Ousted Feed the Children Founders Keep up the Fight

Remember Larry Jones?  He, along with his wife Frances, were the founders of Feed the Children.  The key word is were, as the Joneses had been ousted from their positions on the board nearly two years ago.  Although we recently reported that the legal troubles between Mr. Jones and Feed the Children have ended, it appears that is no longer the case.  In a story just published on The NonProfit Times, we have learned that Mr. and Mrs. Jones have just filed a lawsuit against the current owners of the charity, and their family.  The suit alleges they had a hand in removing them from their positions.  Here is an excerpt from the piece:

Claiming tortuous interference, defamation and civil conspiracy, the lawsuit was filed Tuesday in Oklahoma County District Court naming David Green as a chief defendant along with his sons Mart Green and Steve Green, and grandson David Tyler Green.


David Green is the founder and owner of the Fortune 500 company Hobby Lobby, a retail chain of arts and crafts stores. Mart Green is founder of Mardel, a chain of Christian bookstores.


The Joneses are seeking a cash settlement with the hope of charting a new charitable direction, said their attorney Gary Richardson. The suit seeks “more than $75,000,” which usually means the parties are seeking in the millions of dollars.


“If we could get back Feed the Children that would be fine, but I think there is already too much water under the bridge. I think what the Joneses have in mind is to start another charity focusing on feeding children,” said Richardson during a phone interview with The NonProfit Times.


Jones alleges that after being summoned to a meeting with Mart Green in July of 2009, Green wanted to “rescue,” the charity, even though Jones believed that charity did not need any kind of saving.


“During the meeting,” said Larry Jones, “Green told me that he had ‘stuff’ on me, and that after a dinner he’d organize benefiting the organization, he would present me with a plague honoring my service, and then he wanted me to simply ride off into the sunset. I then turned to him and said, ‘sorry, I’m going to have to fight you on this’.”

Very interesting stuff, indeed.  Hats off to Sam Fanburg, one of our writers here.  I heard him on the phone all day getting information for this story.  You can read the rest of the article by clicking here.

Larry Jones and Feed The Children Kiss and Make-Up...Sort Of

In the newest installment of Nonprofit Times TV, we get the update on the now concluded legal struggle between Feed the Children and its founder, Larry Jones.  The Oklahoma City-based nonprofit recently announced that the litigation between the two parties has ended.  Terms of the agreement, however, were not disclosed as they were deemed "confidential."  We do know, however, that no part of the agreement will have Mr. Jones return to the organization in any capacity.  Jones was dismissed by the organization in 2009, which sparked his legal challenge of Feed the Children.

The dispute between Jones and Feed the Children has been well-documented, so it's good to hear that these two parties have finally put their differences behind them.  It is especially useful for Feed the Children.  This legal battle must have been a huge distraction to their business.  With the litigation over, they can get back to the job that Larry Jones intended them to do when he established the organization in 1979.  As always, give us your thoughts on this fascinating story.

Watch a New Episode of The NonProfit Times TV Today 1PM!!!

Watch Online at www.nonprofittimes.tv

In this webcast:
• Nonprofit CEO Gets 10 Years: CEO gets jail time for fraud.

• Feed The Children and Founder Settle Lawsuits: Larry Jones and Feed the Children have settled multiple, dueling lawsuits.

• Donors Want Travel, Dining From Charity Auctions: The top 10 items for online charity auctions.

• Watch online at http://nonprofittimes.tv

It take less then 7 minutes to watch the whole episode