Billy Bob's Texas Lawsuit Pits Father Against Son Over Ownership of Famous Honky Tonk

The legal equivalent of a barroom brawl among owners of Billy Bob's Texas in Fort Worth pits longtime friends and family members against each other — including a father and son — and raises questions about the future of the world's largest honky tonk.

In a recent lawsuit, Billy Bob's president Concho Minick claimed a group of investors improperly tried to fire him in April, changed the locks and transferred millions of dollars after falsely accusing him of misstating financial results to get bigger bonuses.

The lawsuit asked the judge to appoint a receiver to run the business. On Tuesday the court proceedings were delayed until Friday, as majority owners asked for a continuence, and minority owners changed attorneys due to a conflict of interest. 

Minick said in his court filing that the dispute started several years ago when a large investor, Brad Hickman, announced plans to develop the Fort Worth Stockyards and Minick opposed the idea.

"It's really about doing the right thing in the Stockyards regardless of who's involved," Minick said in June 2014.

Minick claimed Hickman tried to oust him as part of a vendetta, and that any such action required a unanimous vote of all investors. Minick owns three percent of the business and has one other investor supporting him.

The lawsuit also named his father Billy Minick, who ran Billy Bob's before the younger Minick became president in 2011.

Tarrant County District Judge Mike Wallach temporarily blocked Concho Minick's ouster until the case is heard.

The bar remains open.

In a counter-lawsuit filed on June 1, Billy Minick and other investors accused his son, Concho Minick, of acting in his own self-interest and demanded that he repay his 2016 and 2017 salaries and bonuses.

The filing also accused the younger Minick of pressuring his mother, Pam, who was marketing director, to resign in 2013 and of firing his father, Billy, the following year "without consulting the owners."

"Since that time, Concho has increasingly acted in autocratic manner largely ignoring and thwarting the wishes of the majority ownership interest to perpetuate his own self-interests," the suit said.

The father also asked the judge to appoint a receiver to run the company, but not one who would allow Concho Minick to continue as president.

"Concho wants to preserve and protect his shroud of secrecy over the management and performance of Billy Bob's in order to cover up and perpetuate his own self-dealing," the counterclaim said.

Judge Mike Wallach is pushing both sides to settle out of court and appointed a lawyer to act as mediator.

Marshal Searcy, an attorney for the majority owners, said such family disputes are regrettable.

"We disagree vehemently with the allegations made by the other side and hopefully we can come to a rational conclusion to this matter," Searcy said.

Stephen Pezanosky, an attorney for Concho Minick and another investor, said his clients control more than 20 percent of the company and have the right to approve important decisions and protect their rights. The other investor is a company known as Murrin Brothers 1885.

"We tried very hard to resolve the deadlock among the owners outside of court," Pezanosky said. "Unfortunately, the actions of a few of the owners made that impossible. We remain hopeful that a consensual solution to the deadlock can be reached."

Among the possible outcomes is that Billy Bob's will be sold to an outside buyer or that some of the investors will sell their interests.

"I'd hate to see it go away," said Burleson. "It's part of who we are."

Billy Bob's opened in 1981, quickly branding itself as the world's biggest bar.

Its capacity was 6,000 people, and on the first night it opened fire marshals stopped allowing people in when the crowd reached an estimated 8,000.

In 1988, Billy Bob's briefly went out of business but was rescued by prominent Fort Worth business families.

Over the years, it has hosted concerts and events featuring virtually every country music star.

Willie Nelson has often performed there during Fourth of July parties.