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.

The controversy, an update

The Steel Horse Sisterhood Summit, is by all accounts an amazing opportunity for women to learn, grow and share.  No one can dispute that.

I have heard story after story from women who expressed how much fun they had, riding to the event, making new friends at the event and learning new skills and techniques from the speakers to make their lives better, richer.

No one can take that away from the event.

But, like the Sturgis North/Canada events here in Canada, when a promoter does not conduct an event like a business and put key people in place and let them do their job, things can get derailed and cause a ton of hurt and loss. It does not matter what the motivation is, be it greed or one of absolute sincerity and genuine desire.

In the case of Sturgis North 2011, 2012 and Sturgis Canada 2014, there were many suppliers who never got paid.

From the 2011 event, Techlectric in Salmon Arm/Lloydminster never got paid for their bill for supplying the electrical generators etc., and as a result the company ended up shutting down their Salmon Arm office.

Blackburn Construction did not get paid for their services and that's another hefty bill over $50,000.
The man who lent Ray Sasseville the money to start Sturgis North has a judgement for over $60K that he has been unable to collect on. In total there were at least 17 suppliers who never got paid and that does not take into account the people who never got booth refunds or lent Ray money.  Many of these people never bothered to sue either because they didn't want to throw good money after bad so they licked their wounds and walked away. Many didn't have the funds left to sue even if they were inclined to.

There is story after story like that about all three of Mr. Sasseville's events.

The 2012 event at the Vernon Motoplex owned by Okanagan Aggregates for example, they are still trying to collect on over $400,000 in bad debt. The tee shirt supplier got stung for around $75 grand.

In 2014, it is reported that a security company did not get paid in full, bands did not get paid in full, that the Legion did not get paid, a local hotel did not get paid.

Did the attendees have fun? Oh yeah, like any ride in event the riders, in spite of the confusion and disorganization of the event hosts, the rider still had fun.

Every event, at the end of the day, is about the attendees and what they make of it.

That does not change the reality for the businesses and individuals 

who are left out of pocket.

The man in question, Ray Sasseville, has sued me for pulling together his history and past along with 6 others in a shotgun nuisance suit.  You read that right, he sued 7 of us in one suit.  He even sued a non profit! 2 of the defendants have had their case dropped, the City of Sicamous and the Mayor of Sicamous.  5 of us, including the Sicamous Chamber of Commerce are still trying to get things dropped as the man who initiated the suit has quit communicating with lawyers.
The case is in effect, dead now although still on record.

I did not have money for a lawyer and turned to the community that I have been living in,working in and volunteering in for many a year and asked for help.  I got that help. Because many people know how hard I work for the riding community. I have a proven track record. I got the help because people understood that I had done nothing wrong. I had shared documented facts, given him his opportunity to say his piece on more than one occasion - hell I had even sponsored the event in the beginning because I could see the vision.

Sadly there is a big difference between vision and execution.

The man in question, Ray Sasseville is awaiting judgment in his second BC Securities hearing and goes to trial over a huge lawsuit in Arizona, that is, with costs somewhere over 1 million dollars in value. That happens in April of this year.

So you see the fact that people have fun at an event, that they truly enjoyed the company of their fellow riders, can mean very little to the people who in some cases are left out of pocket for thousands and thousands of dollars. Money they worked hard for.

The single biggest concern I personally have over the summit, is the event management and by that I mean the ability of Joan Krenning to do this job and do it well for many years to come. Its hard, hard work putting on a successful event. It takes a ton of dedicated people. It takes great business acumen.

In case after case, I have found people who invested time, effort, money and supplies with Joan in her many businesses (13 that I know of) that have come away feeling used and betrayed.

Those who are willing to tell their story publicly do so because they believe that they are aiding in preventing from others being hurt.

I spoke with her former employee and investor John Hintz and he gave me this statement to use publicly: "Joan is a classic grifter. She is a scam artist, her employees in Madison would make a mad dash to the bank to cash checks. If you were slow, you didn't get paid that week. She would have to use other peoples credit to conduct business. She does it all under the guise of her religion. She is not a person you want to be associated with. She's uses people and discards them when they are no longer of use to her."

Valerie Hirsch, for a brief period in time was hired by Joan because of her skill in design.
After witnessing people she knows get hurt, Valerie got out and she now has her own company.
In response to a gal named Marcia who felt my blog article on Joan was character assassination Valerie wrote this response yesterday:

Marcia, if it was your money that was stolen, I KNOW you'd have a different response. I admire Belt Drive Betty for standing up against CRIMINAL behavior. It is not as simple as you make it. I know because I witnessed the theft of monies from John Hintz who was her partner, and who she took his $15,000 investment and fired him after 6 weeks. In those 6 weeks, he wrote $100,000 worth of business for her, and he saw $0 of those commissions. She cited that they didn't see "eye to eye". Being that the documents of the stock that he bought into the company were phony, he had to take her to court. He won for both the investment and the commissions earned. As with anything in court, it is almost impossible to collect. Again, look at the Wisconsin Circuit Court Webpage to see this FACT. You don't know how many people she has done this to, which is obvious. It is time to call a thing a thing and a thief a thief. As far as anyone who claims their intentions under a "faith" is not a get out of jail free card. One has to be very careful in this day and age of citing "religion" for any of their causes. I think everything we have seen going on with "religion" overseas bares that fact over and over again. Check out ISIS if you need a reminder dear. I also witnessed another "partner" put a second on his house to the tune of $30,000, which he never saw again and was also dismissed. This article is filled with additional facts that don't add up to a creditable person with integrity in question, and most importantly hurts the intent of those person(s) who do conduct themselves with transparent truth and integrity. This has nothing to do with riding. It is about misrepresentation, theft and tax evasion of which are all cited and proven here. What more do you need? I applaud this article as a woman business owner who fights the fight everyday to be in this place and who pays her/and company taxes every day to have the country that we live in. That's the bottom line dammit, and no one is ever going to have this kind of thing to say about me or my company ever! That's my pride and patriotism front and centre and anything less is not acceptable to say the least.  Valerie

There are others who fear reprisal from the women's riding community and rightly so.
They will go to court if called on to speak to character and historical patterns and the like, but they'd rather not speak out publicly, fearing for their livelihoods and fearing the verbal abuse and backlash of other women.

Case in point, I have been attacked by people stating that my article was nothing but character assassination or that I had bias going in and only found the bad stuff out about Joan because that's all I wanted to find.

If that was the case, why did I give her my list of questions so she could prepare?

I have been waiting on records to verify different claims Joan has made about her life to see if I could get ANY real insight into her.  I am waiting on information from the Loveland Library research department and am told that it can take weeks and months to go through the microfiche records.
But I have not stopped looking.

Yesterday for example, I learned that Joan and the man I believe to be her first husband, a navy man, who after 31 years of service as an AE1 and who did at least one tour in Viet Nam and a tour in the Azores, died while she was in county jail for pot possession.  She was arrested on August 28th, 1989 and her husband died on September 11th, 1989.  The previous year, they had lost the Buckhorn Tavern that they had owned from April 14th of 1986 to October 18th, 1988 when Allied Mortgage foreclosed on them.

I can only imagine what that much loss must have been like for her, with two small boys to raise.
Her son Matthew was born in July of 83 and Ryan in March of 87.

From that point on in her life, it appears that she has made one bad business decision after another. 

There is no way for anyone to actually understand Joan's motivations behind the many bad situations and decisions that have plagued her over the course of her life.   

BUT, Joan's apparently bad business decisions appear to have continued to today's date.

As recently as November of 2014, Joan's partners in DesignWraps Brands LLC and Inc. decided it was time to pull the plug on the business.  Reportedly $100,000 of investors money and countless hours of time and effort are gone. Those partners are now wrapping things up with the IRS and preparing their documents with their lawyers to launch litigation.

Joan however, is already back in business as Design Wrap Brands Inc. and has a new partner, Sara Boyer Little. She is using the same photos, web site, phone number etc. as she and her former partners shared.  She has reportedly been using the same data base to contact former customers and let them know she is still in business.

The only thing her most recent set of former partners/investors could tell me because of the pending litigation, is that they never sold any assets of the company to Joan. The only assets that had been sold were fabric, and that was sold to another apparel company and the funds were used to pay off debt.

So whose truth do you believe?

The many people who claim that Joan is untrustworthy because they lost money, time and effort?
OR - Joan's truth as delivered through her blog?

I know this much, there is no such thing as a perfect person.
Not me, not you who are reading this or anyone else for that matter.
We all have our baggage and stories. It's called life.

There is a reason, that long before I took steps to "investigate" things, there were rumblings and whispers of discontent. Shoot the messenger, the one that countless people have come to and said please, help us...

There is a reason that these people reached out to me and I want you think about that.

It does not matter that I have been as fair minded as I can be in sharing this sad story, there will always be those who will want to shoot the messenger. So be it, I have big shoulders and a community behind me that knows my motivations are simple.

Give people the tools and information they need to do their due diligence.
Making solid decisions in business is tough enough even when you do your due diligence.  
Once you are presented with the facts, the only thing any one of us can do is follow our core values, heart and gut.  

Only you can make the right choice for you.

The summit is a business.

It is a non profit business and it needs to be run with utmost transparency if it is taking in public money as donations.

Run by the right team of people, the summit has every chance to create jobs, bring women together, help women in business connect with their consumer and empower women in the riding community.

My one burning question is, although Joan may be the founder,  have the vision, the dream, can she execute that dream without hurting others through bad business decisions? I guess only time will tell.

I can't wait for tomorrow when I can bring you a story of strength, endurance and empowerment in my next instalment of BIG LIVES and the women who live them...tomorrow you will meet Liz Jansen!

Have a great day everyone, and if you are blessed to live where you can be riding, please ride like everyone around you is blind and cannot see you.

Belt Drive Betty,
Editor & Rider

UPDATE:

The cheque to the Ride for Kids was unearthed by one of Joan's people and sent to us.
Not sure why the executive director couldn't find the donation.

The Summit happened in May and the cheque is dated for August and wasn't cashed until October
so that could be the problem.

Perhaps he was not looking for the right date range.
One mystery solved? When I send them the copy of the cheque well know.
I sent the cheque for the charity to confirm and they have confirmed that they did cash the cheque copy I was given.

UPDATE:

Apparently we have one of those wild Canadian way VS American way things are done, going on and perhaps it is why I have faced a few challenges getting information!

You see the cheque that was sent to me was dated 06/08/14 and cashed 06/10 14
In the US that means June 6th and June 8th, in Canada that would read August 6th and October 6th!

UPDATE:

OK now I m really confused.  I got a copy of a cheque made out to the Road Guardians.

The date 11/03/14  according to the person who sent it to me, they did intact get the cheque in November.  The cheque was not from the Steel Horse Sisterhood, but in the Memo area says RE: Steel Horse Sisterhood - the cheque is from Oklahoma! So I am confused, very confused...
So yes they got a donation, but how that donation came to be is what is of concern; coming from Oklahoma, signed by a guy named Phil, on behalf of the Steel Horse Sisterhood, 6 months after the event and 3 months after the donations issues arose.

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.






   

An enormous thank you and a special offer!

As many of you know, the last year has been very challenging.  The lawsuit launched by the people of Sturgis North/Canada has been pressing to say the least. But...this community has supported me emotionally and financially, helping me to keep our community newspaper going and all of the rider support tools we offer up and running by ensuring the business didn't have to pay the lawyer too much.

This lawsuit has had so many twists and turns and it has been trying, tiring, time consuming and discouraging.

For the time being I have decided not to move forward with defending myself since the other side has not been communicating with my attorney and leaving the suit in limbo anyway.  I will resume the defense once the business is in the position to better pay a lawyer to do so, if I need to.

Since all communications had stopped, I took matters into my own hands and went to the BC Securities hearing for Mr. Sasseville this past week and I was finally able to meet with Mr. Sasseville's attorney face to face and have a chat.  I presented the attorney with the consent to dismiss orders for the other four parties who are also in a legal limbo and myself.

If all goes well and the other parties sign off, this case could be on its way to being over.

If not, at least the other parties know that I am not scared to meet them face to face and they know I will move forward at a later time of my choosing to force a resolution if needs be.

So, while not OVER, for now the pressure and grief are over, at least for a little while and there is hope that an end could really be in sight!

My final legal bill for this portion of the case was $3,490.00, right now I still owe about $2,200.  Thanks to Sam Henderson of Eyecandy Custom Cycles, I have another $800 to put against that bill!

Eyecandy Custom Cycles in Smithers BC had done customization on a bike for the people suing me and as a result, he had a set of custom rims and brakes to sell.  He did so through an online auction which raised $800.  So thank you Sam, I am so deeply appreciative of the support!

I am now blessed to announce that I have another small business stepping up to help me get this "final" bill off my plate!

Donald from BigBlue Lifts is putting $25 from every lift sold through the ad below into my defence fund!

So, not only do you get FREE SHIPPING anywhere in Canada, but my defence fund gets a $25 shot in the arm when you tell Donald that I sent you!

So, if you are in need for a motorcycle lift that has a small footprint with HUGE lifting capability, check out www.bigbluincanada.com and then call Donald and remember to say "BELT DRIVE BETTY" sent me, so you get free shipping and my defence fund gets a $25 shot in the arm!

I simply can't say thank you enough to everyone who is helping me get through this.
There are so many of you to thank.
There are no words that can express my gratitude.

Thank you community, thank you from the bottom of my heart.

Belt Drive Betty
Editor & Rider

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.

A tough year almost behind me…

Ever since I arrived home from Ireland last October, life has thrown me curve ball after curve ball that I had not anticipated.

I had to let go of the person laying out the paper and doing the books for the company. That was a tough thing to do with so much work on my plate after having been on the road for so long, not to mention the fact that we had an 8-year history.

Had I known the full ramifications of riding across Canada in support of our veterans, had I known it was going to cost me so much personally, or exactly what I was going to face, I sure would have done things differently – but, hindsight is always 20/20!

Then Ray Sasseville, Joan Hansen and Sturgis North sued me along with 6 other people.

They claimed slander, libel and defamation.

I was angry, incredulous and determined.

The ensuing 4 months, from December 21st/22nd when I was served until March 30th or there about, were filled with; myself, a research assistant and a friend going through hundreds and thousands of emails, creating timelines, organizing all data and letters in a chronological time frame.  To say it was exhausting is putting it mildly.

Add to that sales of ads for the Rider Friendly Phone Book, dealing with advertisers who broke their contract and held the book up for 5-6 weeks, and then a motorcycle crash, getting to know the IOMC and the ruckus that caused with folks in the US 1% circle and I feel like I have been under siege all year long.

The phone book being held up was costly in more ways than one as I had to air freight the books in.  It also upset riders who bought books and has caused me to return to going to layout in December and January and to print in February – that means changing marketing materials and book keeping but it also means that the book will go out to purchasers in a timely fashion and that the app and download version will also be up in a timely fashion.

My trip this summer was a muted one. I spent many nights on the couches, airbeds and in spare rooms of good friends and family in Alberta and BC. Without my friends and family, I could not have continued to do my job. You are too numerous to mention, but I hope you know how deeply I thank you for your support, friendship and love.

This whole Sturgis North lawsuit is a fiasco. NOTHING about this lawsuit is typical; first they issue a shotgun lawsuit where in they sue the City of Sicamous, the Sicamous Chamber of Commerce and the Mayor of Sicamous, Steve Hammer of Summer Stomp, Bernie Aubin of the Headpins, Vince Lewis and myself.

In late March, an offer to settle is given to the first 6 defendants, basically the offer said; “if you don’t charge for costs and we’ll go away”.  I too got an offer to settle but the offer to settle with me was much different. They wanted me to remove all reference to their names, in the newspaper and web sites, promise to never utter their names and post a $250K bond – oh and monitor social media to ensure no one in my circle said anything bad about them.

My attorney and I drafted a counter offer to settle that clearly laid out that all of the complaints – A- K, that were filed against me were non slanderous/libelous nor were they defaming.  We wanted to wait to send it until the other 6 cases were rubber stamped through the courts as dealt with.

Then Gerhard Pyper, the lawyer for Sturgis North, Ray Sasseville and Joan Hansen is suspended.  We waited and waited to see where the other 6 cases were in the court system.

While we were in this holding pattern, I got a second offer to settle via Ray’s new lawyer, Gregg Alfonso which stated that:

Dear Renee’,

                I would like to settle this dispute amicably with you and move forward, withdraw the lawsuit  and concentrate on the Motorcycling Community as a whole. Your past postings have been criticizing me for leaving a wave of destruction re creditors from past events. Even though it puzzles me why you went to such great extents to involve my family I have heard and understood the message. I take full responsibility on behalf of Sturgis North as its CEO re the past debts that are outstanding and will try my hardest to satisfy those debts albeit a little at a time. I apologize to all debtors and ask that they give me a chance to satisfy the debts which has been my intention all along. My only intention ever has been to put on an event for the Motorcycling community to be able to meet, share experience and enjoy great music and each others company. I chose to continue to put on the best festival possible in order to maintain our goal for the Motorcycling Community and pay down past debts on a timely basis as opposed to walking away and not attempting to take care of our obligations. I truly you believe you have the best interests of the creditors and Motorcycling community at heart and would like to see the creditors paid back therefore I am willing to offer the following.

1. The letter of apology to the creditors for you to post if you wish not mentioning any blame on your part re your articles
2. I have set up a trust fund with my Lawyer Gregg Alfonso with Alfonso Law Corp to collect and pay to the creditors on a prorated basis at the end of the festival a percentage of our online ticket sales annually. This will ensure that monies are distributed each year regardless of what the festival makes because this is not based on profits. Your lawyer will be informed of the details 
3. Obviously since this whole thing was about your interpretation of my character and the fact that you want the creditors paid I will need help to market my festival so the creditors will get paid back annually until paid upon agreed invoicing amounts. Thus you will achieve the main goal which was making me accointable and getting the creditors paid. 
4. I am willing to pay you $1000 for advertisig on your weekly editions up to the festival
5. I am willing to give you 30 4 day all event passes for you to sell to some of your 75,000 readers who will purchase them from you once they see this has been setllrd and you can keep the monies $310 per 4 day event pass ticket which totals a tad over $9000 which when added with the advertising money will get you out of debt with your lawyer.

                Ray Sasseville

I had some tough questions to ask myself. Clearly Ray blames me for why the riding community was not embracing his event. Clearly we had all heard before that a fund would be set up to pay vendors etc., but nothing seemed to materialize. Clearly Ray wants to hold me accountable for why people won’t get paid if I don’t take his deal. BUT - Could I promote someone who was suing me? Could I possibly want to tie my name to their event anymore than I already had with sponsorship in 2011 and 12? 

In all good conscience, I could not and so, I chose to pass on this offer to settle and my lawyer sent in my first counter offer, albeit redrafted to the new attorney and geared towards the second offer to settle as opposed to the first.

To date I have not heard from the good folks at Sturgis North/Canada, Ray Sasseville and Joan Hansen regarding my counter offer.

I attended Sturgis Canada; I experienced the small attendance, the disorganization and some of the politics of the 2014 version of the event first hand.  I reported on the event in as professional and level headed manner as is possible and have left it to the attendees who were unhappy, the booking agent, Keith Sharp, the band manager Ted VanBoort, the hotelier who said he hadn’t been paid and the Royal Canadian Legion who say they don’t think they will get paid, to say their piece on Facebook, in the Merritt Herald and in my blog through screen captures.

Now I get a letter from my lawyer that states that the 6 other cases have NOT gone through the court the way they were supposed to and that only one of the consent to dismiss orders were ever filed. So in effect, the Sicamous Chamber of Commerce, Steve Hammer, Bernie Aubin and Vince Lewis along with myself, are all right back to where we were.

He has also advised me that we are pushing on to a change of venue application to get the case moved to Salmon Arm. This is going to be an expensive undertaking, getting the case moved.  It means my lawyer going to the courthouse in Surrey and meeting with a judge.

I am advised I will need to prepare for a $7-10K bill for that alone, not to mention the $2,100 I owe him at the moment.

I have been getting a lot of comments from people about countersuing the group, it may come to that, although I am advised there isn’t anything of any substance to attach to and that it could get costlier than the $50K it is slated to cost to see this thing through. 

Besides, I am one in a long list of people who would be going after assets. Michael Smith has a $70,000 judgment and then there is the BC Securities hearing in October and the Arizona Lawsuit that has been going on for ages that will go to trial in 2015.  There really is nothing to gain in trying to counter sue – I would get a piece of paper saying I am owed and that paper would be worthless.

Folks, I need your help if I am going to succeed.  The time and focus this court case has taken away from the business side of what I do has been telling and has hurt me financially and reputation wise – people don’t like it when you miss deadlines.

So far this community, has helped me pay my lawyers bill and I am asking you to keep that support coming.  I have hired two sales people and with their help and perhaps the help of a few more, the business end of things will get righted shortly.

I need to keep my attention, as much as possible on the business; I need to get rid of some of the worry about paying the lawyer… I have to swallow my pride and ask…

Please consider donating to my Defense Fund or buying a tee shirt for my Offence Fund, which is what I now prefer to call it.

On top of all of those challenges I have had 6 friends pass away, and that was/is hard to deal with. My hubby going through an MS attack was another toughie I have had to endure.

But as in all things life, a ray of sunshine always presents itself…

I became a great aunty twice in the space of 10 days, I have a new great niece and a great nephew!

Those two wonderful occasions have brought new life to this very tired spirit, as did the friends and family who helped me to accomplish my sales and reporting trip.

To those who propped me up while I was struggling to deal with death after death, and frustration after frustration, there are no words to express my gratitude.

I am not sure what these various trials and tribulations are preparing me for, but man I am ready for the tides to turn. 

Our Canada’s Most Rider Friendly Community Contest is shaping up nicely, our Spot the Gear Fail contest has just kicked off and is offering great prizes from Kimpex and Draggin Jeans and we are getting ready to launch our newest Rider Survey!

Our 2015 Beat the PMS Blues Online Show N Shine is also beginning to take shape with Big Blue coming on board as a major sponsor and I have about a dozen advertising proposals to build.

I know that with the help of this community we are going to go on to bigger and better things and I promise you all this much, I will continue to pay forward every kindness and helping hand I get to all of the charities and the riding clubs who support them through free promotion and marketing…

To donate to my Defence Fund: CLICK HERE

To Buy an Offence Fund Tee Shirt: CLICK HERE

If you are blessed enough to be riding today, please remember to ride like everyone around you is blind and cannot see you and please consider wearing good gear.

Belt Drive Betty

Editor & Rider

The Sturgis North Lawsuit - the gift that just keeps on giving

Well folks, my lawyer has finally gotten word on what is happening with the Sturgis North Lawsuit and it's NOT PRETTY.

As many of you know, Ray Sasseville and Joan Hanson of Sturgis North, now Sturgis Canada are suing me for slander and defamation.

The suit originally had 7 defendants but Ray and Joan offered to settle with 6 of the defendants with no real caveat against anyone.  They offered to settle with me as well, but their offer was preposterous and I have been waiting for my counter offer to go to them.

My attorney wanted to ensure that all of the other lawsuits had in fact gone through the courts and were well and truly settled before he filed my counter.

And then the lawyer for Ray and Joan and Sturgis North, Gerhard Pyper was suspended by the BC Law Society.

Ah yes, this lawsuit is a gift that just keeps on giving...

The suspension of the lawyer representing Sasseville and Hansen complicates everything ten fold.

According to the BC Law Society, they do not have a lawyer who is prepared to take on Mr. Pyper's cases and so Ray and Joan will be treated as self representing, as Ray had filed a motion to self represent even though Mr. Pyper was still handling their correspondence.

So what does this mean for me?

Well, we now have to deal with two individuals instead of one lawyer.

My counter offer should be in their hands shortly and once it is I will share with you the document that my lawyer sends out so that you can read for yourself whether there is any true substance to their claims against me or not.

If they do not accept my counter offer to settle, then I am looking at $40-50 thousand dollars to see this thing through.

The immediate need is to raise another $10,000.

That is to cover this new letter to go out, and the time my attorney is going to have to take out of his office in Salmon Arm to petition the courts in Surrey for a change of venue and a bond for costs.

According to my attorney, the Surrey court is a mess, it takes 3 months for orders to be filed - like the 6 we are waiting on from back in May!

It can also take, even with an appointment, up to three days for a lawyer to get in front of a judge to prove why a change of venue makes sense.

That's with an appointment - a date and time that he is supposed to meet with the judge!  We could get lucky and the appointment could happen on time, but apparently, there are many times where lawyers have had to stay over one and two extra days because a hearing before them took longer than scheduled.

My lawyer costs approx. $7,000 for every day out of his office!

My attorney does not hold out much hope for a resolution to this irritating case any time soon....

So we will be holding an on line auction for some amazing SOA art from an autistic artist named Mark Mullen.  Mark is one talented young man!

We helped him auction off the originals of the original cast members of SOA - all were signed by the actors except for Piney and now he has donated a set to me to help with my defense fund!

25 certified copies of this set were made and we will be auctioning off the 25th set!  All come with certificates of Authenticity!

I will let you know the particulars in the next few days!

I hope you have a fabulous day and remember to 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.

Rumours of my Retirement & Other REALLY Bizarre stuff...

I got a couple of emails today, one was from a friend I hadn't heard from in a while.

He told me that I sucked and that there was no way I should be retiring.  That he was invited to attend a poker run in support of me, being held as a way to discourage me from retiring.

And the other from a friend who was appalled that I hadn't shared with her that I was retiring.

Well folks I am here to tell you that I am far from retiring, I have far too much that I want to do in this community to think of retiring.

There have been times, since Ray Sasseville, Joan Hansen and Sturgis North decided to launch a shotgun lawsuit against 7 people, when I wondered if what I am working at means anything at all, if it's worth it, if it has value to anyone. But time and again the support and help that I have gotten from this community has reaffirmed that the work I have chosen to do is valuable to at least some.

I am scratching my head right now wondering who it is that is spreading the rumour that I am retiring.  We have begun editing the 2nd season of the TV show and I will be filming for it all summer, provided I have no other set backs, like the crash that has taken me off my work game for the past three weeks.

Our web sites are being overhauled, yet again and we have taken the newspaper to the digital realm entirely.  We are working harder than ever to bring the news and information that this community needs to them.

So the answer to the queries I have been getting is NO - I am not retiring.

I am taken aback by a strange turn of events in the lawsuit though. I am not sure what to make of it.

As you may remember, Sturgis North and company, had offered to drop their lawsuit against all seven of us that were named.  The other six defendants offer was straight forward, don't sue for costs, this goes away. My offer however included a $250K gag order, a removal of all reference to Sturgis North and company in my newspaper, web site and blog and that I monitor social media, my circle of friends and acquaintances to ensure no comments were made by them and allowed to stand, no letters to the editor etc....

I could not accept those terms and a counter offer has been prepared.
Since all of the other parties agreed to settle their cases, they had all signed off and sent their documents to the attorney for Sturgis North, Gerhard Pyper.

My lawyer was not going to send out my counter offer to settle until such time as all of the other suits had gone through court and were over.

We have been waiting for those orders to be signed for about 6 weeks now, a very long time for documents to take in being processed.

Well, today, I got an email from my attorney stating that the BC Law Society had contacted him to let him know that they had assigned a custodian to take over and wind down the law firm Pyper Law Group.
Gerhard Pyper is the lawyer of record for Ray Sasseville and Sturgis North.

My lawyer went on to express that the only reasons that a custodian would be assigned to a law firm was in the event of death, infirmity, suspension or disbarment. The Law Society is not allowed to tell you why a custodian is assigned.

So, I did some investigating and I found out that there were no obituary notices, and since there is was nothing in the news about this attorney anywhere, I went to the BC Law Courts web site and low and behold, Gerhard Pyper has been suspended.  (See the documents on the left)
According to the documents the lawyer was suspended pursuant to
Rule 3-7.1 of the Law Society Rules. But that didn't mean much to me and so I went and read up on that:

Rule 3-7.1 is

EXTRAORDINARY ACTION TO PROTECT PUBLIC

3-7.1 (1) An order may be made under this Rule with respect to a lawyer or articled student who is

(a) the subject of an investigation or intended investigation under Rule 3-5, and

(b) not the subject of a citation in connection with the matter under investigation or intended to be under investigation.

(2) If they are satisfied, on reasonable grounds, that extraordinary action is necessary to protect the public, 3 or more Benchers may


(a) [rescinded]

(b) impose conditions or limitations on the practice of a lawyer or on the enrolment of an articled student, or

(c) suspend a lawyer or the enrolment of an articled student.

(3) to (13) [rescinded]

(14) An order made under this Rule or varied under Rule 3-7.3 [Procedure] is effective until the first of


(a) final disposition of any citation authorized under Part 4 arising from the investigation, or

(b) rescission, variation or further variation under Rule 3-7.3.

I guess on Monday I will be chatting with my lawyer to see how much more this complicates things and how much more expense I will have to face over this suit because of this situation.

For those of you lucky enough to be riding this weekend, please stay safe, enjoy yourself, and remember, the charity you are riding for needs you - rain or shine....

I am hoping to be healed up enough by next week (June 21-22) that I can be on the be on the bike attending the GP Toys for Tots ride to Peace River.

There is also a bike blessing in town on the 21st being hosted by the Trench Wenches MC - one way or the other next weekend will be my first official ride since the crash...

If you want to find out what events are going on in your province of this magnificent land of ours, visit www.motorcycleeventscanada.com

Ride like everyone around you is blind and cannot see you and please consider dressing for the slide and not the ride...

Belt Drive Betty
Editor & Rider

Getting ready for a great fundraiser

Thanks to a certain person who shall for now remain unnamed, the Rider Friendly Phone Book will be about 5 - 6 weeks late getting out.

This person backed out of their contract after stringing me along for 6 weeks and now I have to decide whether to just let it go or pursue other options to recover the cash.  In business as in life,  your word is supposed to mean something. Contracts are supposed to mean something but I have no heart to fight anyone else right now.

It also means I have about 400 phone calls to make to let people know the books are going to be late and there is not a damned thing I can do about it - at least I haven't figured out a way - yet but I am working on it.

Our website overhauls and our new apps will hopefully make up for some of the inconvenience of it all.  Watch for their unveiling very soon!

On to the topic of the day...Getting ready for a great fundraiser!

As many of you know I am being sued by Ray Sasseville, Joan Hansen and Sturgis North/Canada.
I need to raise the money to fight this lawsuit and this coming weekend will be an important one for me. We have the Freedom of the Press Poker Run and Rally happening at Blackjacks in Nisku, AB, on Saturday.

Cost is $20 per hand for the Poker run which leaves Blackjacks at 10 AM and returns between 2-3PM. The BBQ will be on, a DJ will be spinning tunes, there will be a few vendors, 50/50 draws and silent auction items.

 Justin King, stunter extraordinaire will be on hand to do a stunting demo! Steel Horses Photography will be on hand as well!

So why do I need to raise funds?  Why am I being sued?

I wish to draw your attention to the documents of their claims against me on my defense fund page - (right hand side - 1/2 way down) and to this letter from their lawyer with their latest and newest claims against me. Before now I was only able to share part of this letter, but I can now share it in it's entirety as it is formally part of public record and can be purchased for download on the BC Court Services site:

According to them, I have had a vendetta since BEFORE the 2012 event and yet, I produced their newsletter, I was a sponsor, a reporter and a vendor at the 2012 event and I never said anything negative about them until well after the event.

My lawyer has crafted the rebuttal letter with my counter offer to settle - but until the draft is edited and sent to the other parties, I am not allowed to reveal it's contents just yet, but when I am, I will share it with you, but again not until it is available in the public domain of BC Court Services.

In the meantime....I need to be prepared

I need to raise a minimum of $3,500 this weekend to pay the next round of bills attached to my defense - lawyer, research assistant etc...and If Sturgis North/Canada, Ray and Joan do not accept my counter offer to settle, my lawyer has told me to prepare for a $50,000 bill to get us into court to prove I have done my job properly and that nothing I have said or provided for evidence is out of line or libellous as it is was in the public domain and was said by others.

The very heart of my defense is Freedom of the Press, freedom of speech and freedom of opinion.
To read everything I printed visit my defense fund page.

As a sponsor, rider and vendor who attended both events, I am entitled to my opinion and as a former event coordinator myself, the dissection of the event. As a reporter, I am allowed to bring up the facts that pertain to the event and it's coordinators.

I am looking forward to seeing a lot of people out this weekend.

If I raise more money than needed to fight this suit, I will be donating the extra money to another worthy cause, Doug Jenson - a local Edmonton musician who was recently diagnosed with Lou Gehrig's disease and is in need of an electric hospital bed and lift.

We will have a silent auction table devoted to my good friend Doug - I hope we can raise some funds for him too. His sister Kennedy will be on hand and Terry Evans from K97 is going to try and join us for the ride!

It is my fondest hope that you will come out and support me and the Freedoms this country affords us.

If you can't come out but would still like to support me, you can buy a Tee Shirt through Tee Spring to support me or make a direct donation to my defence fund.

I thank all who have already contributed, those who can only offer moral support and those who are going to come out to the fundraiser on Saturday.  No matter how you can or have supported me, it is all important to me - the letters, the emails, the phone calls and of course the funds.

I love this community and want to keep working to protect and promote it for years to come!

Thank you for all the prayers for my husband, he returns to work on a trial basis on Wednesday!

I wish you all a fantastic week and if you are blessed enough to be riding today, please ride like everyone around you is blind and cannot see you!

Belt Drive Betty
Editor & Rider

Re-evaluation time

Every now and then, something happens in your life that causes you to take a step back and re-evaluate your life, your accomplishments, failures, challenges and dreams.

The passing of a good friend and the comments of her husband gave me that pause this morning.
It was 3:30 in the morning where I live, when I read of the passing of my friend and I was gutted.

A lively, wildly loving gal, Sue Woodhouse made everyone who knew her smile.  She loved goofy animal videos, especially if they were of cats and she made everyone she touched feel wonderful, special and loved. Her husband Mark, a great guy and the man Sue shared her life with for 32 year was looking back on their time together and wondering if he had done right by his love throughout all those years, if he made her feel special...put her first enough.

I watch the fires in California that are affecting friends, consuming homes and memories and my heart breaks a little more.

I watch the encroachment of Sharia Law around the world and I wonder to myself why are we allowing it? What will the fate of strong willed women like myself be when Sharia Law is enforced around the world?

I look at the way electronic communication has altered our society and not entirely for the better and I long to be hugged, to hear the voices of my friends instead of just reading their words.

I see the way our Veterans are treated, the jobs they are sent to do and the indignities that so many suffer when they come home and I wonder why they defend this country.

I read daily of the deaths of fellow motorcyclists right around the world and I wonder again...

My life has on some levels, become overwhelming, between the situation in my family, the disgusting nuisance lawsuit from Sturgis North and a host of other set backs, I have never felt so vulnerable, so small, so insignificant. And yet... I know that it will all work out.

I love my job, the one I created for myself after a huge set of changes in my life a number of years ago.

Being the editor of the Busted Knuckle Chronicles, helping charitable causes and riding clubs to market themselves, telling the stories of the riding community, it fills me in a very special way.

But there are huge costs to what I do. There is the toll it takes on my husband, the time away from him, my daughter and how one dimensional I have become.  According to my daughter I don't know how to talk about anything but my work and motorcycles. I can't say she is wrong.

This lawsuit that Sturgis North started against me chaps my arse for a lot of reasons.
And it has made me look at the community I live and work in, in a far different way than I have until now.

All my riding friends and the people I serve in the riding community talk about freedom.
Our country is broken - yes it is better than a lot of places, but that doesn't mean it's healthy.
Our "justice" system is a legal system - there is little about it that is just.

Freedom, what is it, really?

Freedom of the Press, Freedom of Speech - these are two "FREEDOMS" that are the foundation of our country and yet, here I am, having resources and time consumed fighting a lawsuit that is truly a nuisance suit.

I have been fighting this suit for 5 months now. I can't tell you the hours, the agony and the money it has already cost and how much more I and my family have to face.

If my counter offer to settle, which should go out next week sometime after the draft letter is revised, is not accepted, then I am looking at $50,000 to see this thing through. The only thing to be gained by this case going all the way to court, is having my name cleared.  There is nothing to countersue for and there are so many suits ahead of this one that even if I did countersue and win, it's just throwing good money after bad.

I wonder, is it worth it?  I really do.
I have mulled a number of ideas around in my head...

Perhaps it is time to sell the business, maybe if I didn't have to spend the many hours a day that it takes, I'd have the energy to fight this suit and raise the funds it's going to take to prove that I have only shed light on the facts about the owners and management of Sturgis North and that everything that was found and shared came from public domain.

Hell, if I sold the business, I might be able to fund this fight on my own without being reduced to flogging tee shirts and asking for donations.

But as my husband pointed out in one of our many long conversations about this business of mine, I love what I do, helping people, networking, supporting and eating, breathing this community.

And if I didn't do it, he knows I wouldn't be happy.

I have gotten a lot of support from the riding community.
I have gotten almost enough to keep lawyers bills and research assistant bills fully paid for.
I have gotten letters of support and lots of prayers being raised and I know they are working.
I know that there are people who value the work that I do and as long as it has value, then I am happy and grateful to do it.

It is after all because of my job, this business, that I got to be friends with a gal like Sue Woodhouse and her man Mark.

It is because of this job that I am connected socially to over 13,000 people on Facebook, many that I have been blessed to ride with, hug, talk to...

It's hard to balance everything, my husband at times feels cheated by this community and rightly so.
I can't tell you the number of times I have been on the phone helping some event coordinator or mediating for different parties, reaching out on behalf of new riding clubs and making introductions while my husband has fallen asleep in front of the TV waiting for me to be ready to go out for supper or just spend some time with him. Then there are the hours and miles I get to put on my motorcycle.

As a man that loves to ride, he has moments of envy that sometimes turn to resentment and I fully get that. Last summer he was a motorcycle widower for 92 days.

If I had a team of more than two supporting me in this business, then maybe I could find some balance in my life and be able to do right by my husband, my daughter, myself and my community.

I need sales people, I need a marketer and a graphic designer and another web person to support the gal I have before she burns out from the workload.

The business is too big for the team we have, for us to be able to look after our customers and advertisers the way I'd love for them to be cared for. I need sales people to help grow the business so I can afford the other support staff I need.

So, the best way for me to strike balance is to put out the call for sales people.

We need people in every province of Canada that are interested in selling advertising part time or full time.

They need to be strong communicators, good with computers and people.
They need to understand the power of social networking and be willing to use it to help our advertisers.
They need to love helping this community grow and prosper.
The pay is 25% commission, and I offer training, support and leads.

Our paper also needs reporters, community minded people who like to write and want to help this community, it's charities, it's riding clubs, it's tourists and businesses get the exposure they need to grow. There is no pay other than the satisfaction of helping out and most times free admission to events.  The ideal person is associated with a group, riding club or association that wants exposure OR a person who attends a lot of rides, rallies or just does a lot of touring.

In some cases we trade advertising for articles.

There are those out there, I know, who like both sales and writing and those people would be ideal for the positions we have to offer.

Until I can get a team behind me to help me grow the business and its revenue,  I will have to continue fundraising to fight this lawsuit, and I will have to cut back on some of the other things I do in order to make my husband feel the love and value I feel for him and be successful in defending myself.

I finally took some time to contact Global News and share with them the information on the lawsuit.
After all, the suit could affect all reporters if I had to default because I couldn't pay a lawyer.

I am burning out and I need to face the fact that I am not getting any younger.
I want to attract the right person to manage the business, to one day take over the business, ideally a national rights organization for riders would be the right candidate to buy the business and have all of the support tools we have already developed be available to a larger portion of the community and help fund the organization.

I love this community and I love my husband and daughter and while I know that I won't always make everyone happy, I want to make as many as I can, happy, starting with my family.

If I had a team it would happen all the faster!

If you are interested in joining the Belt Drive Betty Media team, reach out to me at
bdbetty @ gmail.com (fix the spaces)

If you live in the Edmonton, Nisku region of Alberta, I hope you will join us for the Freedom of the Press Defense Fund Run on May 24th at Blackjacks in Nisku.

Join our Event Facebook Page: http://www.facebook.com/events/1464993630399921/

And if you don't live in the region but would like to support the cause, you can buy a teeshirt through Tee Spring: http://teespring.com/SupportBDB2 or donate to my defense fund: http://www.beltdrivebetty.com/community/bdb-defense-fund

I hope your day is filled with love, family and friends and that when you pull the covers up at the end of the day you can smile with satisfaction over the day you've had as you drift off to sleep.

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

Belt Drive Betty
Edito & Rider