Former LGBT Lobbyist Had Sued Gay Rights Organization

Mark St. John

A long-time State House lobbyist, Mark St. John, 62, who died suddenly at his home this past Sunday from natural causes, was embroiled in a lawsuit against the former gay rights organization whose issues he had championed before state lawmakers for more than two decades at the time of his death. St. John's lobbying firm, St. John & Associates, which was formerly known as Lambda Consulting, filed a civil lawsuit in the Marion Superior Court on February 21, 2014 against Indiana Equality Action in which he claimed the civil rights advocacy group still owed his firm nearly $40,000 for governmental affairs and lobbying services.

St. John last lobbied on behalf of Indiana Equality Action in the 2012 legislative session. The Bilerico blog had reported in 2012 that the LGBT rights organization had planned to file bankruptcy as a result of financial mismanagement, including the theft of funds by a former treasurer for the organization. A representative of the organization, who did not want to publicly comment on the lawsuit, said the organization never filed for bankruptcy, although its board had originally approved taking that action in 2012. A renewed effort to advance LGBT rights in Indiana with large corporate backing came under a new organization, Freedom Indiana, which replaced Indiana Equality Action's role in lobbying for LGBT issues before the Indiana General Assembly. Relations with St. John and his lobbying firm were severed by the organization's new leadership, which envisioned a different direction for the organization.

St. John's lawsuit against Indiana Equality Action, which was filed on his behalf by attorney Aaron Haith, was still pending at the time of his death. Indiana Equality's attorney had filed a motion against St. John to compel discovery responses in the case on July 3, 2014. The Court had ordered St. John to respond to the discovery requests by August 29, 2014. Karen Celestino-Horseman, one of the attorneys who handled the successful challenge to Indiana's Defense of Marriage Act last year, had filed an appearance to represent Indiana Equality last November after its prior attorney, Mark King, had withdrawn from the case. No recent activity had taken place in the case according to court records.