KENT COUNTY, Mich. (WWMT) — A lawsuit filed in Kent County's 17th Circuit Court Friday is seeking to legally clarify who is now the acting chair of the Michigan State Republican Committee.
This comes just shy of two weeks after former Chair Kristina Karamo was voted out by the committee on Jan. 6.
"Ms. Karamo’s refusal to allow the committee and the Michigan Republican Party to move forward, particularly with an election cycle rapidly approaching, requires swift judicial intervention," the lawsuit argued.
According to the lawsuit, Karamo allegedly refused to relinquish any power over the committee and held a special meeting Saturday that "purported to vote for Ms. Karamo to remain chair, as well as remove Ms. [Malinda] Pego and six other members of the committee."
This meeting also reportedly called for Pego and the other members involved to be barred from affiliating themselves with the committee for five years.
Pego, Ali Hossein, Hassan Nehme, Anne DeLisle, Jessica Barefield, Norm Shinkle and Warren Carpenter, however, called Saturday's meeting "illegal and improper."
"There simply cannot be two 'competing' Chairs of the Committee, or two separate factions each claiming to be the Committee," the lawsuit detailed. "Since that date [Jan. 6], Ms. Karamo has refused to acknowledge the vote and step aside."
All seven plaintiffs involved in Friday's lawsuit asked the 17th Circuit Court for declaratory judgement that legally names Pego as the Acting Chair of the committee until a successor takes over the role.
They are also seeking judgement for breach of contract, saying Karamo failed to comply with the committee's bylaws, and the following relief requests:
- A declaratory judgement that the December 16, 2023 meeting notice issued by Karamo did not constitute the call to a special meeting in accordance with the bylaws as requested on December 2, 2023 because it was not requested by the plaintiffs
- The December 31, 2023 call to a special meeting for January 6, 2024 was proper
- The January 6, 2024 special meeting called and attended by the plaintiffs was properly held
- A quorum was present at the January 6, 2024 meeting
- The petition calling for the removal of Ms. Karamo as Chair was properly submitted to the Secretary before the special meeting commenced
- The amendment to the bylaws was properly passed
- Ms. Karamo was properly removed as Chair of the Committee
- All actions that Ms. Karamo has taken after being removed on January 6, 2024, including but not limited to, any meetings she had called and held, are void and have no force or effect
News Channel 3 has reached out to Karamo for comment, but has not yet heard back.
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