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Why Widow of Famed Sniper Chris Kyle Is Suing Executives at the Company He Started

"...usurped Craft’s business opportunities for their personal benefit.”

Less than a year ago, Chris Kyle, the former Navy SEAL known as one of the most lethal snipers in history and famed author of "American Sniper," was killed at a Texas gun range. Now, his wife is suing executives at the company he helped start, alleging they've conspired to "steal" it.

Taya Kyle Taya Kyle spoke at a leadership forum at the National Rifle Association's annual meeting Friday, May 3, 2013 in Houston. (AP/Steve Ueckert)

Craft International, a defense and combat training company co-founded by Kyle in 2009, is at the center of the lawsuit launched by Taya Kyle.

The Dallas Morning News reported details of the suit against Craft's CEO Steven Young and Chief Operating Officer Bo French, which included accusations of shutting Taya out of certain aspects despite her claim to own 85 percent of the company:

The suit says that Young, the company’s CEO, and French, its chief operating officer, had the opportunity to buy Chris Kyle’s ownership “units” following his death, but “did not exercise their respective rights” within 130 days, per the company’s own rules. As such, says the suit, Taya Kyle owns 85 percent of Craft. But the suit alleges that Young and French refuse to make the company’s financial records available to Chris’s widow.

Furthermore, says the suit, “Upon information and belief, Young and French transferred and diverted Craft’s contracts and assets to another entity without the knowledge, consent or authority of Kyle, the majority interest holder of Craft. Upon information and belief, Young and French usurped Craft’s business opportunities for their personal benefit.”

Taya Kyle alleges that Young and French created a company called Craft International Risk Management (CIRM).

“What it looks like from the outside is they pushed the debt to Craft and the income to CIRM,” Friedman says in an interview. “Someone is manipulating the company, and we can’t stand for that.”

Sniper Author Shooting Memorial Christopher Kyle's wife, Taya, is escorted to her seat after memorializing her husband during a memorial service at Cowboys Stadium, Monday, Feb. 11, 2013, in Arlington, Texas. Thousands attended the public memorial service for Kyle, the former Navy SEAL sniper who was shot to death at a Texas shooting range.(AP/Brandon Wade)

When the Morning News reached Young, he declined to issue a comment for both himself and French.

Taya Kyle is looking to access company records and also wants Craft International to stop using the skull logo her husband designed.

craft international_facebook Craft International's logo was designed by the late Chris Kyle. (Image source: Craft International/Facebook)

Although a plaintiff in this case, Mrs. Kyle is also the defendant in a defamation lawsuit launched by Jesse Ventura.

Read more about this latest lawsuit against Kyle's company in The Dallas Morning News.

(H/T: Daily Mail)

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