QUESTION
How can I resolve a "nasty" partnership dispute out of court with an reasonable partner?
Asked on Oct 31st, 2016 on Civil Litigation - Florida
More details to this question:
Three years ago I fired the corp.accoutant that we used for twenty -years, whom was a personal friend of my partners, because I didn't trust him. My partner and I ended up in a legal dispute. I hired another accountant, which he wasn't happy about, and decided to "clean up" the books, putting the "cash" employees that we BOTH knew about on the books. The new accountant paid the taxes and gave out 1099 at the end of the year but being in a lawsuit the partner brought up the unaccounted for $$ and account ME of stealing the money. I told him that he knew damn well that this was the cash wages. He denaccusing ME of stealing the though we BOTHhired another accountant who issued 1099 fosales tax and the outstanding cash was explained to the partner. HE DENIES knowing about this and claims that I embezzled it, even though there are 28 employees working there and I live in Florida, just like he does! We pay people to run our business. How should I respond to him?
1 ANSWER
Consumer Debt Collector Harassment & Abuse Attorney serving Tampa, FL
Partner at
Tischhauser Law Group
2 Awards
Thats the 64 thousand dollar question. You don't, and have likely self lawyered this issue into the quagmire that it is. You will need to retain legal counsel to address these issues directly ASAP and make some effort to control them before they explode. This is one of the problems when a business is rull illicitly and then the players get at odds with each other under the classic people in glass houses dont throw stones concept. Many times one of the payers or another simply throws caution to wind, risking criminal prosecutions for all, under the MAD theory of negotation, expecting YOU to give in because YOU fear the repercussions while he postures that he is not. You will also have to consider that you may well have been manipulated to this end, as you seem to have been the one drawing out the cash for the illicit payments when he did not and there may be little objhective evidence to show his knowlege other than your accusations or he said/she said conversations.
Answered on Nov 01st, 2016 at 10:16 AM
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