Chairman of Breast-Cancer Charity Sues Founder

The chairman of the Judy Ride Foundation, a St. Louis breast-cancer charity, has sued the charity’s founder, Michael B. Katz, accusing Mr. Katz of setting up a secret bank account with charity money, reports The St. Louis Post-Dispatch.

The lawsuit, filed this week in St. Louis County Circuit Court, alleges that Mr. Katz used money given by foundation chairman Edward G. Throop to open an account in both of their names, but never informed Mr. Throop of the account’s existence. It accuses Mr. Katz of then draining the account of more than $21,000. Mr. Katz was working as Mr. Throop’s lawyer at the time.

Officials from the foundation’s board said in March they had been investigating Mr. Katz since October for a series of alleged financial irregularities at the foundation.

Mr. Katz, who maintains he did nothing wrong, called the lawsuit “the most obnoxious creative-writing piece I’ve ever seen,” and said that Mr. Throop authorized him to open the account.