Lawsuit lingers over Eatonville mayor seat

A lawsuit filed against one recently elected mayor for voter fraud will continue for now.

Ninth Circuit Judge Donald Myers denied a motion to dismiss lawsuits against Eatonville Mayor Anthony Grant and the Orange County Canvassing Board last month, stemming from former mayor Bruce Mount’s accusations of voter fraud in the town’s mayoral election back in March.

The attorneys representing the Orange County Canvassing Board and Grant filed the motion for dismissal claiming that the lawsuit should have instead been served to the Eatonville Canvassing Board, as they were supposedly responsible for approving the election results.

Myers ruled that there was no statute saying it wasn’t the Orange County Canvassing Board’s responsibility, denying the motion to dismiss.

Mount’s attorney Jacob Stuart said he was pleased with the judge’s findings.

“Obviously we’re happy; we have a long way to go before where we get to where we need to be,” Stuart said.

“We’re looking toward the future.”

Grant, who had served as mayor before Mount’s tenure, was voted back into office after earning 41.56 percent of the vote, defeating candidates Alvin Moore, Charles Bargaineer and Mount, regaining the mayor’s seat he had lost to Mount six years ago.

Mount had garnered more support at the polls on Election Day with 80 votes to Grant’s 70, but Grant’s 196 absentee votes were enough to earn him back his seat.

Stuart claimed that Grant had bribed people to vote for him via the absentee ballots.

Stuart said he and his client are now in a “discovery phase,” combing though bank records, emails and texts tied to Grant’s campaign and businesses he owns in search of a money trail or any incriminating evidence.

“[We’ll try] to verify our theory that he was using voter intimidation through his tenants, reducing people’s rent or paying people outright,” Stuart said.

“We are confident that the truth will show he committed systematic fraud and deception in the town of Eatonville.”

But Grant said he was confident that the lawsuit would be dismissed on a second attempt. He insisted that since the lawsuit was not initially served to the Eatonville Canvassing Board within 10 days of the their approval of the election results, it’s too late to contest.

“It’s going to be dismissed,” Grant said. “That lawsuit is going out the window.”

Stuart said that they are looking to put together a case quickly as the judge hopes to solidify the town’s leadership as soon as possible.

A hearing will take place over evidence found in the discovery phase within the next couple weeks, Stuart said.