Partners still feuding at Billy Bob’s Texas as judge orders trial

The barroom brawl over control of Billy Bob’s Texas, the world’s largest honky-tonk, won’t be ending anytime soon after a state district judge ruled that the case should proceed to trial.

State District Judge Micheal Wallach, in a letter Wednesday, wrote that after reviewing filing and case law, he is convinced that there are “existences of issues of material fact” that still need to be resolved.

Denying requests for summary judgment from both sides, Wallach asked the attorneys to submit a scheduling order for a trial. If they can’t come to an agreement, the judge said he will pick a date by Nov. 17.

Billy Bob’s manager Concho Minick filed a lawsuit against the nightclub’s majority owners in May alleging that he was improperly dismissed without the unanimous approval of the bar’s owners, as stipulated in a company agreement. He denied allegations that he had mismanaged the bar, saying he was fired because he raised concerns about a $175 million development planned in the Stockyards.

The majority owners, led by Brad Hickman, argued that a certificate of formation adopted after the company agreement actually transferred the power to dismiss Concho Minick to a smaller group of owners and investors. Hickman is leading the effort to revitalize the historic Stockyards.

Marshall Searcy, the attorney for the majority owners, was not surprised by Wallach’s ruling. He said the judge made comments during the hearing that suggested he would order the two sides to trial.

Andy Sims, the attorney representing Concho Minick, the Murrin family and minority owner Donnie Nelson, who is president of the Dallas Mavericks, confirmed receiving the letter but declined immediate comment.

Searcy also said that Concho Minick, who continued to run the massive bar, was replaced on Monday by a team led by his father, Billy Minick, and his stepmother Pam. The younger Minick was briefly removed as the top hand at Billy Bob’s in August, but moved back into his office within a few days.

Searcy declined to provide details on Concho Minick’s departure, saying there are “a bunch of matters I can’t discuss right now.” Attempts by the Star-Telegram to reach Concho Minick on Wednesday afternoon were not successful.

“It’s a very vibrant situation,” Searcy said.

This article contains material from the Star-Telegram archives.

This story was originally published November 8, 2017 at 2:54 PM with the headline "Partners still feuding at Billy Bob’s Texas as judge orders trial."