Posts by Corney

26

All Watchtower Brooklyn sales in 37 NYC doc pages + spreadsheet

by Corney in

i have compiled 32 real property transfer reports (“reports”) and 5 recording and endorsement cover pages (“cover pages”) that are ny city public records and available online on a836-acris.nyc.gov site.

37 pages, 38 properties, $2.2bn, one society... enjoy: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1ryaj_4ihgs1uoyeptkbzdbmw9rd12dmf/view?usp=sharing.

see also spreadsheet: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1acdsqfusm5mi2zatfn87ksxmvrdzh0wfxg9nlomdszw/edit?usp=sharing.

Corney

OC, the most of the buyers represent well-known investors and real estate developers. For example, six DUMBO properties were sold to Kushner Companies, RFR Realty and Invesco Advisors, 25-30 Columbia Heights were purchased by Kushner Companies, CIM Group and LIVWRK Holdings, Vincent Viola was behind Eastern Division LLC, the buyer of 124 (aka 122&128) Columbia Heights, etc. etc. A reddittor have compiled media reports in a spreadsheet that is useful for research purposes, although it contains few errors.

Incognito, careful, according to the org's press release, 30 Front Street is "the last Brooklyn property listed for sale". I think this explains the contradiction.

26

All Watchtower Brooklyn sales in 37 NYC doc pages + spreadsheet

by Corney in

i have compiled 32 real property transfer reports (“reports”) and 5 recording and endorsement cover pages (“cover pages”) that are ny city public records and available online on a836-acris.nyc.gov site.

37 pages, 38 properties, $2.2bn, one society... enjoy: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1ryaj_4ihgs1uoyeptkbzdbmw9rd12dmf/view?usp=sharing.

see also spreadsheet: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1acdsqfusm5mi2zatfn87ksxmvrdzh0wfxg9nlomdszw/edit?usp=sharing.

Corney

Roddy, that's public info. You can find all the records here: https://a836-acris.nyc.gov/DS/DocumentSearch/PartyName

careful, they're still owned by Watchtower.

https://nycprop.nyc.gov/nycproperty/StatementSearch?bbl=3002290021&stmtDate=20181116&stmtType=SOA

https://nycprop.nyc.gov/nycproperty/StatementSearch?bbl=3002290025&stmtDate=20181116&stmtType=SOA

Also, you can check it here: https://webapps.nyc.gov/CICS/fin1/find001I

26

All Watchtower Brooklyn sales in 37 NYC doc pages + spreadsheet

by Corney in

i have compiled 32 real property transfer reports (“reports”) and 5 recording and endorsement cover pages (“cover pages”) that are ny city public records and available online on a836-acris.nyc.gov site.

37 pages, 38 properties, $2.2bn, one society... enjoy: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1ryaj_4ihgs1uoyeptkbzdbmw9rd12dmf/view?usp=sharing.

see also spreadsheet: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1acdsqfusm5mi2zatfn87ksxmvrdzh0wfxg9nlomdszw/edit?usp=sharing.

Corney

I have compiled 32 real property transfer reports (“Reports”) and 5 recording and endorsement cover pages (“Cover Pages”) that are NY City public records and available online on a836-acris.nyc.gov site.

37 pages, 38 properties, $2.2bn, one Society... Enjoy: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1Ryaj_4iHgs1uOYePTKbzdbmW9rd12DMf/view?usp=sharing

About the PDF doc: every Report relates to one property transfer irrespective of number of transferred properties, and contains, among others:

full address of one of the transferred properties (field 1);

buyer and seller names (fields 2, 8);

full sale price (field 12).

Cover Pages contain, among others, addresses of all transferred properties (field “Property Data”). Cover Pages are included only when two or more properties are transferred.

32

WT is lying about the actual publisher numbers

by JustHuman14 in

i left wt, 18 years ago.

never thought that i would have witness such a massive doctrinal and structure changes as well.

i find it hard to recognize that religion.. what i can tell, like all of ex jw's is that wt going down.. their corporate directors know it.

Corney

So, on the one hand, Watchtower publishes both "good" and "bad" (e.g., Germany, Japan, Poland) figures, and its statistics are generally corroborated by census and survey reports.

On the other hand, people dislike and distrust them because they are lying assholes, therefore all Watchtower's reports are FAKE NEWS... Sounds like very strong argument, doesn't it?

25

Abuse Survivor's $4M Judgment Against Jehovah's Witness Umbrella Organization Upheld by Court 12/10/18

by Not_Culty in

https://www.law.com/newyorklawjournal/2018/12/10/court-upholds-abuse-survivors-4m-judgement-against-jehovahs-witness-umbrella-organization-389-52222/?slreturn=20181111101406.

Corney

Correction: the above-mentioned case is closed now. The pending case is JOHN ROE 1 VS. DEFENDANT DOE 1, CONGREGATION (30-2014-00741722-CU-PO-CJC).

Forthcoming hearings (at Orange County Superior Court):

Description	Date	Time	Department
MOTION TO COMPEL DEPOSITION (ORAL OR WRITTEN)	12/18/2018	02:00	C11
MOTION FOR SUMMARY JUDGMENT AND/OR ADJUDICATION	12/18/2018	02:00	C11
MOTION FOR SANCTIONS	01/15/2019	02:00	C11
MOTION FOR PROTECTIVE ORDER	01/15/2019	02:00	C11
MOTION - OTHER	01/29/2019	02:00	C11
JURY TRIAL	03/25/2019	09:00	C11

Full case information: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1CuB3h7t6ftxXahhpA_0mAfQHRAVAMvHw/view?usp=sharing

25

Abuse Survivor's $4M Judgment Against Jehovah's Witness Umbrella Organization Upheld by Court 12/10/18

by Not_Culty in

https://www.law.com/newyorklawjournal/2018/12/10/court-upholds-abuse-survivors-4m-judgement-against-jehovahs-witness-umbrella-organization-389-52222/?slreturn=20181111101406.

Corney

Storey noted that he and his firm have litigated over the 1997 documents in two prior cases that have gone to the Court of Appeal and that highly redacted copies of some of the material have been handed over in a fourth case currently pending in Orange County.

Intrigued about that case. I found one case filed in Orange County Superior Court but not sure what its current status is. The case information: https://drive.google.com/file/d/121-fddB_AruAOBpdscrNuPdXdYiIzMin/view?usp=sharing

32

WT is lying about the actual publisher numbers

by JustHuman14 in

i left wt, 18 years ago.

never thought that i would have witness such a massive doctrinal and structure changes as well.

i find it hard to recognize that religion.. what i can tell, like all of ex jw's is that wt going down.. their corporate directors know it.

Corney

steve2 This trend towards more people identifying as JWs than the official number of active publishers is true of most religious groups. More self-identify than who affiliate.

Agree, but JWs' affiliation and participation rate is tens of percent points higher than in most other religious groups.

Crazyguy, totally agree. That's why I mentioned this.

32

WT is lying about the actual publisher numbers

by JustHuman14 in

i left wt, 18 years ago.

never thought that i would have witness such a massive doctrinal and structure changes as well.

i find it hard to recognize that religion.. what i can tell, like all of ex jw's is that wt going down.. their corporate directors know it.

Corney

300 (not 310) is the number of congregation mergers during the last 12 years, and during the same period, 194 congregations (mostly foreign- and sign-language) were created. The number of KHs in Germany has decreased by 135, or 1/8, since 2011. It doesn't mean all 135 KHs were sold. Some KHs could be rented (so they couldn't be sold), their methodology could be changed etc. Anyway, I think it's safe to say that the number of KHs in Germany has decreased by at least 1/10 during the 2010s, as it also happened in Austria and Spain.

I also doubt that the OP isn't just an example of wishful thinking based on unrepresentative observations. In fact, generally number of self-reported JWs according to census data is higher than pub numbers from Yearbooks. More than 2 million Americans identified themselves as Witnesses in 2014, and 3 million Mexicans and Brazilians did this in 2010. So, why is 8 million an incredible number? I don't see any reason for this.

Certainly, it doesn't mean there is no cause for concern for Watchtower. For example, they are stagnating, JWs are becoming older etc.

42

Watchtower Corp of New York worth over$ 2 billion

by Diogenesister in

in the montana sex abuse court case for the first time watchtower has been required by the courts to give a financial statement to the court to assess awards of punitive damages for negligence and (for the first time)malice in non compliance of mandatory reporting laws.. watchtower corp of new york has finances in excess of $2 billion while cc of jw is worth $49 million.

this doesn't include the pensylvania corp or what overseas branches may have.. pretty healthy bank balance by any standards..

Corney

Watch Tower Pennsylvania's form 990-T for the year ending 31 Aug 2017 has become available here: https://apps.irs.gov/pub/epostcard/cor/111857820_201708_990T_2018091015669414.pdf

Surprisingly, book value of its assets has almost doubled from $558.8M to $1,004.2M.

So, book value of assets of WTS Pennsylvania was $965.8M in 2011, $1,119.1 M in 2012, $1,154.5M in 2013, $1,020.4M in 2014, $593.75M in 2015, $558.8M in 2016, and $1,004.2M in 2017.

Book value of assets of WTS NY was $399.3M in 2009, $675.4M in 2014, $1,451.2M in 2016, and $1,590.2M in 2017.

Combined book value of the two societies' assets was $1.7 billion in 2014, $2 billion in 2016, and $2.6 billion in 2017.

The returns are available here: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1_I8jBbaSStIp4-1a0FODN2h4I6fpltBs?usp=sharing

Surely, book value of assets doesn't completely accurately reflect the org's financial situation. But this is still a good indicator, and it would be interesting to read what do proponents of the "WTS hides assets from lawsuits" theory think about the above-mentioned numbers.

15

Article: Jehovah's Witness child sex abuse survivor urges examination of NZ church

by AndersonsInfo in

https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/108217408/jehovahs-witness-child-sex-abuse-survivor-urges-examination-of-nz-church.

tom hunt18:56, nov 11 2018. it started with movies and bowls, but soon luke hollis was a young boy performing sexual acts on a jehovah's witness man four-times his age.. to hear hollis, now 28 and living in wellington, talk of the ordeal that tormented him for years during his childhood in england, it is remarkable how matter-of-fact he is.. but he is the first to admit he has a vendetta against his former church.. he wants to see jehovah's witnesses held accountable and he wants the church to apologise.

but mostly, he wants it to fully shed its "two witness" rule – a policy he argues makes the church a beacon for child sexual predators.. read more: https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/108217408/jehovahs-witness-child-sex-abuse-survivor-urges-examination-of-nz-church.

Corney

The NZ Royal Commission's Terms of Reference are published: http://www.legislation.govt.nz/regulation/public/2018/0223/latest/LMS118772.html

Frankly, I don't understand when "assumed responsibility for the care" (sec. 17.4) exists (apart from religious schools, hospitals, orphanages and similar institutions) and, therefore, whether and to what extent the org falls in scope of the inquiry. I would be grateful for any clarification.

Interestingly, review of charities law was also initiated in NZ, and public consultation for the review will take place over March and April 2019. NB: the definition of "charitable purpose" and tax exemption for charities fall outside of scope of the review.