Accusations of secretive bookkeeping and missing answers have spilled into court for Dallas Pride, one of North Texas’s biggest LGBTQ+ nonprofits. A former volunteer has filed suit in Dallas County, claiming the group’s leadership covered up alleged internal embezzlement and stonewalled requests for financial records the public is entitled to see.
The lawsuit asks a judge to force Dallas Pride to open its books and records, spell out the nonprofit’s legal obligations, and cover the plaintiff’s legal tab. It marks a sharp escalation in what volunteers describe as a long-simmering fight over transparency inside the organization that stages Dallas’s marquee Pride festival and parade.
What the lawsuit says
The petition, filed June 8 in Dallas County’s 192nd Civil District Court and docketed as case DC-26-10367, alleges that a former Dallas Pride treasurer misused donated funds, that multiple Form 990 tax filings contain false information, and that the nonprofit failed to keep and disclose records required by law. The complaint also notes that Dallas Pride obtained federal 501(c)(3) status in March 2019 and warns that inconsistent or late filings can carry penalties.
Those claims and the specific remedies requested are laid out in the complaint posted by Dallas Voice.
Who filed and what he says he found
The plaintiff, Jeremy Liebbe, is described in the petition as having served as Dallas Pride’s director of security from October 2018 through July 2024. According to the filing, after the treasurer allegedly refused to give up control of the organization’s QuickBooks account, Liebbe secured access himself and then spotted what he believed were discrepancies in the books.
The lawsuit states that Liebbe began pressing board leaders for financial records in mid-2025, then followed up by certified mail when he did not receive what he considered a meaningful response. He is asking the court for declaratory and injunctive relief, along with reimbursement of his legal costs. The petition argues that “the abject failure of Dallas Pride’s current leadership to follow what is required by law places the organization in jeopardy,” quoting directly from the court document.
Dallas Pride’s structure and public profile
On its public materials, Dallas Pride identifies itself as a tax-exempt 501(c)(3) public charity and lists Frank Holland as board president and Sherrell Cross as executive director. The group organizes the annual Festival and Sunset Parade at Fair Park and maintains a public website with board and staff biographies, event details, and festival logistics, according to Dallas Pride.
Legal stakes and oversight
Federal rules require most public charities to file an annual Form 990 or, for smaller organizations, a 990-N, and to make those returns available to the public. A nonprofit that fails to file for three consecutive years risks automatic loss of its 501(c)(3) status, and late filings can trigger daily monetary penalties. Those enforcement risks are outlined in guidance from the IRS and the Texas Attorney General's Charitable Trusts unit, which can review and intervene in proceedings involving charitable assets.
State law also lays out procedures for notifying the Attorney General when charitable trusts or assets may be affected in court, and it gives the office tools to step in if it chooses. That backdrop is the legal scenery for the current fight over Dallas Pride’s internal records.
What comes next
Liebbe is asking the court to compel Dallas Pride to hand over the financial records he requested, to issue a declaration spelling out the nonprofit’s statutory duties, and to order the organization to pay his attorneys’ fees.
The case is expected to move into civil discovery next, where both sides can seek documents and testimony under oath. Depending on how it unfolds, the lawsuit could force changes in how Dallas Pride handles its governance and public reporting. Community members who have spent years asking for clearer accounting say they plan to follow the case closely as it winds its way through the courts.
