ST. LOUIS -- When it came to paying for her 60th birthday bash, State Sen. Robin Wright-Jones turned to Capitol lobbyists to pick up the bill.
And when the lobbyists didn't put up enough to cover the entire tab, Wright-Jones didn't pay it either, according to a lawsuit filed this week.
The swank Four Seasons Hotel -- which shares a riverfront building with the Lumiere Casino -- has sued Wright-Jones, a Democrat from St. Louis, for the unpaid portion of the bill of a $6,000 party held at the hotel last year.
The suit, filed Monday in St. Louis Circuit Court, alleges that Wright-Jones owes the Four Seasons $3,658 for the January 2010 party, plus additional costs.
After asking a reporter to send her a copy of the lawsuit, Wright-Jones did not respond to repeated requests for comments. In a text message Tuesday afternoon, the first-term senator said her attorney would be in touch.
The party, according to a menu attached to the suit, featured coconut shrimp hors d' oeuvres, a "made to order pasta station," roasted sirloin of beef with port wine sauce and a vanilla sheet cake with strawberries reading "Happy 60th Birthday Robin!"
Invoices for the party were addressed to Wright-Jones' official office in the state Capitol.
Court papers and other public documents suggest that at least $2,000 of the bill for the party was paid by Jefferson City influence brokers.
Invoices submitted with the lawsuit reflect four payments of $500 each. Those checks correspond to four $500 payments that appear on Ethics Commission forms filed by lobbyists who spent money on Wright-Jones' behalf last year.
For instance, lobbyist Thomas L. Holloway, who represents the Missouri State Medical Association, filed disclosure forms indicating a March 2010 expenditure for Wright-Jones. The reason he listed was "birthday party." About a week later, the Four Seasons reported a $500 credit on Wright-Jones' account.
It's unclear if a fifth $500 payment, from an American Express card, was made by Wright-Jones, another lobbyist or somebody else.
Veteran lobbyist John Bargdett acknowledged he received a call last year from a Wright-Jones aide asking "asking if I could assist in paying for part of a birthday party."
Lobbyists in Missouri routinely buy meals, gifts and trips for lawmakers. It is legal so long as it is disclosed. In 2010, lobbyists spent more than $5,000 on Wright-Jones, including $150 to attend a boxing match and $420 for three tickets and food for a Cardinals game in August.
Bardgett, whose clients include the Cardinals and the Las Vegas company that runs Lumiere casino, said Wright-Jones' request did not strike him as unusual. When lawmakers throw a party, he said, it's often lobbyists who are asked to pay.
"I get asked those kind of questions all the time," Bardgett said. "Very typical."
