Feed The Children founders sue Hobby Lobby founder

Larry Jones and his wife, Frances Jones, filed a lawsuit Tuesday in Oklahoma County District Court alleging interference, defamation and civil conspiracy.

The Joneses claim Hobby Lobby founder David Green, his sons Mart Green and Steve Green, and grandson, David Tyler Green, worked to stage a “hostile takeover” of Feed The Children and have its founders fired.

The Greens' attorney, Bill Johnson, said the lawsuit is financially motivated and an attempt to tarnish the family's reputation.

The Joneses started their worldwide relief organization in 1979 aimed at helping children and families. Larry Jones was fired from the organization in 2009 after its board of directors discovered he had hidden microphones in three executives' offices. In a countersuit against his wrongful termination lawsuit, he was accused of taking bribes, hiding pornographic magazines at the charity and other misdeeds.

In January, Frances Jones resigned after finding herself in a hostile work environment, according to the lawsuit.

Feed The Children has warehouses all over the world, a fleet of trucks and a donor list that in 2009 raised more than $1 billion, the lawsuit states.