Venetian sues tea party over canceled event

Venetian sues tea party over canceled event

A Las Vegas gambling resort is accusing some Tennessee tea partiers of skipping out on a big hotel bill.

On Monday, Venetian Casino Resort LLC filed suit against Tea Party Nation Corp. of Franklin, Tenn., alleging the group owes $642,144 for canceling a conservative conclave last year.

The event, which had been scheduled for July 14-18, 2010, was first postponed until October and ultimately canceled.

The Daily Caller reported at the time there was a lack of people willing to pay $399 for a weekend pass or $125 per day to hear speakers such as conservative commentator Laura Ingraham or politician Sharron Angle, who at the time was in the midst of a failed campaign to oust Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Las Vegas.

The lawsuit covers the dates for the proposed July event.

Judson Phillips of Tea Party Nation said he hasn’t seen the lawsuit and wouldn’t comment on the accusations.