Chess forum - I am thinking of bringing a lawsuit to stop the move to Crossville

Author

I am thinking of bringing a lawsuit to stop the move to Crossville - Opinions Wanted

Sam Sloan

2004-10-22, 5:46 pm

I am thinking of bringing a lawsuit to stop the move to Crossville -
Opinions Wanted

For the past three days I have been receiving telephone calls and
e-mails from people asking whether I am going to file a lawsuit to
stop Beatriz Marinello from moving the USCF to Crossville, Tennessee.

I am certainly the best person to file such a suit, since I know how
to do it.

However, I tell everybody who calls that such a suit would be VERY
difficult to win. I think it can be won, but not easily. There are
many possible grounds. I would have to spend weeks in the law library
researching these questions to see if these grounds have been
recognized by the courts.

Just about everybody agrees that the late Sunday night telephone vote
to move to the USCF to Crossville was nothing more than a naked power
grab by Beatriz Marinello, who wants to take Bill Goichbergfs job and
to get her hot hands on the $513,000 that that USCF just received by
selling the building in New Windsor.

If there were economic justifications for the move, there would have
been no rush. The members could have been notified in advance and a
public hearing held. No need for late night telephone calls.

Again, however, I need to emphasize that winning this case will be
difficult. We would not actually need to win it. It would be
sufficient just to get a Temporary Restraining Order stopping the move
and delaying it long enough until an election can be held and Beatriz
Marinello thrown out of office.

I am not going to tell you what grounds I have in mind. I do not want
to alert the opponents. However, it should be obvious that to move a
non-profit corporation which has resided in New York State for 60
years since the 1940s to another state especially on a 4-3 vote with
no advance notice raises some legal questions. There were four votes
in favor and three either opposed or abstaining. One of the voters in
favor was not even in the US. She was called in Spain, where she was
vacationing. Is this a proper way to decide the fate and future of an
organization with 90,000 members? Does the executive board even have
the power to make such a decision without notice?

The reason I am posting this now is I want to hear the opinions of
other USCF members. I will not file this lawsuit until I feel that a
majority of the members are in favor of what I am doing.

Therefore, I want to hear your opinions. If a majority seem to be in
favor of my proposed action, I will go forward. Otherwise, not

Please express your views.

Sam Sloan

Matt Nemmers

2004-10-22, 5:46 pm

"Sam Sloan" <sloan@ishipress.com> wrote in message
news:41793c0a.24451468@ca.news.verio.net...

quote:

>I am thinking of bringing a lawsuit to stop the move to Crossville -
> Opinions Wanted

Save your money. Your kids need to eat and you don't have a job. Don't do
it.

Get Gordon Roy Parker (aka Ray Gordon) to file this frivilous lawsuit for
you. You're NOT the best at that. He is.

MN

The Masked Bishop

2004-10-22, 5:46 pm

I think it's worth pursuing. I am still mystified as to why the USCF needs
to build at all. Seems to me that a cheap suite of leased offices would be
more than enough to service ratings and edit a magazine.

TMB

"Sam Sloan" <sloan@ishipress.com> wrote in message
news:41793c0a.24451468@ca.news.verio.net...

quote:

> I am thinking of bringing a lawsuit to stop the move to Crossville -
> Opinions Wanted
>
> For the past three days I have been receiving telephone calls and
> e-mails from people asking whether I am going to file a lawsuit to
> stop Beatriz Marinello from moving the USCF to Crossville, Tennessee.
>
> I am certainly the best person to file such a suit, since I know how
> to do it.
>
> However, I tell everybody who calls that such a suit would be VERY
> difficult to win. I think it can be won, but not easily. There are
> many possible grounds. I would have to spend weeks in the law library
> researching these questions to see if these grounds have been
> recognized by the courts.
>
> Just about everybody agrees that the late Sunday night telephone vote
> to move to the USCF to Crossville was nothing more than a naked power
> grab by Beatriz Marinello, who wants to take Bill Goichbergfs job and
> to get her hot hands on the $513,000 that that USCF just received by
> selling the building in New Windsor.
>
> If there were economic justifications for the move, there would have
> been no rush. The members could have been notified in advance and a
> public hearing held. No need for late night telephone calls.
>
> Again, however, I need to emphasize that winning this case will be
> difficult. We would not actually need to win it. It would be
> sufficient just to get a Temporary Restraining Order stopping the move
> and delaying it long enough until an election can be held and Beatriz
> Marinello thrown out of office.
>
> I am not going to tell you what grounds I have in mind. I do not want
> to alert the opponents. However, it should be obvious that to move a
> non-profit corporation which has resided in New York State for 60
> years since the 1940s to another state especially on a 4-3 vote with
> no advance notice raises some legal questions. There were four votes
> in favor and three either opposed or abstaining. One of the voters in
> favor was not even in the US. She was called in Spain, where she was
> vacationing. Is this a proper way to decide the fate and future of an
> organization with 90,000 members? Does the executive board even have
> the power to make such a decision without notice?
>
> The reason I am posting this now is I want to hear the opinions of
> other USCF members. I will not file this lawsuit until I feel that a
> majority of the members are in favor of what I am doing.
>
> Therefore, I want to hear your opinions. If a majority seem to be in
> favor of my proposed action, I will go forward. Otherwise, not
>
> Please express your views.
>
> Sam Sloan
>

Sam Sloan

2004-10-22, 5:46 pm

On Fri, 22 Oct 2004 19:03:09 GMT, "The Masked Bishop" <tmb@c4.com>
wrote:

quote:

>I think it's worth pursuing. I am still mystified as to why the USCF needs
>to build at all. Seems to me that a cheap suite of leased offices would be
>more than enough to service ratings and edit a magazine.
>
>TMB

You make a good point, which has not been discussed. The USCF is a
small organization with only 26 regular employees and $3 million in
sales.

Why does such a tiny enterprise need to own its own building? Why
should it take the risks involved in building a new building? With the
economy as bad as it is but construction costs very high, it is insane
to build a building at all, when there is lots of vacant office space
available everywhere at low rent.

Sam Sloan

Mike Murray

2004-10-22, 5:46 pm

On Fri, 22 Oct 2004 20:08:40 GMT, sloan@ishipress.com (Sam Sloan)
wrote:

quote:

>On Fri, 22 Oct 2004 19:03:09 GMT, "The Masked Bishop" <tmb@c4.com>
>wrote:
>
>
>You make a good point, which has not been discussed.

It's been discussed some. I mentioned it and Hanke responded that we
don't get the free land unless we build on it, and he believes the
value of the land almost offsets the cost of the building.

Don't know if he's correct on this. The point probably merits more
discussion.

quote:

>The USCF is a
>small organization with only 26 regular employees and $3 million in
>sales.
>
>Why does such a tiny enterprise need to own its own building? Why
>should it take the risks involved in building a new building? With the
>economy as bad as it is but construction costs very high, it is insane
>to build a building at all, when there is lots of vacant office space
>available everywhere at low rent.
>
>Sam Sloan
>

The Masked Bishop

2004-10-22, 5:46 pm

We don't need "free land." We need to save money. How many vacant office
suites are in the New York-New Jersey metro area? I can imagine quite a lot.
And I bet the monthly rental for 4000 square feet of office space is a hell
of lot less than a building is going to cost us. Plus you don't need to move
to some cracker haven like Crossville.

26 employees, a small LAN, and a layout room for a magazine don't need a new
building.

TMB

"Mike Murray" <mikemurray@despammed.com> wrote in message
news:mmrin0l2e4oomcva6mh19st34ufhkg2lsp@4ax.com...

quote:

> On Fri, 22 Oct 2004 20:08:40 GMT, sloan@ishipress.com (Sam Sloan)
> wrote:
>
needs[vbcol=seagreen]
be[vbcol=seagreen]
>
> It's been discussed some. I mentioned it and Hanke responded that we
> don't get the free land unless we build on it, and he believes the
> value of the land almost offsets the cost of the building.
>
> Don't know if he's correct on this. The point probably merits more
> discussion.
>
>

Chess Freak

2004-10-23, 12:46 am

My opinion? I don't give a damn about the USCF anymore. I
cancelled my membership last year after being a member for 33
years. They can move wherever the hell they want, it won't affect
me in the least. I do think that a lawsuit to stop the move would
be frivolous at best and waste what little resources USCF has left.

What I would really like to see is an alternative national chess
organization to the USCF. Start afresh, I think would be a great
idea.

-CF

"Sam Sloan" <sloan@ishipress.com> wrote in message news:41793c0a.24451468@ca.news.verio.net...
| I am thinking of bringing a lawsuit to stop the move to Crossville -
| Opinions Wanted
|
| For the past three days I have been receiving telephone calls and
| e-mails from people asking whether I am going to file a lawsuit to
| stop Beatriz Marinello from moving the USCF to Crossville, Tennessee.
|
| I am certainly the best person to file such a suit, since I know how
| to do it.
|
| However, I tell everybody who calls that such a suit would be VERY
| difficult to win. I think it can be won, but not easily. There are
| many possible grounds. I would have to spend weeks in the law library
| researching these questions to see if these grounds have been
| recognized by the courts.
|
| Just about everybody agrees that the late Sunday night telephone vote
| to move to the USCF to Crossville was nothing more than a naked power
| grab by Beatriz Marinello, who wants to take Bill Goichbergfs job and
| to get her hot hands on the $513,000 that that USCF just received by
| selling the building in New Windsor.
|
| If there were economic justifications for the move, there would have
| been no rush. The members could have been notified in advance and a
| public hearing held. No need for late night telephone calls.
|
| Again, however, I need to emphasize that winning this case will be
| difficult. We would not actually need to win it. It would be
| sufficient just to get a Temporary Restraining Order stopping the move
| and delaying it long enough until an election can be held and Beatriz
| Marinello thrown out of office.
|
| I am not going to tell you what grounds I have in mind. I do not want
| to alert the opponents. However, it should be obvious that to move a
| non-profit corporation which has resided in New York State for 60
| years since the 1940s to another state especially on a 4-3 vote with
| no advance notice raises some legal questions. There were four votes
| in favor and three either opposed or abstaining. One of the voters in
| favor was not even in the US. She was called in Spain, where she was
| vacationing. Is this a proper way to decide the fate and future of an
| organization with 90,000 members? Does the executive board even have
| the power to make such a decision without notice?
|
| The reason I am posting this now is I want to hear the opinions of
| other USCF members. I will not file this lawsuit until I feel that a
| majority of the members are in favor of what I am doing.
|
| Therefore, I want to hear your opinions. If a majority seem to be in
| favor of my proposed action, I will go forward. Otherwise, not
|
| Please express your views.
|
| Sam Sloan
|

StanB

2004-10-23, 12:46 am

"Sam Sloan" <sloan@ishipress.com> wrote in message
news:41793c0a.24451468@ca.news.verio.net...

quote:

> The reason I am posting this now is I want to hear the opinions of
> other USCF members. I will not file this lawsuit until I feel that a
> majority of the members are in favor of what I am doing.
>
> Therefore, I want to hear your opinions. If a majority seem to be in
> favor of my proposed action, I will go forward. Otherwise, not

My opinion is that you're a moron.

Ray Gordon

2004-10-23, 12:46 am

> What I would really like to see is an alternative national chess

quote:

> organization to the USCF.

You mean ICC?

They are international. Same "dues" as USCF too!

The Masked Bishop

2004-10-27, 12:47 am

quote:

> I am thinking of bringing a lawsuit to stop the move to Crossville -
> Opinions Wanted
>
> For the past three days I have been receiving telephone calls and
> e-mails from people asking whether I am going to file a lawsuit to
> stop Beatriz Marinello from moving the USCF to Crossville, Tennessee.
>
> I am certainly the best person to file such a suit, since I know how
> to do it.
>
> However, I tell everybody who calls that such a suit would be VERY
> difficult to win. I think it can be won, but not easily. There are
> many possible grounds. I would have to spend weeks in the law library
> researching these questions to see if these grounds have been
> recognized by the courts.
>
> Just about everybody agrees that the late Sunday night telephone vote
> to move to the USCF to Crossville was nothing more than a naked power
> grab by Beatriz Marinello, who wants to take Bill Goichbergfs job and
> to get her hot hands on the $513,000 that that USCF just received by
> selling the building in New Windsor.
>
> If there were economic justifications for the move, there would have
> been no rush. The members could have been notified in advance and a
> public hearing held. No need for late night telephone calls.
>
> Again, however, I need to emphasize that winning this case will be
> difficult. We would not actually need to win it. It would be
> sufficient just to get a Temporary Restraining Order stopping the move
> and delaying it long enough until an election can be held and Beatriz
> Marinello thrown out of office.
>
> I am not going to tell you what grounds I have in mind. I do not want
> to alert the opponents. However, it should be obvious that to move a
> non-profit corporation which has resided in New York State for 60
> years since the 1940s to another state especially on a 4-3 vote with
> no advance notice raises some legal questions. There were four votes
> in favor and three either opposed or abstaining. One of the voters in
> favor was not even in the US. She was called in Spain, where she was
> vacationing. Is this a proper way to decide the fate and future of an
> organization with 90,000 members? Does the executive board even have
> the power to make such a decision without notice?
>
> The reason I am posting this now is I want to hear the opinions of
> other USCF members. I will not file this lawsuit until I feel that a
> majority of the members are in favor of what I am doing.
>
> Therefore, I want to hear your opinions. If a majority seem to be in
> favor of my proposed action, I will go forward. Otherwise, not
>
> Please express your views.
>
> Sam Sloan
>

Sam Sloan

2004-10-27, 12:47 am

On Fri, 22 Oct 2004 19:03:09 GMT, "The Masked Bishop" <tmb@c4.com>
wrote:

quote:

>I think it's worth pursuing. I am still mystified as to why the USCF needs
>to build at all. Seems to me that a cheap suite of leased offices would be
>more than enough to service ratings and edit a magazine.
>
>TMB

Mike Murray

2004-10-27, 12:47 am

On Fri, 22 Oct 2004 20:08:40 GMT, sloan@ishipress.com (Sam Sloan)
wrote:

quote:

>On Fri, 22 Oct 2004 19:03:09 GMT, "The Masked Bishop" <tmb@c4.com>
>wrote:
>
>
>You make a good point, which has not been discussed.

quote:

>The USCF is a
>small organization with only 26 regular employees and $3 million in
>sales.
>
>Why does such a tiny enterprise need to own its own building? Why
>should it take the risks involved in building a new building? With the
>economy as bad as it is but construction costs very high, it is insane
>to build a building at all, when there is lots of vacant office space
>available everywhere at low rent.
>
>Sam Sloan
>

Chess Freak

2004-10-27, 12:47 am

KidDon

2004-10-27, 9:46 am

sloan@ishipress.com (Sam Sloan) wrote in message news:<41793c0a.24451468@ca.news.verio.net>...

quote:

> I am thinking of bringing a lawsuit to stop the move to Crossville -
> Opinions Wanted
>
> For the past three days I have been receiving telephone calls and
> e-mails from people asking whether I am going to file a lawsuit to
> stop Beatriz Marinello from moving the USCF to Crossville, Tennessee.
>
> I am certainly the best person to file such a suit, since I know how
> to do it.
>
> However, I tell everybody who calls that such a suit would be VERY
> difficult to win. I think it can be won, but not easily. There are
> many possible grounds. I would have to spend weeks in the law library
> researching these questions to see if these grounds have been
> recognized by the courts.
>
> Just about everybody agrees that the late Sunday night telephone vote
> to move to the USCF to Crossville was nothing more than a naked power
> grab by Beatriz Marinello, who wants to take Bill Goichbergfs job and
> to get her hot hands on the $513,000 that that USCF just received by
> selling the building in New Windsor.
>
> If there were economic justifications for the move, there would have
> been no rush. The members could have been notified in advance and a
> public hearing held. No need for late night telephone calls.
>
> Again, however, I need to emphasize that winning this case will be
> difficult. We would not actually need to win it. It would be
> sufficient just to get a Temporary Restraining Order stopping the move
> and delaying it long enough until an election can be held and Beatriz
> Marinello thrown out of office.
>
> I am not going to tell you what grounds I have in mind. I do not want
> to alert the opponents. However, it should be obvious that to move a
> non-profit corporation which has resided in New York State for 60
> years since the 1940s to another state especially on a 4-3 vote with
> no advance notice raises some legal questions. There were four votes
> in favor and three either opposed or abstaining. One of the voters in
> favor was not even in the US. She was called in Spain, where she was
> vacationing. Is this a proper way to decide the fate and future of an
> organization with 90,000 members? Does the executive board even have
> the power to make such a decision without notice?
>
> The reason I am posting this now is I want to hear the opinions of
> other USCF members. I will not file this lawsuit until I feel that a
> majority of the members are in favor of what I am doing.
>
> Therefore, I want to hear your opinions. If a majority seem to be in
> favor of my proposed action, I will go forward. Otherwise, not
>
> Please express your views.
>
> Sam Sloan

_________________________
Without even getting to issues of liability and available relief, if
any; my first question would be whether or not you have standing. I
have not and will not research the issue, but I seriously doubt if you
would survive a motion to dismiss on grounds of standing.

kiddon

Sam Sloan

2004-10-27, 5:47 pm

On 27 Oct 2004 06:17:21 -0700, tampachessdon@aol.com (KidDon) wrote:

quote:

>Without even getting to issues of liability and available relief, if
>any; my first question would be whether or not you have standing. I
>have not and will not research the issue, but I seriously doubt if you
>would survive a motion to dismiss on grounds of standing.
>
>kiddon

I am a dues paying member of the USCF. That gives me standing.

The board members are guilty of self-dealing. Beatriz wants the move
to Crossville so that she can fire Bill Goichberg and take his job.
The last ED was paid more than $100,000 per year.

The USCF which was broke and virtually insolvent one year ago now has
a million dollars cash in the bank. That is why Beatriz suddenly wants
the Executive Directors job, so that she can steal the money.
Previously, there was no money to steal.

My lawsuit would easily survive a motion to dismiss. The problem as I
see it is that I am not certain that the judge would be willing to
order the stay of the move to Crossville until a hearing could be had.

Sorry, but I have to leave now. I have to go down to the United States
Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit, where they are deciding today
whether to issus an emergency order in my lawsuit against the New York
City Board of Elections and the Kings County Republican Party.

Sam Sloan

Tim Hanke

2004-10-27, 5:47 pm

sloan@ishipress.com (Sam Sloan) wrote ...

quote:

>
> The USCF which was broke and virtually insolvent one year ago now has
> a million dollars cash in the bank. That is why Beatriz suddenly wants
> the Executive Directors job, so that she can steal the money.
> Previously, there was no money to steal.

CHESS TRIVIA QUIZ
(some questions may have more than one correct answer)

Sam Sloan is ...

a) a malicious liar
b) mentally ill
c) suffering from brain damage caused by illegal drug use
d) an ace journalist who sees things nobody else does
e) a schizophrenic who sees things nobody else does

People such as Larry Parr, George Mirijanian, and Phil Innes who show
respect for Sam Sloan's opinions are ...

a) equally malicious
b) guilty of astoundingly poor judgment
c) being blackmailed by Sloan
d) examples of "The Madness of Crowds"
e) open-minded to the point of being empty-headed

Tim Hanke

The Masked Bishop

2004-10-27, 5:47 pm

Sam Sloan:

1) Has been around the USCF a lot longer than Tim Hanke
2) Provides far more interesting commentary and suggestions about the USCF
than the politicized flacks who serve on its Board
3) Has garnered support from some posters here who are not exactly
captivated by the proclamations of Bill Goichberg or Don Schultz.

Tim Hanke:

1) Has found himself part of a very troubled organization that can't account
for itself.
2) Has discovered that he really can't accomplish anything with the USCF
board, now that he's on it.
3) Is thus reduced to taking shots at unresisting outsiders like Sam Sloan
on chess news groups.

StanB

2004-10-28, 12:46 am

"Sam Sloan" <sloan@ishipress.com> wrote in message
news:417fad45.25485828@ca.news.verio.net...

quote:

> The USCF which was broke and virtually insolvent one year ago now has
> a million dollars cash in the bank. That is why Beatriz suddenly wants
> the Executive Directors job, so that she can steal the money.

Looks like an ethics complaint to me.