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SFTP v Tea Party

You know, at least to me, they were much more interesting when they were "tea baggers."

Still, I suppose since it was just filed in the SD FL we should take a look at the complaint, which concerns the soon-to-be-doomed Tea Party movement:

A group of Florida Tea Partiers has filed suit against the team of conservative activists that registered the Tea Party of Florida (TPOF) as an official state party, alleging that their rivals "fully intend to 'hijack' the phrase 'Tea Party' for their political will and objectives."

In the lawsuit, filed moments ago in federal court in Florida, the Tea Partiers seek to push back against a bid by Orlando lawyer Fred O'Neal, and his close ally, GOP political consultant Doug Guetzloe, to claim rights to the Tea Party name.

In doing so, the Florida Tea Partiers become just the latest to sound the alarm about what they see as the increasing co-optation of a grassroots movement by political insiders. "We have a very successful movement, similar to the Civil Rights movement, or women's suffrage. And we have a political entity that's trying to take advantage of that," one of the plaintiffs, Everett Wilkinson, told TPMmuckraker in an interview. "They're trying to take that success and momentum and hijack it for their own political and/or personal needs."

Nothing coming up on PACER, so I don't know the judge assignment yet.

The suit was filed by Frank Herrera, now at Quintairos, Prieto in the Datran Center.

Before that Frank used to be at a quiet little firm you may have heard about in Fort Lauderdale, oh what's the name again?

Man, I gotta cut back on those Gibsons.....

Full post as published by South Florida Lawyers on January 19, 2010 (boomark / email).