Flynn Automotive faces whistleblower suit

Staff report

YOUNGSTOWN

The former finance director working under the president of Flynn Automotive Group claims she uncovered tax concealment at the business while enduring sexual discrimination and ultimately unfair termination.

Flynn Inc.’s ex-finance director Kelly Argryiou’s suit against company President David Flynn was first filed in November 2018 in Columbiana County courts and has been moved to U.S. district court with a new federal sex-discrimination claim, records show.

Argryiou claims she discovered in 2014 financial discrepancies that inflated expenses at certain dealerships, used to conceal the group’s taxable income and launder money, according to the suit. When Argryiou urged Flynn to stop, he rejected her, according to the suit.

During her tenure, she also claims she was regularly subjected to “belittling misogynist” remarks from workers such as: “You’d be director of operations if you were a man,” or, “Being a GM is a man’s job.” She also claims she was previously passed over for managerial positions that ultimately went to males, becoming GM of the group’s Columbiana dealership in June 2018.

She was terminated two months later for poor performance by Flynn, who told her “this experiment is over,” the suit claims.

Argryiou and her attorney, Benjamin Riek of Akron, subpoenaed financial records from the group’s Canfield accounting firm, which Argryiou says will back up her claims of financial mismanagement, but a federal judge denied the motion Aug. 8, records show.

“I think if we continue to substantiate the evidence that we already have accumulated, we can present a very strong case of mismanagement to the jury and that’s where, I think, this may have to wind up,” Riek said.

The group’s attorney, Jerry Sallee of Cincinnati, said the auto group believes Argryiou’s assessment of its finances was wrong, and once the court completes its discovery process, “the company’s position will be pretty apparent.” The group also refutes her gender claims.

“[Argryiou] was a very highly compensated employee. I think the evidence is going to bear out that she was not treated unfairly compared to males,” Sallee said.