A Florida judge has rejected a lawsuit that could have led to up to $7.5 million in refunds for thousands of contributors to the Senate campaign of Republican-turned-independent Gov. Charlie Crist.
Circuit Judge Jack Schoonover in Naples refused Thursday to certify a lawsuit brought by two GOP donors as a class action covering at least 2,000 similar contributors, the Associated Press reported. The decision means donors will have to sue individually for refunds.
The two Crist contributors claimed he broke a contract when he bolted the GOP in April to run for the Senate without party affiliation.
Republican Senate candidate Marco Rubio has a substantial lead over Crist and the Democratic nominee, Rep. Kendrick B. Meek, in most polls.
