March 2nd, 2010
Don’t believe the media. They get it wrong constantly, espectially TMZ. First, TMZ reported that
Posted Feb 14th 2010 6:17AM by TMZ Staff
Joe Francis no longer owes Uncle Sam $33 million in back taxes, which is news … to Joe Francis.
As TMZ first reported, Joe was fighting the IRS over the $33 million tax lien they slapped against him this past November. Joe sued to get the government over it and, lo and behold, he won — which came as great news to Joe.
When we called Joe for comment, he said, “Really? I paid it?”
After a little digging, Joe called us back and said he “thinks” the lien was just released (meaning the government dropped it) — but that he didn’t actually pay anything.
Must be nice to not even know if you just shelled out $33 million to the federal government.
This was COMPLETELY FALSE! The government only released the IRS automatic lien which was DUPLICATED. See attached affidavit you will only get here: Francis NO LIEN RELEASE
In addition, the Court on February 24, 2010, took off calendar his March 1, 2010 hearing date and said he will consider the matter without oral argument. The Court had already denied Francis’s bid to release the levy and the tax lien and his motion for reconsideration had a slim change of being granted anyway. Here is a copy of the order:
The fact that the judge didn’t even want to hear from Francis’s attorneys probably means there is very little merit to his arguments. TMZ simply jumped the gun when they saw the duplicate lien release and I have asked them to issue a retraction.
Fortunately, TMZ’s reporting of the story doesn’t equate to a real victory for Joe. Yet, his lawyer’s foolishly argued that the duplicate lien release was a concession by the government until the government embarassed them with the attached pleading I have provided on this blog.
Tags: Joe Francis, TMZ
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February 26th, 2010
This is sort of an irony. Raffi Cohen, a well known developer, built a glass house on 1169 Loma Linda Dr. in Beverly Hils. It is featured here:
So This Little Shack Hit the Market Today
http://la.curbed.com/archives/2010/02/so_this_little_shack_hit_the_market_today.php
He then stiff’s the glass company. He is the founder of Galaxy Holding, LLC. He claims in his bio the following:
“Mr. Cohen maintains strong, long-term relationships with institutions, architects, engineers and subcontractors. While GALAXY assigns a team for each project, Mr. Cohen is extremely attentive to details and works hard to make sure projects are completed on time, the budget is on track, and the tenants and [are] happy.”
I don’t think this is true at all. Do you? I have attached a copy of the complaint filed aganst Mr. Cohen today for your review.
View the complaint here: Crystal Clear Complaint
Hopefully, justice will prevail. It is so sad when homeowners like Raffi Cohen who know better because they are developers as well, don’t pay the worker. Fortunately, we will avenge his dastardly act of non payment because as he tries to sell house with my client’s glass, he will face its mechanic’s lien and subsequent lis pendens.
Tags: Galaxy Commercial Holding LLC, Raffi Cohen
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February 6th, 2010
Today, February 6, 2010, I received the Court’s February 5, 2010 order. On February 4, 2010, I, Ronald Richards, and my colleague, Mark Goldowitz of the Anti-Slapp Project appeared in court and argued against Cyrus John Nownejad who represented Joe Francis. The hearing was called a special motion to strike. The purpose of this type of hearing is to dismiss lawsuits that are designed to chill public participation. A SLAPP motion was filed to dismiss the 4th, 5th, ,and 6th causes of action for slander, libel, and false light. The motion was filed on the grounds that statements made to TMZ by Ms. Nicole were made in a public forum in connection with a matter of public interest.
Franncis tried to bully Ms. Nicole by suing her for her statements after he brutally attacked her. Even though he may not have committed all of the acts Ms. Nicole thought he did based upon what witness’s told her, he committed a lot of them. The Court ruled that Joe Francis is a public figure and that her statements contribute to the public discussion on his treatment of young women.
Once the someone is a public figure in order for them to be able to file a lawsuit for defamation, they have to prove that the speaker said the statements with knowledge they were false or there with a reckless disregard for the truth.
The Court found that the evidence submitted by Joe Francis’s legal team FAILED to meet that burden and ordered the case dismissed. The Court ordered attorney fees which will be close to $80,000.00. A copy of the opinion and the order is here: nicoleslapporder_release001
It is great to work with great lawyers to defeat Joe Francis and save victims of his physical attacks as well as preserve one’s right to free speech.
Tags: Anti-Slapp Project, Cyrus John Nownejad, Jayde Nicole, Joe Francis, Mark Goldowitz, Ronald Richards, TMZ
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