by Dogpatch 30 Replies latest jw friends
I agree that everyone should get proper advice and be confident before they get involved with anything.
As you may or may not know, I am working on the web-site for Lawrence but I am not involved with any of the legal side of it. At the moment, we're still getting things setup and making sure the right emails go to the right people etc... Expect more information being posted in the near future as things become clearer.
if there is a class action suit then wouldn't the WTB&TS be entitled to know who is on the list of victims and also making it a case for public record exposure?
i have often have stated my desire to sue them for ruining my life regarding education. what i am doing now is not what i really wanted to be doing. it's ok, but nothing gets me more upset/depressed than when i start really thinking about it and with each passing year how long ago it was when i made my fateful decision.
it's chiefly because of the all negative connotations that are/were associated with getting a higher ed. but since it was ultimately my choice (after all they didn't put a gun Armageddon to my head), i don't know how my efforts would pan out.
Edited by - thewiz on 23 September 2002 15:37:53
hawkaw, thank you.
I just called Kim of LoveNorris. She clarified that there is indeed a difference between class actions and mass actions. It seems that "mass" actions are mass individual lawsuits. This makes more sense now, since I couldn't figure out why $100 was included in a contingency suit. It appears that there are two distinct type of suits being pondered. The class action suit, or the mass action suit. The class action suit would have several elements that would have to be met in order to be certified as a class action suit, or proceed. Kim's concern is that these elements would not be met, therefore she is optioning for mass action suits, or individual suits. Her firm is willing to take on these suits on a contingency basis.
KIM !?? Somebody, am I more on target here?
what i am doing now is not what i really wanted to be doing.
thewiz-----get your butt into school ! it's NEVER too late !
Edited by - deddaisy on 23 September 2002 16:50:35
Hi Kimberely,
I understood that a 'class action' Law Suit had been levied against the Hare Krishna group by around 50-60 people for child-abuse that happened within the community during the 70's and 80's, and that this indeed had been validated.
Am I incorrect about this?
Best regards - HS
CONCERNED LAWYER said:
In my opinion, a class action for sexual abuse victims won't pass the certification process (the first step) because of the requirement of "commonality of injury", a very precise and stringent requirement that the injury sustained be nearly identical. My opinion is based upon 11 years of law practice in sexual abuse litigation. My partners in this joint venture agree with me. Between them, they have more than 200 years of law practice across the United States and Canada, INCLUDING Fen-Phen class action litigation.
I'm curious, couldn't they file a Class Action Lawsuit for all of the Child Abuse Victims.
Then, another Class Action Suit for all of the Blood Transfusion Victims.
Then, another Class Action for Shunning/Disfellowshipping/Disassociation.
And so on?
I'm with JT on this one. Regardless of out come.....and I do think it wise to take precautions, and try maximizing succes probabilities... the publicity will help demonize certain words previously unknown to "worldlings' .
* SERVICE AND PEDEOPHILES
*REPENTANT SINNER/disfellowshipping ...another words : you can't leave
*FAMILY SHUNNING OF CONSCIENENCE OBJECTORS. The general public has no idea what a dissenter of the faith goes through. Most people think JW's are a little weird but certainly beneign. The WTBS spin mechine has done a good job at public relations. The truth is far different for those who live it every day.
I only have one question: where do I send my hundred bucks!
Perry
Hello Kimberely,
My apologies for not responding immediately, I am just back in my office. The lawsuit filed by the child-abuse victims within the Hare Krishna movement was filed in Texas :
http://www.wturley.com/news/news.htm#22
The movments leaders have publicly apologized for what happened to these children and are prepared they say to sell property and land in they have to to pay adequate compensation to these children. Even on of the 'Governing Body' of the movement was a sexual abuser of children.
In this it seems rather strange does it not that the Hare Krishna movement, viewed as Satanic and demonized by the WTS is prepared to apologize for its problems in the regards, but the Governing Body of Jehovah's Witnesses who claim to hold sway over the only *real* Christians on this planet, and who claim to speak for God, will not apologize and live with the consequences of their failures.
Best regards Kimberely - HS
Hello Kimberely,
In some places it is described as a 'class action' suit, at least by the media :
http://www.vnn.org/world/WD9907/WD06-4239.html
http://surrealist.org/gurukula/documents.html#38
Given the clear definition that you stated at the beggining of your post, I presume that the media have these terms mixed?
Best - HS
I realize that the most important thing is not if Mr. Hughes and the other plaintiffs win, but rather their willingness to take a stand in an attempt to make the WTS accept some responsibility for its actions. But here's hoping that a few stones are loosened in the process.
"The difference between a moral man and a man of honor is that the latter regrets a discreditable act, even when it has worked and he has not been caught."-------------------------Henry Louis Mencken
hillary, forgot to add this. In looking for the Texas Hare Krishna case, I saw a few others. Lots included the Krishna's going to court to exert their right to distribute literature. But this one caught my eye. It's fifty pages long, so I'll only paste the beginning........
______________________________________________________________________________
ROBIN GEORGE et al., Plaintiffs, Respondents and Cross-appellants, v. INTERNATIONAL SOCIETY FOR KRISHNA CONSCIOUSNESS OF CALIFORNIA, etc., et al., Defendants, Appellants and Cross-respondents.
No. D007153.
Court of Appeal of California, Fourth Appellate District, Division One.
213 Cal. App. 3d 729; 262 Cal. Rptr. 217;
August 30, 1989
NOTICE: NOT CITABLE - ORDERED NOT PUBLISHED
SUBSEQUENT HISTORY: [**1] As modified September 29, 1989; Appellants' petitions for review DENIED
November 30, 1989 and Reporter of Decisions directed not to publish this opn. in the Official Reports (Cal. Const., art. VI,
14; rule 976 Cal. Rules of Ct.).
PRIOR HISTORY: [**1]
Superior Court of Orange County, No. 277565, James A. Jackman, Judge.
COUNSEL:
Alan G. Martin, Kent L. Richland, Feris M. Greenberger, Robert A. Olson, Greines, Martin, Stein & Richland, W. Marshall
Morgan, Walter M. Yoka, Morgan, Wenzel & McNicholas, David M. Liberman and Larry J. Roberts for Defendants,
Appellants and Cross-respondents.
Chaitanya Tanna, Bhishma K. Agnihotri, Edward McGlynn Gaffney, Jr., Morton B. Jackson, MacDonald, Halsted &
Laybourne, Barry A. Fisher, Robert C. Moest, Fleishman, Fisher & Moest, Carol A. Sobel, Paul L. Hoffman, Mark D.
Rosenbaum and Mark Mausert as Amici Curiae on behalf of Defendants, Appellants and Cross-respondents.
Louis E. Goebel, Cheryl Shensa, Goebel, Shensa & Beale, David A. Niddrie and Procopio, Cory, Hargreaves & Savitch for
Plaintiffs, Respondents and Cross-appellants.
OPINIONBY: WIENER
OPINION: [*221] WIENER, J.
Plaintiff Robin George and her mother, Marcia George, brought this action against four corporate entities of the International
Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON) n1 and two individual Krishna officials n2 alleging the defendants
"brainwashed" Robin into joining the Krishna movement and thereafter conspired to conceal her from her parents. A jury
agreed, [**2] awarding the Georges compensatory and punitive damages in excess of $32 million, a figure which was later
substantially reduced by the trial court. Robin's compensatory award in excess of $1.8 million included damages for false
imprisonment, intentional infliction of emotional distress, wrongful death, and libel. Marcia George's $1,510,000
compensatory award was based on emotional distress and libel.
n1 The four corporate defendants are ISKCON of California, ISKCON of New York (which controlled the Krishna temples
in California before the formation of ISKCON of California), ISKCON of Louisiana and ISKCON of Canada.
n2 Defendant Roy Christopher Richard was president of the Krishna temple in Laguna Beach. Defendant Nico Kuyt was
president of the Krishna temple in New Orleans.
In a general sense, we conclude that defendants' principal acts constituted torts against Marcia George but not against Robin.
Accordingly, we reverse the judgment in favor of Robin to eliminate the damages awarded as to all causes of action except
the cause of action for wrongful death. At the same time, we reject defendants' multifaceted attacks on the judgment in favor
of Marcia based on libel and intentional [**3] infliction theories. We also reject defendants' claim of evidentiary and
jurisdictional error as well as assertions that the amount of punitive damages awarded were excessive. As we shall explain in
greater detail, the result of our decision requires the trial court to enter judgment in favor of Robin for $75,000 (damages for
wrongful death) and permits Marcia's judgment to remain at the trial court-reduced sum of $2,910,000 (emotional distress:
$400,000 compensatory, $2 million punitive; libel: $10,000 compensatory, $500,000 punitive).
