We're hearing out of the US Federal Court of the Fourth Circuit in Richmond that a federal judge has rejected the trial lawyers' suit against Blackwater for the terrorist ambush in Fallujah, and has told the parties to settle their differences out of court.This is a huge blow for ambulance chasing trial lawyer Dan Callahan (pictured), who had shell companies set up in North Carolina in the names of four deceased Blackwater contractors whom Islamist insurgents ambushed, murdered and mutilated in 2004. Via the shell companies, which he represented as "estates," Callahan was hoping to pocket many millions of dollars by taking advantage of the terrorists' attack on the Blackwater men. He persuaded several grieving members of the deceased men's families to go along, blaming Blackwater instead of the terrorists for the deaths, and holding out the prospect of lots of money from a court decision.
The trial lawyer is going to have to settle for a lot less now - if anything at all - after spending millions of dollars in venture capital in hopes of profiting from the atrocities.
It's also a big blow to Congressman Henry Waxman (D-Cal.), who opened up his "investigation" of Blackwater at Callahan's request, had Callahan's anti-Blackwater clients testify before Congress as expert witnesses, and followed the trial lawyer's script in holding the hearings and leaking confidential documents to the media.
Of course, this blogger's opinion that Dan Callahan is a sleaze is, indeed, an opinion, and is therefore protected speech. I'll be sure to post links to legal documents and news reports as soon as they're online.
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2 comments:
Shame on them all.
If the families of BW men and women don't know the risk of the mission, they have NO ONE to blame but their own BW member! The contracts are clearly laid out along with the compensation, benefits, responsibilities of both the contractor and BW, and RISKS. The contracts aren't kept under lock and key in Moyock; my husband's is here at home in our filing cabinet! If these men, or their families, didn't know the risk it's because they didn't take the time to read the contract. Maybe, even before the first trip down range, these greedy families were more interested in getting a piece of the BlackWater pie.
How disgraceful of these families to turn the legacy of these brave citizen soldiers into an issue over MONEY! If they were that concerned about making a buck over a dead patriot's body, they should have gotten a good life insurance plan!
God forbid something happen to MY BW member but, if that horrific day ever arrives, I could never bring myself to mar his sacrifice over money! I guess the difference between MOST BW families and these few bad apples is...IT'S NOT ABOUT THE MONEY TO US! It's about being serving your country, performing a patriotic duty, stepping up to the plate, taking a risk, and making a difference. And KNOWING that you are a part of something bigger than yourself...Keeping the greatest nation on this planet safe, secure, and FREE!
"Democracy is worth dying for, because it's the most deeply honorable form of government ever devised by man." ~ Ronald Reagan
Way to go! Any of us who volunteers to go into a war zone is obviously making an especially serious life-or-death decision. Nobody coerced us. Regardless of our situation or for whom we work - for the military or for a private company in the service of our country - we as individuals are responsible for the risks we take.
In my opinion, Daniel Callahan and the other trial lawyers in the suits against Blackwater are scum. They tried to profit from the terrorists who murdered American military veterans, then exploited the grieving families of the dead. Callahan is the sleaziest of bottom feeders. Now he's hiding from the press after the federal judges threw out his case. He's a maggot and deserves our contempt.
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