A Nashville recruiting company that lost its good standing with the state last year is back on the books, but that hasn’t stopped one founder from taking the other to court. HireVenture was reinstated to good standing with the state on September 17, according to WKRN News 2, and five days later, co-founder John Mahoney filed an amended lawsuit against co-founder Holly Goold-Gawronski in Davidson County Chancery Court.
HireVenture, which keeps its principal office in Nashville, had been administratively dissolved in August 2025, according to WKRN News 2. The Secretary of State’s office told the station the dissolution came after the company failed to file its 2024 annual report. Mahoney’s amended complaint tells a related but more specific story, saying the dissolution traced back to an unpaid excise tax owed to the Department of Revenue.
As noted by WKRN News 2, Mahoney’s amended complaint says the dissolution traced back to an unpaid excise tax owed to the Department of Revenue, and that he paid a fee to the department on September 8 to bring HireVenture back into good standing — a move that preceded the state’s reinstatement just over a week later. The filing describes both Mahoney’s efforts to get the company reinstated and what happened in the company in the time since it was dissolved.
The reinstatement also involved tax clearance, a separate step from the company’s annual-report filing. Tennessee’s Secretary of State requires verification from the Department of Revenue before accepting an application to reinstate an administratively dissolved business. The Revenue Department says a business registered with the state owes a minimum $100 franchise tax even while inactive, and tax-return obligations can continue until the business is properly terminated. Those are general state requirements, not a determination of HireVenture’s specific tax liability. The reinstatement application requires tax-clearance verification, and the Revenue Department outlines tax obligations for inactive businesses.
Tennessee law limits an administratively dissolved LLC to winding up and liquidating its affairs, even though the company continues to exist. Reinstatement then relates back to the date of dissolution, restoring the LLC’s status as if the dissolution had not occurred. That retroactive effect addresses the company’s legal status; it does not decide the co-founders’ competing claims over money, access or control. State law restricts a dissolved LLC to winding-up activities, while the reinstatement statute makes restoration retroactive.
Dueling Allegations Over Missing Funds
The dispute didn’t start with the amended filing. Per a report from WKRN News 2, the original lawsuit accused Goold-Gawronski of improperly withdrawing more than $30,000 from HireVenture’s bank account and separately locking Mahoney out of shared computer drives. Mahoney, who resides in Massachusetts, is now seeking a court order requiring Goold-Gawronski, who resides in Georgia, to repay at least $28,426.29.
Beyond that repayment, Mahoney is requesting damages, attorney’s fees, and a full financial accounting of the company’s books. He’s also asking the court for an injunction that would bar Goold-Gawronski from owning or operating the business altogether — a request that, if granted, would effectively push her out of the company she co-founded.
Goold-Gawronski’s Attorney Pushes Back
Goold-Gawronski’s attorney denied the allegations, telling the outlet that the dispute is between two equal owners of a small company and that it will be decided in court on the full record. The attorney added that Goold-Gawronski will respond through the court process rather than in the press. Mahoney’s legal team did not respond to a request for comment from the station.
For now, HireVenture exists in an odd limbo: officially reinstated and in good standing with the state, even as Mahoney pursues his case against Goold-Gawronski over money, access, and control in Davidson County Chancery Court. No ruling on Mahoney’s requested relief has been reported, and the case remains active.
