Tea Party Nation founder sued by casino

LAS VEGAS, July 21 (UPI) -- A Las Vegas casino resort has sued the founder of Tea Party Nation Inc., saying Judson Phillips failed to pay the bill after canceling a conference last year.

The Venetian Casino Resort says Phillips, a lawyer in Tennessee, owes $642,000, The Tennessean reported. The resort said in a complaint filed this week in Clark County in Nevada that Phillips reserved a block of 1,637 rooms for four nights in July but called off the event less than a month before it was due to start.

Tea Party Nation, started by Phillips in 2009, is set up as a for-profit corporation. This has brought him some criticism.

His biggest triumph occurred in 2010 when Sarah Palin was the keynote speaker for the National Tea Party Convention in Nashville.

Phillips told the Tennessean he has not yet seen the Venetian's complaint and could not comment on the lawsuit.