Johnny Guerry and Gary Guion met five years ago, and after striking up a friendship, they became business partners of sorts, with Guion setting up shop at Clover Partners, the small hedge fund Guerry runs.
Their relationship lasted until Guerry received a tip that his friend was embezzling money and committing fraud, according to a lawsuit Guerry filed in Dallas County Court. He began poking around and concluded that Guion was illegally lining his pockets, discovering in the process that he was also a convicted felon, having served time in federal prison a decade ago for dealing cocaine. Guerry passed the information along to law enforcement and cut ties with Guion, telling him not to return to the office.
Starting in February, the lawsuit claims, Guion began a campaign to "harrass, intimidate, threaten, harm, embarrass, and annoy (Guerry)." This has included vandalizing Guerry's car; repeatedly expressing the vaguely threatening hope that the men will "cross paths soon"; and making actual threats that aren't really vague at all.
To illustrate his claims, Guerry attaches to the lawsuit a profanity-laced, testosterone-soaked email that Guion sent in September. In it, he brags about the success of his business since the men parted ways ("with as much as you and I make what's a hundred k here or there?"); implies that Guerry screwed him over because he was jealous his success ("just like my arms being twice your size -- didn't everyone of your girlfriends comment on that."); and repeatedly insists he's not angry ("Good luck and go fuck yourself.")
Guion's so not angry that he spends a good chunk of his email exhorting Guerry to take extra care and "keep up those MMA classes," just in case.
"I hate to see something happen to one of the best men in my wedding and one of my at one point closest friends."
The reason Guerry needs to be so careful, Guion says, is that there was a secret investor who's pissed that he lost money, apparently as a result of Guerry cutting ties with Guion. He's a larger guy with dark hair and he tends not to mess around.
"I don't know if he'll set you up for a crime, a hit a run, just smash your face in or blasphemy you across town but when I found out today it was you I had to call him," Guion writes, adding at another point that "In Dallas you're a simple mark."
Despite Guion's repeated assurance that, hey, no hard feelings, Guerry didn't quite see the email as a friendly warning from a friend concerned for his safety. Hence the lawsuit, in which Guerry asks the court to issue an injunction preventing Guion from contacting him, making threats, or generally beating the shit out of him.
Guion denied Guerry's allegations through his attorney, Luke Beshara.
"The court denied the temporary restraining order that Mr. Guerry sought," Beshara wrote in an email. (Note: According to Dallas County records, a hearing on the TRO is scheduled for this morning). "The court's order speaks for itself in terms of the merits of the lawsuit."
