NRA V. ACKERMAN
NEWS REPORTS
Inside Wayne LaPierre's Battle for the N.R.A.
The New York Times Magazine
December 18, 2019
Wayne LaPierre was sitting in a chair with his hands over his ears, looking straight down. “It was horribly painful,” he said of the nearly two years of investigations, intrigue and infighting that have roiled the National Rifle Association, which he has led since 1991. Now, a once-invincible organization, and its chief, are girding for a legal reckoning. “I mean,” LaPierre said, looking up, “it’s the most painful period of my life.” READ MORE
NRATV Wanted to Become a 24/7 Newsroom Using NRA Funds: Ex-Host
The Daily Beast
December 18, 2019
The now-defunct NRATV streaming platform once had aspirations to be a full-fledged news operation, ex-host Grant Stinchfield claimed in an affidavit filed last week.
Stinchfield, who hosted an eponymous program on NRATV, claimed the National Rifle Association’s advertising firm Ackerman McQueen (AMc) — which ran the streaming platform — wanted to transform itself into a “live television newsroom” using the gun group’s deep pockets. READ MORE
NRA Accuses Its Long-time Ad Agency of Multimillion-Dollar Fraud
National Review
October 30, 2019
The National Rifle Association claimed in a court filing last Friday that its longtime advertising partner, Ackerman McQueen, used a recent foray into digital-content production to defraud it of millions of dollars while simultaneously diluting its storied brand by advancing “racist’ and “dystopian” cultural commentary.
The complaint, first reported by the Daily Beast, was filed as part of the NRA’s ongoing lawsuit against Ackerman McQueen (AMc), an Oklahoma City–based ad agency that has counted the NRA as its largest client for more than 30 years.
National Rifle Association Calls NRATV a 'Failed Endeavor' in New Lawsuit
The Daily Beast
August 30, 2019
The NRA filed a federal court complaint against Ackerman McQueen that seeks to enjoin the agency’s further misuse of the NRA’s brand for its own marketing purposes. READ MORE
How Wayne LaPierre Survived a Revolt at the N.R.A.
The New York Times
August 22, 2019
Previously undisclosed documents reveal a sweeping effort by top officials and lawyers to oust the longtime head of the N.R.A.
NRA Ekes Out Minor Legal Victories Amid TV, Leadership Chaos
The Daily Beast
June 26, 2019
After months of drama and discord, the National Rifle Association notched two small victories in court on Wednesday. Just minutes before news broke that the group’s top lobbyist had resigned, Judge Nolan Dawkins in circuit court in Alexandria, Virginia, ruled that the NRA does not immediately have to pay its former ad firm $1.6 million.
N.R.A. Shuts Down Production of NRATV, and Its No. 2 Official Resigns
The New York Times
June 25, 2019
Moving to clean house amid an organizational crisis, the National Rifle Association cut ties with its second-in-command, Christopher W. Cox; severed its relationship with Ackerman McQueen, its estranged advertising firm; and shut down live production at its online media arm, NRATV. READ MORE
NRA Files Second Lawsuit Against Ackerman McQueen, Seeking $40 Million for Alleged ‘Coup’ Attempt
Ad Week
May 23, 2019
The National Rifle Association has sued its longtime ad agency of record Ackerman McQueen for the second time in just over a month, accusing the agency of leaking unflattering information about the nonprofit gun group to the press and engaging in a “conspiracy” to “tarnish and ultimately destroy the image of the NRA and its senior leadership” and engineer a “coup.” READ MORE
N.R.A. Sues Longtime Contractor, Accusing It of Smearing Wayne LaPierre
The New York Times
May 22, 2019
The National Rifle Association sued its most prominent contractor on Wednesday, even as the gun group declared that it was “now moving forward” from an ugly power struggle that had consumed its leadership at the highest levels. READ MORE
N.R.A. Sues Contractor Behind NRATV
The New York Times
April 15, 2019
The National Rifle Association sued one of its largest and most enduring contractors late last week and raised concerns about the contractor’s relationship to the association’s own president, Oliver North, in a stunning breach within the normally buttoned-up organization. READ MORE