Case Summary

Oliver North is the former board president of the NRA. In early 2019, North began making inquiries into apparent financial mismanagement and conflict of interest transactions at the NRA. His inquiries led to a power struggle within the NRA that resulted in his ouster. The NRA has brought two separate litigations against North in New York state courts.

First, North received a request for information about his allegations against the NRA from the United States Senate Committee on Finance. North also received subpoenas from the New York Attorney General’s Office as part of its investigation of the NRA and separately from the NRA as part of the NRA’s lawsuit against its former public relations firm, Ackerman McQueen. Facing potentially significant legal bills, North sought advancement and indemnification for legal fees incurred in responding to these inquiries.

The NRA denied North’s request and brought a lawsuit in New York state court, asking the court to declare that North was not entitled to advancement or indemnification.  While the court ultimately ruled that the NRA did not have to pay North’s legal fees, the litigation unearthed various facts that shed light on the controversies surrounding the NRA and its mismanagement. 

Second, the NRA separately sued North seeking his removal from the NRA and the NRA Board of Directors. The Court, in its ruling, sided with North in staying the litigation between the NRA and North until the competition of the New York Attorney General’s lawsuit with the NRA and four of its top executives. The Court’s reasoned there was a “significant likelihood that determination of the [New York Attorney General case] would dispose of this case [between North and the NRA] or limit the issues to be adjudicated.” (p.14).  The Court further noted that “North is obviously a key fact witness” in the New York Attorney General matter. (p.13). Among other items, the filings in this second litigation resulted in North’s internal submission to the NRA Hearing Board being made public.  

The filings on this page are a selection of the more significant filings in the matter.  The full docket can be accessed at the New York courts website here.