ok, we are all pretty hyped up now...what if the WT wins the appeal?

by Aussie Oz 10 Replies latest watchtower child-abuse

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  Aussie Oz

  I have a saying, repeated here at times, ''The law is an ass''.

  We know how excited we were when the unthank case was hot and how the magistrate slam dunked it into the trash can. Not wanting to debate the how and why's of Stevens methods, just that the law had an opportunity to actually uphold the law and chose not to. The law allowed the WT to trample on the law and did nothing. Could have set a precedent, could have but was spineless.

  Now we see a much much larger case on the rise, one that went a long way, one where a jury of ordinary people did their duty and found the WT guilty.

  The appeal however will have none of this, it is just a room full of legal eagles disecting words and meanings of jargon that most of us wouldnt follow. teams of lawyers who will not see victims but technicalities of law.

  And that is what may sink this. The law may decide no case. The law seldom works for people, it works for corporations with lots of money. I wouldn't be betting the appeal is dismissed, sad to say, i would wager the WT will get off scott free, not because they should, but because the law is an ass.

  Oz
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  OnTheWayOut

  Yes, that may very well happen. Some group of legal eagles may determine that WTBTS was between a rock and a hard place, because they see things from a corporate standpoint instead of a human standpoint.

  It would mean business as usual for WTBTS, with more clamping down on confidential matters and more instructions for elders.

  In the end, it will be another revealing to a small segment of the public that other religions have similar problems to the Catholic Church.

  WITHIN THE ORGANIZATION, it may be a message to elders- stop being elders. There's so much that can go wrong and put you on the stand in a courtroom. Why would you want that?

  I am aware of at least one ex-JW that has helped reveal this information to their JW family member and the JW does see it as shockingly protecting the corporation ahead of helping people. There will be some of that.

  Oh, it's just another straw on the camel's back if they win the appeal. But straws add up. Even if they lose, most people won't know anything about it. Still, the elders will be bombarded by more legal instructions and scratching their heads as to what's up.
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  Honesty

  Who cares if the cult wins the appeal.

  It will take at least 2 years for them to win and in the meantime the WTBTS has to get approval from the court in

  California to transact any real estate transfers.

  Wait until more victime sue them for pennies and refuse to accept an out-fo-court settlement complete with a provision from Jehovah...

  a nondisclosure clause.

  The floodgates may be about to open with hundreds of similar lawsuits being filed against them.
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  carla

  Even if they win an appeal they will have lost in public opinion. With an appeal it will stay in the news and people will keep discussing the wt policy outside of jw's and ex jw's. It is still a win for the ex jw community. Personally I hope Candace gets every penny of the 28 million but will not hold my breath.
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  Band on the Run

  Thank you so much for this thread. I see things through my profession. Without endorsing the WT in any way, I see a plethora of legal issues they can raise on appeal. MSNBC indicted the problem when they said the ruling was novel. Novel at the U.S. Supreme Court level is law. When a lower trial judge is involved, it is almost always code for soon to be overturned. I have not the had the time to research these matters in depth. No one I have spoken with has either, though.

  I fear how devestated members will be if it is overturned. Cautious hoping should be the stance. Jubilation and dancing in the streets should be reversed after the final appellate court win.

  I believe Unthank won his larger goal. The WT did change its policy b/c of his lawsuit. Some lawyer or law student should research the issues. My time is limited.
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  TJ Curioso

  I think that with more cases appearing, the WT will be in difficult trouble to defend themselves from this cases. If in this moment another case appear (at the same time) will be a important nail in the coffin of the Watchtower.

  It will be very difficult for them to deffend littigious cases at the same cases and to the eyes of the judges they will see a pattern in Watchtower procedures.
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  Band on the Run

  Yes. They will have trouble litigating on many fronts. I feel that they are compelled to appeal this ruling all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court. Frnakly, the First Amendment issues are so pressing and important that an appellate court should decide. Such a change in liability should not be decided by a trtial judge. Hopefully, though, the trial judge's rulings will help create a perfect storm so that the rules can be changed.

  This is far from the death knell. Conti's lawyer does not have the deep pockets of the WT. I doubt that he is poor but he he remains David to a Goliath. Goliath usually wins. Let us hope David wins. T he WT is a repeat player at the Supreme Court. Their practice gives them an advantae. I wonder whether civll rights groups that traditionally back the WT, such as the ACLU, will do so this time.

  Frankly, I would prefer to see this case overturned and the legislature enact an exemption to privilege for pedophile cases. Mandatory reporting should be a feature, even in confession cases. Where all the law students when you need them? The era of judge made law is almost over. The people's reps should determine which group needs more protectoin: adult pedophiles or vulnerable, young children. As a Christian, all of Jesus' miinistry appeals to the outcast of society. Jesus is radical. He affirmatively rebuked his apostles who viewed children as having no status. Children were not viewed as cute, innocent, or other Victorian ideas. Look at what YHWH did to Isaac, though, and Ishmael. That god was not a fan of children. Yet they have the gall to claim to be Christian.
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  Black Sheep

  It just got tougher. A Philadelphia jury has convicted a senior U.S. Roman Catholic Church official of one count of endangering the welfare of a child, but it is too early to get excited. http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/06/22/us-usa-crime-church-idUSBRE85L13820120622

  Even if they lose .... these idiots have made complete asses of themselves, their followers, and their god, over and over again, and they still have members.
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  james_woods

  The damage is still done. This horse is well and truly out of the barn.
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  bats in the belfry

  At times, to "just wait on Jehovah" for two years can be a real bitch.