Barrett-Jackson Sues to Halt Defamation

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHHAAHAH !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

A preemptive first strike in the battle to come............having been in automotive retail for almost 20 years I can tell you clients don't do stuff like this unless they are pissed and with good reason.

 

Let's wait and see which can of worms is the worst one that's opened here.

Discovery by the defendants could get very interesting.

If B-J is claiming defamation, wouldn't any and all prior auction sales come under question? Couldn't the defendant claim a need to look at these transactions, particularly some of the other ones that have been questioned, and give the world an insider look at the goings on at B-J? Not to mention ex-employees, Keith Martin and others.

I certainly understand B-J's desire to protect their reputation, I'm just not sure this is the way to go about it.

DM

 

Sorry, I'm not more familiar with this case, but can someone provide the details of the defendant's argument(s)? I know that Keith Martin was ejected from B-J. Does this have something to do with it?

Personally, I am not too enthusiastic about auctions, in general, and B-J, in particular. However, I could see how B-J, given their alleged behavior would very aggressively want to go after anyone trying to bring their shenanigans to light. B-J seems, to me, to be a bunch of goofballs that have been fairly successful at manipulating the process. They have a lot to lose if their auctions were challenged and shown to be the purely entertainment events that they are.

CW

 

This should be fun!

 

start here...

http://www.ferrarichat.com/forum/showthread.php?t=135825

I'm sure there are a couple of other threads here containing more info. Had to do with a sellor thinking he got short shifted at the block at BJ this year. Claimed he had knowledge of bidders who got ignored by the auctioneer on his car. I don't recall any of the specifics.

I don't think this has anything to do with Martin.

 

Thanks.

Long, but interesting, read. I do recall that thread, but lost interest after several pages. It has grown exponentially since I last had a look!

VERY difficult to prove shill or chandelier bidding, of course. There might also be privately-negotiated side deals involved. Harder to prove a conspiracy theory.

However, the defense to defamation (libel or slander) is the truth. If it's true, then B'J's suit is a nuisance. But, of course, what would you expect them to do? An innocent party would cry foul all day long. If it goes anywhere, it's really going to get messy. Moreover, once discovery takes place it will depend on whether the deponents tell the truth, the parties provide truthful responses to the interrogatories and all evidence is proffered. Good luck. There are many parties that have an incentive to keep the charade going, not the least of which is the avoidance of possible jail time, a class civil action against B-J and the possible unwinding of thousands of asset sales. WOW!

This is why prosecutors look for a rat, btw. If you can get an insider to roll over on the other co-defendants, they might actually get some insight and evidence to support the allegations. Without it, of course, it's just "my word against your word", but the testimony can easily be challenged as "bought". Impossibly complex to sort out, but a very simple case. Thus the reluctance to let small time insider traders walk for their offenses. Usually, if the prosecution catches the small fish, they'll roll on the big ones. So, never let the small fish off the hook!

CW

 

I posted the filing in this thread. It's gonna get very interesting.

http://www.ferrarichat.com/forum/sho...d.php?t=135825

 

LINK TO LABCAR'S POST

Orignial link doesn't seem to work on my computer.

Oh the hell with it, here it is as an attachment
Image Unavailable, Please Login

 

I am always leary of a salesman that gets me to agree on a price then cheers me on to pay even more.....

 

I hope discovery opens up all of BJ's financial records as well as bidders and consignors lists. I wonder how many of the "internet" and "telephone" bidders are legit. Seriously, I can't imagine ever buying or selling a car at auction.....not just BJ, any auction. I guess if I had thorough prior knowledge of a particular car I might bid on it. Ontherwise, no way.

Jack

 

jay leno writes a column in a british mag called octane (i think). this month he wrote about all the things people say he is or has done.

he told of a friend who was watching an auction on tv and the auctioneer said that jay had just bid on a particular car. his friend was saying "why are you bidding on that car?"....and jay was saying "i'm NOT!".

his friend didn't want to believe jay. (after all it WAS on tv).

think maybe it was bj? i don't think jay said.

i bet he would testify too. he seems pretty straight up.

tom w

 

that was barret, i remember the announcer saying it was jay leno or someone representing jay.

 

if there is really a discovery process (i doubt there will be), be rest assured that bj is well underway in the house cleaning process.

like it or not, bj is the auto auction version of a wall street pump and dump business model!!!

 

But, Pete, it's illegal to purge the files! But, then again, why let destroying some pesky evidence interfere with things!

Ha! Craig Jackson! What a tool!

CW

 

a tool indeed! i'm with you my friend.

 

I'll bet a Craig Jackson-signed BJ t-shirt (XXL) that there will be a settlement...

Jack

 

This is really kinda sad. I guess it will be entertaining watching the mighty fall...

The love for cars is supposed to be about passion, power, speed, and that emotional bond with a car that just looks right to you. These people are really ruining the market more than they could ever hope help it. I'll feel bad for the little guys who got sucked into it while pursuing their passions, but probably not for much else.

>8^)
ER

 

This was in the Detroit News, March 18, 2007, about the $300,000. Lawsuit against Barret-Jackson.

From my understanding after reading the article, the Plaintiff, Dave Clabuesch, who owned the HEMI CUDA Ramcharger, that was ram-rodded through the Auction, is himself a Real-Life JUDGE!!!

Grab a seat by the front row folks, if true, this is gonna be something special! Here is the link;

http://www.detnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070318/UPDATE/703180358/1148/AUTO01

Ciao...Paolo

 

look for this to be swept under the table.........

 

Purging records won't do BJ the least bit of good. The GM Futureliner auction is recorded...and was played out on live TV to a $4.1 Million gavel-close when there was no $4.1 Million bidder, no $4 Million bidder, no $3.9 Million Dollar bidder (BJ had to chase down the "losing" $3.8 Million bidder).

Well, purge your records all day long, but in court BJ won't be able to produce the $4.1M, $4M and $3.9M bidders.

Game Over. Shill bids are thereby proven.

And that's just one of *many* reasons why BJ has been given bad legal advice to go sue the judge.

Another is that the judge may be able to produce witnesses from the BJ auction who say that their bids for the Hemi-Cuda were ignored.

Again, that's "Game Over" for BJ. Short-gaveling the hemi-cuda is thereby proven.

But wait, it gets worse.

Even if BJ wins its court case (it has a very good case that it was defamed and that someone interfered with the auction Buyer's winning purchase of the hemi-cuda), BJ still *loses* its business because the judge is going to call monied bidders in to court to testify as witnesses.

Well, watch what happens at the BJ auction in Florida at the end of this month as monied bidders begin to figure out that going to a BJ auction may get them hauled into court as witnesses.

Rich people are going to avoid that auction in order to avoid the chance of being dragged/drug into court.

Again, that's "Game Over" for BJ. Can't have much of an elite auction without monied bidders.

So from every angle, BJ stands to lose millions (or worse) from hauling the judge into court over a $300,000 car. It's potentially the worst legal advice given out since Saddam Hussein was told that he'd still be in Office after Bush was long gone if he would just ignore the U.S. ultimatum.

Sometimes idiots wear suits and get paid big bucks...even so, they can still cost you your business or life.

 

this is interesting news...i like your position on this...i agree.

the wheels come off if this is elevated to the speedtv level. i'm sure there are contractural provisions to sevre relationships. bj has become such a joke to me...this may actually make me pay attention again.

why did the clown from bj see to it to post this all here? what a fool.

 

My advice: You should have quietly given this guy his 600 or 700 or whatever. By the time this is all over, you're gonna wish you had kept your publicity hole shut.

I'll give you $301K for that car right now, and I can find someone to give you $302K, and so on.

JM

 

So you're suing him for slamming you but you can slam him on every internet board you can find?

NICE!

 

HAHAHAHAHAHA!

Double NICE!