A rising figure within the Vermont Republican Party has emerged victorious in a mud-slinging court battle against Len Britton, the 2010 Republican challenger to Sen. Patrick Leahy.
Jeffrey Bartley of Colchester, who served as Britton’s campaign manager, alleged that his boss failed to pay $31,825 owed to him for his duties.
Britton’s lawyer, Jack Welch, argued that Bartley did not have sufficient evidence to prove that there had been a contract and even if there had, Bartley didn’t carry out the duties that would warrant payment.
The case, decided by Judge Robert Gerety Jr. in the Windsor civil division of the Vermont Superior Court, ended squarely in Bartley’s favor. Gerety ordered Britton to pay Bartley $31,825 and to reimburse him for the cost of the lawsuit and attorney fees.
Bartley, who was 23 at the time of the campaign, is now 27 and chairs the Chittenden County branch of the Vermont Republican Party. He considered running for chair of the state party during the fall election, but decided against it.
The two-day trial, which took place in Woodstock in June, provided a detailed glimpse into the Republicans’ dysfunctional and underfunded campaign to unseat Leahy, the longtime Democratic incumbent.
Britton did not attend the trial but Welch and Bartley’s lawyer, Joshua Simonds, gave lengthy arguments, each alleging incompetence on the part of the other side. Bartley, who left the campaign before his contract was up, was the second Britton campaign manager to depart prematurely.
Key testimony against Britton came from a former adviser and longtime friend of the candidate. Tom Farmer testified that he had witnessed the signing of the original contract between Britton and Bartley, and he backed up Bartley’s assertion that Britton had proven unwilling to do the work needed to run a credible campaign.
One possible hitch in Bartley’s quest for reimbursement, however, is that the defendant in the case wasn’t actually Britton — it was the limited liability corporation (LLC) he formed for the campaign, which buffers members, in some cases, from being put on the hook for court fees.
Len Britton for Vermont LLC, has less than $1,000 to its name, according to the October 2013 quarterly filing with the Federal Elections Commission.
