ExtortionLetterInfo Forums
ELI Forums => Getty Images Letter Forum => Topic started by: Robert Krausankas (BuddhaPi) on June 19, 2012, 05:31:50 PM
-
As some of you may know, I sent in a formal request for public records pertaining to Getty Images with the Washington State Attorney General. I initially received an email from them stating it would be sometime this week for them to locate and collect the files.. I just received the following email:
Dear Mr. Krausankas:
This letter is to update you on the status of your public records request dated April 25, 2012, which we received in our office via email on May 25, 2012. You requested the following:
Getty Images - Any complaints in the public record.
We continue to search for records that the Attorney General’s office may have in response to your request and estimate that it will take until June 29, 2012 to determine the location, nature and amount of records that may be responsive. If this time assessment requires adjustment, we will advise you of that.
Once the location, nature and amount of records have been determined, we will provide you with a further estimate of the time necessary to gather the records, if any, for inspection and/or copying.
If you have any questions, please contact the undersigned at: Office of the Attorney General, Public Records & Constituent Services, P.O. Box 40100, Olympia, WA 98504-0100.
Thank you,
Susan Greene
Assistant Public Records Officer
Public Records & Constituent Services
They are either really backed up, or there are a boatload of complaints they are gathering, time will tell..
-
It’s the volume, be patient they are working on it. ;D
http://youtu.be/1-fKpbrbTi8
They are either really backed up, or there are a boatload of complaints they are gathering, time will tell..
-
Another quick update! Now I have actually received a letter via USPS from Susan Greene, stating they are STILL rounding up records, The letter was dated June 29th and states that the time estimate to fulfill my request is now July 20th.. Guess I dumped a major job on them.. It also states as did the last email..
"Once the location, nature and amount of records have been determined, we will provide you with a further estimate of the time necessary to gather the records, if any, for inspection and/or copying."
-
Thanks for the update, let us know when they arrive as I would be very interested in seeing them. I appreciate all your hard work Robert!
-
I'm really hoping they are just very busy with other items...I can visualize this:
(http://media.nj.com/ledgerupdates_impact/photo/10325210-large.jpg)
Buddha's request leaving the Seattle Post Office hub..
-
Don't you feel bad now, they will probably have to put a tax levy on the ballot just to cover the postage! :o
-
What kind of crazy system do they have in Washington State? There can't be that many complaints, can there?. And even if there were, don't they have some kind of filing or scanning system? I don't understand how it can take so long.
-
Public employees paid hourly?
But, wouldn't it be funny if the number of complaints was HUGE?
S.G.
-
They certainly are not very "fast" by any means..My original email was sent on April 25th, they did not "receive" it until May25th..in other words it sat in their inbox for 1 month..It's a free service, and you get what you pay for I guess..
-
I think it would actually kind of make me sad if there were a huge number of complaints because that would mean that they should know there is a problem here but I have not heard of them investigating it. But it is certainly mind-boggling as to why a simple request like this should take that long. I'm very interested to see how many complaints there actually are.
Public employees paid hourly?
But, wouldn't it be funny if the number of complaints was HUGE?
S.G.
-
The McCormack records came back fairly quickly...who knows how many they have!
-
hahahah, I'm laughing my ass off!!
July 20, 2012
Mr. Robert Krausankas
Jupiter, FL 33458
RE: Public Records Request Received May 25, 2012
File Number: PRR-2012-00283
Dear Mr. Krausankas:
This letter is to update you on the status of your public records request dated April 25, 2012, which we received in our office via email on May 25, 2012. You requested the following:
Getty Images - Any complaints in the public record.
The records responsive to your request are now available for disclosure. There are a total of 1,282 pages, RK-00001 through RK-01282.
The most efficient and cost-effective way to provide the records to you is to save them to a compact disc (CD). The cost of the CD, paper sleeve and postage is $1.78. Please submit a check or money order in the exact amount made payable to the Office of the Attorney General and mail the payment to: Office of the Attorney General, Attn: S. Greene, P.O. Box 40100, Olympia, WA 98504-0100. Once payment is received, the responsive records will be mailed to you via US mail.
Please be advised that if a requester does not claim or review the requested documents, the request is considered fulfilled and can be closed. If we do not receive your payment by August 20, 2012 your request will be closed.
If you have any questions, please contact the undersigned.
Sincerely,
SUSAN GREENE
Assistant Public Records Officer
Public Records & Constituent Services
8) question is WHO wants to help me dig thru all of this?
-
You can count on me to help you in any way I can! Just let me know what you need done.
-
Holy shite, Buddhapi.
This is hilarious. I wonder if these can be dumped en-masse on the web publicly?
Then, the troops (and anyone else) can dig through them?
Perhaps, Google could index them (the collection would come up even before Getty's home page in the search results).
lol.
S.G.
-
We'll have to see how the files are on the CD, my check for 1.78 will go out tomorrow...I feel I should at least buy this lady lunch!!
If the files are good to go, I just happen to have a server to upload everything to.., not to mention a slew of names, emails addresses, and phone numbers to!
Holy shite, Buddhapi.
This is hilarious. I wonder if these can be dumped en-masse on the web publicly?
Then, the troops (and anyone else) can dig through them?
Perhaps, Google could index them (the collection would come up even before Getty's home page in the search results).
lol.
S.G.
-
Robert, this may well be the best $1.78 that has ever been spent. Talk about a bargain. Holy baloney!
-
With any luck, we'll be able to show Getty Images just how much PR and advertising 1.78 can get a person these days!
Robert, this may well be the best $1.78 that has ever been spent. Talk about a bargain. Holy baloney!
-
1,282 pages! WTF! Are you freaking kidding me?
This is going to blow up the ELI Scribd account trying to upload all these pages!
This has got to be one of the most insane, off-the-wall projects ELI has taken on. It appears to be much bigger than any of us imagined!
I am just stunned.
-
What I want to know is if there are that many pages of complaints against one company why hasn't there been an investigation or something against Getty?
-
What I want to know is if there are that many pages of complaints against one company why hasn't there been an investigation or something against Getty?
Good point, Greg. That will itself be something to look for in the documents. It may be that it's a lot of pages but not really that many complaints that are exclusively related to extortion letters. There may be other types of complaint, perhaps about sloppy billing, slow refund times, disgruntled employees, unhappy photographers and other such matters.
Or it may be that no one has ever put this all together into one neat package to be presented to the correct regulatory institution. That remains to be seen. Can't wait for buddhapi to post it! Let us know, Robert! 8)
-
If possible I would like a copy of that CD to include in my next round of letters. I would sort out the extortion letter complaints and include a CD with the package. I would love to see the potential buyers faces when the get my detailed reasons why Getty is not a good buy, you know the 12 mil class action law suit, extortion campaign and oh yeah here's how ever many complaints it turns out to be filed with the AG's office. 8)
This could be a thing of beauty if worked right.
You may want to start on that resume now Mr. Bieker and get while the getting is good ;)
What I want to know is if there are that many pages of complaints against one company why hasn't there been an investigation or something against Getty?
Good point, Greg. That will itself be something to look for in the documents. It may be that it's a lot of pages but not really that many complaints that are exclusively related to extortion letters. There may be other types of complaint, perhaps about sloppy billing, slow refund times, disgruntled employees, unhappy photographers and other such matters.
Or it may be that no one has ever put this all together into one neat package to be presented to the correct regulatory institution. That remains to be seen. Can't wait for buddhapi to post it! Let us know, Robert! 8)
-
If my memory serves me correctly, the file I got on Timothy McCormack was something like 27 page, but it was only 6 complaints..so each complaint is going to be multiple pages..even at 3 pages per complaint that's still over 400 complaints, going back the last 5 yrs.
Chances are good Moe is correct in the assumption that not every complaint will be letter related.
@Greg no worries we'll get you a copy for your campaign!
-
Thanks!
@Greg no worries we'll get you a copy for your campaign!
-
disgruntled employees, unhappy photographers and other such matters.
This part jumped out at me as just yesterday people were lamenting the lack of insiders that either feel compelled to share any insider information OR haven't yet found ELI. These documents may well provide an introduction.
-
People working for the trolls are surely sworn to silence. You can count on it.
This is a very sensitive issue; Getty's been lying to people and they know it.
Getty also has-in house legal counsel.
I wonder if the documents could be dumped into a database (xml anyone?) and let google index them?
It would avoid having to upload them all to scribd.
S.G.
-
a good possibilty, depending on how the files arrive..
People working for the trolls are surely sworn to silence. You can count on it.
This is a very sensitive issue; Getty's been lying to people and they know it.
Getty also has-in house legal counsel.
I wonder if the documents could be dumped into a database (xml anyone?) and let google index them?
It would avoid having to upload them all to scribd.
S.G.
-
OMG. I can't wait to read these!
-
I know, I am want to seeing what other things Getty has done.
OMG. I can't wait to read these!
-
I can promise everyone that Robert and I will find a way to make this available to the public and have it disseminated in a way that is accessible.
With 1200+ pages, it is no exaggeration that all the eyes of the ELI Community will be needed to process and analyze all this.
I honestly believe this may be the very first project in ELI's history (due to this large volume of forthcoming information) where this truly requires a community effort.
I am happy to see everyone seems to have great enthusiasm for this upcoming massive project.
-
Would it be useful to make available the 27-page file of complaints about Timothy McCormack first, kind of as a practice run?
I'm sure visitors to ELI would like to read that file as much as I would.
-
I thought I did make them available!? Maybe I never sent them to Matthew, or maybe they got lost in the shuffle.. I just resent them, hopefully we'll get them in the library..
Would it be useful to make available the 27-page file of complaints about Timothy McCormack first, kind of as a practice run?
I'm sure visitors to ELI would like to read that file as much as I would.
-
As per Mullignas request....Complaint file from the Washington State Attorney general concerning Timothy McCormack..
http://www.scribd.com/doc/100769974/Attorney-Timothy-B-McCormack-Complaints-Washington-Attorney-General
-
Ah, great. Thank you, Robert!
-
Gosh, if we could find grounds for a class action suit against Getty, this would be a nice repository from which to start finding members of the class.
Robert, I wish I came back from vacations as energized as you. You Rock BuddhaPi!
-
I actually came back and was exhausted..but chomping at the bit at the same time...it's the damn kool-aid that Matthew makes me drink on a daily basis!
Gosh, if we could find grounds for a class action suit against Getty, this would be a nice repository from which to start finding members of the class.
Robert, I wish I came back from vacations as energized as you. You Rock BuddhaPi!
-
Robert, I just read through the file (thanks again for uploading it), but I only found two complaints instead of six. Did my old eyes miss something or is this all the WSAG office send you?
What was in the file seems to confirm what we already knew... that Timothy B. McCormack and his paralegal trolls reply on FORM letters to try to demand absurd payments from people. As the second complaint in the above file says, lawyers who do this really should be barred from using their unethical practices.
Of course, what normal honest people regard as unethical, many lawyers regard differently.
I noted the result of the first complaint was to thank the individual for filing. The second result was "Resolution: CLOSED INQUIRY/INFORMATION.
Regarding the second complaint, I was appalled to read this in the response from the Attorney General's office:
"Consumer complaints regarding the actions of attorneys are exempt from the Consumer Protection Act and the informal mediation service our office provides. The State Supreme Court has given the Washington State Bar Association the authority to review and respond to complaints regarding Washington State attorneys."
No wonder collection lawyers can get away with murder.
No wonder Getty can get away with what it does.
Got a problem with a Washington State lawyer trying to shake you down for thousands of dollars? Then, according to the Washington State Attorney General's office, complain to other lawyers in the Washington State Bar Association who will then sanction one of their own.
Yeah, right, and pigs can fly.
Our system is so broken...
-
You said it Mulligan!
-
No Mulligan you're not losing your mind.. I started the confusion here..
as was stated in this thread, there were only 2 complaints available at the time of my request.
http://www.extortionletterinfo.com/forum/getty-images-letter-forum/tomothy-b-mccormack-attorney-general-complaints/
The reference to 6 was in regards to Bar Complaints as referenced here:
http://www.extortionletterinfo.com/forum/getty-images-letter-forum/another-fine-example-of-timothy-b-mccormack-the-puking-out-garbage/msg7055/#msg7055
The Bar Association only makes complaints "public" if there is some sort of action taken or sanctions.. so we don't actually have these.. I apologize for the confusion, and I'm glad you called me out on it, because I just realized that the 1200 pages will now most likely contain many LESS complaints that I was originally estimating.
-
Robert, my bad. Now that you've jogged what's left of my memory, I recall the distinction between the two and six complaints.
I'd sure love to read the complaints to the bar association, but I fear none of them will ever see the light of day and that McCormack will go on about his merry way because the lawyers at the bar association will consider his work with letters demanding huge payments all perfectly legal and acceptable. :(
On another note, Robert, I hope wading through 1200 pages of the complaints to come doesn't turn out to be an exercise in futility since the result of many (if not most) of the complaints may well be on the order of... "Sorry, we don't handle consumer complaints."
If Getty's letter compaign in the eyes of the Washington State Attorney General's office (and other AGs as well) is always considered to be nothing other than a consumer complaint...
-
It may be a waste of time, but it will not be fruitless, at the very least I will have names, emails and phone numbers of those that complained..
In regards to the Bar complaints, I think if enough of them are sent in the bar will be forced into looking into them a bit more closely.. In the meantime any complaint that is submitted is brought to McCormacks attention and he has to invest the time and effort in answering them. He probably has a typo filled form letter for this as well, but again at some point someone at the bar will take notice.. This war is more like hand to hand urban fighting, as opposed to just dropping a nuclear bomb and ending it quickly..
-
Well, I plan on wading through the huge file too because one can often discover patterns in that much material that would otherwise be missed, and I'm sure there will be many interesting nuggets that we'll find useful.
-
This war is more like hand to hand urban fighting, as opposed to just dropping a nuclear bomb and ending it quickly..
Nuclear bomb = large class action suit victory over Getty
We may need to win many hand to hand battles on the way. In fighting those battles we will unearth their weakness and the grounds for the class action suit. I know that not because I am a lawyer (I am Not), I know that because Getty losing is the ultimate RIGHT result for the world.