Two years after local attorney Judson Phillips failed to lure tea party activists to a rally in Las Vegas, a judge is ordering him to pay the bill for a slew of hotel rooms he booked for the event.
Phillips, the founder of the for-profit corporation Tea Party Nation, owes the Venetian Casino Resort more than $748,000, according to the ruling. The hotel alleged Phillips reserved 1,637 room nights for a July 2010 event but then canceled the gathering just a few weeks prior.
A claim was filed against Phillips in July of last year.
The judgment, handed down last month by the Clark County District Court, represents the unpaid bill of $554,000 plus nearly two years of interest charges for another $194,300.
Phillips did not immediately return a phone call Wednesday seeking comment on the decision, nor did the attorney for the Venetian Casino Resort.
http://www.tennessean.com/article/20120808/WILLIAMSON/120808008/2275/RSS05
