Lawsuit: Easom Chairman Abused Power, Lacked Financial Transparency

By Josh Mitchell

Corinth Today News Editor

A lawsuit has been filed against members of the nonprofit Easom Outreach Foundation Board of Directors alleging violations of bylaws and a lack of financial transparency.

The lawsuit was filed by Landolph Walker Lee, of St. Louis, Mo., who says she was formally suspended from the Corinth community foundation’s board after her attorney sent a letter raising concerns with the foundation’s board chairman.

Lee alleges that foundation board Chairman Samuel Crayton Jr. of Collierville, Tenn. has “engaged in a course of conduct which is detrimental to the foundation as a whole.”

Crayton declined comment and referred questions to his attorney, Scott Hollis of Olive Branch, who was not immediately available for comment Tuesday.

Further, the lawsuit charges that Crayton on “multiple occasions” has “failed and/or refused to provide Lee and other board members with financial information related to the foundation . . .”

Other foundation board members have failed to meet their fiduciary duties by not ensuring “financial transparency . . .,” the lawsuit alleges.

Additionally, the lawsuit states that the defendants have “disregarded” foundation bylaws. For instance, the lawsuit cites the bylaws, which state no officer shall serve more than two consecutive terms unless no one else can serve.

But Lee said she made it known that she wanted to serve as chairman, but Crayton refused to “relinquish his title” and continued to serve after his second term in “willful” violation of the nonprofit’s bylaws, the suit charges.

In fact, Lee said she was suspended from the nonprofit’s board after her attorney sent a letter to Crayton asking that he step down as chairman at the end of his second term.

“This retaliatory conduct was condoned and permitted by the other defendants,” the suit states.

The lawsuit seeks the removal of Crayton and others from the foundation’s board. It also seeks to award appropriate damages to Lee and/or the foundation as well as attorney costs.

An answer to the lawsuit had not been filed in Alcorn County Chancery Court as of Tuesday.