ALERT: NEW LAWSUIT settlement - $13 MILLION

by Watchtower-Free 300 Replies latest watchtower child-abuse

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  Band on the Run

  I don't have time to read the details of discovery failure. Civil procedure rules contain sanctions for noncompliance with discovery orders. The WT lawyers are suspect to me as lawyers. They graduated from a four year college and law school. The NY bar exam was not fun. What type of person can section off their mind and believe the massive lies of the WTBTS. Rather than enter a $13 million award against a defendant, the lawyers should have been sanctioned. The CA trial judge is sending a signal that defendants are not safe. Something untoward happened in this case. Fundamental issues of fairness exist.

  My guess is that the $13 million will not stand on appeal. I don't find it shocking or even nonBiblical that the GB has counsel present. It is a prudent measure. The GB are not educated men. Are the WT lawyers running the GB? My fear is that with the GB retreating from Brooklyn, which had to have a mediating influence, to compounds upstate, they will be even more out of touch. These awards will be seen as persecution. The Witnesses feel vindicated by persecution. The $13 million will not come out of their personal pockets. Let them explain the two witness rule, noncompliance with discovery orders to the public.
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  Cadellin

  Barbara, thank you thank you thank you. You are providing an invaluable service to every thinking person. I am stunned at the Society's heartless encapsulation of the situation as a single event performed by a JW that held no official capacity. Whoever wrote that is evil.

  But here's something that perplexes me--why does the WT slavishly adhere to the two witness rule when it's part of the Mosaic Law and therefore, according to their interpretation, no more in effect than the prohibition against pork? To the best of my memory, it's not repeated in the NT the way the prohibition against blood is, is it? They treat it as if it is part of the law for Christians today (cherrypicking which parts of the ML they want to keep and which they want to ignore but that's beside the point). You'd think that the simple drive to survive would encourage "new light" on that matter.
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  Pistoff

  "Let them explain the two witness rule, noncompliance with discovery orders to the public."

  That is what the court asked, more than once; they refused, and paid the price.
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  Chaserious

  I don't find it shocking or even nonBiblical that the GB has counsel present.

  The WTS lawyers represented to the court that the governing body is purely a spiritual entity, just like the Dalai Lama. This was in the context of arguing that Losch is not an employee or director of any of the parties in this case, and not even a part of the WTS organization, so they allegedly have no power to be able to make him appear for a deposition. So having WTS lawyers present for their meetings seems to cut entirely against the idea that it is just a spiritual think tank with no power over the organization.

  Rocky Copley, Esq. (To the Court): "These are just men who get together and discuss spirìtual concepts. That is it. It's like the Dalai Lama. The Dalai Lama, for their religion. . . . And our posìtion is he's not a managing agent because he's not even part of the organizatìon, and so we have no ability to even compel him to appear."

  (From Lopez-14 document)
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  wannabefree

  And now we see proof as to the real reason the GB was separated from Watchtower corporations several years back ....

  EXHIBIT 23

  page 3 lines 1&2

  Gerrit Losch lives and works in New York. But, Mr. Losch is not now and, in fact, never has been

  an officer, director, managing agent or employee of Watchtower.
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  AndDontCallMeShirley

  The WT lawyers are suspect to me as lawyers. They graduated from a four year college and law school.

  Yeah, but Jehovah will "finish their training", so a mere four years of University is irrelevant in JW BethelLand. Plus, they read the WT and Awake, which is like having a second college degree.

  What type of person can section off their mind and believe the massive lies of the WTBTS

  An attorney.
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  Splash

  Cadellin To the best of my memory, it's not repeated in the NT the way the prohibition against blood is, is it?

  Mt 18:16 on the testimony a of two or three witnesses every matter may be established.

  1Tim 5:19 Do not accept an accusation against an older man a except on the evidence of two or three witnesses.

  2Cor 13:1 On the testimony of two or three witnesses every matter must be established.

  What will be interesting is how they justify changing the two witness rule when they are forced to. How will they reason that these scriptures no longer apply?

  Splash
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  Pistoff

  The short sightedness of the WT leadership is beginning to show; years ago, this policy of intervening in child sex abuse accusations should have been abandoned.

  And now they are paying the price, slowly and surely; slowly through the years they have paid off lawsuits as they came up, eventually lost the Conti suit, as she did not want a payout but insisted on apology and a change in policy, and now, stalling tactics have resulted in this legal slap in the face.

  Who is surprised by this?

  You get to the top of the heap by being a company man, saying yes, buckling under.

  That doesn't make for leadership skills.
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  flipper

  BTTT, Peace out, Mr. Flipper
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  AnnOMaly

  Thank you, Barbara, for making those court documents available. The one you summarized ...

  http://watchtowerdocuments.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/08/Lopez-16Plaintiff-Reply-to-Mtn-for-Sanctions-4-25-14.pdf

  ... is totally gobsmacking. How hard can it be to dig out a congregation's records about a certain individual between certain years on a computerized system? Necessary to close down the Service Department and divert its manpower to do it? Years and years to find the relevant ones? C'mon! What is the point of having a central computerized system to archive important congregation documents on judicial matters if they cannot be readily accessed? Did they really think the court would buy those excuses? What planet are they on?