In a letter sent out to National Wild Turkey Federation state chapter presidents and employees recently in an effort to bypass the “rumor mill”, CEO George Thornton says the organization has filed a lawsuit against three former employees and two former members of its national board of directors.

The Citizen News recieved a copy of the letter on Thursday and Mr. Thornton confirmed its authenticity on Friday.

In the letter, dated July 6, 2010, Thornton says, “After very thoughtful deliberation based on information we now have in hand and with the advice of legal counsel, the NWTF has filed suit against Dick Rosenlieb, Carl Brown, C.J. Brown and former national Board of Directors members Michael Tull and Earl Groves for acts that we believe damaged and continue to damage the Federation.”

Also in the letter, Thornton notifies chapter presidents that Rosenlieb and Brown, who each filed lawsuits against the organization two years ago after they were fired, have filed new legal actions against members of the NWTF’s current national board of directors.

Thornton went on to say the lawsuit – filed by the NWTF after the review of “significant amounts of information since 2008” – were justified as “it became clear there were actions taken by Brown, Rosenlieb and others that were intended to harm your NWTF.”

“The national board and staff of the NWTF have an obligation to protect your hard-earned position as one of the nation’s pre-eminent conservation and sporting organizations,” he added. “We believe that our lawsuit against these individuals is the responsible course of action.”

Information included in the countersuit contends that former board members Tull and Groves are behind the website www.takebacktheNWTF.com and that C.J. Brown is publisher of the site.

The first cause of action listed in the suit alleges “Equitable Indemnification” against Groves and Tull by alleging that although duty-bound to the NWTF as board members, the men “deliberately published and assisted others in publishing certain statements and comments, knowing and intending that such publication was likely to result in damage to the reputation of the NWTF as well as a risk of liability, legal fees and expenses to the NWTF.

The NWTF suit says their actions allowed for the publication of “false or misleading information”. 

The suit’s second cause of action alleges “breach of Fiduciary Duty” against Tull and Groves, in that according to the NWTF, the two former members did not “protect the best interests of the NWTF” while utilizing confidential information to harm the organization while still members of the board.

The suit goes on to allege that “Groves and Tull breached their fiduciary duties to the NWTF by … knowingly using confidential information learned in their capacities as members of the board for their benefit and for the benefit of others with interests adverse to the NWTF and publicizing confidential legal and personnel matters and publishing and/or assisting in the publication or dissemination of false or misleading information to persons outside the … NWTF.”

The suit alleges that the two men did so with the “intention that the use and publication of such information would damage the NWTF’s reputation and standing in the turkey hunting community, among its employees and in the community at large, or with reckless disregard to the possibility of such damage.” 

The suit’s third cause of action alleges “Civil Conspiracy” between Carl Brown, Richard Rosenlieb, Earl Groves, Michael Tull and C.J. Brown to publish false reasons and information pertaining to the firings of Carl Brown and Rosenlieb, file “vexatious litigation” against the organization and attempt to “weaken and compromise the NWTF’s and its agents’ ability to defend the pending litigation.”

The NWTF is seeking damages and punitive damages.
 
NWTF Photo by Larry Price.