A federal judge dismissed the National Rifle Association’s bankruptcy case Tuesday, noting that it wasn’t filed in good faith as the gun rights group and the backbone of America’s violent history only filed the suit because they were afraid of Tish James.
Born Letitia James, the New York attorney general did not come here to play with the NRA or their little friends. See, the bankruptcy case was only filed after James accused the all-white gun enthusiasts of using the NRA’s funds as their own personal GoFundMe.
The NRA declared bankruptcy in January, just five months after James’ office was looking to bust that shit up. James’ gang was looking into claims that executives for the NRA “illegally diverted tens of millions of dollars for lavish personal trips, no-show contracts and other questionable expenditures.”
From the Associated Press:
The judge was tasked with deciding whether the NRA should be allowed to incorporate in Texas instead of New York, where the state is suing in an effort to disband the group. Though headquartered in Virginia, the NRA was chartered as a nonprofit in New York in 1871 and is incorporated in the state.
Judge Harlin Hale said in a written order that he was dismissing the case because he found the bankruptcy was not filed in good faith.
“The Court believes the NRA’s purpose in filing bankruptcy is less like a traditional bankruptcy case in which a debtor is faced with financial difficulties or a judgment that it cannot satisfy and more like cases in which courts have found bankruptcy was filed to gain an unfair advantage in litigation or to avoid a regulatory scheme,” Hale wrote.
During the 11 days of testimony, NRA top executive Wayne LaPierre was forced to admit that he put the gun group into Chapter 11 bankruptcy without telling any of the board’s top brass.
“Excluding so many people from the process of deciding to file for bankruptcy, including the vast majority of the board of directors, the chief financial officer, and the general counsel, is nothing less than shocking,” the judge added, AP reports.
And Hale issued a sternly worded dart at the NRA, noting that if the case is refiled, he would immediately take up “concerns about disclosure, transparency, secrecy, conflicts of interest” between NRA officials and their bankruptcy legal team, AP reports. The judge added that the lawyers’ “unusual involvement” in the NRA’s affairs raised concerns that the group “could not fulfill the fiduciary duty” and might lead him to appoint a trustee to oversee it.
Hale did say that the NRA could continue to pursue legal steps to incorporate in Texas, but get this, it would require James’ approval and that shit ain’t happening.
LaPierre appears to have trouble reading the room as he issued a statement claiming that the group will continue to fight for gun rights, which is like promising to buy everyone drinks but they can’t get inside the club.
“Although we are disappointed in some aspects of the decision, there is no change in the overall direction of our Association, its programs, or its Second Amendment advocacy,” LaPierre said via the NRA’s Twitter account. “Today is ultimately about our members — those who stand courageously with the NRA in defense of constitutional freedom. We remain an independent organization that can chart its own course, even as we remain in New York to confront our adversaries.”
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