PACleanSweep squabble in court

LEBANON - A dispute between the founder of a group trying to unseat incumbent lawmakers and several board members seeking to remove him as the group's chairman landed in court Wednesday.

Three people who say they legally are members of the PACleanSweep board sued founder Russ Diamond in Lebanon County Orphans Court, alleging Diamond improperly has acted as the group's leader after he was removed from that post last month.

"Russ Diamond is not the chairman," said Charles Pascal, an attorney representing Michele Diehl and the other two board members who are suing. "He doesn't seem to understand that."

The lawsuit asks a judge to order Diamond and six other people who support him to stop acting on behalf of PACleanSweep and to turn over the group's assets.

Diehl and others first sought to remove Diamond last month when they heard he was considering a run for governor, viewing it as a conflict of interest with acting as chairman of PACleanSweep.