Class Action Lawsuit based on misinformation*

by biblexaminer 31 Replies latest watchtower beliefs

• 

  biblexaminer

  I have long considered a lawsuit against the Watchtower organization.

  I realize that I am not the only one.

  There are now presently many who are seriously considering it, and some who are actively pursuing it. Others have tried and failed.

  The big question is, what can one sue for?

  I am not a mamby-pamby kind of guy. I look for the right key to fit the lock, and I am not about wasting my time chasing after something that won't work. I need something that works, really works.

  In light of all that has gone wrong lately with corporate America, it suddenly comes to me that we are "investors" of a type. We have "invested" years of our lives, and not a small part of our personal fortunes, in this institution. We effectively bought "Watchtower stock".

  Only to find out later thought our stock was worthless.

  As time went by, and we did "equity research", we gradually came to realize that our stock was a crock. So how can we "sell"? We cannot, because there are no "buyers". The stock is worthless, the company bankrupt, -the victim of "the mother of all frauds" (to quote a news writer on CBS Marketwatch) and we are stuck looking up at a corporation, which has deceived us into pouring our life-savings into their hands. Funds, which they then embezzled!

  Are you out there who are also investor types following me?

  There are investment houses, (ie: Merrill Lynch) prominent ones, who have been successfully sued for providing misinformation to investors, investors who bought stock believing something false. We, as Jehovah's Witnesses, were "members" of the Corporation in a manner of speaking, and we have been hoodwinked.

  Think of all the lies that the Watchtower told us, lies about their history. Had we known the truth about the early years of the WTS, would we ever have wasted so much time investing in them?

  Would we have ever believed, even for a minute, that they are a special "class", the "slave" of MT.24:45, had we known the truth about their history?

  Had we not been fed "revisionist history" lessons, and if we had known the truth about the early years, or had we know of so many of the things that we later found out, things that the WTS hid from us, WOULD WE EVER HAVE WASTED SO MUCH OF OUR LIVES?

  I tell you the truth this day, that if I end up in court pursuing the WTS for damages, this is the angle I will work.

  I was deceived, in a thoroughgoing manner, into sacrificing my years, my health, my education, my family, my employment, and almost my life. The Watchtower hid from me information that was necessary in order for me to make an informed decision as to whether or not I would become involved with this "society" and invest.

  Further, they distorted information on many aspects of the organization in order to get me to join, to contribute funds, and to spend my precious time in the confines of this "society". They are guilty of providing me with false information in order to maneuver me into buying what they were selling, a worthless equity!

  In the investment world, if an advisor provides false information to a client and the client loses money, -the advisor will pay or damn it he will go to prison! Thats the law.

  Can this be applied to our situation? I believe it can.

  The Watchtower Society is a legal corporation. It, in a sense, has shares. We all bought some when we got baptized, UNDER FALSE PRETENSES. I am convinced that they can and will most certainly be sued.

  Maybe by me.

  Looking into this further. BX
• 

  blondie

  Actually, the WTS would probably say I willingly became a JW and that I could leave at any time I thought they were lying. Sort of the buyer beware concept.

  There are so many crafty, lying people out there. Being an abused child, the first liars in my life were my parents. I now have my own way of exposing liars so at least they know that I know they are liars. I set traps to out them in public as well.

  But to try to take on a whole organization with a twisted psychological need to be right at all costs. . . I will pass.

  I try to find healthy happy people to be around. Of course, being trapped yet in the WTS like I am, that takes a little creativity. I have been volunteering more of my time to organizations that help families and children. I'm going back to helping people learn to read. I like it a lot.
• 

  abbagail

  Hi bibleexaminer: Very interesting indeed. I'm not an investor-type, but your strategy sounds logical. Whether it will work or not is beyond my knowledge-base. Please keep us informed of your research on this.

  I assume you are aware of the current website for the class-action suits pending by Lawrence Hughes and by Concerned Lawyer? I don't have the direct links. Do a "search" here for Hughes and Concerned Lawyer's threads.

  And on the other side of the fence, I understand what blondie says also. Some just want to put it behind them and do other "more positive" things.

  If I can, I'd like to be involved in a little of both!

  Grits
• 

  deddaisy

  hey BX,

  I recently posted a very small portion of a case in which an ex-member and her mother filed suit against the International Society for Krishna, known as the Hare Krishnas:

  ______________________________________________________________________________

  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; 1989 Cal. App. LEXIS 894

  
  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).
  ____________________________________________________________________________

  a friend, that lurks but does not post, contacted me regarding this posting. She was surprized that I emphasized the amount the plaintiffs were awarded because she believed me not to be interested in monetary awards. I thought about going back and clarifying, but it didn't appear that anyone was interested anyway. But....I'll attempt to clarify why I posted that suit because it is relevant to your thread.

  My reason for posting a small portion of that suit was not only due to the fact that the case is fifty pages long, with approximately three scattered pages being informative, but to point out that the suit was not only NOT thrown out, but the Georges were initially awarded 32 million, and though the trial court reduced the amount and the holding was appealed, the appellate court still found for the Georges. So....my point was that lawsuits can be won against religious organizations (hare krishnas are recognized as a religion). And the named defendants in this case that accepted responsibility for their actions were individual officers AND CORPORATE ENTITIES. And the court found PUNITIVE DAMAGES appropriate ! This was an '89 case.

  I'm certainly not attempting to imply that anyone should rush out and find a lawyer. (Personally, I find it more significant when a person stands up to an entity that has harmed them, win or lose, than when a person seeks a lawsuit for strictly monetary gain.) I'm only pointing out that RELIGIOUS ORGANIZATIONS HAVE BEEN FOUND IN THE PAST TO BE RESPONSIBLE FOR THEIR ACTIONS.

  post note: Marcia George was never a Hare Krishna, her minor daughter was apparently aided by the hare krishnas. The daughter apparently claimed that her parents beat her. The parents waged a media war against the Krishnas. They waged back. The daughter, Robin, ultimately returned home and turned against the krishnas. Her father died from a heart attack, due to the stress brought on by searching for his daughter. Both mother and daughter won a "wrongful death" action against the Krishna's.

  Edited by - deddaisy on 30 September 2002 0:58:29
• 

  Simon

  Lawrence's webite is http://www.watchtower-victims.org/

  I have a couple of updates that he sent to me that will be going on later today
• 

  jst2laws

  Bible Examiner,

  I like this. Freedom of religion involves the right of a person to believe what they want and of a religion to teach what they want. But that does not give anyone the right to mislead others by either deliberately omitting vital information or with providing false information in selling their teachings.

  If any institution sells a product with misleading information, and as you pointed out, the buyer would not have purchased the product if he would have had accurate information, I believe that is fraud.

  Jst2laws
• 

  Farkel

  bx,

  I understand your rage. In fact, I share it with you.

  : I tell you the truth this day, that if I end up in court pursuing the WTS for damages, this is the angle I will work.

  This won't work. Period. At least not in the USA. Religions are FREE to say whatever crap they say, and people are FREE to believe or not believe that CRAP.

  Follow the money and the power. That is their Achilles heal. Only the threat of money-loss or membership loss has ever caused them to change their rules.

  Rule #2: You are not dealing with sane people in your crusade. Never forget that part.

  Farkel
• 

  deddaisy

  This won't work. Period. At least not in the USA. Religions are FREE to say whatever crap they say, and people are FREE to believe or not believe that CRAP.

  I agree, religions are free to say whatever crap they say. In fact, well at least in most state statutes, molesters can have THOUGHTS of molesting a child, they can tell someone in detail what they'd do to a neighbor's three-year-old. They can only be charged with ACTIONS they commit, not ideas that they have. So, if I personally were to bring suit against anyone, a religious organization included, I'd go for a ACTION. But no organization or individual is above the law when it comes down to their actions. I mean look at the Catholic Church ! I haven't really kept up on it and I stand to be corrected, but isn't it the Church that's being sued ? The Church certainly didn't molest anybody, but the Church's action of moving priests around seemed to get the Church in a bit of judicial trouble. And take for example Charles Manson. Old, old case, yea.....But he was found guilty and is still in prison even though he never stepped a foot in the homes in which the victims had been murdered.

  Abuse....minors.....elders calling WTS for advice ? Elders are ordained ministers representing the WTS ? I'd nail their asses to the wall.
• 

  hawkaw

  There are 3 things that are needed for a civil lawsuit.

  1) does the WTS and its agents owe you, a member, a "duty".

  2) if they did owe you a duty what was there standard of care?

  3) if they broke their standard of care then what "harm" did they do?

  Bx - if you plan on doing this you need a good lawyer. Like I mean a really good lawyer. YOu also have to realize that s. 2(a) of the Charter allows for persons and corporations to freely practice any type of religion. S. 1 does over ride s. 2(a) only when health and safety are on the line.

  When you find a good lawyer - make sure he thoroughly researches your case and the case law. Then, after his research is completed, he will tell you if you have a chance or not.

  hawk
• 

  biblexaminer

  Thanks all for your comments. I think though that most of you have missed the point.

  The point is, the Watchtower lied. Nobody has the right to lie to someone, giving false information, which causes harm.

  I don't want to prove that they had a responsibility to me, but rather that we entered into a mutual agreement, an agreement which they beagn in bad faith by giving false information intending to mislead me into actions that I would not otherwise have committed.

  This is a different angle.

  I want to prove that they lied to me, and I hence "invested" in the WTS my funds, my time and resources. I was misled.

  Buyer beware is recognized, but only to a point. There are laws against con artists. If you tell an old lady a big 'ol lie and she hands over her cash, can you just say "buyer beware"?

  You can say it, but you will be saying it from behind bars.