Candy at CyberSleuths has a great thread on this subject. It seems that courts are now frowning upon "sealed" settlements. I like this new trend and here is why. This is how people get away with their gross negligence. How many doctors settle without going to court and have those settlements sealed? Hundreds I would guess. The reason they want them sealed is so no one can see their own mistakes. In other words there is no accountability for them. None. They can take out a kidney when they were suppose to do a face lift and no one may ever know about it. I think that is wrong. Sealing a court settlement is a cowards way out IMO. Perhaps if we had been able to have open records concerning lawsuits against the Catholic Church maybe many pedophiles wouldn't have been allowed to stay on as priests. Lin Wood. I have a theory. Others have this same theory as well. Once again this is my constitutionally protected opinion. I believe Lin Wood operates like a shakedown artist. If he pulled this anywhere else he would be in jail. My theory is Lin Wood files suit against someone who has the opinion that John and Patsy are somehow involved in the death of JBR. Of course this person would have to have a big name publisher behind them or a big company of some sort. Deep pockets. Mr. Wood files suit. Then approaches the defendant and says his clients will settle for 100 grand. The defendant looks at the cost of going to court. Could easily be 500 grand. Lin Wood perhaps even points out the defendant is much better off settling because he saves 400 grand. Hence the settlement. But we will never know if my theory is correct because Lin Wood makes damn sure all his cases are sealed. What is he hiding? Why not open them all up? Prove to me I am wrong. Now let's Lin Wood isn't a lawyer. He walks into a business and demands 100 grand or he will sue them. He will reveal information embarrassing to the business if he doesn't get his money. It's 500 grand if Lin sues but only 100 grand and he goes away. He would be thrown in jail. That is a shakedown. Don't believe me? Erin Brocovitch's (sp?) ex-boyfriend and his lawyer did this. They were arrested. They approached Erin and said they were going to reveal all to a tabloid. All her dirty secrets unless they got a hundred grand. A sting was set up and both were arrested. The only difference is they went to Erin first. If they would have been able to file suit against her it would have been perfectly legal. Trouble was they couldn't find anything to sue her for I guess so they went right for the shakedown. Lawyers like Lin Wood can hide behind the "rights" of their clients and do the exact same thing. Is Lin Wood a "shake down" artist or legitimate lawyer? I would say Lin Wood is a legitimate lawyer. He is doing what the law now allows him to do. I hope this changes. You have to ask yourself this question; If Lin Wood, John Ramsey, and Patsy Ramsey, wanted the truth out, really wanted the truth out, then they would go to court. They would follow through. All they have done is take the money and run. Pathetic and evil in my opinion.
Peers I used to work with an industrial psycologist who had written a book about motivation. In his heirarchy, money was the lowest form of motivation and earning the respect of your peers is the highest. Three of lw's peers have spoke to me about lw; one calls him a "shakedown artist", a second an "a**h***", and the third a "shakedown artist and an a**h*** #3 has known him the longest so he is probably closest to the truth. With any luck lw will leave the scene the same way he came into it: poor white trash.
Spade Karma, What Goes Around Comes Around, has yet to fail me. What Lin Wood and the Ramseys have done to the innocent people in this case will come back to them in Spades. No pun intended.
Chin up guys! Lin Wood's incessant media assault has made him an enemy of the big dogs. I believe that this high profile strategy is going to backfire, longterm, and the big dogs aren't going to endure these shake-downs much longer--in fact several are fighting back as we speak. Wood should have stayed behind the curtain.
BobC I know you are right. My chin is up because I want front row seats to this show. The good stuff hasn't even started yet I believe.
paying a couple hundred grand to get an annoying gnat out of your face is one thing, but having the gnat rub your face in it on TV every other night is a whole other matter. Then when, say, a whole string of big dogs realize they are all getting stung by the same gnat, they tend to become a very ill-tempered pack. And then there's law enforcement who can bide their time and wait for a trial--but watching the two prime suspects collecting money off the back of a murdered little girl is a bit much to take. It galls me too. Wood should have quietly collected his shakedown money...
"Is Lin Wood a "shakedown" artist or legitimate lawyer?" There's a difference? Just kidding - barely. I've been around the "law game" for a very long time. I won't say that I have seen it all, but close; and some of it very close up and personal. I know what its like to be a victim of a legal shakedown. No, I didn't "settle" on the unwarranted civil complaint which was nothing more than attempted legal extortion. Still, it cost me time, effort and money to defend the absurdity. When the dust settled, the Plaintiff owed me money by court order. The Plaintiff disappeared and the attorney went on to another frivolous suit. Such is the nature of the "law game." Its sad to say, but what has happened and is happening in the Ramsey case is the rule, not an exception. Is Lin Wood a legal parasite? Without a doubt, but what galls me as much or more is the assistance he has gotten from LE and many in the media who helped lay the groundwork for his numerous suits. For the sake of ratings, or to sell newspapers, or tabloids, they catered to the whims of Wood and the Ramseys and built a mountain of fallacies in defense of "Ramsey innocence" without any noticeable opposition. Where do you think Wood would have been in the past and present if those in the media had not made deals to provide a Ramsey propaganda forum, but instead insisted on asking hard line questions, or no prime time? When the BPD succumbs to the threat of a suit and abandons the case to a Ramsey promoter like Keenan, it doesn't get any more disgusting, or any more pitiful than this. Yes, Wood is an obnoxious parasite on a power trip to bolster his weak ego, but let us not forget the help he has had from LE and many in the media. Will any, even those who have aided in their own "victimization" ever step forward and remedy the situation. So far, I see none even leaning in that direction. I would like to see this change, but I'm not holding my breath.
One bright spot... Every utterance from Wood's pie-hole equals another pack of Tums down Hal Haddon's.