Hyperion CEO Huddleston: "Always Unsuccessful"

Union County voters considering the approval of rezoning for the oil refinery Hyperion has proposed to build north of Elk Point might want to pay attention to Todd Epp's reports at SD Watch on the lawsuit against Hyperion CEO Albert Huddleston by Hunt family trustee Miro Vranac, Jr. Vranac was chief financial officer of Legacy Investments, the firm in charge of the Bunker-Hunt family trust, until he was fired April 17 by Mary Huddleston, Albert's wife and a granddaughter of oil baron H.L. Hunt. Vranac, still a trustee of the fund, says he was fired as part of the Huddlestons' effort to get him to step aside as a trustee.

Epp brought the story to us Saturday and noted the local corporate media haven't seen fit to discuss legal action against the CEO of perhaps the biggest proposed industrial project in state history. While the local mainstream media remain quiet, Epp digs up a copy of the lawsuit and presents some tasty excerpts:

Albert [Huddleston] attended Vanderbilt University and spent time in the oil and gas industry. Since his marriage to Mary, Albert has pursued a variety of businesses -- always unsuccessfully. Although he holds the title of chief executive officer of Legacy, his efforts in that position have been unproductive, expensive, and self-aggrandizing. [4-29-08 Original Petition re Vranac v. Legacy, Inc. et al.pdf]

Epp offers this conclusion:

Well, so much for Big Al having the Golden Touch. This is who Gov. Mike Rounds has climbed into bed with on this project [Todd Epp, "Full Text and Excerpts from the Hunt Trustee Lawsuit Against Hyperion's Huddleston," SD Watch, 2008.05.13].

Lie down with the dogs, wake up with the fleas. If Vranac's lawsuit rhetoric has any merit, Huddleston might not have the business moxie to lead a garbage dump to completion, let alone a massive refinery. Union County voters might want to keep an eye on this story....

p.s.: Good work, Todd! Keep it up!

pp.s.: Find out more from Elk Point Gorilla, another website from folks who can think of better things to do with good South Dakota farmland than tear it up for the sake of our addiction to oil.