Ellison seeks $500K in suit against KPM CPAs

Former KPM CPAs PC employee Larry Ellison claims he wasn’t treated fairly because he was older, and he’s seeking $500,000 in damages in the latest lawsuit filed against his former colleagues.

Ellison already has filed a breach of contract suit against BTC Partnership LLP, the managing group for the physical assets of the Springfield accounting firm. On April 30, he followed it up with a civil suit in Greene County Circuit Court, claiming he was blocked from serving on the firm’s executive committee and overlooked when client lists were divvied out to shareholders.

Ellison cited his age, 69, as the determining factor.

The 17-year veteran with KPM left the firm last summer to start EllisonLiggett Litigation Consultants with Brooke Liggett, another former KPM employee with discrimination claims against the firm.

“It’s always unfortunate that anything has to go to litigation, but it’s there. And justice will prevail through the court system,” Ellison said, deferring further comment to his attorney, Randy Scheer of Sanders Warren & Russell LLP.

Scheer declined an interview citing his no-comment policy on pending litigation.

“Mr. Ellison’s claims are set forth in the lawsuit, and he looks forward to his day in court,” Scheer said in an email.

Ellison filed the civil case against KPM and 12 of its shareholders three weeks after the breach-of-contract suit that seeks to be paid for his ownership share in BTC Partnership, plus $500,000 in punitive damages or the lesser of five times his actual damages. The suit claims Ellison wants to deter the company from similar conduct in the future.

KPM officials declined to comment on the case.

According to allegations in the case, KPM administrators escalated their discrimination against Ellison during his last few years of employment. The lawsuit indicates shareholders who were older than the Social Security retirement age were not allowed to sit on the firm’s executive committee.

The filing claims Ellison was never elected to the executive committee and was passed over for younger, less experienced workers.

When other shareholders left KPM, Ellison alleges their clients were given to other shareholders. In nearly two decades with the company, the lawsuit claims Ellison only received one minor client while younger shareholders picked up most of the business.

Four shareholders were named as having disparaged Ellison’s name in the community: Sean Balisle, Gregory Ramsey, Tammy Weller and Gary Wells.

“One of the four younger shareholder employees – defendant Wells – is now a member of the executive committee and commented at a shareholder meeting on June 28 that he had never forgotten or forgiven that Ellison was hired in above him,” the lawsuit reads.

In July, Ellison said his compensation took a hit when younger shareholders ignored Ellison’s agreed-to bonus formula for 2013 and all future years. In the lawsuit filing, former managing shareholder Mike Redmon is quoted as saying, “Yes, I know I and the executive committee agreed that your bonus would be calculated that way, but the old guys are coming under fire and the young ones want to put the old ones out to pasture.”

The case also alleges younger shareholders discriminated against older shareholders when KPM began merger talks with Davis, Lynn & Moots PC.

“There was significant discussion during the KPM meetings about the merger regarding what would be done about the older shareholder employees. KPM attempted to complete the merger without making the older persons partners,” the filing reads.

That merger closed Jan. 1, according to Springfield Business Journal archives.

The alleged discrimination extended to 11-year KPM employee Liggett, who Ellison had been grooming to take over his part of the practice upon retirement. According to the suit, the defendants discriminated against both of them and set back her partnership progression without providing an explanation.

Both Ellison and Liggett have filed discrimination claims with the Missouri Commission on Human Rights. Liggett cites gender discrimination.

After the BTC Partnership lawsuit was filed on April 10, Liggett referred questions about her own possible lawsuit against KPM to Scheer, who declined to comment. Liggett had not filed a case against KPM as of May 7.

None of the defendants have an attorney listed in the online court records as representing them in the suit as of May 7. Also, there were no scheduled hearings in the case at press time, according to court records.[[In-content Ad]]