Arkansas Business

Your Whisper staff was slow to pick up on this lawsuit, but the infighting in the North Little Rock air charter business is just too juicy to let pass.

Joe S. Henderson III, who owns Corporate Air, said in a lawsuit filed in U.S. District Court in September that his business was being ruined by the North Little Rock Airport Commission and Tommy Murchison, who is a stockholder, officer and director of FMCO Promotions Inc., which does business as Air Charter Express, and operates out of the airport.

After the lawsuit was filed, Henderson was charged with felony possession of methamphetamine with intent to deliver. But more on that later. 

In the lawsuit, Henderson charges Murchison was jealous of Corporate Air's business success and tried to destroy it.

Henderson claims Rick Ashley, as vice chairman of the airport commission, had pressured Henderson's landlord to evict him from the airport, which is what happened. Ashley also was named as a defendant in the lawsuit along with Willie Elizandro, director of the North Little Rock Airport.

"[Henderson] no longer has a place to store his aircraft, so that it is exposed to the weather and possible mischievous deeds, which have and will continue to damage the value of the aircraft," the lawsuit said.

Henderson is seeking more than $1 million in damages.

Ashley and Murchison denied the allegations in their answer filed in the case. The North Little Rock Airport Commission and Elizandro also denied Henderson's allegations in the lawsuit and asked that the case be dismissed.

Air Wars Part 2

Now, here's the strange part:

Henderson said that, just before the lawsuit was filed in September, one of the two engines on his plane locked up during a flight.

Henderson managed to land safely.

"Based on the coincidental timing and other anti-competitive conduct in this case, it is possible that Mr. Elizandro, Mr. Murchison, and Mr. Ashley may have plotted to sabotage Henderson's plane and endanger the lives of the five (5) family members who were on board Henderson's plane at the time," the lawsuit said.