LAWSUIT!

Here is the complaint the Palm Beach judicial set is talking about, filed by prominent campaign consultant Rebecca Shelton against Marni Bryson for allegedly unpaid expenses and consulting fees from Bryson's successful 2010 county court campaign totalling $30,292.45.  Shelton was identified by Palm Beach Post articles as Bryson's "campaign manager", a role Shelton has performed for many judges and politicos in the Fifteenth Circuit.  The suit was filed April 1st by attorney Mark Shumaker, assigned to circuit judge Meenu Sasser.  Bryson was reportedly served in the courthouse last week.

The complaint is soon to be the newest headline in Bryson's short but newsworthy judicial career.  The Post has already published articles over Bryson's alleged personal relationships with a fireman witness, a DUI Defendant's ex-husband, a controversy over not disclosing a misdemeanor battery charge, and Bryson's official sanctionby The Florida Commission On Ethics, together with related stories over questions concerning Bryson's campaign money sources.  And now a public beef over another monetary issue connected to the 2010 campaign, this time with a former ally and confidante.

The Shelton complaint may be newsworthy besides a rare and juicy peek behind the judicial elections' curtain, since there are still unanswered questions regarding the manner in which the Shelton managed Bryson campaign was funded.

Here's what Bryson's opponent Laurie Stilwell Cohentold The Post at the time of the Ethics Commission's recommendation:

Cohen said the ethics commission never investigated where some $163,000 of Bryson's campaign money had come from.

"I don't think we'll ever know the answer to that question," Cohen said. "But at this point, it's moot. It's over."

And now it may not be over after all, since Bryson's staunchest defender is now an adversary.  If anyone can verify whether Cohen's concerns were valid, it would be Bryson's former campaign manager.  Definitely a wait and see.  In the meantime, we'll be following all the Shelton v. Bryson developments, so stay tuned ...