Seized Hart Funds Can’t Go to ’84 Debts
Nearly $30,000 in contributions seized at a Hollywood fund-raiser for Gary Hart’s 1988 presidential campaign may not be used to pay off his 1984 debts, a judge has ruled.
U.S. District Judge James M. Ideman in Los Angeles said the funds must be returned to the 1988 campaign committee. The ruling, distributed to attorneys on Monday, was a victory for Hart’s supporters, who argued that the 1984 and 1988 campaign committees were separate organizations.
The money was seized April 15 by U.S. marshals, accompanied by attorneys for Semper-Moser Associates Inc., a Venice advertising agency that claims Hart owes it money for television time it purchased for him in 1984.
A Hart spokesman said the money will be used to pay off the debts of Hart’s 1988 campaign, which ended May 7, when Hart withdrew from the race.
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