You may have read an article last week about three defendants in a lawsuit alleging pay to play in the Richardson administration filing motions to have the lawsuit dismissed.
The Associated Press article details the motions from former Richardson Chief of Staff Dave Contarino, State Investment Officer Gary Bland and Educational Retirement Board Chairman Bruce Malott. Frank Foy’s lawsuit, filed on behalf of the state, alleges that Contarino ordered Bland and Malott to make investments with Vanderbilt Financial and affiliated companies in exchange for a little more than $15,000 in contributions to Gov. Bill Richardson’s 2008 presidential campaign.
The state lost $90 million in the investment deals.
The three men have already denied the allegations. In his court filing, Contarino says Foy’s allegations aren’t supported by the facts. Bland’s motion to dismiss states that the lawsuit is “part of a McCarthy-style political witch hunt.”
Click here to read Contarino’s motion to dismiss, here to read Bland’s, and here to read Malott’s.