It seems that Diamond Jim Schellinger doesn’t like Jill Long Thompson pointing out that he made his fortune on the backs of Indiana property tax payers.

So his company is threatening to sue her.

Why?

Because her campaign dared to use photos of buildings that he and his firm designed.

Photos.

As if you could be sued by dozens of architects for merely taking pictures of the skyline of New York City; don’t tell the folks that made the intro for Law & Order.

(Read more after the leap)

Some of the comments at Taking Down Words add to the hilarity:

Perhaps old William Thorton’s family should sue Schellinger’s campaign since I doubt he obtained permission to use the photograph of the U.S. Capitol in his commercial now airing.

And the lawyers are chiming in, too:

Schellinger and his partners have no legal grounds whatsoever. JLT is protected under the First Amendment for any statements including visual support she makes against Schellinger.

She is entitled under the “fair use” doctrine to use materials such as photographs of anything within public view so long as she doesn’t use them for pecuniary profit. In any event, CSO is never publicly named in the commercial so they have no standing to raise a claim. No viewer would even know of CSO were it not for CSO’s actions to make it public.

The “cease and desist order” has no basis in law or authority for enforcement even if it did. This is a foolish stunt which will only have the impact of perpetuating the impression that Schellinger has something to hide regarding the property tax issue.

In short, it is a legally futile and political dumb move by Schellinger.

Gary Welsh of Advance Indiana calls it “the absolute dumbest political move of this year’s Indiana campaign cycle” (which is saying something, given some of the gaffes in this primary election).

One thing is for certain, Hoosier politics will be a lot less amusing on May 7, when Jim Schellinger goes back to bilking us for expensive designer schools, Jen Wagner is unemployed, and Jill Long Thompson starts lining up the folks at One North Capitol against the wall for the proverbial “firing” squad (political firings, that is).

(This post is also available via Hoosierpundit)