Kalamazoo Co-op Members Take Legal Stand Against Board Issues

Members of the People’s Food Co-op of Kalamazoo have had enough and are suing the group’s board of directors.

That's according to a report that at the end of an online board of directors meeting on Wednesday, April 29, the lawsuit was announced by owners at the People’s Food Co-op.

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This is just another wave of controversy surrounding the people’s co-op of Kalamazoo, having most recently lost the contract to manage the Kalamazoo farmers market after 13 years, and it is being taken over by the Gamshow group, which owns Midtown Fresh in Park Street Market.

It appears that they may have to prepare for a lawsuit on their hands, as the complaint filed with the Kalamazoo County circuit court claims that former and current directors and officers violated the co-op bylaws and the Michigan Nonprofit Corporation Act.

They also say that members have been blocked from seeing corporate records, which has impacted their ability to participate in elections, petitions, and general oversight, as the release elaborates:

Additional allegations concern failures to follow established policies and governance procedures, including the handling of board meetings, recordkeeping practices, and adherence to previously adopted organizational policies. The Complaint characterizes these actions as unlawful, unfair, and oppressive to members’ ownership interests in the cooperative.

There have been numerous changes happening this year internally with members of the board, which has led to a lot of confusion and, clearly, some division within the owners of the Co-op. After having two motions already thrown out by a judge, we will see where this leads.