P.O.W. NETWORK APPEALS FOR HELP

In light of the many appeals for help following hurricane Katrina and its devastating aftermath, we realize that this is not a good time for POW Network to ask for help.

We must raise $15,000 by next Monday, September 25, 2005, in order to sign a retainer agreement with a Washington, D.C., libel defense lawyer.

After 16 years of serving the public interest, pro bono, by identifying and exposing thousands of military imposters, and making our research available without charge to countless individuals, organizations, and scores of law enforcement agencies (including the FBI), for the first time POW Network has been sued-by a World War II veteran who claims that the information we posted about him is false.

Although this is neither the time nor the forum for us to discuss the case, suffice to say that the information we published was obtained from National Personnel Records Center, and thus we believed it to be true. We still do!

Before being sued, several times we asked the veteran's lawyer for documents the veteran purports to have showing our information to be untrue. The lawyer imposed such unacceptable conditions on our use of any documents that we would have received, in good conscience we were unable to accept them. (Ironically, we will obtain all of the alleged documents in the discovery phase of the lawsuit, which we told the veteran's lawyer before we were sued).

P.O.W. Network intends aggressively to defend this case, which is pending in the Southern Division of the United States District Court for the District of Maryland, but we cannot ourselves carry the financial burden of defending this case and also asserting whatever claims we may have against the man who sued us.

Accordingly, we are in the process of organizing a defense fund. P.O.W. Network will not handle-that is, we will not directly receive or disburse-any of the funds contributed for our defense. They will be sent directly to a bank and disbursed by an independent individual (a retired Army Ranger) who has no connection to P.O.W. Network.
We have been informed that the eventual legal fees can be considerable, but right now, to retain the D.C. libel defense lawyer we've found, we must raise the $15,000 retainer by next Monday.
Our good friend Professor Henry Mark Holzer, who located the libel defense lawyer for us, has volunteered to work with him (pro bono). Each of these lawyers has confidence that we should prevail in the lawsuit, perhaps sooner than later and without the need for a trial.
Many of you who will receive this email, either directly or as a forward, know the work that P.O.W. Network has done these many years-and many of you have, in one way or another, benefited from it. We have never asked for help before, but we are asking for your help now. Not only to defend this lawsuit, and perhaps even assert our own claims, but to make sure that P.O.W. Network survives and thus we be able to continue our important work of identifying and exposing those who falsify their military service-even those from the World War II era.

Donations should be mailed to Waukee State Bank, 45 N. Warrior Lane, P.O. Box 66, Waukee, IA 50263. ATTN: Cathy Asher. Note on the check P.O.W. NETWORK Legal Defense Fund Account # 10029692. The routing number for wire transfers is 073922490.

Received from Chuck and mary ...

Sept 27, 2005

P.O.W. NETWORK APPEALS FOR HELP-UPDATE 1

(Please forward)

Last week we made an appeal for financial assistance to help us defend a baseless lawsuit brought by a World War II veteran, whose dubious record we made public.

As we said in that appeal, "P.O.W. Network intends aggressively to defend this case . . . but we cannot ourselves carry the financial burden of defending this case and also asserting whatever claims we may have against the man who sued us."

Accordingly, we said that we needed $15,000 by yesterday (Monday, September 26th) in order to sign a retainer agreement with a Washington, D.C., libel defense lawyer.

We are pleased to report that we just barely reached that goal this morning, the retainer agreement has been signed, and defense counsel are now on the job--assisted (pro bono) by Professor Henry Mark Holzer.

We are represented by Joseph A. Artabane, senior partner of the firm of Artabane Belden, 818 18th Street, NW, Washington, D.C., 20006-3523. ( www.lawyers.com/artabane).

Contributions so far, from about one hundred people, have ranged from modest sums like $25.00 to, in a few cases, as much as $1,000-and we are equally touched and grateful for all of them, especially to those who made supportive statements about the service POW Network has provided for the past sixteen years.

Because of the nature of litigation, and the attendant need for ongoing legal fees, our fund raising will have to continue. In aid of that, any contributors who wish to be apprised of developments as they occur need only provide us with their email address, and we will send regular updates.

Remember, all contributions to P.O.W. NETWORK are tax deductible. If at the end of the case there are any contributions left over, contributors will have a choice: either leave their unspent contribution with POW as a donation, or receive back a pro rata amount of what they contributed.

Contributions may be snail mailed to Waukee State Bank, 45 N. Warrior Lane, P.O. Box 66, Waukee, IA 50263. ATTN: Kathy Asher. Note on the check please put "P.O.W. NETWORK Legal Defense Fund Account # 10029692." The routing number for wire transfers is 1st Routing Number 075912479, then 073922490, destination account 10029692.

The defense fund account is controlled by the bank and administered by a former Ranger who has no official connection to POW Network. All fees and expenses of the litigation, and nothing else, will be paid out of that account and disbursed by the administrator.

We are in this fight to the end, and during it, and when it's over, POW Network will continue to identify and expose the Fake Warriors who falsify their military service.

Thank you for your current, and ongoing, support.

Sincerely,
Mary and Chuck Schantag
P.O.W. Network

Latest on Chuck and Mary....POW Network.......

December 19, 2005

Re: Coppinger v. Charles Schantag, Mary Schantag and POW Network

UPDATE 4

Dear Mary and Chuck:

Mr. Coppinger’s lawyer has answered your motion to dismiss his amended complaint with essentially three arguments:

1. The Maryland SLAPP statute does not apply to him because your posting does not deal with a “government-related” matter. This contention can easily be handled.

2. POW Network did have sufficient contacts with the State of Maryland to warrant his suing you there. Yet he has not produced adequate proof of what is a mere assertion.

3. As to the statute of limitations, Mr. Coppinger’s lawyer continues to claim that his client did not know of your posting until shortly before he sued—within the statute of limitations

I will continue to keep you informed.

Sincerely, /s/ Henry Mark Holzer

Professor Emeritus HENRY MARK HOLZER
Brooklyn Law School

December 28, 2005

Re: Coppinger v. Charles Schantag, Mary Schantag and POW Network

UPDATE 5

Dear Mary and Chuck:

As you know, Mr. Coppinger died suddenly on December 19th.

By itself, that fact is sufficient to terminate the case against both of you and POW Network because, as Washington counsel has informed you, under Maryland law a defamation/”false light” case, being personal to the plaintiff, “abates” (automatically terminates) upon his death.

In light of his client’s death, Mr. Coppinger’s counsel has filed with the court a discontinuance of the case. Although he has filed it unilaterally “without prejudice,” which means that technically it could be filed again, there is no longer a plaintiff.

You are also aware that together with the discontinuance, Mr. Coppinger’s counsel filed with the court some nineteen pages which, in his opinion, exonerate his client. The documents speak for themselves, and readers can form their own judgments as to whether or not they accomplish that.

Sincerely,

/s/ Henry Mark Holzer

Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.