Kish Cumi Price sues Louisville Urban League over firing
Two months after she abruptly left the Louisville Urban League − after only five months as its president − former CEO Kish Cumi Price has sued, saying she was fired after bringing financial irregularities and conflicts of interest to light.
Price alleges in the lawsuit filed in Jefferson Circuit Court that she had also called for an audit of the Louisville chapter by the National Urban League.
She said she discovered issues with some of the Urban League’s biggest donors, including Humana Inc. and Brown-Forman Corp.
In the 23-page complaint filed Friday, she also alleges that after she fired chief operating officer Rhonda Mitchell for conflicts and allegedly keeping information from her about the misuse of $1 million grant from Brown-Forman, her predecessor Sadiqa Reynolds warned that Price had had better watch whom she fired from that point on.
The suit also says Reynolds “shockingly” asked her and board chair Kimberl Sisnett, “Am I in trouble.”
The Louisville Urban League is a nonprofit, nonpartisan, community service organization dedicated to eliminating racism and assisting “African Americans and other marginalized populations in attaining social and economic equality through direct services and advocacy.”
In a tweet Saturday night, it said it was “deeply saddened” by the lawsuit “as they detract from both the league's significant accomplishments and its important work in this community." The statement said the Urban League "vehemently denies the baseless allegations" made by Price and will vigorously defend against them to "protect its mission, vision and value."
In the suit, Price said board chair Kimberly Sisnett initially told her she was not being fired for cause, then told her in an email she was, but could not articulate what she had done wrong,
Price alleges in the suit that after she began the job last November, she observed the Urban League possibly "misappropriating grants and other funding," as well as potential conflicts of interests involving some of the league's board members and officers.
The suit claims Price told the board she was preparing to raise several issues during a March 21 directors' meeting but was fired the day before "in direct retaliation for her performing her statutory obligations as the President and CEO."
Price claims that Urban League employees were working improperly for a separate nonprofit entity while still being paid by the League. The lawsuit identifies that organization as the Norton Healthcare Sports and Learning Center, which is also known as the Louisville Urban League Sports and Learning Complex Inc.
State records show Reynolds, who preceded Price as president and CEO, is president of that entity.
Price also alleges the National Urban League told her the Louisville affiliate wasn't properly using money earmarked for education and health purposes.
The suit says $2 million of a $5.7 million gift was used to pay off a loan, which should have required Louisville-based Humana Inc. to be notified. But the Urban League hadn't told Humana, the suit claims.
The suit also claims that between January and March, Louisville Urban League used a $1 million grant from Brown-Forman Corp. in a way that the company hadn't been authorized.
Reynolds did not comment for this story.
This article originally appeared on Louisville Courier Journal: Kish Cumi Price sues Louisville Urban League
