It’s no secret that famed Houston investigative journalist and the Houston Livestock Show & Rodeo aren’t the greatest of friends. Why? Well I suspect that it’s because Dolcefino has made great strides to show Houston who the Rodeo really is. And now, they’re in a legal battle, this time with the Rodeo trying whatever they can to block the disclosure of documents that would establish the Rodeo’s continuing fraud.
This case comes down to one simple thing. The $500million/year Rodeo masquerades as a charity. But they’re not. The function as a for-profit company with high-dollar salaries to execs and even their own foreign investment portfolio. Does that sound like a Houston charity to you? It doesn’t to us either.
Dolcefino, while investigating a recent case involving the rape of a woman at a Rodeo-related event, sent in requests to the Rodeo pursuant to the Texas Nonprofit Corporations Act, which legally requires the disclosure of Rodeo expenditures upon request. This law was enacted specifically to hold charities accountable for their spending to ensure their charitable status. And now, the Rodeo is doing everything they can to prevent the disclosure of these document including filing a retaliatory suit against Dolcefino, hiring the ultra high-dollar Houston law firm of Vinson & Elkins, filing a mandamus appeal, and spending countless dollars that could have been used for their alleged charitable purpose simply to prevent disclosure of records that would prove they are not a charity at all.
Houston high-profile trial lawyer Jeff Diamant was elected as lead counsel to head the fight. See the full interview above.