Jockeys Guild Sues Former President, Alleging Fraud

The Jockeys Guild alleges in a civil lawsuit filed Monday that ousted president L. Wayne Gertmenian used his consulting firm and another company owned by a family member to embezzle funds from the labor organization’s members and the guild health-care plan.

The suit filed in U.S. District Court in Los Angeles alleges that Gertmenian engaged in fraud and theft during his four-year tenure at the financially troubled organization. The guild is seeking unspecified damages. An attorney who represents Gertmenian did not return a telephone call Wednesday.

The lawsuit was filed a day before guild members ended their annual assembly, the first such meeting since Gertmenian’s ouster in November.

During the meeting that was held in Dallas, jockeys voted to temporarily increase dues and reduce disability payments. The ongoing effort to address the guild’s cash-flow problems included a measure that requires all members to promptly pay dues or face expulsion.

The guild also unveiled plans to hold a national election before July 1. All of the 27 senate seats will be up for election. The Monrovia-based organization has begun a search for a national manager.

-- Greg Johnson