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Minn. Congressional Candidate Sued By Consultant

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — The Republican candidate for Congress in Minnesota's 5th District was sued Friday by a fundraising consultant claiming he owes her money for work on his campaign.

In the lawsuit filed in Hennepin County District Court, attorneys for Erika Roland allege Chris Fields did not fulfill provisions of a contract he had with the professional fundraiser. Fields won the 5th District Republican primary last month and is challenging Democratic U.S. Rep. Keith Ellison in November in the Minneapolis area-district.

Roland's lawsuit asks that Fields pay her a total of $23,800. It alleges she had a contract with the campaign to be paid $3,700 per month, with bonuses of $5,000 and $4,000 for meeting certain fundraising goals. Roland alleges the contract also required a 60-day notice of termination worth $7,400, and she also is seeking attorney fees.

Roland alleges in the lawsuit that she and Fields met at the end of July, and that he sought to change provisions of the contract. When she demanded a $3,700 payment for July, she alleges he wrote her a check with different amounts on different parts of the check, leaving her unable to cash it. The lawsuit also alleges the campaign reached the agreed-upon fundraising benchmarks, but that she did not receive any bonuses.

A spokeswoman for Field's campaign was aware of the lawsuit but had no immediate comment. Roland's attorney did not return a call seeking further comment.

Fields, a retired Marine Corps officer, is making his first run for political office. Ellison is running for his fourth term in what has traditionally been an overwhelmingly Democratic district.

(© Copyright 2012 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)

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