Woman Files Suit to Force Perot to Run for President

A Florida supporter of former presidential hopeful Ross Perot filed a class-action lawsuit Monday seeking to force the Texas billionaire to honor his promise to be a candidate on the November ballot.

The federal suit filed by Michele Alexander accuses Perot of breach of promise and claims that many campaign volunteers left their jobs and “dedicated themselves emotionally” to Perot.

Hundreds of thousands of Perot supporters were shocked when he announced Thursday that he was withdrawing from the campaign.

Miami attorney Douglas Stein, who is representing Alexander, described her as a supporter of Perot and chairwoman of a political action committee, Citizens for Responsible Government.

Stein said the lawsuit does not seek any monetary damages. It does claim that campaign volunteers spent more than $50,000 of their own money on telephone calls and other campaign expenses based on Perot’s promise.

The suit asks for a jury trial in federal district court in Miami to force Perot to fulfill his promise to campaign volunteers.

The lawsuit was assigned to Chief U.S. District Judge Norman Roettger, but no hearing was immediately scheduled.

“The lawsuit is a simple contract action,” Stein said, adding that the contract was the promise Perot made to the public that he would run for President if his name appeared on ballots in all 50 states.

“Relying on that promise, millions of people nationwide, including my client, put forth money, time and effort to attempt to get him on the ballot in all 50 states,” Stein said.

That promise was made Feb. 20, when Perot appeared on CNN’s “Larry King Live” and said he would become a candidate if his supporters succeeded in placing his name on the ballot in all states, according to the lawsuit.

As of last week, Perot’s name had been placed on the ballot in Florida and 23 other states.

A spokesman for the Dade County committee of supporters of Perot said his group had nothing to do with the lawsuit.

“At this point, our committee is not in the midst of filing any lawsuit and certainly has not been in contact with Michele Alexander,” said Bill Spiegel, coordinator of the Perot headquarters in Miami.

Spiegel said that Alexander was not a member of the Dade County group and that he did not know her.