Grand Prix lawsuit filed in Baltimore City Circuit Court

With less than three weeks to go before the inaugural Baltimore Grand Prix, the people who say they came up with the concept for the race say they haven't been paid for the idea.

The group "Baltimore Racing Development" is running the Grand Prix. But the idea came from a Baltimore man, Steven Wehner, and four of his associates when Wehner lived on the island of Martha's Vineyard, in Massachusetts.

One of them, Sean Conley, spoke with ABC-2 News by phone Tuesday Night, from his home on Martha’s Vineyard.

He said that last year, he and Wehner elected to sell their shares of the race back to the BRD group.

“Baltimore Racing Development was supposed to make a small payment several months ago and they didn't, and we tried to work out something and they apparently didn't want to work out something,” Conley said.

So, Wehner and Conley have filed lawsuits against Baltimore Racing Development in Baltimore City Circuit Court.

Wehner's, is for almost $750-thousand, and Conley's is for more than $300-thousand.

But Conley said the BRD group's failure to pay, and the lawsuits, are not an indication that the Grand Prix is having financial problems.

“It didn't have to go this way," he said. "They had the money and they chose not to pay. It's a lack of respect."

We were unable to reach Steven Wehner, and calls to Jay Davidson, who is the head of the Baltimore Racing Development group were not returned.

There is no word yet on a date for those lawsuits to come up in court.