DOVER-FOXCROFT, Maine — A Superior Court justice has ruled that a former chairman of the Piscataquis County Democratic Committee is entitled to $1,726.72 plus interest and costs for services and goods he provided to the committee.
In a three-count lawsuit heard March 22 in Piscataquis County Superior Court, Julius Erdo of Willimantic had named the Piscataquis County Democratic Committee’s executive committee, specifically members Donald Crossman, Willis Higgins, Richard Johnson, Theresa Mudgett, Patsy Fortier, Sylvia Johnson and Sharon Jones.
Erdo sought to recover $8,260.62 in loans and contractual services he said he had provided to the committee with its verbal approval, including two $500 loans, the construction of a podium for an open house of the committee’s headquarters, the purchase of advertisements and flags, and his labor costs.
The defendants claimed that Erdo made purchases and provided services without first getting authorization from the committee in a vote as stipulated by the committee’s bylaws. The members said they didn’t contest the work Erdo did, but said they had no obligation to pay for it.
Justice William Anderson, who heard the case, dismissed a counterclaim filed by the defendants against Erdo for intentional infliction of emotional distress and harassment. The committee members had claimed Erdo went “rogue” after the committee agreed to review the bills he had incurred without a vote, to see whether they were proper. Committee members testified that Erdo used foul and abusive language when addressing them about the bills.
In his ruling, Anderson said he found that Erdo had made one $500 loan that has not been repaid, and that some of Erdo’s expenditures had been made with the committee’s knowledge and consent. Because the Democratic Committee is a voluntary, incorporated nonprofit association, individual members are not liable for the debts of the association, but the committee as a whole is liable for the $1,726.72 judgment, he ruled.
Erdo said Anderson’s decision was “very fair and honest,” but he said Anderson missed a couple of important parts about the case.
“In fact, the committee did approve everything I did, because I wouldn’t have done it on my own without their direction and request having been chairman for only three months,” he said Thursday. “I had no knowledge of the bylaws and committee rules.”
Erdo faulted his own presentation of his case because, he said, he had been suffering from the aftereffects of surgery during the trial. He is considering an appeal, he said.
Attorney Willis Higgins, who served as counsel for himself and the others named in the lawsuit, said Wednesday the fact that “the justice dismissed all of the claims against the individual defendants was a big relief. Considering that Mr. Erdo was seeking in the neighborhood of $8,000, he certainly only got a small fraction of what he was after.”
Higgins said he just wanted to get the lawsuit over with and move on.
“I was a little surprised the judge didn’t do more with Mr. Erdo’s obscene language,” Higgins said of the counterclaim. Whether the committee will appeal the ruling will be up to its members, but Higgins said he would be surprised if the committee voted to do that.