RICHMOND, Va. -- The lawyer guiding the dissolution of The Enrichmond Foundation, a non-profit with over 30 years in Richmond, said he will no longer be in that role, potentially delaying answers for the dozens of community groups that utilized the nonprofit's services.
Kerry Hutcherson told CBS 6 via email that as of Friday he "will no longer be representing the Enrichmond Foundation.'
Hutcherson was picked to guide the dissolution process after the Enrichmond board of directors voted to take those steps at the end of last month.
For over 30 years, the non-profit had served several roles in the city including acting as a financial agent for smaller community groups who utilized Enrichmond's 501(c)(3) status to raise money. The non-profit would then hold on to that money and dispense it at the requests of those groups.
Enrichmond also owns two historic Black cemeteries: Evergreen and East End.
However, since the board voted to dissolve, some of those groups have told CBS 6 they have been unable to access their funds. Officials with the City of Richmond said initial totals from the various "Friends of" groups indicated there was at least $121,000 tied up between them.
Back on July 5, Hutcherson sent a letter to those groups and said he was "working to gather a comprehensive list of the Foundations’ assets and liabilities so that the Foundation can follow up with Partner Organizations regarding the next steps in the dissolution process. I appreciate your patience and understanding as I do this work, and if you have questions, please contact me. I will do my best to answer them as soon as I have sufficient information."
However, Thursday, Hutcherson told CBS 6 that once he was able to get a "better idea of the scope of this matter" he determined "that legal counsel will be needed that goes beyond my practice area".
Hutcherson said he was temporarily holding everything in place while the Enrichmond board reconvened to seek more appropriate counsel.
CBS 6 has reached out to some of the current and former board members of Enrichmond asking for more details, but have not heard back.
This is a developing story, so anyone with more information can email newstips@wtvr.com to send a tip.
