Lawmakers who had an affair continue their fight, this time in court 
 
 Former state Reps. Todd Courser and Cindy Gamrat (Photo: Michigan House of Representatives) 
 
 LANSING — Former state Reps. Todd Courser and Cindy Gamrat have filed a notice with the Michigan Court of Claims that they could sue the state and others to recoup more than $500,000 for lost wages and compensatory damages for psychological and emotional distress related to their removal from office. Courser and Gamrat last month filed a document in the Michigan Court of Claims attempting to preserve their ability to sue the House, Speaker Kevin Cotter and their former aides for damages exceeding $500,000, arguing the potential defendants engaged in a “conspiracy” to end their political careers. The notice isn’t an actual lawsuit against the state and individuals associated with the proceedings that led to the Republican lawmakers leaving office on Sept. 11 — Courser of Lapeer resigned and Gamrat of Plainwell was expelled. Her attorney, Robert Baker, told the Free Press late Wednesday that his client will definitely file a federal lawsuit in U.S. District Court. Pleasant; three of their former staffers, Keith Allard, Ben Graham and Joshua Cline; Tim Bowlin, the director of the House Business Office; Brock Swartzle, legal counsel to House Republicans; Norm Saari, former chief of staff to Cotter; David Horr, a person who investigators have identified as the sender of anonymous text messages calling on Courser to resign his seat, and Michigan Attorney General Bill Schuette. And Schuette has filed felony criminal charges against both Courser and Gamrat for lying under oath, misconduct in office and asking staffers to forge their signatures on official “blue backs,” the documents filed when proposed legislation is introduced. Baker said his client hasn’t pursued the civil lawsuit yet because “the felony charges became a priority.” 
 
 Separately, Allard and Graham are suing their former bosses in Ingham County Circuit Court, arguing the Courser-Gamrat affair created a hostile work environment. But the notice came last month to comply with the six-month statute of limitations on lawsuits against the state. Contact Kathleen Gray: 313-223-4430, kgray99@freepress.com or on Twitter @michpoligal 
 
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– Todd Courser, the Michigan lawmaker who thought starting a smear campaign against himself was a good way to cover up his affair with fellow lawmaker Cindy Gamrat, now apparently thinks he has grounds to sue the state for forcing him out of office. Courser and Gamrat have filed an "intent to sue" notice, claiming that the Michigan House of Representatives, Speaker Kevin Cotter, and their former aides conspired to end their political careers, the Detroit Free Press reports. Courser resigned and Gamrat was expelled after a marathon 16-hour hearing last September, which the legal notice now alleges was "false arrest" and "false imprisonment," reports the Detroit News. Courser and Gamrat, both Republicans, filed the notice just before the deadline to preserve their ability to sue. The notice states that they could seek $500,000 for "psychological and emotional distress" caused by their removal from office, which they allege was more to do with their opposition to a road funding package than the affair and cover-up. They claim to be victims of "undercover surveillance operations, illegal wiretapping and eavesdropping, extortion, secret meetings, threats and intimidation, identity theft, invasion of privacy, and hacking," according to legal documents. In related legal actions, former aides are suing Courser and Gamrat for firing them after they helped expose the affair, and Michigan's AG has filed felony charges against the pair for misconduct in office, lying under oath, and asking staffers to forge their signatures on official documents.