A four-year legal dispute over campaign signs in the city of Grant, which appeared resolved last spring, has been reignited with the feuding parties now reversing roles.

City Council Member Stephen Bohnen, who emerged from a bruising court battle with a dismissal last spring of a case filed against him by Jeffrey Nielsen, has now turned the tables, suing Nielsen, his two lawyers and their law firms.

The lawsuit filed last week in Hennepin County District Court accuses Nielsen and his legal team of abusing the legal system by using baseless lawsuits "to inflict hardship, harassment, intimidation and retribution" on Bohnen, rather than seeking resolution of a legitimate dispute.

The origins of the back-and-forth legal war began in 2010, when Bohnen decided to run for his first elective office in Grant, a city of 4,100 residents.

In the course of the campaign, Bohnen had reported to the Washington County Sheriff's Office that some of his campaign signs had been stolen. Fellow Grant resident Nielsen admitted to removing, but not stealing, the signs that he said were placed improperly. A theft charge against Nielsen later was dismissed in Washington County District Court for lack of probable cause.

Nielsen subsequently sued Bohnen, alleging that Bohnen violated the law by placing signs in prohibited places and that he engaged in retaliatory acts against Nielsen.

Bohnen won the election to Grant City Council in 2010, but did not run again this year when his term expires. He has spent nearly all of his tenure on the City Council embroiled in the legal proceedings.

A district judge this spring dismissed the lawsuit against Bohnen. A separate federal court action against Bohnen also was dismissed.

The protracted legal feud, Bohnen's lawsuit says, has caused him "physical injury, damage to reputation, emotional distress and economic harm," including legal expenses exceeding $50,000. The series of court cases, Bohnen's suit adds, were simply malicious. The suit asks for compensation for legal and medical costs, and other damages.

Jim Anderson • 651-925-5039 Twitter: @StribJAnderson