyone be surprised? The average teabagger is a lying, racist, cheap, stupid retiree. These are the people who showed up at town hall meetings in their government-purchased electric scooters to shout, "Take your government hands off my Medicare!"
They held signs comparing Obama to a monkey, and sobbed about "taking our country back." They happily welcomed illegal Mexicans who stocked the shelves at the local Wal-Mart, or who cut their grass for next to nothing, but the minute they might want anything those people became the enemy.
Their organization is a pack of thieves? Really, who can be surprised? It's what the teabaggers are. Why shouldn't their organizations be thieves too?
The president of the United States warned all Patriotic Americans not to make trips to Las Vegas. Why should those who follow the dictates of Obama be punished?
Get real Teabaggers....you all created this political Frankenstein of frustrated, cheap deadbeats...now you just have to own it.
And it's not even remotely comforting to know that you have any young.
@First Grade Teacher: Maybe you should try learning something. As Alvinjh pointed out, the crook who uses the name "Tea Party Nation" has nothing to do with the Tea Party, and the Tea Party is NOT responsible for his conduct. But idiots who won't learn condemn the Tea Party for his actions. It's comforting to know that people like you are teaching our young.
This idiot national group & others just like it are exactly why more & more of us don't want associated with the words Tea Party. When they & Palin pulled their crap in Nashville it should have told everyone all they needed to know.