570 lines
32 KiB
Plaintext
570 lines
32 KiB
Plaintext
GwDGwDGwDGwDGwDGwDGwDGwDGwDGwDGwDGwDGwDGwDGwDGwDGwDGwDGwDGwDGwDGwDGwDGwDGwDGwD
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T h e G R E E N Y w o r l d D o m i n a t i o n T a s k F o r c e
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Presents:
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"Bob Larson Parts 13 & 14"
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GwD, Incorporated is dedicated to the exposing of false prophets. We have found
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one such "prophet" in Bob Larson of Bob Larson: Live and formerly of Talk-Back
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with Bob Larson. A supposed Christian radio evangelist, Bob Larson is actually
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only motivated by financial gain. These 14 articles by Kenneth L. Smith prove
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this. From this point on, GwD is anti-Bob Larson.
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PART 13
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Subject: Bob Larson/ Lawsuit material
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Date: Sat, 4 Mar 1995 18:37:30 GMT
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From: modemac@netcom.com (Modemac)
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Organization: NETCOM On-line Communication Services (408 261-4700 guest)
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[ Article crossposted from talk.religion.misc ]
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[ Author was Guerilla ]
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[ Posted on 23 Feb 1995 09:26:33 -0500 ]
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DISTRICT COURT, JEFFERSON COUNTY, STATE OF COLORADO
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Case No. 94 CV 0121, Division 7
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_________________________________________________________________
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MOTION FOR SUMMARY JUDGMENT PURSUANT TO RULE 56, C.R.C.P. (INCORPORATING
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AUTHORITY)
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_________________________________________________________________
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KENNETH SMITH, Plaintiff,
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vs.
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BOB LARSON MINISTRIES, INC., et al., Defendants.
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_________________________________________________________________
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Plaintiff Kenneth Smith respectfully moves this Court for an Order
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dismissing Defendants' abuse of process claim pursuant to Rule 56(a), C.R.C.P.
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AS GROUNDS, Plaintiff states:
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1. The Defendants' current abuse of process claim is based solely on the
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claim that I have purportedly misused written discovery.
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2. To my knowledge, there has never been a single reported case holding
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that the attempted misuse of written discovery constituted an actionable abuse
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of process. See Debra E. Wax, Annotation, Abuse of Process Action Based on
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Misuse of Discovery or Deposition Procedures After Commencement of Civil Action
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Without Seizure of Person or Property, 33 A.L.R. 4th 650 (1984).
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3. Written discovery is not susceptible to abuse, inasmuch as the victim's
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obvious remedy is a mere two-word phrase: "Objection, irrelevant." See Osinoff
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v. Muchnick, 385 N.Y.S. 583, 584 (N.Y.App.Div. 1976).
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4. The hallmark of an abuse of process claim is the use of coercion to
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obtain a collateral advantage -- in effect, a form of extortion. W. Page Keeton
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et al., Prosser and Keeton on the Law of Torts . 121, at 898 (5th ed. 1984).
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Defendants do not allege that I have misused the discovery process in this
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manner. More over, in the case of written discovery, such an extortion attempt
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could not possibly succeed -- and even if one were foolish enough to try it, the
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court could impose sanctions and attorney's fees.
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5. While Colorado courts have not ruled on the question, a federal court
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has ruled that the issuance of an extensive discovery request which "was not
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exploited to obtain collateral advantage or used in any form of extortion" did
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not constitute a "willful act" under the ambit of Arizona's abuse of process
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law. Blue Goose Growers, Inc. v. Yuma Groves, Inc., 641 F.2d 695, 697 (9th Cir.
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1981).
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6. Indeed, the A.L.R. does not list a single case where it has been held
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that mere discovery abuse, standing alone, constituted an actionable abuse of
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process. 33 A.L.R. 4th 650, supra., but see, Nienstadt v. Wetzel, 651 P.2d 876
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(Ariz.App. 1982) (discovery abuse, coupled with the filing of a "sham" motion
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for protective order, willful failure to comply with an order to produce
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documents, and other flagrant abuse of process, was sufficient to support an
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independent tort claim).
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7. "When discovery breaks down or the court determines that the discovery
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process has been abused, the court may, in its discretion, impose various
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sanctions including, but not limited to, an award of costs and attorney fees,
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the exclusion of evidence obtained through misuse of the discovery process, or
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the entry of dismissal or judgment by default." Watters v. Dinn, 633 N.E.2d
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280, 289 (Ind.App.1 Dist. 1994) (flagrant abuse of formal discovery did not
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constitute a tortious abuse of process; summary judgment granted). As existing
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remedies are sufficient to deter discovery abuse, it is unreasonable to expect
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that it would become a valid basis for an independent tort claim.
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8. Courts have been far less charitable in situations where parties have
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filed claims for the purpose of coercing an opponent into ceasing activities
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unrelated to the purposes of the lawsuit. See e.g., Three Lakes Ass'n v.
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Whiting, 255 N.W.2d 686 (Mich.App. 1977) (countersuit initiated for the
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improper purpose of coercing plaintiff into discontinuing their opposition to
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defendant's condominium project constituted an abuse of process).
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9. As Dean Prosser notes, it is "what is done in the course of
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negotiation, rather than the issuance or any formal use of the process itself,"
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which constitutes the tort of abuse of process. Prosser and Keeton on Torts,
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121 at 898.
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10. Defendants have failed to identify damages specifically resulting from
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the improper acts alleged, and it is unreasonable to believe they would ever be
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able to do so. See Ann-Margret v. High Soc'y Magazine, Inc., 498 F. Supp. 401,
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408 (S.D.N.Y. 1980) (claims of damage to business reputation, loss of business,
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and litigation expenses "do not constitute the type of interference with person
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or property necessary to sustain an abuse of process claim").
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11. Defendants have established a pattern of conduct which, in itself,
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constitutes an abuse of process. First, they filed a frivolous abuse of
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process counterclaim in this matter -- claiming that mere filing of a summons
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and complaint was an actionable abuse of process. Second, they filed a
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counterclaim for intentional interference with contract, which they made no
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discernible attempt to prosecute, and have recently withdrawn with prejudice.
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Finally, they filed the counterclaim in question here, presumably with full
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knowledge that there was no credible precedential support for their position.
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12. Defendants have used the aforementioned counterclaims -- in conjunction
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with the psychological testimony they intended to extract in formal discovery --
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in the attempt to extort an unconscionable settlement from me. Exhibit A.
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13. A crucial element of Defendants' extortionate offer was the requirement
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that I recant statements made concerning Larson in my previous articles for
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distribution to the public. Exhibit A at 1-2. It is this explicit,
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extortionate use of process that is the signal feature of tortious abuse of
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process.
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14. Defendants have stretched their "discovery as research" argument to
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nonsensical extremes. For example, in the deposition of Defendant Bob Larson,
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counsel objected to my inquiries regarding Plaintiff's Deposition Exhibit #33
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(an excerpt from Larson's diary) on the grounds that I was trying to
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authenticate it for my book. Counsel was, of course, aware of the fact that
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that "document" is more than 1,000 words in length, and in cursive script;
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anyone familiar with Larson's handwriting (including myself -- I have seen
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enough of it) could authenticate it in a court of law. See, e.g., Edward J.
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Imwinkleried, Evidential Foundations 39-38 (Michie Co. 1989) (1980). To even
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suggest that I would need more for journalistic purposes is lunacy.
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My purpose in asking about the diary was to show that it was in fact a
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"diary" (and, by implication, that Defendants committed perjury in originally
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denying its' very existence), and that Larson routinely recorded trivial details
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therein. By implication, the fact that I was only mentioned seven times therein
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-- and not once in connection with the supposed threats against him -- tends to
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prove that Mr. Larson did not believe me to be involved in the incidents. (The
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Exhibit, along with my scripted deposition questions, is attached at Exhibit B.)
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WHEREFORE, Plaintiff requests that this Court issue an Order granting the
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following relief:
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1. That the Defendants' abuse of process claim be dismissed
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with prejudice (or in the alternative, that I be allowed
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to add two claims for abuse of process and punitive dam-
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ages);
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2. That Defendants' claims for attorney's fees and costs be
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denied, and
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3. That appropriate sanctions be imposed, both upon Defen-
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dants and counsel, pursuant to Rule 11, C.R.C.P.
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Dated this _____ day of February, 1995.
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Respectfully submitted,
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Kenneth L. Smith
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Plaintiff's address:
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23636 Genesee Village Rd.
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Golden, CO 80401
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(303) 526-5451
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+---------------------------------------+
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| Reverend Modemac (modemac@netcom.com) |
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+--------------+ "There is no black and white." +-------------+
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| First Online Church of "Bob," A Subfaction of the Excremeditated |
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| Congregation of the Overinflated Head of L. Ron Hubbard |
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+--------------------------------------------------------------------+
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FINGER modemac@cambridge.village.com for a FREE SubGenius Pamphlet!
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PART 14
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Newsgroups: alt.fan.bob-larson
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Subject: Bob Larson: More True Lies
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Date: 21 Apr 1995 17:46:31 -0400
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Organization: Concentric Research Corporation
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Lines: 424
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Distribution: na
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Message-ID: <3n993n$ock@voyager.cris.com>
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NNTP-Posting-Host: voyager-fddi.cris.com
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Bob Larson: More True Lies
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Okay. So, he looks more like Danny DeVito than Arnold Schwarzenegger. And
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young wife Laura couldn't pass for Jamie Lee. But Reverend Bob Larson and his
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Mighty Larson Art Players are at it again -- staging their own home-grown
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adaptation of the box-office thriller.
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[I have reported on recent developments in the Larson saga
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in my newest pamphlet, Sympathy For The Devil. But as it was
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written in tract format, and brevity was next to godliness, I
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had to edit out a lot of the more intricate material.
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I thought that serious Larso-philes (like Reverend Larson
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himself!) might enjoy some of the left-overs.]
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Fraud-Day the 14th:
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Good Friday. It is the day when Christians observe Jesus' sacrifice on the
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Cross. And, like most Christian organizations, Bob Larson Ministries took the
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afternoon off. Still, unless you knew what to listen for, you wouldn't know it.
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Reverend Larson learned long ago that when he replayed a taped show, donations
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fell dramatically. So, he pioneered the concept of a re-air -- a show comprised
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of pre-recorded callers and yet, made to appear as if it were live. He reads
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canned scripts, which are then "dropped-in" or mixed into the final tape. The
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net result is a show which appears, to the casual listener, to be live;
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listeners are even invited to call into the program.
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But at times, Rev. Larson's immaculate deceptions go a bit far. For example,
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during one of Friday's pre-recorded drop-in segments, fifteen minutes into the
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show, he made this plea for funds:
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"Go on. Go call right now. And could you be the person we
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need today to step forward? I mean, no one's done it yet.
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Come on! We need a $500 Champion and a $1,000 Hero."1
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Since it was a pre-recorded show, Rev. Larson would have had no way of knowing
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whether anyone had given $500 or $1,000. Granted, it was true when it was
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recorded, but that is beside the point.
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Sometimes, it seems like every day is fraud-day at Bob Larson Ministries --
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every month is "worse" than the one before, and almost every day, a financial
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disaster. The March 6, 1995 letter to Ministry supporters was no exception:
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"Unfortunately, in most cities the cost of air time and sat-
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ellite services has continued to rise. At the end of each year
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we have to renegotiate many of our station contracts. Station
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expenses jumped drastically in 1995. To top things off, Janu-
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ary and February have been our worst months ever."2
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Reverend Larson gives his flock the same old song-and-dance -- even when the
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Ministry had a profit of over $500,000.3 But as H.L. Mencken reportedly put it,
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"you'll never go broke underestimating the intelligence of the average
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American." And, judging from his luxurious home and ski condo, Rev. Larson is
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not about to go broke any time soon.
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A Ministry That Tells the Truth?
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It seems that the media had been getting to Rev. Larson lately. His recent
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dog-and-pony show in Wichita was the "top story" on their local newscast.4 Our
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report from Minneapolis was that he was greeted by at least one negative
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newspaper article, and someone placed copies of my pamphlet, "The Two Faces of
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Bob," in the offering plate.5 And after months of muted rumbling, on March 29,
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1995, Rev. Larson finally blew his stack.
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It was the same shtick as in earlier versions, where he claimed that he was
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just a misunderstood man of God, making $69,000 a year, and his critics were
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Satanically-inspired liars. Still, his most entertaining comments were these
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made in response to a caller who asked about Cornerstone magazine's 1992 expos<6F>
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of Mike Warnke:
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"It [the magazine that exposed Warnke] was the same one who
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published a bunch of lies about me. They tried to do the same
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thing. They got Mike, and they said they'd get me, and came
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after me.
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They even went back to my home town, talked to people that
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know me over thirty years ago, and get this-- who contradicted
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some things that I say-- and they quoted them -- they aren't
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even Christians -- went back thirty years ago, quoted them as
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telling the truth, and called me a liar, when, in fact, those
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people were lying.
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But get this-- so-called 'Christians' quoted non-Christians
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about their memory of thirty years ago, and presented them as
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being truthful, juxtaposed against me being a liar! I mean,
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that's the way this stuff works, Tim."6
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That is the way investigative journalism works. Disinterested witnesses have
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no reason to lie, and as such, are considered more likely to tell the truth.
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And, as Jim Bakker and Jimmy Swaggart demonstrated so graphically, even
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ministers sin. As the old maxim goes, Christians aren't perfect ... just
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forgiven. Christian reporters like Jon Trott can hardly be faulted for
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doubting Rev. Larson's word. His perpetual pleas of poverty don't square
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very well with the fact that Bob Larson Ministries has had a $500,000+ profit
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over the last four years,7 and his claim to sole authorship of Dead Air is
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inconsistent with courthouse admissions.8 And even where you can't check his
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claims independently, they are often so inherently improbable that they bury the
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needle on the B.S. meter. For instance, in response to a caller who asked how
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much the ministry got in commercial advertising revenue, Rev. Larson claimed it
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was minuscule:
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"The national advertisers -- and there's just a couple of
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those -- they do buy advertising on the broadcast. And we're
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very grateful for that, and it provides a little bit of cash,
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but it isn't ten percent of the satellite bill, let alone the
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air time bill . . . it's nothing compared to what the overall
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responsibilities are -- I mean, it's not even one percent."9
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The Ministry's 1993 tax return lists network expense of $347,760;10 ten
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percent of that is less than $35,000. Bob Larson Ministries runs ten scheduled
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advertising spots each day, or roughly 2,500 spots per year. Therefore, the
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cost of a one-minute national radio advertising spot on Talk-Back is less than
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$14. To put that number in perspective, the cost of a one-minute advertisement
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on KQXI (Larson's Denver affiliate) is $14-18.11 If Rev. Larson is telling the
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truth, it is cheaper to buy national advertising from him than it is to buy
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local advertising on just one of his nearly 200 affiliates. I suppose anything
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is possible; it is just that some things are more possible than others.
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Rev. Larson was able to attract some interesting sponsors, including a
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manufacturer of herbal diet products and an investment house selling precious
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metals. Still, by far the most intriguing member of Larson's 'rogues' gallery'
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of commercial advertisers is Oklahoma-based Amerivision (d/b/a "LifeLine") --
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which markets itself as a "Christian-based" long-distance [telephone] company.12
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If you switch your telephone service to 'LifeLine', ten percent of your
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long-distance bill13 is donated to the charity of your choice. If the
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average consumer's monthly long-distance bill is $50 per month, then the
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designated charity gets $5 per month ($60 per year). If only 500 people
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signed up with LifeLine and named Bob Larson Ministries as their designated
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charity, BLM would get $30,000 per year ... as much as Rev. Larson claims
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to be getting from all three of his national advertisers combined!
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To better promote Lifeline's services, Rev. Larson broadcast a full-blown
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infomercial. And in response to his softball questions, company president
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Freeney gave Larson's listeners the impression that LifeLine had a social
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conscience and adhered to Christian values:
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BL: "Why do companies like AT & T feel so compelled to support
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homosexuality?"
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TF: "They think there's a lot of profit in it. I think the
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bottom line for corporate America is greed. They don't
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care about morals in the country. They don't care about
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anything but the bottom line, which is dollars in their
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profit account."
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BL: "And what does Lifeline care about?"
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TF: "Well, let me tell you. Lifeline is seeking to help min-
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istries. To help spread God's word. To help bring people
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into the Kingdom. To help promote biblical family val-
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ues...."14
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Freeney further emphasized his organization's Christian ethic:
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TF: "[O]ur company is built around the Lord Jesus Christ. And
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we have in our company -- my partner Carl Thompson teaches
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this every day -- we have a Bible study for 30 to 45 min-
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utes where we study God's Word. We seek God's wisdom and
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His direction...."15
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But as is often the case with people that voluntarily associate with Larson,
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reality doesn't quite appear to measure up to Freeney's press releases. In
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response to a call by former Watchman Fellowship staffer Fred Wheeler,
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Amerivision "spiritual leader" Carl Thompson left the following message on his
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answering machine:
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"Fred, this is Carl Thompson. I'm the president of Amerivi-
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sion. You need to get a life. I don't want to hear from you
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about Bob Larson. I don't want to hear about you from anybody.
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I don't want your opinion. [Voice rising in anger] I don't
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need to hear anything from you.
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If your life is built around discrediting Bob Larson, you
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need to get a life. Don't call us -- I don't care about your
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opinions, I don't care about what you think. You just need to
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go someplace else. [Voice continues to rise] If I don't make
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myself clear -- I hope I do! My name is Carl Thompson! Quit
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trying to discredit Bob Larson! I don't care what you think!!
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Bye!"16
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Amerivision is a company with a conscience ... which appears to have been
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seared by insatiable greed. Reverend Larson is good for business; evidently,
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they couldn't care less as to whether they are supporting a Christian
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organization.
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The Minister's Agenda:
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According to Rev. Larson, a Minnesota reporter dredged up the tale of one of
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his most embarrassing moments. In late 1991, he reportedly got kicked in the
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mouth by Margo Hamilton's horse. He was treated and released the same night,17
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but as is often the case, he turned it into a life-and-death struggle -- and a
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poignant fundraising ploy:
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KEEP THE VIDEO ALIVE!
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January 27, 1992
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Dear Friend,
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It's hard to believe just a few weeks ago I nearly died!
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I still remember lying in the emergency room, staring at
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a blood-splattered ceiling, doctors scurrying all around me.
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Moments earlier, a Flight for Life helicopter had flown
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me from a lonely mountain road to a Denver hospital. I remem-
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ber a paramedic saying, "He'll die if we don't stop the bleed
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ing."18
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Bob Larson, exaggerate? Never! Even if you cut the carotid artery, there
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isn't enough pressure to splatter blood on the ceiling. And if Rev. Larson was
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bleeding that profusely, there is no way he could have survived long enough to
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get to the hospital.
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Lori Boespflug, who claims authorship of that melodramatic fundraising
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letter,19 confirmed that Larson was flown to Denver via Flight for Life.
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However, the fact that he was released within hours is a strong indication that
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he was never in legitimate danger of death. If he had suffered a substantial
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loss of blood, there would have been a risk of shock ... and the hospital should
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have kept him overnight for observation.
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The tear-jerking letter continued:
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"But it was a kick in the head by a horse that almost
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killed me. Perhaps you heard the story. My beloved horse
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Breezy was sick and Jeff, who works in our shipping depart-
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ment, had gone to the stable to help her.
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Later that same night I went to relieve Jeff. When I
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arrived, he and Breezy were gone. I walked down a darkened
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road to find them. Suddenly, another horse spooked and tried
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to jump a fence. She got caught and was in danger of breaking
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a leg.
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I ran to rescue the horse and kicked at the fence to free
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her. When I did, she reared up and came down on top of me.
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Her hoof grazed my skull opening a huge gash. I staggered
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down the road, dripping with blood, when Jeff found me....
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My horse Breezy didn't live through the night, but I
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did."20
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One can just picture the heroic Wes Bryant-- I mean, Rev. Larson--risking life
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and limb to save that poor horse. And three years later, we are treated to yet
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another tale of his remarkable exploits:
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"[Larson is reading from a fundraising letter] During one
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recent weekend, I hosted Talk-Back on Thursday, and fought
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rush-hour traffic afterwards, to catch a grueling flight to
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Iowa. I checked into my hotel at midnight.
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The next day, I was up early to prepare for Friday's broad
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cast. That night, I braved a dangerous ice storm to hold a
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rally -- even though the weather had closed every school in
|
||
the state. Iowa had shut down, but that didn't stop us!
|
||
The next morning, a staff member -- Patrick O'Shea -- and I
|
||
packed the van you see above. We drove three hours to our next
|
||
rally, as strong winds whipped at the car.
|
||
After the Saturday night rally, I got up at 4:00 AM the next
|
||
morning to catch an early flight, to get back to my home and
|
||
family...."21
|
||
|
||
The moral of the story, of course, is that he is a selfless man of God, but
|
||
too many people are believing his critics. Reverend Larson is an undisputed
|
||
master of fiction; it is just that his best work is wasted on fundraising
|
||
appeals.
|
||
|
||
Fly the Friendly Skies?:
|
||
Reverend Larson complained that he doesn't fly in Lear Jets ... but then
|
||
again, his knowledgeable critics have never accused him of that. However, he
|
||
has been criticized for apparently spending, for instance, $855 on a flight to
|
||
Cleveland, Ohio on October 22, 1992.22 The internal Ministry memo documenting
|
||
that charge was in the correct format, produced by a source that would not be in
|
||
a position to know what the proper format was for such a memo, and states, in
|
||
pertinent part:
|
||
|
||
"DEPART:
|
||
DENVER/CLEVELAND, THURSDAY, OCTOBER 22, 1992
|
||
CONTINENTAL FLIGHT #608 7:35 PM - 12:20 AM
|
||
737/SNACK/NON STOP
|
||
SEAT: 1E . . .
|
||
RETURN:
|
||
CLEVELAND/DENVER, SATURDAY, OCTOBER 24, 1992
|
||
CONTINENTAL FLIGHT #171 4:20PM - 5:28PM
|
||
727/DINNER/NON STOP
|
||
SEAT: 1B
|
||
AIR FARE COST: $855 FOR FIRST CLASS."23
|
||
|
||
The memo indicates that the flight schedule was verbally approved by "BL,"
|
||
according to "LA" (presumably Laura Larson, the former Ms. Laura Anderson).24
|
||
Former Ministry vice-president Lori Boespflug claimed that Rev. Larson was in
|
||
the habit of flying first-class, and even his diary refers to an incident where
|
||
he got mad "& flew first-class."25 Given the available evidence -- offset by
|
||
Rev. Larson's naked protestations to the contrary -- one could hardly be faulted
|
||
for concluding that he was in the habit of flying first-class. But in the final
|
||
analysis, that is entirely beside the point. Ultimately, the Bob Larson saga
|
||
boils down to one issue: accountability. Reverend Larson has repeatedly put
|
||
himself in positions which lend themselves to potential abuse. For instance,
|
||
like Church of Scientology founder L. Ron Hubbard,26 Larson owns the copyrights
|
||
to videotapes produced by the Ministry,27 even though the Ministry paid to
|
||
produce them.28 There is no bona fide business reason for such an arrangement
|
||
-- which invites abuse:
|
||
|
||
Assume Evangelist makes a $20,000 profit selling videotapes
|
||
during his 'road shows', and assigns that profit to the Minis
|
||
try. He gets $20,000 in taxable income, which shows up on his
|
||
personal income tax return.29 But when he turns over the cash
|
||
to the Ministry, he gets a $20,000 deduction for a charitable
|
||
contribution -- and he can say that he gave $20,000 of his own
|
||
personal income to the Ministry. And, if he decided to pocket
|
||
it instead, the Ministry couldn't legally stop him.
|
||
This 'videotape scam' borders on the sublime. The Ministry
|
||
puts up the cash, and takes all the risks ... but if the video
|
||
is successful, Evangelist could reap all the benefits. At the
|
||
very least, the Ministry would pay his tithe for him.
|
||
|
||
Bob Larson Ministries does not belong to the Evangelical Council for Financial
|
||
Accountability, nor is it formally accountable to any denomination. Moreover,
|
||
the Internal Revenue Service would never uncover a scam like this unless it were
|
||
specifically looking for it. Hence, the only assurance we have that Rev. Larson
|
||
is not opening up his own private bookstores at his rallies is that his
|
||
hand-picked Board of Directors is somehow minding the store.30
|
||
Reverend Larson continues to display an almost Tilton-esque fear of scrutiny.
|
||
Rather than confront his Christian critics head-on, Larson seems perfectly
|
||
content to continue throwing a steady stream of mud at them. And as he
|
||
acknowledged himself on Talk-Back, it is the cardinal rule of dishonest debate:
|
||
|
||
"A: When you can't deal with an issue, you attack ad homi-
|
||
nem -- you go at the person, you do what you can to discredit
|
||
them. B: If you don't have anything intelligent to say, you
|
||
hang up."31
|
||
|
||
If, as Rev. Larson insists, the "attacks" upon him and his ministry are
|
||
totally unfounded and without merit, the simplest and most effective way to
|
||
carry the day is to open up his books and records -- even to his critics. But,
|
||
then again, if his critics are right, the truth won't exactly set him free....
|
||
______________________________________________________________________
|
||
ENDNOTES:
|
||
1 "Talk-Back with Bob Larson" (radio broadcast), 14 Apr. 1995.
|
||
2Bob Larson, Fundraising letter, 6 Mar. 1995, p. 2.
|
||
3See generally, Ken Smith, "Sympathy for the Devil?" (pamphlet), pp.
|
||
4-5 (also available on the Net).
|
||
4 "Talk-Back with Bob Larson" (radio broadcast), 29 Mar. 1995.
|
||
5A Larson aide reportedly ran down the aisle of the church, holding a
|
||
copy of the pamphlet aloft.
|
||
6"Talk-Back with Bob Larson" (radio broadcast), 29 Mar. 1995.
|
||
7Bob Larson Ministries and Compassion Connection, Inc., 1990-93 Forms
|
||
990, p. 1 (Compassion Connection is a consolidated subsidiary for pur-
|
||
poses of the Ministries' audited financial statements). BLM has not,
|
||
to my knowledge, released 1994 income figures.
|
||
8See, e.g., Larson v. Boespflug (Jefferson County (CO) Dist. Ct.) (No.
|
||
93 CV 442), filed 9 Apr. 1993.
|
||
9"Talk-Back with Bob Larson" (radio broadcast), 29 Mar. 1995.
|
||
10Bob Larson Ministries, 1993 Form 990, p. 3.
|
||
11Per Gale's (courtesy of the reference desk librarian at the Jeffer-
|
||
son County (CO) Public library).
|
||
12Terry Freeney (Amerivision executive), "Talk-Back With Bob Larson"
|
||
(Radio broadcast), 13 Oct. 1994.
|
||
13E.g., "Talk-Back with Bob Larson" (radio broadcast), 29 Mar. 1995.
|
||
14"Talk-Back With Bob Larson," 13 Oct. 1994.
|
||
15Ibid., ibid.
|
||
16Carl Thompson, Telephone conversation (on answering machine tape --
|
||
recorded from voice-mail by author, with permission of Fred Wheeler),
|
||
27 Sep. 1994.
|
||
17Lori Boespflug, Interview with author, 16 Jun. 1992; see also Jay
|
||
Grelen and Doug LeBlanc, "This Is Me, This Is Real," World, Vol. 7,
|
||
No. 32, 23 Jan. 1993, p. 10 (interviewing hospital spokesperson).
|
||
18Bob Larson, "Keep The Video Alive!" (Fundraising letter), January
|
||
27, 1992, p. 1.
|
||
19"This Is Me, This Is Real," p. 10.
|
||
20Bob Larson, "Keep The Video Alive!", p. 1.
|
||
21"Talk-Back with Bob Larson" (radio broadcast), 29 Mar. 1995.
|
||
22Kathy (Hendricks, Rev. Larson's secretary(?)), Memo (to Bob/Bonnie),
|
||
14 Oct. 1992.
|
||
23Ibid., ibid.
|
||
24Ibid., ibid.
|
||
25Bob Larson, Diary (in mss.), 29 Jan. 1991.
|
||
26Church of Scientology of California v. Commissioner, 823 F.2d 1310
|
||
(9th Cir. 1987).
|
||
27Reporter's Transcript, Larson v. Larson (Jefferson County (CO) Dist.
|
||
Ct.) (No. 91 DR 226), p. 87, ll. 13-14 (hereinafter, "Transcript").
|
||
Larson's expert witness (C.P.A. Brian Campbell) admitted during cross-
|
||
examination that he receives income from books sold on his evangelis
|
||
tic travels (p. 85, l. 21) -- and that he was not aware of any formal
|
||
agreement precluding him from exercising his copyright over the videos
|
||
(p. 88, ll. 2-4).
|
||
28Transcript, p. 87, ll. 6-9.
|
||
29During the cross-examination, witness Campbell concurred with this
|
||
analysis. Specifically, Campbell admitted that income from sales of
|
||
copyrighted videos could be charged to Larson (Transcript, p. 89, ll.
|
||
21-25), and his assignment of revenues would be a charitable contribu-
|
||
tion (p. 90, ll. 1-4) to the Ministry.
|
||
30And that is not much comfort. For example, it appears that in 1991,
|
||
Larson sold books to the ministry for a 50% profit:
|
||
|
||
"During 1991, the Ministry purchased books and materials tot-
|
||
aling $67,982 from an officer of the Ministry. The officer's
|
||
cost in the books and materials sold was $45,215." Bob Larson
|
||
Ministries, 1991 Audited Financial Statements, p. 8.
|
||
|
||
It should also be noted that no mention of the transaction was made on
|
||
the Ministry's 1991 federal tax return.
|
||
31"Talk-Back with Bob Larson" (radio broadcast), 24 Mar. 1993.
|
||
______________________________________________________________________
|
||
Copyright 1995 Kenneth L. Smith. All rights reserved. Copying is
|
||
permitted for non-commercial use only. Please direct your questions
|
||
to the author at P.O. Box 280305, Lakewood, CO 80228.
|
||
|
||
-----------------------------<GwD Command Centers>------------------------------
|
||
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|
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--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
|
||
ftp =-= etext.archive.umich.edu /pub/Zines/Greeny
|
||
ftp.fc.net /pub/deadkat/misc/GWD
|
||
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
|
||
/---------------\
|
||
Published by GwD, Inc. in September 1995 :FIGHT THE POWER:
|
||
GREENY world Domination Task Force copyright (c) 1993 by Lobo : GwD :
|
||
\---------------/
|
||
GwDGwDGwDGwDGwDGwDGwDGwDGwDGwDGwDGwDGwDGwDGwDGwDGwDGwDGwDGwDGwDGwDGwDGwDGwDGwD48
|