ACORN files suit against filmmakers

politico.com ^ | Sept. 23, 2009 | JAKE SHERMAN

[Free ThinkerNY]

ACORN filed suit today in Maryland against conservative filmmakers James O’Keefe, Hannah Giles and conservative Web site Breitbart.com for secretly taping the organization’s employees at its Baltimore office.

In the complaint, ACORN alleges that the filmmakers entered into the organization’s offices in July with a “hidden camera and microphone” and taped employees Tonja Thompson and Shera Williams. Both employees are listed as plaintiffs on the complaint, filed in the Circuit Court for Baltimore City.

ACORN is seeking $500,000 for each employee and $1 million for the organization in damages.

[American Constitutionalist]

ACORN ??? remember the DUKE case and NIFONG ????

[Liz]

......can I report Obama’s great friend the fraudulent Prof Gates? with his $500 “research grants” to each of 20 of his Harvard friends And that human POS Rahm Emanuel, both of whom ran HUGE tax exempt scams ...

P-l-e-a-s-e be my guest.

REFERENCE Sunlight Foundation | 03/26/2009 | Bill Allison
FR Posted 03/27/2009 by BuckeyeTexan

Journalists Bob Secter and Andrew Zajac of the Chicago Tribune report that, while researching what went on at Freddie Mac during the period White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel served on the government-sponsored enterprise’s board of directors, they were unable to get minutes of board meetings and other information.

The Obama administration rejected a Tribune request under the Freedom of Information Act to review Freddie Mac board minutes and correspondence during Emanuel’s time as a director.

The documents, obtained by Falcon for his investigation, were “commercial information” exempt from disclosure, according to a lawyer for the Federal Housing Finance Agency. Freddie Mac executives cooked the books, mismanaged the firm, and ultimately drove it into the ground, costing taxpayers billions of dollars. The “commercial information” exemption is reserved for private companies–Freddie Mac is by no means a private company anymore.

=================================

BACKSTORY Rahm Emanuel was director when Freddie Mac board was tipped to fraudulent BONUS schemes. "On (Rahm) Emanuel's watch, the board was told by executives of a plan to use accounting tricks to mislead shareholders about outsize profits the government-chartered firm was then reaping from risky investments. The goal was to push earnings onto the books in future years, ensuring that Freddie Mac would appear profitable on paper for years to come and helping maximize annual bonuses for company brass.

The accounting scandal wasn't the only one that brewed during Emanuel's tenure. During his brief time on the board, the company hatched a plan to enhance its political muscle. That scheme, also reviewed by the board, led to a record $3.8 million fine from the Federal Election Commission for illegally using corporate resources to host fundraisers for politicians. Emanuel was the beneficiary of one of those parties after he left the board and ran in 2002 for a seat in Congress from the North Side of Chicago.

The board was throttled for its acquiescence to the accounting manipulation in a 2003 report by Armando Falcon Jr., head of a federal oversight agency for Freddie Mac. The scandal forced Freddie Mac to restate $5 billion in earnings and pay $585 million in fines and legal settlements.

It also foreshadowed even harder times at the firm. Many of those same risky investment practices tied to the accounting scandal eventually brought the firm to the brink of insolvency and led to its seizure last year by the Bush administration, which pledged to inject up to $100 billion in new capital to keep the firm afloat. The Obama administration has doubled that commitment."

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Americans are witnessing the emergence of a new government dictatorship...on American soil. History tells us that rampant corruption, fed by cronyism, are the nuts and bolts of dictatorships. Dictatorships are almost always governed by groups of friends and associates who appoint each other to government positions and use governmental power and authority to protect each other from accountability.

CASE IN POINT --- HERE'S WHAT OBAMA SAID Obama "said" re the FOIA memo, “The Government should not keep information confidential merely because public officials might be embarrassed by disclosure, because errors and failures might be revealed, or because of speculative or abstract fears.” Obama added later that “In responding to requests under the FOIA, executive branch agencies (agencies) should act promptly and in a spirit of cooperation, recognizing that such agencies are servants of the public.”

HERE'S WHAT OBAMA DID Freddie Mac records involving Rahm Emanuel were exempted from FOIA (Obama Admin Denied Request)

[OldDeckHand]

"This took place in several states as is the business. There is not the proscription against film/recording that there is at the state or local level."

If I understand, you're thinking that the circumstances of the defendant's multi-state production might preclude them from certain criminal or civil statutes in a particular state? If that's what you're suggesting, then no, I'm afraid that's not going to help them here.

When you operate a business in a particular state (in this case a free-lance journalism business), you still have to abide by that state's peculiar civil and criminal law, irrespective if you business operation encompass multiple states and multiple jurisdictions.

Not to fear though, there's not a chance ACORN wins this.

[PhiKapMom]

That’s what I said to myself — Discovery! How are they paying for the lawsuit? Soros money?

[ErnBatavia]

The fix was in before the suit was filed.

We can be assured of that....they have unlimited funds and the best attorneys at their disposal.

[AuntB]

“Both employees are listed as plaintiffs on the complaint”

Is ACORN listed as a plaintiff? This is going to be interesting. I hope there are some decent judges left in Maryland.

[caper gal 1]

I doubt they would have filed this suit unless they were already assured by Holder that they would prevail a la Black Panther voter intimidation case in Philadelphia.

[Liz]

According to the Cook County Assessor’s website multi-millionaire Rahm Emanuel's home doesn’t exist. There seems to be no public record of Emanuel ever paying property taxes on this home. The Cook County Assessor’s and Cook County Treasurer’s online records indicate Emanuel’s neighbors pay between $3,500-$7,000 annually.

However, Illinois Review has been unable to locate any evidence that Emanuel--- a multi-millionaire--- is paying taxes.

Obama's COS Rahm Emanuel, and his wife, run a tax-exempt foundation from their Chicago residence: The Rahm Emanuel and Amy Rule Charitable Trust was formed in 2002, when he was elected to Congress. Emanuel’s 4228 North Hermitage home is one of the largest in the neighborhood. Other nearby homes are valued in the $500,000 plus range.

The Emanuel Foundation gets income tax write-offs by Rahm's $25,000 donations to his Synagogue and to his Foundation....and lets Rahm expense personal outlays.

REFERENCE January 2007 USA Today reported on Emanuel and his wife’s tax-exempt "foundation" (operated out of their Chicago residence). The tax-exempt "Rahm Emanuel and Amy Rule Charitable Trust" was formed in 2002, when the Chicagoan was first elected to Congress. Rahm and his wife, Amy Rule, are its only donors. The Emanuels do not pay real estate taxes b/c their residence is the tax-exempt foundation's office.

RAHM'S HOME Nice big house, politically correct solar panels, big yard, one way street, 2.5 baths, 2,791 square feet, worth $1 million.

UPDATE: Rahm is supposedly paying taxes after he was exposed (could be a head fake to pacify the tax-paying peons).

[Doogle]

*smiles*....discovery

[milagro]

I was just thinking of her--(took awhile to remember her name). The Clintons made her out to be such a villain--and she lost her job.

But I think O'Keefe and Giles have a little more "back-up"; plus, as so many here are pointing out, the discovery thingy might just be the last nail in ACORN's coffin.

[SunkenCiv]

...for secretly taping the organization's employees at its Baltimore office.

[MrLuigi]

What are they suing for? Because they re-enacted the early years of O?

[mazda77]

Yes we do but that case had to do with the recoding over telephone lines. Different set of issues. The kids went into a public access office that is supported by federal taxes. Nobody has any reason to have the expectation of privacy in a public access tax payer supported organization.

[American Constitutionalist]

http://michellemalkin.com/2009/09/11/acorn-watch-the-baltimore-city-state%E2%80%99s-attorneys-office-warped-priorities/

[Rebelbase]

ACORN will run the suit right up to discovery then drop it like a normal person being handed a cigar from Bill Clinton.

[Dr. Bogus Pachysandra]

ACORN will probably hire Ron Kuby!

[mazda77]

If they are federally funded you’d better beleive discovery will be a very big issue.

[American Constitutionalist]

http://www.rightgrrl.com/tripp/woods.html

[ETL]

Amazing audio of ACORN workers advising how to set up under-aged prostitution operation to 'look like' a small school, being "OK" with "induced sexual violence" (on the kids) in order to create 'higher profits', AND confessing to a supposed murder!

The part on the under-aged prostitution ring begins about 4 minutes and 30 seconds into the 35 min audio segment. And it continues on at about 11 mins into it (following other news). Note: you can slide the bar over on the site's audio player to the 4:30 mark in order to skip pass the other stuff. Audio of Charlie Gibson's inexcusable ignorance on this latest ACORN scandal is on there as well (after 5 days into it!).

http://hughhewitt.townhall.com/MediaPlayer/AudioPlayer.aspx?ContentGuid=8e38a801-07a5-41be-b6a1-fac443716e71

[kennedy]

I have no idea what the caselaw is in Maryland, but the defendants MIGHT be able to raise an estoppel defense on the basis that ACORN is a criminal enterprise and they do not have a reasonable expectation of privacy with regard to the conduct of criminal acts. If so, then it would open up quite a range of discovery.

It is likely, however, that ACORN carefully selected the court to file the suit in and that the judge they selected will not be favorable inclined towards the defense.