Duff sorry to hear this . its hard losing a parent .my condolences . take care of yourself and your family . the FFB league can wait . we have plenty of time for that . RIP papa Duff
The headlines suggested that the cases were all but over. The reality is that there?s a long way to go until the civil litigation against Pilot Flying J ends. The first hint of potential trouble already has surfaced, less than two days after a judge in Arkansas gave tentative approval to the settlement of a nationwide class action on behalf of all customers defrauded by the company run by Browns owner Jimmy Haslam. ?The thing that bothers us the most about this class settlement is that it is like a bank robber who gets caught red-handed stealing money, offering to return the money with interest in order to avoid prosecution,? said Jeffrey Friedman, who represents Shoreline Transportation, of Alabama. He has a good point. Fraud falls into the category of what the law calls ?intentional torts.? The available damages include compensation for any actual losses (i.e., the money that wasn?t paid), compensation for ?general? damages like aggravation and inconvenience, and punitive damages aimed at deterring others from doing the same thing in the future. In this specific case, forcing Pilot Flying J to pay back all the money it didn?t pay in the first place plus interest and attorneys? fees doesn?t exactly fire a warning shot to any other company that would be tempted to try to get away with widespread fraud against unsuspecting customers. A major award of monetary damages aimed at making an example of the offending party ultimately could be the best recourse. While each individual customer will have the ability to opt out of the proposed settlement and pursue its own claim for compensatory and punitive damages, constitutional limits on punitive damages would result in much smaller awards on a per-customer basis. Only with all customers joined in one lawsuit that is pushed to the limit will Pilot Flying J be held to maximum financial accountability. Really, why wouldn?t all of the customers who were duped want to hold Pilot Flying J to maximum financial accountability? In this case, more than 20 class-action lawsuits were filed, Pilot Flying J?s lawyers found the one lawyer who was willing to settle quickly, and now the rest of the customers? hands potentially will be tied. An opportunity nevertheless exists for these supposedly unsophisticated trucking companies to show how sophisticated they really are. They can all opt out of the Arkansas settlement, they can band together in the jurisdiction deemed to be most favorable to their cause, and they can push the case all the way to and through trial, aiming for a verdict that will inflict the kind of financial damage that will echo throughout every American industry. As former Pilot Flying J V.P. of Sales John Freeman allegedly said (according to the affidavit supporting the issuance of a search warrant), ?I don?t want to get into a moral or ethical conversation, because I believe that if a guy?s gonna butt-f?k you then we got to go to butt-f?kin? him harder.? For the customers who had been on the wrong end of that specific activity, they now have an opportunity to return the favor. Frankly, it?s amazing that any of them would want to settle their claims only for the money that was stolen from them, plus six-percent interest.
i'm not gonna shed a tear for the plaintiffs here. their lawyers are supposed to weigh the pros and cons of their choices. you can't have the advantages of a class action suit, but then whine about the disadvantages. if u don't want to be held back by others, don't join up with those others to begin with.
What's up Browns Fans. I am the new Bengals Contributor for MudnCleats. I look forward to our yearly huge 2 game rivalry! Check out my Page on the Contributors site and I would love your input on what the division thinks about the AFC North this year!!!
i think it will be a Dawg fight right down to the last week of the regular season . will three teams make the playoffs this year ? highly unlikely but i do feel the whole division will go 500 & better. the Bengals take the AFC North this year if Dalton takes the leap . The Ravens will be a wildcard my beloved Browns will be in the mix all year long .i will take it. the Steelers to the bottom of the division this year . welcome stray cat . now bring some more Bengal fans around as of now i think your it .
keep boycotting Mike Brown Bengal fans ..both of you . dont sell out so the Browns will be on TV7 Dayton this season . ready for some football ..cooler temps as its far to ^%@*% HOT out 8)
Get ready for change: The Browns are still working on upgrading the ?fan experience? at games this season, but one change is coming that is out of their control. The NFL has enacted new security measures at all games that may be seen as an inconvenience and culture shock at first. Beginning with the first preseason games, fans can not enter the stadium with backpacks, coolers, briefcases, large purses, camera or computer bags ? not even a seat cushion. The only approved bags fans can carry in are a clear plastic tote bag, no bigger than 12 inches-by-12 inches, or a one gallon plastic freezer bag; plus a small ?clutch? bag approximately the size of a hand. ?It?s all about safety,? said Browns President Alec Scheiner. ?This is a reaction to things that have happened at other sporting events.? Basically, what the Twin Towers bombings in 2001 did to airline travel, so have the bombings at this year?s Boston Marathon done to NFL games. The NFL has been re-examining stadium security measures since 2001 . There have been security enhancements such as patdowns and metal detector screenings already in place. The limitations on bags is a direct result of the tragedy in Boston in April. Some major college programs ? Michigan, Penn State, Michigan State ? do not permit bags of any size at football games. Scheiner and the NFL believe that the clear-bag restrictions will make bag checks at stadium gates easier and will get fans through the lines more quickly. There will be checkpoints before the gates themselves to prepare fans for the bag restrictions and to check prohibited bags during games. The NFL will sell approved clear bags with NFL and team logos on them, but non-branded bags fitting the criteria can be used. Scheiner said the Browns will provide free branded bags to season-ticket holders before the start of the regular season. The bag restrictions take effect, however, with the first preseason game at FirstEnergy Stadium on Aug. 8. Fans in northern climate cities can?t be happy about the seat cushion restrictions. But the NFL says that blankets can still be brought to games. Kicking it: Former Browns punter Reggie Hodges, who operates Hodges Kicking Academy, is holding a camp for punters and kickers on Friday, July 19, at Lou Groza Field in Berea. Hodges said openings are still available. Cost for one session (punter or kicker) is $200, or $300 for both. More information is at www.HodgesKickingAcademy.com. Staff complete: Zak Gilbert, the Browns? new direction of communication, has hired two new members to complete the team?s media relations staff. Rob McBurnett, formerly with the NFL office, has been named communications coordinator, and D.J. Philippe, most recently an intern with the Golden State Warriors, was named communications assistant. They join Dan Murphy, who was retained as communications coordinator.
Very sorry to hear about your Dad Duff... Plenty of time for the FFB...don't even let that enter your thoughts right now. Take care and God bless!
Ditto! One major advantage is the lack of funds for attorneys from these smaller companies. If they pull out, they will be responsible for their own $200-300 per hour attorney and there is no absolute that those fees will be recouped in settlement. 6% interest is better than any of them would have done by a very long shot if they had simply received the money when it was supposed to be..current money markets are below 1% and it has been that way for quite some time. They should take their extra $2-5K they will be receiving and save on the lawyers fees that will surely exceed that if they decide to take them on personally. I don't think there will be very many that jump ship...Those same lawyers want to receive their fees now and move on and will suggest each of their clients do just that. Still not out of trouble with the FBI though, this is merely the monetary aspect of this fiasco. There are still criminal charges to come for any involved.
Just remember your new owner took $1 billion dollars from his company and is being investigated for Defrauding clients. Your ownership is Great!!!
pure speculation at this time . he has not been proven giulty of anything but nice try . we are loyal to the bone for our Browns !
I recant his involvement in the fraud of customers. His Company, Pilot Flying J, has already had 6 people plead guilty to the fraud charges. He himself, since I do have a connection who knows him since I grew up in that industry, has said that he has distanced himself from the fraud charges and has ensured that everyone responsible would be held accountable. As for taking money from his company, it is a private owned company that paid out 700 million dollars to the owners and he used that to buy the Cleveland Browns with 300 million in loans from the company. The information given to me was done by Wall Street Financial people in the attempt to downgrade the credit of the company, which was successful. I will admit when I am wrong and there are parts of this that I was wrong about.
I still question the timing on the indictment . he was a minority owner of the Steelers then he buys the Browns steps down as CEO only to go back to that position then the Feds raid his place ? why did they wait ? why didnt they raid him while he was only a minority owner of the Steelers ? did the league not know what was going on ? i know it was a sealed indictment but they have connections everywhere . the whole thing STINKS to me . if it isn't one thing in Browns town its another . just our luck ?. bad timing or is something else brewing here ? i am no conspiracy theorist but this thing with Haslam & the timing of it all has me wondering .
With more than 20 lawsuits pending against Pilot Flying J, a proposed settlement of one of the class actions won?t necessarily stop the other cases in their tracks. As some lawyers criticize a deal that would give truck-stop customers defrauded by the company run by Browns owner Jimmy Haslam only the money that was kept from them with interest and attorneys? fees, some lawyers may try to push the litigation in other courts where other lawsuits are pending. For example, a lawyer in one of the other cases has filed formal notice that Haslam will be compelled to testify under oath. The paperwork was submitted on July 8, more than a week before a tentative settlement was approved by a federal court in Arkansas. Pilot Flying J?s lawyers undoubtedly will attempt to block the deposition in light of the proposed settlement. But the presiding judge could, in theory, decide to allow the deposition to proceed, if the judge believes that the settlement, which has no allowance for punitive damages, seems unfair. A fight would be sparked in multiple courts at various levels, but it would highlight the question of whether Pilot Flying J should be praised or criticized for its successful effort to strike a deal with a lawyer who was willing to agree to a settlement that pays back only the money that was stolen, plus a little more.
Thanks all for the best wishes and prayers, everybody. It's greatly appreciated. I've never met a single one of you, but you guys are almost like having a second family. Kinda like those interesting/funny/goofy/odd-ball fringe relatives you only see occasionally at family get-togethers. *DRINK* One these days we're gonna have to have a big get-together and have a big cookout and watch a Browns or Indians game whether it be at the game or at a bar and grill or anywhere else. I think we'd all have a blast.
Browns signed third-round CB Leon McFadden to a four-year contract. McFadden, the No. 68 overall pick, ran with the second-team defense during spring practices, but he is squarely in the mix to start opposite Joe Haden. NFL Films guru Greg Cosell called him "an absolutely terrific player" in the pre-draft process, despite his small stature (5-foot-9 5/8, 193). McFadden will compete with Buster Skrine and Chris Owens for the No. 2 cornerback job.
Duff hope this finds you feeling better . i would be down for a road trip . Dvl mentioned that last year . the only way you could get me into the stadium again would be to meet you all and watch a game . to many rules this old dawg doesen't like . it lacks the atmosphere & charm of the grand old lady by the lake . i miss the Muni . my hair hurts or whats left of it this morning *SCRATCH* . rain here loooks like no racing weekend for me .
