Montrose resident sued over Salvador Dali lithographs

A Montrose resident is being sued over claims that she worked as an accountant while unlicensed and unlawfully took two Salvador Dali lithographs.  

T.D. Homes Inc. and Thomas Dunne filed a lawsuit on March 25 in the Harris County District Court against Montrose resident Tharen Simpson, citing breach of fiduciary duty, breach of contract and conversion.

Dunne says that from 1995 until 2010, Simpson, a certified account, managed the accounting functions of his businesses, including his personal and corporate accounts. In 2008, Dunne alleges he began to investigate complaints from vendors regarding unpaid bills, discovering that Simpson abused her position of trust by paying her own health insurance premiums out of Dunne’s business accounts, writing herself checks without authorization and taking two of Dunne’s Salvador Dali lithographs.

According to the brief, Dunne has since learned that Simpson forfeited her accounting license, performing work for him and his companies while unlicensed.  

The plaintiffs are seeking actual and exemplary damages, attorney’s fees and court costs. They are being represented in the case by Houston attorney Candace Smith.

Harris County District Court Case No. 2011-18626.

This is a report on a civil lawsuit filed at the Harris County Courthouse. The details in this report come from an original complaint filed by a plaintiff. Please note, a complaint represents an accusation by a private individual, not the government. It is not an indication of guilt, and it only represents one side of the story.