Posted on 04/24/2007 8:23:35 PM PDT by kellynla
Minuteman Project co-founder Jim Gilchrist dropped the remaining portions of his lawsuit against fellow anti-illegal immigration activists today, bringing to a conclusion a legal battle for control of the group.
Gilchrist has set up a new organization – the Jim Gilchrist Minuteman Project Inc. – and said he is ready to move ahead with his cause.
"I am delighted that rather than spending the next two years in litigation and spending hundreds of thousands of dollars of (activists') contributions for attorney fees … I can focus full time on the critical issue of illegal immigration," Gilchrist said in a press release.
Three Minuteman Project directors voted in January to oust Gilchrist from the board, citing concerns with fundraising and bookkeeping that he would not address. Gilchrist, of Aliso Viejo, then sued to regain control of the group, saying the three mutinying directors served in an advisory capacity only and had no authority to remove him.
A hearing had been set for tomorrow in which a judge was to consider putting the group into a third-party receivership pending conclusion of the lawsuit. That hearing has been cancelled.
(Excerpt) Read more at ocregister.com ...
I saw Simcox speak a few weeks ago. He was very candid about his troubles with Gilchrist and all that passed between them.
Simcox has a fascinating story to tell and will be a far more effective force for change on the border than Gilchrist, IMO.
I’m glad he has. The fact that he put his name on this new organization makes me wonder if his ego wasn’t part of the problem.
I am concerned with simcox’x white supremacist rumors.
A sound denunciation of white supremacist ideas from him would be a good idea. If he as already done this, please point me to it.
He started the speech I saw talking about how his group is not bigots. During the speech, he pointed out that the media came to the Minuteman Project looking for rednecks looking to shoot Mexicans and were disappointed with what they found.
He said nothing that struck me as unusual or white supremacist in any way and made a point to say that’s not what he’s about.
He offered empathy for illegals who are legitimately coming here wanting a better life (most of his contempt was directed at the government in general and Bush specifically).
They don’t do border patrols every day, but they do have volunteers who do search and rescue for folks stranded in the desert - not really what I would expect from a white supremacist.
I don’t know what’s in his heart, and perhaps there’s things in his background I am unaware of, but I don’t think Simcox is a bigot.
Stick around- The leftwing extremists at the SPLC will soon be smearing Simcox as a hatemonger, and the usual suspects here at FR will be citing the SPLC's smear job as "proof".
The So. Cal. Minutemen are Done.
Ted Hayes has hijacked the organization and uses MM events to parade his “Reparations Now” agenda.
Gilchrist Abandons Lawsuit <<<< This lawsuit is not about Simcox.
Founder Sues to Protect Minuteman Project
Gilchrist on Offensive; Seeks 20 Million Dollars for Damages and
Malicious Defamation
Santa Ana, CA - Jim Gilchrist, president and founder of the Minuteman
Project, served a Statement of Damages in the Superior Court of
California today, seeking monetary damages from defendants Marvin L.
Stewart, Deborah A. Courtney-Peterson, Barbara Coe, and Scott Powelson.
Gilchrist is asking the Court for five million dollars in compensatory
damages and 15 million dollars in punitive damages.
According to Gilchrist, Stewart, Courtney-Peterson, Coe, and Powelson
are disgruntled former members of the Minuteman Project who engaged in
an elaborate national propaganda scheme aimed at impugning the image of
the Minuteman Project, Gilchrist, his spouse, and close associates
working for the Project.
“These defendants have repeatedly spread false and unsubstantiated
accusations via email, radio, television and newspaper interviews,” said
Gilchrist, explaining that the false claims were also made by telephone
and personal visits by the defendants to political officials, law
enforcement organizations, and Minuteman Project chapter leaders around
the country.
“The damage caused by these individuals was severe and intentional,”
Gilchrist said. “They even created a fictitious Minuteman Project web
site on MySpace.com for the apparent purpose of raising money to pay
their lawyers, and to broadcast maliciously damaging and untrue
accusations about me, the Project, and staff members. Fortunately, our
Minuteman Project lawyers have repeatedly succeeded in shutting down
that site.”
“The defendants purposely attempted to destroy the Minuteman Project
after I foiled their attempt to steal it,” Gilchrist added.
The Minuteman Project was created by Gilchrist to bring continuous
national awareness to the chaotic results of the illegal alien invasion
crisis facing the United States. According to Gilchrist, he launched his
suit after the defendants attempted to misappropriate bank funds and
tried, illegally, to force him out of the organization he created two
and one-half years ago.
Legal counsel for the Minuteman Project, Guy E. Mailly of the Mailly Law
Group and Marc S. Brown of the Brown Law Firm, said they were “very
pleased with the Court’s recent decision that stops the defendants from
diverting or using any Minuteman Project funds, and stops them from
using Minuteman Project letterheads and envelopes while leaving the
Minuteman Project unimpeded in its operation, with Jim Gilchrist
continuing as president.”
A California CPA firm has been retained to conduct an independent audit
of the Minuteman Project, and Gilchrist welcomed the audit, which was
proposed by his own legal counsel.
Gilchrist noted, “The auditor’s report will show the public just how
off-base these disgruntled defendants are.”
The injunction also prevents the defendants from accessing any Minuteman
Project bank accounts.
Violations of any of the Court’s orders could put the defendants in
contempt of court and could result in imprisonment.
Gilchrist praised the decision of the court, saying, “The injunction
from the Superior Court in Santa Ana, Ca. closes the failed attempt to
hijack the Minuteman Project. Now, we can get back to our primary mission.”
“These hijackers damaged us temporarily, but we are rebuilding and are
launching our new Minuteman Project, Inc. web site,” says Gilchrist.
Steve Eichler, Executive Director of the MMP said, “The havoc and damage
they inflicted upon both the Minuteman Project, supporters and Jim
Gilchrist is beyond imagination. This lawsuit will not only penalize
these individual hijackers, but may discourage similar takeover attempts
by disgruntled volunteers in other innocent organizations.”
“Meanwhile, we are up and running at www.jimgilchrist.com, and we are
still on mission, working to bring national awareness to the illegal
alien invasion crisis. We will be in the streets, at the border, on the
lecture circuit, and on radio and TV as usual. We intend to continue
protesting the sham amnesty before Congress, and we will continue to
demand the release of members of law enforcement who have been
wrongfully imprisoned, namely Border Patrol Agents Ramos and Compean,
and Texas Sheriff’s deputy Gilmer Hernandez.”
As he rolls back into action, Gilchrist plans to expand the Minuteman
Project’s Citizen’s Mandate to compel the U.S. Congress to either
respect and enforce the 14th Amendment of the U.S. Constitution, or
provide an explicit definition of the 14th amendment that will preclude
children of illegal aliens born on U.S. territory from being granted
citizenship and taking advantage of a litany of taxpayer funded benefit
programs that accompany that right.
Currently, the literal meaning of the 14th Amendment is ignored by
federal lawmakers.
"....Gilchrist attorney Guy Mailly said a court will determine what happens to the $3,700, although Lacy said dismissal of case means the money can now be spent by his clients.
Mailly said that Gilchrist sold the original group's Web site, donor list and logo to his new group for $110,800, with the proceeds to be used to pay creditors. Stewart says those assets were not under Gilchrist's control and that he is now considering legal action against Gilchrist.
"We're not going to terminate this," Stewart said. "This will not be tolerated.""
$3,700 was all that was left in the till! And according to Stewart, Gilchrist's troubles are not over. They may litigate more over mailing lists etc.
One thing dropping the lawsuit does is let him avoid having to explain under oath where the money went.
That's it in a nutshell.
We will never find out where that money went.
Is G involved with DF or is that only Simcox?
“DF” = ?
Thanks for clearing that up ... I thought Gilchrist was just another way of spelling Simcox. Now I realize that they are two different people.
Due mostly to inexperience, egotism, the lack of a proper organization, the lack of sufficient accounting practices, and the enemies against it, the Minuteman Project has self-destructed. It’s initial event had its intended effect and it has only been recently that the illegal aliens are starting to use Cochise County as their crossing point again. The message was sent, but the conservative Republicans, due mostly to the President’s opposition, failed to enact the necessary border security legislation. Various splinters of the Minuteman Project will live on, but they’ll never achieve anything near their original achievement, IMHO. Although, their event this month netted many more illegal aliens then their initial event. And this was with the Simcox-lead splinter of the group here in Arizona.
Declaration Foundation
“The fact that he put his name on this new organization makes me wonder if his ego wasn’t part of the problem.”
Kinda reminds me of the “Mike Love Beach Boys” or “The Gary Puckett Union Gap”.
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