Elder body removed – Watchtower letter

by Marvin Shilmer 75 Replies latest jw friends

  • Mad Sweeney
    Mad Sweeney

    Unfortunately they don't even have an attorney.

    They have someone who I assume is a paralegal helping them understand and prepare and submit their documents on a pro-bono basis but no legal advisor outside or inside the courtroom. And because they still desire to remain faithful they would reject help from the ex-JW community. Really the only solid information we have is based on the court documents and the informant information of a never-baptized relative of someone in the congregation.

    The defendants have a JW attorney. If the plaintiffs lose, they stand in danger of having to pay the defense's legal fees. That would suck because these are just regular guys, not wealthy, and nowhere close to the multibillion dollar Watchtower corporation.

    As for what the case is actually about, the defense (the C.O. the D.O. the takeover elders, and the unnamed guy from the WT Service Desk) is asserting that the case IS about religion ONLY and that the court has no jurisdiction over it at all.

    The plaintiffs assert that California corporate law has no provision for a religious entity to remove members from their corporate positions (a congregation is a legal corporation in the state, the body of elders are registered with the state as corporate officers and only that body can add or remove new corporate officers). So while the Borg has every right to remove them as elders, it had NO right to remove them as the corporate officers of the Menlo Park congregation or to take over the bank accounts of that legal corporation.

    That's what the case boils down to. Did the Watchtower representatives in the form of the CO, DO, Service desk, and elders from the neighboring/merging Redwood South congregation have the legal right to take over the corporation that was Menlo Park congregation and seize its assets? With a good attorney, these guys would appear to have a very solid case. They have an extensive paper trail as can be seen in the documentation presented to the court, and they are gathering more from the local banks whch have been subpoenad for records of the accounts held there.

    Without an attorney? I don't have much hope for them.

  • flipper
    flipper

    Astounding. Absolutely astounding. But knowing the leaders of the WT society- not surprising at all. Bastards

  • Giordano
    Giordano

    Well if they've got a good case some attorney will take it on. At least lets hope. But if they win this will be a big problem for the WT especially if they move to DF them. You know they sound like decent guys who pushed back at the CO. I hope their congo is backing them up ......but there's a reason we were called sheep.

  • TheListener
    TheListener

    I wonder what the meetings are like? I wonder if they give parts? Do the local brothers and sisters support them or treat them any differently? What an odd situation.

    It's like the BS votes in each KH when a new motion is made by the local corporation. There are never any nay's only yea's. I remember sitting there in my own local congregations thinking 'this doesn't make sense' but not having the courage to say 'nay'. to the vote.

  • Meeting Junkie No More
    Meeting Junkie No More

    WOW - fascinating reading...not sure if I've commented on this situation before on an earlier thread, but this sounds eerily similar to something that happened in our neck of the woods about 5 or 6 years ago.

    Had some new blood (elders) move into the congo, and all of a sudden one of the long-standing elders gets put on reproof - very disconcerting to the whole congregation. Palpable tension at each and every meeting between elders and congo. One of the elders moves out in a huff - lock, stock and barrel. Another newer elder leaves in disgust, wondering why 'he had ever moved in."

    Next thing you know newly imported elder #1 presents some resolution at 9:45 p.m. after the theocratic ministry school/service meeting about changing the trustees for the KH. Everybody, of course, just wants to get sh*t over with so they can go home and of course, like TheListener says, almost every rank & file member's hand is up in favour. (Little kids have to be reminded that it's only baptized members' hands that should be raised). As I recall, I smelled a rat right then and there - refused to put my hand up, and loudly said "I don't have enough information on this matter to vote one way or the other" to anyone within earshot. I remember thinking "why should I rubber stamp the removal of trusted trustees and install new ones that seem to be all slime?"

    Now in hindsight, was it just COINCIDENTAL that THE big topic of ongoing status reports after monthly theocratic ministry school/service meetings was the excitement of selling the hall and building a completely new one (in the local business/commercial district, as most new halls seem to be placed). Geeze, building a new hall is about the only excitement there is as a witness, and even that sucks...

    In this case, eventually the elder on reproof gets reinstated, the elder that moved out moves back in, there's a reshuffle of the elder body and the congo should just 'get on with it all'.

    Starting to sense a pattern - could this be the worldwide modus operandi? Might OPRAH be interested?

  • Mad Sweeney
    Mad Sweeney

    I don't know about worldwide but it is happening across the USA. Have you listened to the Cult Free Radio episodes that discussed the subject?

  • Meeting Junkie No More
    Meeting Junkie No More

    No, I guess I should...

  • minimus
    minimus

    WOW!

    I just saw this!

    This just shows how $$$$$$ corrupt $$$$$$ the Society is!

  • rocketman
    rocketman

    Fascinating thread. Bookmarked accordingly.

  • Haulin Oats
    Haulin Oats

    I don't know gang...

    http://www.sanmateocountytaxcollector.org/SMCWPS/pages/parcelDetail.jsp?list=AD

    it looks like the property aint worth that much (unless i have the address wrong). And that was assessed in 2010.

    http://www.smcare.org/apps/ParcelMaps/apnraster/BK062/06206.tif

    If i've made an error here, let me know (gently).

    Oats

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