HARRISBURG -- Carl Romanelli wants former House Democratic leaders and staffers to pay for knocking him off the U.S. Senate ballot in 2006 using state resources.

Mr. Romanelli, a Green Party member from Luzerne County, is suing state Rep. Bill DeWeese, D-Waynesburg; former state Rep. Mike Veon; the House; the House Democratic caucus, and dozens of named and unnamed state employees.

In a civil suit filed Monday in U.S. District Court in Scranton, Mr. Romanelli alleges the defendants mounted a "Herculean effort" using work time and state computers to challenge the validity of signatures on his nominating petitions.

The effort was successful; Mr. Romanelli, a Green Party candidate, was forced off the ballot and Democrat Bob Casey prevailed.

In the court filing, Mr. Romanelli's attorney Lawrence Otter said former caucus staffers Brett Cott and Mike Manzo convened a meeting in Mr. DeWeese's office to teach 30 staffers how to review petitions. Jeff Foreman, then a top aide, supervised the work by Mr. Veon's office staff "which worked day in and day out on the petitions, while being paid by the taxpayers," Mr. Otter wrote in the filing.

Mr. Cott and Mr. Veon both are serving time in state prison. They were convicted of using state resources to run political campaigns but acquitted of charges related to the Romanelli petitions.

Mr. DeWeese is awaiting a preliminary hearing later this month that will determine whether he should stand trial for allegedly putting two campaign operatives on state payroll. He was not charged with crimes involving the petition challenges.

Mr. Foreman and Mr. Manzo also are named as defendants. Both pleaded guilty to using state resources for campaigns. They await sentencing.

Also named as defendants are Karen Steiner and Bob Caton, state workers who testified during Mr. Veon's criminal trial that they worked on the petition challenges. Mr. Romanelli also is suing as many as 100 unnamed caucus employees who worked on the challenges.

He is seeking at least $300,000 worth of damages plus attorney fees.

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