Short answers: Yes and no (went to law school; not working as a lawyer). I was never a trial or import/export attorney. Since 1986, the only times I've been in a courtroom have been for jury duty.
No, I don't have an interest in this case. I don't work for any federal or state government (have never been a government employee or contractor), have never worked for anyone in the music industry as an employee or contractor, and don't have a financial interest in the case.
I knew a little about the Madagascar ebony case because I've been a guitar collector for exactly forty years this year - long enough to have friends and contacts in the guitar/mandolin/banjo industry. I've met Henry Juszkiewicz, Bob Taylor (Taylor guitars), Chris Martin IV (Martin guitars), Bill Collings (Collings guitars and mandolins), Bruce Weber (Weber mandolins and guitars), and many others in the industry. I've been able to attend the National Association of Music Merchants (NAMM) show four times thanks to friends in the industry getting me a pass.
None of that makes me special in any way. However, it does mean that I knew something about the 2009 Madagascar ebony raid and the exiting litigation.
I don't trust Obama and the Holder DOJ. I don't trust the government to be truthful. I don't trust all government agents to be absolutely truthful. I find it scary that the government would raid a guitar manufacturer with a SWAT team over wood.
On the other hand, I don't trust companies to be truthful when they are in trouble and they issue press releases. I consider Gibson's press releases and Henry Juszkiewicz's statements to be misleading.
I think the truth lies between Gibson and the government, yet Obama has poisoned the water so much that people aren't willing to step back and consider that maybe, just maybe, all of the facts aren't contained in Gibson's press releases.
An interesting event took place this week when Mr Henry Juszkiewicz appeared on Niel Cavuto in a fairly long interview. Curiously, neither made any reference to the Madagascar labor issue.
There was discussion of the recent raid and the gross disruption and high handed tactics, but no mention of the on record government actions/words about having the wood worked abroad.
Here I am on Free Republic having better access to a business problem than Niel Cavuto. Why did he overlook a major part of the story?