An unpleasant chapter finally closed!

As many of you have noticed, I have not been blogging as much as I normally do.

There are a number of reasons for that.  I have been dealing with a number of very time consuming and draining issues and late yesterday I got news that the most draining of them all has finally concluded.

On December 22nd of 2013, I along with 6 others were slapped with lawsuit papers by Ray Sasseville, Joan Hansen and Sturgis North.

Bernie Aubin, Steven Hammer, Vince Lewis, the Sicamous Chamber of Commerce, the Mayor of Sicamous and the City of Sicamous and myself found ourselves embroiled in a nuisance, shot gun lawsuit where in among other things, libel and slander were the predominant complaint.  It did not take very long for the City and Mayor of Sicamous to have the case against them dropped.  A few months later, the case against Bernie, Steve, Vince and the Chamber was dropped, leaving me the only one left to fight the case.

Over the course of the last two years I have seen the lawyer for Sturgis North et al be suspended, not once but twice. I attended the BC Securities hearing against Ray, his wife Edith and his accountant, Norm Keller. The result of that hearing was just recently announced.  Ray Sasseville was banned from trading for 5 years and fined $10,000, his wife was banned for 1 year and fined $5,000 and Norm Keller, their accountant was banned for 1 year and fined $5,000.  Click here to read more about the bans and fines.

Ray attempted to settle with me a month before his failed Merritt event by offering me passes and some cash to promote his event, he said that if I agreed, he'd drop the case.  In all good conscience, I could not and from that point forward all communications ceased.

My attorney, Rodney Chorneyko hit wall after wall attempting to move this case forward toward resolution.  In September of 2015, we finally got in front of a "judge" however, while the "judge" agreed the case could be quashed for want of prosecution, she did not like the way my lawyer had served Joan Hansen.  You see when Gerhard Pyper, their attorney was suspended, Ray filed to become self representing, Joan however, did not.

So, because Mr. Pyper was suspended a second time, Joan's file was in the hands of the BC Law Society.  It took several attempts to finally have Joan file as self representing, but the minute we were notified that it was done, Rodney served them all again and the culmination of that effort took place yesterday.

A consent dismiss order was signed and the lawsuit is now ended. I will not be getting any of my costs back, but then, even if I did get an order for costs, Ray's home is in foreclosure, he and his wife have $15,000 in fines to pay BC Securities and Mike Smith who has a judgement against Ray for $70,000 has, as of the best of my knowledge, not been able to collect on it. It is also my understanding that Ray paid $40K to the plaintiff in the Arizona Court case to end that lawsuit back in October/November of 2015.

Knowing all of these things about his financial standing I agreed to not go after costs, after all, the likelihood of collecting appears to be slim to none and any attempt to collect would be met with more costs.

FINALLY this lawsuit is over.

It's been a tough road to walk, but now I feel somewhat vindicated.

I don't feel victorious though,  I am not gloating or shouting with glee. I should feel like celebrating, but all I can think about are all of the people that to this date, have gotten none of the promised compensation over three failed motorcycle/music fests.

I do feel good though after all I have done my level best to educate people so that they could make sound decisions. I have been condemned and criticized by some and praised and hailed by others for my attempts to stand strong and support the truth and this community.

To those who felt I deserved to be sued because you feel I am too outspoken, too passionate, too opinionated; I say thank you. You have been the best teachers I could have asked for.

To those who supported me, some financially, I say thank you, for you shored up my resolve when I felt weak or guilty over what the stress was doing to my husband.

To those who still hold the bag financially over their dealing with Sturgis North I pray you overcome.

My only regret about the outcome of this case is that we never actually went to court.  I truly wanted my day. I wanted to be able to make public all of the copious documents and email conversations from those whose businesses and lives were adversely affected by their dealings with the Sturgis North event management.

I wanted to hear a judge say that I was within my rights to put together the information I did, that I did it properly and well, and that by offering Ray the opportunity to speak though he chose not to, I had ensured the integrity of the body of evidence I had pulled together.

I am happy to have this case over. I am happy to see the relief in the eyes of my husband. I am happy that I don't need the services of Rodney Chorneyko anymore but I am grateful to Steve Hammer for introducing him to me as Rodney has been relentless in getting this case closed.

I am grateful for so very much this morning.

Now I have one favour to ask all of you who ride.

Our 9th Annual Beat the PMS Blues entry has been extended because my Doctor, Dr. Feelgood says that I am not getting the massive dose of motorcycle photos that I need to deal with my PMS (Parked Motorcycle Syndrome.)  He says the number of entries we has so far is barley going to sustain me.

There are some MAGNIFICENT prizes to be won - a Drift Ghost S Camera from the Sports Camera Store, Swag from Nashville Bike Week, a set of Love-Jugs to keep your hot motorcycle cool, books from Chris Holesheck and survival gear from Prospector Central - that collapsable cooler/stool is a rally survival must have!

So please folks, enter your bike in our online show n shine and help me get through the PMS Blues - I want to smile again, I need to smile again and seeing all of your wonderful motorcycles will make that happen - I know they will! Click on the banner below to go to the show n shine page....

Have a great day everyone and if you are blessed enough to be riding today because of the climate you live in or are holidaying in - PLEASE, ride like everyone around you is blind and can not see you. (And think of we Canucks and those who live in cold snowy climates and BE GRATEFUL you can ride.)

Belt Drive Betty,
Editor & Rider



Disclaimer:
All data and information provided on this site is for informational purposes only. The Belt Drive Betty Blog makes no representations as to accuracy, completeness, currentness, suitability, or validity of any information on this site & will not be liable for any errors, omissions, or delays in this information or any losses, injuries, or damages arising from its display or use. All information is provided on an as-is basis.

Will 2015 start with more of the same? The SAGA continues!

As many of you know, Ray Sasseville of Sturgis North now Sturgis Canada launched a shot gun lawsuit against 7 people back in December of 2013, just before Christmas.  I am one of those 7.

6 of those sued had been offered to settle and consent to dismiss orders were signed by all 6, BUT
4 of the orders never got filed. Why? Well, Ray's lawyer was suspended, then Ray decided to self represent and he took possession of the documents pertaining to his case.  He never filed those orders.

I sent in a counter offer to settle, he offered me tickets to Sturgis Canada to sell along with $1000 in cash if I would advertise his event. I declined and sent in another counter offer to settle, no movement.

Since July - Ray has pretty much has quit communicating with any of the legal people or defendants in the suit and has left everyone in limbo for several months now.

As a result of the lack of communication, I have been keeping a very close ear to the street in an effort to stay on top of any news or information about this man or his dealings.

I went to his BC Securities Commission hearing in October and it was a real eye-opener as to how Ray, his wife and their accountant have been doing business. It will be mid February before the commission makes its decision, and from what I heard, saw and read, I do not believe that their decision will be in Ray's favour, but I am no lawyer...

I went to that hearing hoping to confront Ray face to face, but instead ended up giving his security hearing lawyer, Gregg Alphonso, some documents to pass on to him as Ray did not testify at his own hearing.   Although he does not represent Ray in the lawsuit that Ray launched, the attorney agreed to speak to Ray about the matter.

Mr. Alphonso did at least speak to Ray about the documents - new consent dismiss orders that included me.

I know this because via email, this attorney asked me to guarantee that I would never write about Ray or his family again.

I told him that I would stay away from all topics outside of those that might affect the motorcycle community and since then the lawyer refuses to answer any correspondence and so has Ray.
I have not spoken of that hearing at all until now as I was hoping for a resolution to this situation.

It has become quite obvious to me that there will not be a resolution unless I agree to never write about Mr. Sasseville, link to any articles about him in the newsfeed on our web site....

I have sent several unanswered emails to the securities hearing attorney, Ray and Joan, Ray's partner in the suit.

Why would Mr. Sasseville refuse to sign off, refuse to communicate?
Is he planning another motorcycle event?

Will 2015 start with more of the same?
The SAGA continues!

It appears so!

An interesting little tidbit of information was dropped in my lap by way of an oilfield buddy who recently stopped in to see me. I began hunting to see what I could find out about what he told me.

It took me a few days, but....low and behold, look what I found:

Crude Fest (see document on the left)
New logo, web site domain name registered for crudefest.ca and then....

Interestingly enough, in my research I came across the fact that there is an event called "Crude Fest" in Midland Texas.  thecrudefest.com











Is this another case of Ray trying to copy the recipe for an event from the USA that is popular?

I called the people in Texas to find out if somehow, they are aligned with Ray. They are not. They knew nothing of the event in Canada or the man.

I am told that this new endeavour is to take place here in Alberta, however I have not as of yet, found out where.

If he has the funds to do a trademark application, complete with a logo design, then he should at least have the funds to file the 4 (already signed by the other 4 parties) Consent Dismiss Orders he has in his possession and do what is right, what he agreed to do.

I feel so bad for the Sicamous Chamber of Commerce, that little not for profit does not need this thing hanging in limbo like this, no one does. The communications that our attorney has does mean that the case is over for the four who signed the Consent Dismiss Orders however, because they were never filed, the case still exists as far as the courts are concerned.

Since Ray is self representing, he could at least have the decency to respond to legal communications, it's not like an email is costing him anything.

I have personally emailed Mr. Sasseville and offered him the opportunity, yet again to put his side of things forth and still ZERO communication.

I'd like to push for this case to be expunged. There is no way my reputation will ever be fully repaired, and I doubt I could ever recover my costs. Above and beyond the close to $10K the lawyer has cost, there are many, many other ways that this has impacted my business and my life.

SO, I will be looking at creative ways to raise the funds needed to just get this thing over and done with.  My attorney feels we have a good shot at getting this thing expunged for lack of prosecution, at the cost of another $3K - I hope he's right.

In the mean time, I am working at staying focused on all of the good that is going on in our little company like the newly formed coffee company, the great Beat the PMS Blues Online Show n Shine that is going to help ease the PMS and the new - PMS - How Bad is it Contest, where there will be a little money up for grabs to those willing to share their coping tips.

The Canada's MOST Rider Friendly Contest is shaping up to be fabulous with lots of great sponsors coming on board!

The website upgrade that has been killing both Ali and I should be done by the end of the first week of the new year...

Yes, in spite of this fly in my in the ointment called Ray Sasseville, things are progressing well!
I am a very blessed woman with so very much to be grateful for.

I am deeply, deeply thankful for the support this community has given me.

Have a fabulous day everyone...

Stay safe and warm.

Belt Drive Betty
Editor & Rider


Disclaimer:
All data and information provided on this site is for informational purposes only. The Belt Drive Betty Blog makes no representations as to accuracy, completeness, currentness, suitability, or validity of any information on this site & will not be liable for any errors, omissions, or delays in this information or any losses, injuries, or damages arising from its display or use. All information is provided on an as-is basis.






   

Dealing with lawyers and lawsuits - fun and games - NOT!

I recently posted a photo of Doc, my 2010 Ultra Classic with 9,800 miles on it, on Facebook, with the information that I am selling him in order to put a big chunk of money on the upcoming lawyers bills that I know will be arriving sooner than later.

A few people who although we are connected on Facebook, have not truly been following the story aka SAGA and took a few things out of context.

My goal here is to clear the air and update people on exactly where things stand.

For those who have not been following this misadventure, I am being sued by Sturgis North/Canada, Ray Sasseville and Joan Hansen for Libel, slander and defamation.

My reporting on Ray Sasseville and his history included links, screen shots and documents - you can read up on the history of the lawsuit here:
http://www.beltdrivebetty.com/community/bdb-defense-fund

No matter that what I reported was already in public domain and all I had done was put everything together in one place, Ray and his group decided to sue myself along with 6 others.

The shotgun lawsuit, initiated just before Christmas, included the Mayor of Sicamous, the City of Sicamous, the Sicamous Chamber of Commerce, Steve Hammer, Bernie Aubin, Vince Lewis and myself.

My attorney calls it a nuisance suit.

Nothing about this lawsuit has been straight forward.
Shortly after the suit was launched by lawyer Gerhard Pyper, Ray petitioned to self represent on behalf of himself and the company.  Joan however was still represented by Pyper.

In March we got an offer to settle from Gerhard Pyper.

The first six defendants took the offer they were given. Their offer was that if they didn't ask for costs, the plaintiffs would drop the suit.

The offer I was given was unacceptable.
They basically wanted a $250,000 gag order on me and for me to remove any reference to them off my site, out of my newspaper and to monitor social media and ensure that no one in my circle said anything about them. If I didn't they'd claim the bond money.

As a reporter, I have done my job well. I reported facts, provided evidence and asked people to educate themselves.   Nothing I wrote was untrue, nor written with malice, therefore it is not slanderous, libellous or defamation. I am covered under fair comment and freedom of the press.

Still, I must get before a judge for those freedoms to be exercised.
AND - that costs money and lots of it.

The latest developments in this case are that Gerhard Pyper, the lawyer for Joan Hansen was suspended and his law firm was closed down by the BC Law Society.  Ray is listed as self representing for himself and Sturgis North. Joan however is not represented by anyone at the moment.

Before I had a chance to send my counter offer to Ray, I got a second offer to settle from a new lawyer out of Kelowna named Greg Alfonsso.  That offer was for $1,000 cash and 30 four day passes that I could sell to offset my lawyers bills if I would market their event for them.  Again, in all good conscience I did not feel I could take this offer and so my lawyer had to rewrite my counter offer and sent it off to the new lawyer along with Ray and Joan.

To date there has been no response from any of the parties to my counter offer.

On top of that, the consent to dismiss orders for the others have hit a road block.
The only dismissal that has taken pace is that involving the Mayor and the City of Sicamous.
The other four parties paperwork was apparently never filed by Gerhard Pyper's office.
It took the BC Law Society this much time to determine this.  So now the other 4 parties will have to incur more costs to see if the original consents can be found, and if so can they be filed.

If not, then they too will face the challenge of getting the other parties to communicate and again it will cost them more money.

I myself, have recently sworn out an affidavit for my lawyer to use to have my case moved from Surrey to Salmon Arm/Vernon.  My lawyer will need to go to Surrey and petition the court to transfer the case. That means a minimum of a full day out of his office on top of the preparations for that hearing and the paperwork that will come out of that hearing.

He told me to prepare for $7-$10K for that portion of the bill.
The next step will cost far less as it will involve a hearing before a judge in Salmon Arm/Vernon where in we will petition the court to ask Ray and company, to post a bond for costs.

Then, if they do that we proceed to examinations for discovery, then to trial. If they don't post a bond, then the judge will examinee the case and potentially throw it out. At least that is my understanding on how this is supposed to work.  Each step of the way will cost a different amount of money and time.  I have been told to prepare for an over all bill of $50K from this date forward, so that I am ready for the long haul if this does go that way.

So that's where the legal end of things stand...now to deal with the money portion.

Ours is a community newspaper that does a lot of charity work and as such, it does not generate huge money, basically it covers its costs and modest wages for myself and my staff. Without fundraising, the business would be at jeopardy.  So I had started tee shirt campaigns, donation drives, sold a company bike - a Johnny Pag, some art that was donated to me via an online auction and Blair Weber organized a Poker Run to help me.

At the end of May, on the Defence Fund Poker Run, I was involved in a mishap where my bike ended up getting totalled.

I lost control in a washout on a gravel road and another rider hit me from behind before I had gone down. Had that other rider not hit me, I would have only had to replace the front fender and lived with a battle scarred fairing.  As it was though, the bike was written off and the RCMP consequently charged the other rider with following too close.  The bike I bought to replace my Street glide with was purchased at Edmonton Harley-Davidson.  With what insurance gave me for my bike, some personal savings and $1,800 of the money from the poker run I was able to get another work vehicle.
(As a moto journalist, my motorcycle is a workhorse not a pleasure machine.)

I had no choice, if I wanted to keep the newspaper running, my source of income, not to mention my employees paid,  I had to use some of that money. I have managed to keep paying the lawyer because I was working and so eventually the $1,800 raised did go on the lawyers bill, but funny thing, those bills just keep coming.

Had I been able to put all of that defence run money on the bill at the time, I'd be about $1,800 closer to having him paid up towards this newest bill. As it stands, I owe him about $500 right now, since I was able to, yesterday, make a payment to him from the sale of SOA art in an online auction we held last month.

Because of the latest twists and turns of this lawsuit, I have an anticipated $7-$10K bill coming to get the venue changed from Surrey to Salmon Arm.

I also have a business loan and my motorcycle is but one piece of the collateral for that loan.
My banker has agreed that if I sell the bike, they will take 50% towards my loan and allow me the other 50% to pay my lawyer.

If this court case gets dropped, by some miracle, then I will just continue paying the lawyer monthly until he is paid off and use the remaining money towards another bike.

Nothing about this lawsuit has been straight forward nor does it remotely resemble normal practices according to my attorney.

I need to take some stress off of my brain so that I can focus and concentrate on doing the work my team and I do in and for the riding community.

If I can't put my focus on Belt Drive Betty Media and all of the support tools we offer the community then I and my employees will not have wages to live on.
This doesn't just affect me or my small staff, it affects the entire community that uses our events calendars, our newspaper and web sites as sources of information.

I am not asking for a hand out but a hand up.
I am willing to sell everything I own to defend myself if that's what it takes to see this thing through.

I am selling items like tee shirts, like so many businesses do, but instead of that money funding my business, like it does for other businesses, the tee shirt sales are helping to fund my lawsuit.

If you know anyone looking for a great bike with extended warranty, please put them in touch with me via bdbetty @ gmail.com  - fix the spaces.

If you are interested in purchasing a tee shirt to support the cause please visit: http://teespring.com/beltdrivebetty

I hope this clears things up for those who seem to be confused about this lawsuit, and what I am preparing for and why I am doing what I am doing.  I want to do the work I do, pay my bills, eat decently and enjoy life just like every other working stiff out there.  I want to be able to sleep at night without worrying about how I am going to come up with the money for the lawyer, a bill I know is coming sooner than later.

That's all!  By selling my bike, I can take the pressure off of the looming lawyer's bill and focus on the business and community.

By the way we have some great prizes up for grabs in our Capture the Gear Fail Photo Contest.

You could win a pair of boots and a helmet from Kimpex - a value of $300 for your first place photo and for the second place photo you could win a pair of Draggin Jeans!

Visit Our Contest Page to find out more!

If you are blessed to be riding today, please ride like everyone around you is blind and cannot see you.

Belt Drive Betty,
Editor & Rider


Disclaimer:
All data and information provided on this site is for informational purposes only. The Belt Drive Betty Blog makes no representations as to accuracy, completeness, currentness, suitability, or validity of any information on this site & will not be liable for any errors, omissions, or delays in this information or any losses, injuries, or damages arising from its display or use. All information is provided on an as-is basis.

Lawsuit Saga Continues

As many of you know, I am being sued by Ray Sasseville, Joan Hansen and Sturgis North.
They claim, my reporting of the doings of their CEO Ray Sasseville is defamatory, libellous and preventing them from earning a living in the motorcycle community.

Visit my defense fund page for all the information on everything I have ever written on them including the evidence I am allowed to share publicly.

According to my attorney, Ray wants to drop the suit as it pertains to the City of Sicamous, the Mayor of Sicamous and the Sicamous Chamber of Commerce.  So we shall see how that ends up.

The hearing to move the case to Salmon Arm happens on the 31st of March.

My research assistant and I have continued to investigate Sturgis North and all of it's various names and owners including the newly trademarked Sturgis Canada.  The trademark went through on February 28th of 2014.

Apparently because Sturgis SD never registered their trademark internationally (meaning here in Canada), Mr. Sasseville has all the right to use the name Sturgis and now that he's trademarked, there can be no question.

I came across interesting news from Jonathon Sasseville, one of Ray's three sons, on Plenty of Fish, a dating site. He claims to be the head of security and part owner of Sturgis Canada.

I wonder what his investment in the company is.

Before the lawsuit I was still investigating the doings of the people involved with Sturgis North now Sturgis Canada and I intend to continue following them to see if the little people from year's one and two of this event will ever get paid off.

It will be interesting to see if we ever learn who the new investors are in Sturgis Canada and what kind of bands they line up, they say there will be a big announcement on the 19th of March.

Writing about them is a double edged sword for me as I am giving them airtime I would rather not, but I still have a defense fund that needs help and letting you all know that I am not giving up in my pursuit of the truth is important to me.

I need to sell 224 more tee shirts to pay my lawyer this month and will need to raise the same for next month, then I should have a lull until we get to court.

My lawyer asked me about a countersuit but from what I have seen in the court documents, even when you win a case with these people, it appears that collecting is rather, difficult.  The lawsuit launched by Ray's wife Edith as the Power of Attorney for Marjorie Sasseville (Ray's Mother from what I am told), has gone nowhere and it's for $140,000.

Michael Smith's lawsuit was won but from what I am lead to understand he has not been able to collect as of yet, that one is for $70K and there has been no movement on the Vernon Motoplex suit which is for somewhere around $450K.

And so, the Lawsuit Saga Continues....

My head is spinning with all of this.

I never started this fight but I will tell you that I want my day in court and to have a judge tell me I have done my job properly. I want to see the people who are owed money paid.  I want to see wrongs righted.

So folks, if you were in my boots, what would you do?

Waste more money to countersue and hope you can collect?  

The other thing my lawyer asked is if they offer to drop the suit against me would I be prepared to absorb the costs and walk away?

You know, I have no idea how to answer that question.

If I thought I had this community behind me and willing to help me fight, I'd continue on because I want my good name cleared by a judge and I want the people involved exposed - I have more knowledge that what I can share publicly and none of it is good, and if I don't get to court, that evidence will remain forever buried.  

I am looking for ideas and advice.  

My little business has always been run like a non profit and has always paid things forward into the riding community where I make my living.  I don't have a reserve to fight this kind of stuff.  I am $1,600 away from being able to pay this latest bill. 

What do I do if I can't raise that money?

Represent myself I guess....

If anyone has any ideas, I am more than willing to hear them...

If you are fortunate enough to be riding today, please ride like everyone around you is blind and cannot see you.

Belt Drive Betty

Editor & Rider