Three county residents accused of impersonating the Butler County Republican Committee may face legal consequences after the committee alleges the three failed to abide by a court order requiring them to refrain from using the name.

In a petition for contempt of court filed Tuesday in the Butler County Common Pleas Court, Leo Stepanian — an attorney representing the county GOP — alleged Bill Halle, Erik Edwards and Zachary Scherer failed to abide the court’s May 10 order, and asked the court to hold them in contempt.

The court’s order required the trio to file two documents with the Pennsylvania Department of State withdrawing the fictitious name of “Butler County Republican Committee” and dissolving the nonprofit corporation they allegedly established with the same name. But, the real committee alleges, they haven’t done so.

Scherer claimed the ongoing litigation is the result of “a purposeful delayment (sic)” to the committee’s reorganization after committee chairman Al Lindsay lost re-election.

Neither the Republican nor Democratic county committees have reorganized following the May primary elections, in which members of the committees were chosen by each voting precinct. County solicitor Wil White said Wednesday the parties picked up certificates of election, which they then review and award to elected members, on June 15 and 16.

A database of corporations maintained by the Department of State shows the fictitious name and corporate registrations of the false committee remain active, but the database notes it is currently processing filings from June 13. The fictitious name registration shows Halle, Edwards and Scherer as owners of the false committee.

The county GOP’s allegations do not end with paperwork.

“The defendants have held meetings of newly elected Republican committeemen and committeewomen using the name ‘Butler County Republican Committee,’” the contempt petition reads in part. “It is believed ... that many of the Republican committeemen and committeewomen are confused and unaware or were deceived into believing that the meetings were of the real Butler County committee when in fact they were not.”

Halle, Edwards and Scherer were originally accused of having endorsed candidates for public office and soliciting donations for candidates the committee did not endorse using the committee’s name.

“Defendants are attempting to tortiously acquire (the committee’s) good reputation in the hopes of gain at the expense of” the committee, the original lawsuit reads in part. “By copying (the committee)’s name, the public and potentially political candidates could be confused, which would promote deceit and would result in material damage to” the committee.

President Judge S. Michael Yeager did not immediately rule on the committee’s petition for contempt, scheduling a hearing for Sept. 8. In addition to appearing, Halle, Edwards and Scherer are required to “bring to the hearing a list of the names and addresses of each person who attended the meetings and the meeting minutes for those meetings that they scheduled and held” using the committee’s name.