Daniel Pidgeon sued his family Friday over what he described as his wrongful ouster as chairman of Starpower Home Entertainment Systems, the Dallas-based company he co-founded and built over 23 years.

Pidgeon, who was also chief financial officer of Starpower, one of the largest U.S. home entertainment design firms, said in his lawsuit that he was locked out of his office by his family. He also alleged that family members misappropriated Starpower funds to help a second family business, Star Floors, that's in financial trouble.

He filed the suit in state District Court in Dallas against his brothers Steven, Michael and David; his father, Barry; and Starpower's new chief operating officer, Tom Schurr. Steve and Michael Pidgeon run Star Floors. David Pidgeon is Starpower's chief executive.

Daniel Pidgeon was chairman of Starpower Home Entertainment Systems. (Tom Fox / Staff Photographer)

Starpower operates four stores — two in Dallas, one in Southlake and one in Scottsdale, Ariz. It purchased the longtime Dallas appliance retailer Ed Kellum & Son in 2011. While Starpower stores sell televisions and kitchen and laundry appliances, the retailer is known for its custom design and installation of audio and video systems, home theaters, media rooms and home automation and security systems.

Daniel Pidgeon is seeking more than $5 million in damages. His lawsuit also accuses his family of conspiring against him and violating company bylaws by holding board meetings at his parents' home.

"What occurred within this shareholder group is a total disregard for corporate governance accompanied by deliberate defamation and disparagement," said his attorney, Mikel Bowers of the Dallas law firm Bell Nunnally. "Daniel was left with no option but take the course he did."

Michael Pidgeon, speaking on behalf of the family members who were sued, said in an emailed response: "We expressly deny any wrongdoing. Unfortunately, Daniel has decided to take this action to hurt the family."

Schurr hadn't been reached for comment.

In July, the brothers and their father met to discuss how to "help Star Floors survive," the lawsuit says. Daniel Pidgeon said he was asked to pitch in $100,000 but decided to separate himself from the flooring company after reviewing its finances.

David Pidgeon, CEO of Starpower (Starpower / File photo)

He said he proposed that his brothers and father buy him out of Starpower and use that business to help Star Floors, or let him buy out his family's Starpower shares so they could use that money to pay Star Floor's debt.

The lawsuit accuses Steven Pidgeon, chief executive of Star Floors, and Michael Pidgeon, chief financial officer of the flooring company, of mismanagement and running the firm as their "personal piggybank."

"In the face of declining business, rather than cutting salaries and scaling back expenses," the complaint says, Michael and Steven Pidgeon "instead bought a private jet to fly around the country in an attempt to garner new business — extravagances that were detrimental to the ongoing operations and viability of Star Floors."

Daniel Pidgeon sent his family members three letters of intent in August and September with offers for the 78.156 percent of the company that they owned, according to the lawsuit.

On Saturday, the deadline to accept the final offer, Daniel Pidgeon said, he was invited to his parents' home to discuss it. Instead, "he was ambushed" by his father, three brothers and Schurr, who abruptly told him that they had held a board of directors meeting and he had been terminated, according to the complaint.

Schurr, who lives in Florida, is David Pidgeon's best friend, the lawsuit says. Daniel Pidgeon said he was told Schurr would replace him. He was asked for his keys and cellphone and "most brazenly was threatened with arrest if he set foot on the premises of any Starpower location," the suit says.

Daniel Pidgeon and another board member, David Kollat, were not told in advance of the board meeting, the suit said.

That evening, David Pidgeon told Starpower employees in an email that Daniel had voluntarily "agreed to leave the company," the suit says.

Several employees contacted Daniel Pidgeon to ask if he was walking away from the company. He said he told employees to "continue doing their jobs as normal and that everything would sort itself out." Daniel Pidgeon is well-known in the industry, having served as chairman of the Consumer Electronics Association in 2015, a position usually occupied by a major manufacturer.

Daniel Pidgeon said the company's line of credit had a zero balance while he was running Starpower. By Wednesday, he said, his family members had already borrowed $400,000 on the credit line that he had personally guaranteed. And since he was fired Saturday, the suit says, "funds in Starpower's bank accounts mysteriously disappeared."

In recent years, the suit says, Daniel Pidgeon had to take on extra duties as David Pidgeon "disengaged and ... stopped participating in the management of Starpower." Of the 125 Starpower employees, all but five reported to Daniel Pidgeon, the suit says.

Daniel Pidgeon's "life has been disrupted," the suit says, by the removal of his access to his only email account, files that include his personal financial and tax information, medical documents "and other personal documents essential to him and his family's daily life."

Twitter: @MariaHalkias