The manager of Republican U.S. House candidate Rob Curnock’s 2008 campaign sued the campaign Thursday, seeking $16,000 he says he is owed for work during the 2008 election cycle.

The suit was filed Thursday afternoon in a McLennan County court-at-law on behalf of Larry Hunter. He took over campaign manager duties for Curnock’s campaign against U.S. Rep. Chet Edwards, D-Waco, in summer 2008.

As evidence of the alleged debt, the suit cites an e-mail exchange between Curnock and Hunter shortly before Hunter, who lives in Buffalo, N.Y., came to Waco for the campaign.

Rob Curnock is competing in a Republican primary runoff to see who will oppose U.S. Rep. Chet Edwards, D-Waco, in the fall.

In those e-mails, Hunter asked for a $20,000 salary. Hunter was paid $4,000 while he was campaign manager.

Curnock wrote back, saying he agreed to the terms and specifying that Hunter’s salary would be paid from the campaign’s coffers.

Hunter said Thursday he has spent the past two weeks seeking, without success, to resolve the alleged debt out of court.

“I feel I have tried every reasonable way to resolve this matter,” said Hunter, who is being represented by Waco attorney Robert Hanley in the case.

Curnock, a Waco small-business man, is competing in an April 13 Republican primary runoff with retired Bryan businessman Bill Flores.

Candidate fires back

Curnock said Thursday Hunter didn’t have a case.

“He’s not owed a dime,” Curnock said.

Curnock also questioned why Hunter tried to recover $16,000 in the height of the campaign season. He said Hunter was trying to leverage the bad publicity associated with the alleged debt to coerce payment.

“It sure feels like extortion,” Curnock said.

He added he has contacted law enforcement, though he declined to specify the agency to which he brought the matter.

Hunter responded, saying Curnock is “trying to play the part of the victim, when just the opposite is true.”

Dispute’s beginnings

When the dispute became public last month, Hunter noted Curnock’s campaign was in debt at the end of the 2008 election and argued that, as a result, it would have been a waste of time to try to recover what he thought he was owed at that time.

The lawsuit anticipates a similar lack of funds in Curnock’s campaign chest if Curnock doesn’t win the primary runoff.

In the case of a loss, it states, “in all probability, there will be no funds available” to settle the alleged debt to Hunter.

As a result, the suit asks the court to prevent, through an injunction, the Curnock campaign from spending $16,000 plus an unspecified amount to cover attorney’s fees.

Waco attorney David Deaconson, who is representing Curnock, said he thinks there is no precedent in Texas for the type of injunction Hunter is seeking in the suit.

mshapiro@wacotrib.com

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