State GOP leaders Monday called on DFL gubernatorial candidate Mark Dayton to disclose details on settlement of a seven-year-old lawsuit against him by a former aide.
In the 2003 suit, Brad Hanson alleged that Dayton wrongly dismissed him from his job as the Minnesota office manager for Dayton after Hanson asked for time off to deal with a medical condition. Dayton had said Hanson was fired because of poor job performance.
In his appeal, Dayton and U.S. Senate lawyers asserted that congressional members are protected from legal actions arising from official duties. A federal appeals court rejected that argument and said the case could proceed. It was later settled in February 2009, a month after Dayton filed to run for Minnesota governor.
State GOP Chairman Tony Sutton said Monday that Dayton should explain why the terms of the settlement were sealed, why he claimed immunity and questioned whether public money was used.
Dayton's campaign said Hanson was "terminated for cause" in 2002 and accused the GOP of "digging up an old story."
Dayton spokeswoman Katherine Tinucci said in a statement that "under the terms of that agreement Mark Dayton is only permitted to say, 'The parties have reached a settlement, the terms of which are confidential. I will reimburse the U.S. Treasury for the full amount of the settlement to relieve taxpayers of any such burden.'" Tinnuci said arrangements for Dayton to repay the Senate were part of the agreement. She said Dayton has repaid a portion of it, but would not cite an amount.
GOP candidate Tom Emmer has also dealt recently with questions about a lawsuit. A roofer filed a lawsuit against Emmer last month that accuses the Delano attorney of malpractice for his handling of a dispute in which Emmer represented the roofer.
At the Monday news conference, Sutton denied that raising questions about Dayton's lawsuit had anything to do with the recent reports of the lawsuit against Emmer.
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