HELENA — Gov.-elect Steve Bullock has agreed to drop his lawsuit over a $500,000 contribution former U.S. Rep. Rick Hill took during the campaign for governor, but the Democratic attorney general’s campaign manager said Friday he will still pursue a separate complaint filed with the state.
Lawyers for Bullock and Hill sent District Judge Kathy Seeley a notice Thursday saying the urgent circumstances that led to the lawsuit no longer exist now that the Nov. 6 election is over. The former candidates agreed to a settlement dismissing the suit and paying their own lawyer fees.
Bullock received 49 percent of the vote compared to 47 percent for Hill in the race to succeed Gov. Brian Schweitzer.
Hill received the $500,000 contribution from the GOP in October after a federal judge threw out the state’s campaign limits.
The 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals blocked that ruling six days later, and Bullock sued to force Hill to return the money.
Hill refused, saying he had followed the law in accepting the donation, and the issue became a central focus of the campaign in its final weeks.
Seeley issued a temporary order blocking Hill from spending the money or airing ads paid for with it. Hill’s campaign shut down all advertising, and most of its operations, for several days to comply.
But Seeley’s order was not a final judgment, and the two side’s agreement to dismiss the lawsuit likely means Seeley will not get to decide whether Hill’s actions were proper.
However, Bullock’s campaign manager, Kevin O’Brien, previously filed a separate complaint with the state commissioner of political practices over Hill’s acceptance of the money. O’Brien, who will become Bullock’s deputy chief of staff when Bullock takes office next month, said he has no plans to withdraw that complaint.
“The reason this was in District Court was that irreparable harm could occur if it wasn’t immediately addressed. With the election over, the appropriate venue for this is with the Commissioner’s office,” O’Brien said in a statement to the Associated Press.
The commissioner’s website says the complaint is one of 29 with investigations pending.
Montana’s individual contribution limits are between $160 and $630, depending on the office the candidate is seeking. The limits for political party committee contributions to a single candidate are between $800 and $22,600.