From the Cleveland Plain Dealer:

Fund-raiser attempts to sue state senator over win bonus'
Tuesday, February 14, 2006
Ted Wendling
Plain Dealer Bureau
Columbus
-- State Sen. Tim Grendell, a candidate for Ohio attorney general, is
trying to duck service of a lawsuit that accuses him of refusing to
pay a $50,000 "win bonus" to a fund-raiser in his 2004 primary race.
Papers that Grendell's lawyers filed in Franklin County Common Pleas
Court say the Chester Township Republican has never been served with a
summons stemming from a lawsuit that Sisk & Associates filed against
him in October.
The filings made for Grendell also contend that Sisk & Associates,
operated by Republican fund-raiser Kyle Sisk, served Grendell's former
campaign treasurer, John Ralph, after Ralph had resigned, invalidating
service on Grendell's campaign committee.
In response, Sisk & Associates has filed an amended lawsuit that names
Grendell's new treasurer -- former state senator and Browns tackle
Dick Schafrath -- but Grendell's lawyers are asking the court to
disallow the new filing as well.
Grendell declined to explain why he believes he doesn't owe Sisk the
$50,000 plus an additional $12,000 in fees.
"That's why they make courtrooms," he said.
"I don't try cases in the newspaper. Why would I give my opponent
advance discovery? That's a stupid thing to do.
"It's frivolous," he added. "He's in breach of the contract, and he's
not entitled to a dime."
Federal agents have been investigating Sisk as part of a two-year-old
public-corruption inquiry, prompting his former Republican clients to
treat him like a pariah.
But while Sisk has settled legal disputes with Attorney General Jim
Petro and others, his lawsuit against Grendell is a nagging reminder
of the dizzying round of political musical chairs in 2004 that landed
Grendell in the Senate, put a Lake County judge on the Ohio Elections
Commission and left Grendell's primary opponent holding the bag.
Sisk first offered his services to Grendell's opponent, former State
Rep. Jamie Callender.
When Callender balked at Sisk's fee, Grendell quickly signed a
contract that called for him to pay Sisk a $50,000 "win bonus" if
Grendell beat Callender.
Knowing that Callender preferred a judgeship, Grendell helped coax
former Lake County Common Pleas Judge Martin Parks to retire in
exchange for former House Speaker Larry Householder's recommendation
that Parks be appointed to the Elections Commission.
In turn, Brett Buerck, Householder's former chief of staff and Sisk's
business partner, lobbied Gov. Bob Taft to replace Parks with
Callender.
Hoping for the appointment, Callender never campaigned for the Senate
seat, allowing Grendell to steamroll him by a 24-point margin.
Callender was then left in the cold when Taft appointed Assistant Lake
County Prosecutor Vince Culotta to the bench.
Neither Sisk nor his attorney, Timothy Owens, could be reached for comment.