LobbyistĀ Frank TsamoutalesĀ andĀ former Florida Senate PresidentĀ Mike Haridopolos have settled their respective lawsuits against each other, court records show.
The terms of the agreement, reached earlier this month, were not available in online court dockets.Ā Haridopolos andĀ Douglas Marks,Ā Tsamoutales’ attorney,Ā did not immediately respond to separateĀ emails sent Tuesday.
Tsamoutales sued first in February, in Leon County. He is based in Tallahassee but has clients across the United States.
Tsamoutales filed aĀ fraud and breach of contract complaint, saying Haridopolos ātrad(ed) on his former political positions to receive large sums of moneyā instead of āperforming meaningful work.ā
Haridopolos responded in kind in Brevard County courts. The former senatorĀ livesĀ in Merritt Island. He was state Senate PresidentĀ inĀ 2010-12 and ran unsuccessfully for the U.S. Senate, ending his campaign in 2011.
His lawsuit charged Tsamoutales, aĀ longtime friend, with never paying him for the lobbying work he did.
Each side denied the other’s accusations.
In August 2013, Haridopolos went to work as an independent contractor forĀ Tsamoutales Strategies. The deal included pay of $240,000 a year.
In his complaint, Tsamoutales alleged that he paid Haridopolos “close to $500,000.” Haridopolos, on the other hand, said he was owed “in excess of $350,000.”
Jim Rosica ([email protected]) coversĀ the Florida Legislature, state agencies and courts from Tallahassee.Ā
