CAPE VINCENT — A judge has dismissed several causes of action in a defamation suit brought by wind farm development supporters against a local blogger, while a second blogger has reached a settlement with the wind supporters.
Richard C. Wiley Sr., author of a blog at jeffersonleaningleft.blogspot.com, and Kathryn A. Hludzenski, author of pandorasboxofrocks.blogspot.com, were sued in July in state Supreme Court by Gary J. King, Marty T. Mason, Donald J. Mason, Harvey J. White, Paul C. Mason, Darrell and Marlene Burton and Frank J. Giaquinto, all of whom have been involved in either Voters for Wind or Citizens for Fair Government groups. The plaintiffs maintained that blogs written by Mr. Wiley and Mrs. Hludzenski contained defamatory statements that harmed their personal and civic reputations.[Watertown Times]
20 comments:
This concluding remark from the Times story, "Mr. King “is entitled to discovery to learn if (Mrs. Hludzenski) knew that Mr. King was not the true author and disregarded the information.”
Ha! Gary King's only way out to garner a single spec of legitimacy is to prove Pandy knew that he was not the author of a letter sent to assessors under Harold Wiley and Gary King's name.
Gary King must be crazy to suggest that he never had anything to do with a letter that had his name on it and was sent to numerous assessors in New York.
If it were me and someone put my name on something I didn't authorize I would have been complaining to everyone for a retraction and followup letter to exonerate me. That never happened with the King - Wiley letter. Gary King must be a bigger fool than most of us ever thought.
BP orchestrated this lawsuit through its public relations firm Trieste Associates in order to suppress the critical speech of pandora's box of rocks and jefferson leaning left. They needed to do this just before they filed the initial stage of their Article 10 project application. They thought the lawsuit would shut down the blogs. Wrong!
BP was as successful in shutting down the Cape blogs as they were shutting down the blowout in the Gulf! The only difference, the gusher in Cape Vincent is still gushing the truth and BP won't be able to cap this one!!
So, Mason and Mason lost their claim that the blogs were responsible for them being removed from office.
The important lesson learned here is that those two men were supported by Harold Wiley and Gary King and this fall Cape Vincent voters should think hard before they vote for any candidate endorsed by Harold's Cape Vincent Democrats and Gary King's Citizen's For Fair Government.
Pro wind have already passed out an old letter from a Canandaguia assessor and friend who accused a Cape couple of voter fraud. If i remember correctly i think the assessor said the letter to him naming the Cape couple was from Gary King and Harold Wiley. I threw it out after they gave a copy to me. It was disgusting and I lost respect for King and Wiley. Can any verify if the assessor said it was from King and Wiley. If it was, why didn't King go after whoever did the letter then? Hey, I would donate to the blogger fund more just so we could get to the bottom of all this King thing. Keep fighting. Countersuits?
Another sad chapter in the history of Cape Vincent is winding down.
But it will long remain a disgrace upon those brought it about.
When you are trying foist something on a community that is so clearly unwelcome by the majority, I guess you have to decide how far you are willing to go to get what you want.
Some made that decision and it took them down a road of shame.
During and internet webinar Marion Trieste said that one of the techniques they use to engage the community is lawsuits. Voters for Wind sued the Town of Lyme and Cape Vincent bloggers and John Does who expressed their opinions on the blog. In that sense they sued the whole community and people from all over the world who in my opinion were exercising the right to speak out on a very political and contentious matter. By the way, Mason and Mason did not get enough votes from the community and I think that is why they lost the election.
What great news.....a major support for the right of free speech! Living in the USA is wonderful - we have rights that are denied to soooo many people inn other countries.
Now we move on in the Article X process - EVERY citizen needs to pay attention to this process - start by attending the May 21 Intervenor Fund/Stipulation meeting in the Cape Elementary School. If you have not done so before - look at the Article X webpage for our project. Get educated! That is what our bloggers have been doing for you - and will continue! In addition, we all need to understand what is happening.
The time in this community for taking the word of ANYONE - is over. Take control - learn for yourself.
In the upcoming election....LEARN from the candidates personally - don't vote on "gossip" information!
The Times article said:
"In a post relating to Marty Mason and Donald Mason, Mrs. Hludzenski had written that they both have contracts on their land with wind developers, and that Donald Mason had introduced a resolution before the Town Council in an attempt to limit who may vote in Cape Vincent. Judge McClusky wrote that these statements are true and provided the basis for Mrs. Hludzenski’s opinion that the men were not fit for their offices. Both men lost council seats in the November 2011 election and blamed Mrs. Hludzenski’s comments for the defeat."
Apparently Judge McClusky understands the democratic principle that when governments go bad it is not only the right of people to speak out, it is their duty. The bloggers did their democratic duty for the people of the Thousands Islands.
Mr. King is entitled to discovery to learn if (Mrs. Hludzenski) knew that Mr. King was not the true author and disregarded the information.
Mr. King admitted he collected names of new voters and was aware of the letter being sent, but denied that he drafted it, signed it or authorized its issuance to the town assessors of very same voters whose names he admitted to collecting. Interesting that he didn’t deny he knew about it, read it, suggested it, helped plan it or maybe even had a good laugh about it.
And this letter contained Mr. King’s name, yet he wants the judge and public to believe he didn’t author, sign or approve the resulting letter that was sent to the new voter’s town assessors by the very organization which he chairs.
That may be the most absurd statement I have ever heard, and Mr. King allegedly put this in an affidavit, Wow! In my opinion, I would say there is huge chance Mr. King is obfuscating the truth in his affidavit, and I believe the judge knows it as well.
Based on Mr. King’s affidavit, the judge is correct in allowing Mr. King the opportunity to discover whether Mrs. Hludzenski knew he did not (as he has claimed in an affidavit no less) author, sign or approve the letter. And either way that still doesn’t mean Mrs. Hludzenski’s statement was defamatory, it just means Mr. King has right to know what Mrs. Hludzenski knew when she wrote the post.
However, Mrs. Hludzenski is also within her rights to counter sue Mr. King and depose everyone involved in writing the letter to determine if Mr. King may have lied in his affidavit in an attempt to defame or slander Mrs. Hludzenski.
I like Mrs. Hludzenski’s chances of prevailing in this action (and hopefully counter action) a lot better than Mr. King’s.
"He knew that life was best lived among friends in the pursuit of large causes, understanding that pain was the price for anything worth having."
Jon Meacham on Thomas Jefferson, but so appropriate to our cause and our friends.
8:27
There are many online analysis of this suit by legal experts going their opinion. They called it a SLAPP right from the beginning and did not give King much of a chance to prevail. I think the King lawyer never should have allowed this to go to the judge. And I agree with you that King may have dug a big hole for himself and should buck up. In my opinion, The bloggers have been fair game for the pro wind element and have endured a lot of public abuse from some of THE PLAINTIFFS at town meetings as well as in the newspapers and comments to newspaper articles. One of the plaintiffs even got into a scuffle and jumped an anti wind from behind and took him to the floor. It took several men to pull him off. The bloggers have told the truth all along and if there was ever any defamation, I believe it was on the part of the plaintiffs. Just doing the slap suit itself was trivial and defamation of the bloggers.
The night Harold Wiley presented the petition and he said that what the season people were doing was unethical, immoral and illegal Donald Mason proposed the illegal voter resolution and Marty Mason actually agreed with a YEA vote. There was a substantial crowd that night and many in the crowd understood the voters laws and warned them vocally that it was illegal and could put the town in severe jeopardy of civil rights violations. The NY AG immediately said right in Watertown, NY that it was illegal and he was glad he did not have to deal with it. Even after all of that Donald and Marty Mason still did NOT VOTE TO REPEAL their mistake.
If I were voting in Cape Vincent I would be very careful and not vote for any Democrat or other candidate endorsed by Chairman Wiley or King. They certainly have a right to their nasty opinion of season residents and believe they have no rights, but to be in power and illegally act on that opinion is dangerous to democracy. It would be wise to keep the Republicans there until the Democrats and Citizens For Fair Government get a grip on democratic principles.
Gary, you have the list of the part time seasonal, right?
Invite them to a seasonal resident pig roast fundraiser. Explain to them that your name was used on those letters without your knowledge and authorization. It is possible that the misuse of your name caused incredible confusion and discomfort for some of those folks on your list. I bet they would give you a few bucks to sue the bastards that used your good name and sullied your incredible reputation and intimated people who have a right to vote in your community.
Perhaps Start A Business in Cape Vincent will help you out.
If you are telling the truth, I think you will win. Because I betcha that whoever sent those letters did not even send them to people on your list who were known pro wind. Like xxx's son and others who vote here, for example. If that is true, it makes you look really bad and you should make them pay. Using one's good name under false pretense is bad.
Makes me want to start a new grass roots organization.
GRIPE....
Gary Really Is Politically Ethical.
I might even call Maz to see if she is in.
A clown puts on make up, a big nose and silly shoes. Then he does whatever he pleases. Sometimes it is funny and sometimes he scares people. If he makes the kids cry, a clown can always say, "That was not me, that was the clown."
Judge McClusky is an honorable and brilliant judicator. The citizens of Cape Vincent would be wise to pay attention to his decisions and be careful to not let that kind of government ever happen again.
"Isn't it rich?
Isn't it queer?
Losing my timing this late
In my career?
And where are the clowns?
Quick, send in the clowns.
Don't bother - they're here."
And, now they have to take responsibility for their own actions.
Thank you Pandora
I enjoy your blog. Here is a link you might want to check:
Vorys, Sater, Seymour and Pease :: Attorneys-at-Scam
Oh and I forgot. King claimed that his Citizens for Fair Government was set up with the purpose of challenging the seasonal people right to vote. Mr. King does not like seasonal rights much, I guess. Jesus Christ, talk about blatant prejudice.
It says King et al. I wonder if Gary J. King was the master manipulator of this whole deal. If so, it looks like he did a bad thing to the Mason brothers making them think they had a chance in any court with all this. How sad for Marty T. Mason, Harvey T. White, Paul C. Mason (another brother?) Darrell and Marlene Burton and Frank J. Giaquinto.
Mr. Richardson?
What responsibility do the others bear in signing a bad complaint? Can they be countersued?
You can not fix dumb,.Sorry, you just can not fix dumb. they do not know any better.
6:04 Haven't you heard, Vorys submitted a letter to Rick Wiley, disclaiming any connection between this lawsuit and BP. I would say this settles the issue, because we all know Vorys would never lie(or at least they would know how to cover their tracks if they were lying).
Communicating through official channels(like Rick's blog,) gives this claim extra validity.
Exactly, 7:13
But already people are laughing because it is probably the first Rick Wiley post that was actually a half truth as pro wind likes to claim.
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