Austin News

Legal troubles continue for the Roy F. and JoAnn Cole Mitte Foundation, an Austin-based nonprofit corporation that has been on the receiving end of multiple ethics concerns and lawsuits aimed at members of the Mitte family. 

Despite a court mandate to restructure the Mitte Foundation's board of directors, nearly half of the board's 10 seats have been filled with Mitte relatives.

A 2009 agreed judgment between the foundation and then Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott detailed that the foundation expand its board of directors from four to 10, righting an imbalance of the Mitte family serving as lifetime members. 

However, since the mandated reorganization, the Mitte family has filled its board of directors with relatives again. 

R.J. Mitte, son of the late Michael Scott Mitte who died in September, currently serves as the board president. R.J., who has cerebral palsy, played the role of Walter Jr. in the TV show "Breaking Bad." 

R.J. is joined on the board by Dyna Mitte, the late Michael Mitte's ex-wife, as well as Dyna's mother and brother, Dianne Carriere and Tyler Carriere. 

As part of the 2009 order, the foundation also consented to accepting Michael Scott Mitte's resignation and removed all provisions specifically related to the former president, and placed a lifetime prohibition on Mitte returning as a member of the board of directors, a corporate officer, employee, honorary directory or committee member. 

The foundation agreed to pay Michael Mitte "no more than $8,837" for "the purpose of reimbursement of continuing medical insurance benefits as a final settlement of any potential claims," but was not be the recipient of any foundation funds beyond that. 

The plaintiffs in a lawsuit from two real estate partnerships against the foundation allege that the Mitte Foundation repeatedly breached its limited minority partnership obligations, colluded with the other named defendants by attempting to sell assets of the partnership and sharing confidential information. 

In September, Austin News reported that Mitte Foundation President Dilum Chandrasoma was accused of bringing bodily harm to a family member. 

Michael Scott Mitte was arrested on cocaine charges in 2008 that resulted in Texas State University at San Marcos cutting ties with the organization, and allegedly used foundation funding to pay for legal fees in a sexual harassment lawsuit against him.