Posts by Corney

62

England v Ukraine

by BoogerMan in

so nice to see thousands upon thousands of fighting-age ukrainian men managed to escape the war and reach wembley to support their national football team yesterday.

things must be improving, eh?.

No, LUHE, I didn't miss any point. The West must appease Putin and make peace for our time, cede the four regions Russia recently annexed (perhaps including areas under Ukrainian control), lift all the sanctions (how else to end this awful cost-of-living crisis?), expel Eastern Europe countries from NATO (because no way Russia will ever attack them AND they are not so important to risk a nuclear war), give Putin more time and resources to strengthen up Russian military and economy... This worked well in 2008-09 and 2014-15 when Russia was essentially allowed to get away with Georgia, Crimea and Donbas, so it certainly will be a viable peace. As Mr Medvedev said three days before the invasion,

Here, I will give my personal assessment – but after a while, with skilful management of the situation, and, I emphasise, I think we have learned how to do this under the leadership of the President – the tension that is now vibrating around our country will subside one way or another. Not quickly, not all at once, but this is how human history works: sooner or later, they will get tired of this situation and will themselves ask us to resume discussions and talks on all issues of ensuring strategic security.
Here, you know, it is like that line from the famous book by Bulgakov: never ask for anything, they will come to you themselves and offer everything. This is about how developments unfolded in 2008–2009. They came to us and suggested resuming relations across the board. Let us face it, Russia means a lot more than Ukraine for the international community and our friends in the United States and the European Union, and everyone understands this, including the Ukrainians.

So why not to make them happy and give them what they want?

I just want to say, "peace ASAP" and Ukraine's decisive victory are not the only options. What about peace on honourable and just terms -- which is impossible if "soon" is all you care about. After all, Putin and his clique are perfectly happy about continuing this war, it helps them to further solidify their power, enrich themselves, purge any dissent and disloyalty. They aren't under pressure to end it ASAP, so it's questionable whether a really good peace is even possible at this point.

62

England v Ukraine

by BoogerMan in

so nice to see thousands upon thousands of fighting-age ukrainian men managed to escape the war and reach wembley to support their national football team yesterday.

things must be improving, eh?.

Corney

I can't believe reading that standing up to the aggressor -- which understands no language other than force -- "prolongs the war".

And notwithstanding all the bullshit about "Russian land" and "Russian people", most people from the recently occupied regions didn't wait for the Russian army to "liberate" them.

44

Three new lawsuits against Watchtower filed under NY Child Victims Act (CVA) this October, bringing number of CVA cases up to six

by Corney in

new cases:.

diaz case, filed on 10/21/2020 by zalkin law firm - two plaintiffs abused (here and hereinafter - allegedly) by two ministerial servants in 1970s.. iglesias case, filed on 10/19/2020 by eisenberg & baum, llp against various nyc and wt entities - abused by an "elder john doe" and "[travelling] overseer john" in 1970s and 1980s.. aldridge case, filed 10/06/2020 by zalkin law firm - abused by a congregation elder in 1970s.. older cases:.

tarry case (no 1 and no 2), filed on 09/17/2019 and 07/23/2020 by parker waichman llp - abused by a publisher in 1984. very weak case.

Corney

On January 25, Zalkin Law Firm settled six cases. In total, the firm filed nine NY Child Victims Act lawsuits against Watchtower, settled seven of them and left one case, so now there is only one pending case where they represent a plaintiff.

Six settlements on same day:

https://iapps.courts.state.ny.us/nyscef/ViewDocument?docIndex=FgQemghXQDsIlcerLF6y6A==

https://iapps.courts.state.ny.us/nyscef/ViewDocument?docIndex=DfDSOXh1xocjkLEEJW2ruw==

https://iapps.courts.state.ny.us/nyscef/ViewDocument?docIndex=_PLUS_FdbQYGwNqnQPs/1Z0l3tw==

https://iapps.courts.state.ny.us/nyscef/ViewDocument?docIndex=RDyGqKEXCrpiGdHQ0GpfGA==

https://iapps.courts.state.ny.us/nyscef/ViewDocument?docIndex=ktWaIazxNZFzFZHCTZa7yQ==

https://iapps.courts.state.ny.us/nyscef/ViewDocument?docIndex=Xa37JqlEfdm6d/4Al49OHA==

7

The real numbers for yearly report.

by Hellothere in

what do you think are the real numbers for yearly report?

they can't be real the ones watchtower published.

last 20 years i have seen large groups of young people in my area abandon watchtower.

Corney

Oh Jeez, here we go again

169

Are the statistics out yet?

by slimboyfat in

isn’t it about time they released the report for the service year?

or have they stopped publishing it?

did they released selected figures at the annual meeting as they usually do, such as the memorial attendance or record number of pioneers?

Corney

In 2000, you needed to make 10 hours a month in service to even be counted as an active publisher. Now you just need to show up at a Zoom meeting.

Yup, you just need to be accepted as a member after one or more interviews and a sort of probationary period, to avoid breaching a strict code of conduct (at least openly), to have regular contacts with local leadership and to submit to (or at least make appearance of submission to) their authority.

21

Vicarious Liability: Court of Appeal dismisses appeal from religious organisation following sexual assault

by yalbmert99 in

https://www.lexology.com/library/detail.aspx?g=d0a1ca63-2027-4702-9f6d-3c3da5fd9c5f.

Corney

The UK Supreme Court will hear the case on February 13 and 14.

https://www.supremecourt.uk/cases/uksc-2021-0089.html

34

Lawsuit: I said GB member Barr that my Bethelite stepfather abused me; he did nothing

by Corney in

here's an excerpt from the recent lawsuit deborah hines v. watchtower bible and tract society of new york et al (paragraphs 158-180), one of 29 known cases brought against the org pursuant to the ny child victims act.

what should be kept in mind is that gerrit lösch apparently worked in europe (the austrian branch and eastern europe) at the time when the abuse was allegedly reported to him (not a gb member then).. plaintiff was raised a member of the jehovah’s witnesses.

she primarily attended meetings at various congregations in arizona.

Corney

The case has been settled on undisclosed terms.

14

Suspected Washington Kingdom Halls arsonist arrested

by Corney in

as many probably remember, in 2018-2020, multiple kingdom and assembly halls were set on fire in the state of washington, so fbi, atf, local sheriff and arson alarm foundation offered $61,000 in rewards for information leading to arrest of the arsonist.

the attacks (seven arsons and one shooting) included:.

march 19, 2018: two arson attacks - one at a tumwater kingdom hall and the second at a kingdom hall on cain road in olympia.

Corney

New charges:

Mikey Diamond Starrett, aka Michael Jason Layes, was charged in a superseding indictment with three counts of damage to religious property, including the use of fire, and three counts of using fire to commit a federal felony. Layes will be arraigned on the indictment next week.
“As DOJ noted this week, we are putting a priority on prosecuting hate crimes,” said U.S. Attorney Brown. “We continue to work closely with our faith communities so that they have the most current information on how to protect places of worship.”
According to the superseding indictment, the defendant allegedly set fire to Jehovah’s Witness Kingdom Halls on three occasions: the Kingdom Hall of Tumwater, Washington on March 19, 2018; the Kingdom Hall of Olympia, Washington on March 19, 2018; and the Kingdom Hall of Olympia, Washington on July 3, 2018. The superseding indictment alleges the defendant defaced, damaged, and destroyed religious real property at the Kingdom Halls because of the religious character of the properties.
“Our criminal investigators have been working tirelessly on these attacks since they began in 2018,” said ATF Seattle Field Division Special Agent in Charge Jonathan T. McPherson. “We hope this indictment helps calm the fears of those in the Pierce and Thurston county areas through the knowledge that Layes is being prosecuted for his alleged crimes.”
Layes was previously charged with one count of damage to religious property, including the use of a dangerous weapon, and one count of use of a firearm during and in relation to a crime of violence, in connection with a shooting that damaged a Jehovah’s Witness Kingdom Hall in Yelm, Washington, on May 15, 2018. The defendant was also previously charged with one count of unlawful possession of an unregistered firearm. Layes has been in federal custody since his arrest on September 8, 2021.
If convicted, the defendant faces a sentence of up to 20 years in prison on each charge of damage to religious property. The defendant faces up to 10 years in prison if convicted on the unlawful possession of an unregistered firearm charge. If convicted, the defendant faces at least 10 years in prison to run consecutive to any sentence imposed for each of the remaining offenses.

https://www.justice.gov/usao-wdwa/pr/olympia-washington-man-indicted-hate-crimes-arsons-jehovah-s-witness-kingdom-halls

https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/washington-man-charged-hate-crimes-arsons-jehovah-s-witness-kingdom-halls

44

Three new lawsuits against Watchtower filed under NY Child Victims Act (CVA) this October, bringing number of CVA cases up to six

by Corney in

new cases:.

diaz case, filed on 10/21/2020 by zalkin law firm - two plaintiffs abused (here and hereinafter - allegedly) by two ministerial servants in 1970s.. iglesias case, filed on 10/19/2020 by eisenberg & baum, llp against various nyc and wt entities - abused by an "elder john doe" and "[travelling] overseer john" in 1970s and 1980s.. aldridge case, filed 10/06/2020 by zalkin law firm - abused by a congregation elder in 1970s.. older cases:.

tarry case (no 1 and no 2), filed on 09/17/2019 and 07/23/2020 by parker waichman llp - abused by a publisher in 1984. very weak case.

Corney

Also, there are two NJ decisions:

one granting GB's motion to dismiss and striking it out because of complaint's deficiencies, without ruling on whether it may be sued;

and another rejecting GB's arguments: "According to its website, the Governing Body consists of eight members operating under the recognized name of 'Governing Body.' Further, here, the Governing Body is a recognized group of individuals responsible for directing and controlling the operation that caused Plaintiff’s injuries, and thus meets the standard for an “unincorporated association” under its home state of New York’s laws... Regardless of what it comports on its website, in its many motions to dismiss filed in New York, the Governing Body avoids responding as to whether it is an unincorporated association, corporation, or any other legal entity capable of being sued." It also cited the Grant ruling and erroneously stated there are "numerous other courts around the country" supporting that position (in fact, at that time the Grant ruling was the only one).

44

Three new lawsuits against Watchtower filed under NY Child Victims Act (CVA) this October, bringing number of CVA cases up to six

by Corney in

new cases:.

diaz case, filed on 10/21/2020 by zalkin law firm - two plaintiffs abused (here and hereinafter - allegedly) by two ministerial servants in 1970s.. iglesias case, filed on 10/19/2020 by eisenberg & baum, llp against various nyc and wt entities - abused by an "elder john doe" and "[travelling] overseer john" in 1970s and 1980s.. aldridge case, filed 10/06/2020 by zalkin law firm - abused by a congregation elder in 1970s.. older cases:.

tarry case (no 1 and no 2), filed on 09/17/2019 and 07/23/2020 by parker waichman llp - abused by a publisher in 1984. very weak case.

Corney

Courts split on whether the Governing Body may be sued

Dozens of lawsuits (more than 50) have been filed against Watchtower over the last three years, mainly thanks to Child Victims Acts (CVA) adopted in many states (which includes at least 11 cases recently filed in California); at least five of them have been settled or dismissed. Apparently for the first time, many of those cases named the Governing Body as defendant; the GB, in its motions to dismiss, claimed, among others, that it is not a jural entity capable of being sued, and its function is solely ecclesiastical. Most of its motions have not been decided yet, as courts are overflooded with CVA cases. For example, in the entire NYC there are 13 judges assigned to more than 5,000 cases. But the situation has began changing recently, albeit slowly.

In Grant v. Kingdom Hall (Nassau County, October 21, 2021), Justice Steven M. Jaeger found that "it remains unclear from the submissions of the parties what, precisely, the Governing Body's status is under New York Law. What is clear, however, from other cases involving the Jehovah’s Witnesses around the nation, is that the Governing Body is a proper entity to be sued." His successor cited and relied on this case as a local precedent in M. E. v. Dutchess County et al. (Dutchess County, July 14, 2022).

In a judgment issued a month later, another court decided the Governing Body is a jural entity (an unincorporated association) that may be sued but the plaintiff's failure "to plead and prove that each [GB] member ...authorized or ratified the alleged wrongful conduct” resulted in dismissal of the case against it. The case is Laurie Wadsworth v. Fairport Congregation of Jehovahs Witnesses Fairport, New York et al (Monroe County, August 12, 2022). Nine months earlier, the same judge denied another GB's motion for dismissal due to a technical issue - its failure to provide documents or affidavits supporting its claims (Jennifer Banlaki v. Kingdom Hall Of Jehovah's Witnesses et al, Monroe County, November 10, 2021).

In Denise J Jackson v. Watchtower Bible And Tract Society Of New York, Inc et al (Oneida County, September 13, 2022), Justice Jeffrey A. Tait found the question of the GB's legal status and its ultimate role in the organization is too difficult to decide at the early stage of litigation, especially given its failure to submit admissible evidence, so extensive discovery is needed before the GB will be allowed to renew its effort to dismiss.

Finally, less than two weeks ago, Justice Laurence L. Love, one of three judges administering pretrial matters of CVA lawsuits in NYC, dismissed a case (Kimberley Aldridge v. The Governing Body of Jehovah's Witnesses et al, Kings County, December 7, 2022) against the GB on the grounds that the plaintiff "does not sufficiently articulate why the Governing Body should be deemed an 'unincorporated association' by the Court, as opposed to merely a division of a non-profit religious organization (here, Watchtower). The Governing Body appears to thus be more akin to a group of managers or other type of division at a corporation that has no independent legal existence...[Its] control and oversight pertain to ecumenical duties of the Jehovah's Witness faith... [T]he Governing Body exerts ecclesial control related to the religious teachings of the Jehovah's Witness church, and the Governing Body's areas of decision are not properly before this Court. Even if the Governing Body also exerts some degree of control over secular matters, the Governing Body is still just one group of individuals within the Watchtower non-profit corporation, and thus cannot be sued as its own legal entity absent a justification for corporate veil-piercing, which Plaintiff does not suggest." Moreover, since Watchtower is named as defendant, no injustice is caused by striking out the GB. He also addressed other arguments raised by the org, including its claims that the CVA is unconstitutional (summarily rejected). There is a hope now that its similar motions in other cases will be quickly decided, and discovery process will begin.