FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
FIRST DREAM LANDS SECOND BLOW AGAINST FORREST AND RWGUIDE: COURT ENTERS
INJUNCTION AGAINST FORREST AND THOSE ACTING WITH HIM FROM FILING ANY OTHER
LAWSUITS
Dallas, Texas - June 29, 2004
Dallas attorney Charles H. Steen announced today that a TRO - Temporary
Restraining Order - was signed by the Court today against Spencer Forrest,
and all those acing in concert with him, from filing or prosecuting any
legal actions anywhere except in the Dallas lawsuit. The TRO specifically
names attorney Bradley J. Haskins - a Texas-licensed lawyer based in Prague
- as one of the persons enjoined from filing any lawsuits.
"The Court's order is an 'Anti-Lawsuit Injunction', " Steen said, "Its
purpose is to stop persons like Forrest from trying directly, or through
others, to gin up vexatious, harassing litigation outside the main action,
which in this dispute is Dallas, Texas." Steen recounted, "Several pieces
of evidence were significant to the Court. First, we presented Forrest's
emails with various agencies; Forrest was caught red-handed stating that
lawyer Haskins had advised them to file multiple, local lawsuits to give
Jack Bragg, President of First Dream, 'a headache beyond belief'. Forrest
claimed in his emails to have three agencies on board, and a whole 'network
of attorneys' who would handle their lawsuits for minimal costs. That
obviously was an abuse. Moreover, it wasn't true, and it foolishly waived
any shred of attorney-client privilege between Forrest and Haskins."
"Second," according to Steen, "The Court took specific notice that lawyer
Haskins was under a formal grievance investigation being prosecuted by the
State Bar of Texas for various threats Haskins made against Mr. Bragg.
That, obviously, is very serious matter." "Third," Steen continued, "We
presented a recent letter from Haskins, faxed from Europe on June 11th, in
which Haskins threatened that RWG's new owners - Central Europe Partners UKR
- would sue Bragg in Ukraine. Of course we immediately joined the new owner
of RWG as a defendant, in Dallas, and obtained the injunction.
Astonishingly, Haskins - who knows full well that Mr. Bragg is represented
by counsel - faxed his letter directly to Mr. Bragg instead of his lawyer.
That resulted in a supplemental grievance being filed against Haskins at the
Texas State Bar."
"Fourth, Steen said, "we presented a petition that Forrest filed in Austin,
without a lawyer, against me personally, complaining about the way I am
representing Bragg and First Dream in the Dallas lawsuit. That's just
crazy. You can't ask a second Texas Court to take up what is already
pending in a first-filed matter. That is like asking a second teacher to
change your 'F' from another teacher's class to an 'A'. So, that lawsuit is
shut down." "I guess you do sometimes hear about certain homeless people
doing this kind of thing - filing back-to-back pauper suits - but its
improper, and the Courts know how to handle these things. One thing is
certain, however, if you violate an anti-lawsuit injunction, the Court can
throw you in jail. We'll have to wait and see what happens."
"Not everything has been so serious, however," Steen said. "There have been
some really hysterical moments. When we sued Central Europe Partners, my
process server went to Spencer's home to serve him. His truck and his car
were both there, so she was pretty darn certain he was there. She rang the
door bell, and the dogs barked; but no one answered the door. So, she rang
again, only this time the dogs didn't bark. She rang several more times,
and it was the same thing. This went on several times a day for two days."
"Eventually Spencer will have to tell me under oath if he was hiding in his
own house for two days avoiding my process server," Steen said. "On Sunday
she went by his house just to see if he was there - in Texas we don't serve
process on Sundays - and most of us like it that way. Anyway, Spencer must
have recognized her, because he jumped into his car and a few minutes later
was following her down the road. This wasn't a high-speed chase or
anything, it was more like the OJ Simpson chase, entertaining but basically
just immature. First Spencer was behind, then ahead, then along side, and
then both sides waived at each other, and did some of the silly sign
language people do in cars. Ultimately it didn't matter though. On Tuesday
we got a Court Order, and we served Central Europe Partners UKR by taping
the lawsuit to Spencer's door."
Steen closed by stating, "The amended lawsuit adds Central Europe Partners
UKR as a defendant, and asserts, among other issues, that the significant
business losses now being experienced by the new owners of RWGuide are
directly traceable to Forrest's failures fully to disclose the true measure
of tort liability he created for the business before the sale. The amended
lawsuit puts it right out there, it says Forrest 'scammed' the new
investors. When this lawsuit started, Forrest and Haskins pooh-poohed it
big time, publicly and privately, repeatedly calling it 'frivolous'. I do
not know if they are starting to take us seriously yet, but I hope so,
because we are absolutely serious about this dispute." Agreeing, Mr. Bragg
stated, "Look, I have been trying for years to get Forrest, and a few
others, simply to respect First Dream at a business level. Instead, I am
banned from RWG, and called every bad name in the book. When someone
reports something good on RWG about their experience with us, they are
attacked and accused of being a shill or me in disguise. Well, that's just
wrong. My name and First Dream's name were scrambled, were censored, and
whole discussion threads routinely get deleted if there is anything positive
said about us. When I asked about pricing to put a banner on RWG, on par
with everyone else, I was flatly ignored. It doesn't take a rocket
scientist to figure it out. But it might take a jury and a judgment to make
it right."
Telephone calls to Forrest were not answered and, although numerous
voicemail messages were left, no calls were returned.
To obtain copies of the lawsuit or other Court papers, send your letter with
a SASE to:
Charles H. Steen, Esq.
The White House on Turtle Creek
2401 Turtle Creek Blvd.
Dallas, TX 75219
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