Please read through it and I will re-join you for additional commentary, below.
Mr. Lahoda's letter to THEGIANT.ORG:
Mr. Daniel Lahoda, Jet-Set Graffiti, Lahoda Fine Arts, LLC wrote:
Adam Meyer and Mary,
Whereas it was my pleasure to meet and hang out with you both at my sponsored event with Ron English at Gallery XIV in Boston on July 2nd, I am now contacting you in regards to a most serious issue of defamation that seriously affects my business, and has caused considerable damages. I would not be contacting you without proof of this defamation and my willingness to take legal action against all responsible parties. As of the writing of this letter to you, I have sought legal counsel to protect my rights against continued defamatory statements made on your web-forum.
There are some facts that should be addressed before making a simple request. These facts have been supported and held evident by a number of ultimately reputable sources in the urban art world. For a glance at these references and my many legitimate associations, one needs only to view the videos and licensed artwork for sale on my website; http://www.jetsetgraffiti.com" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
I am a fine art dealer/publisher with licensed legal corporations in New York, Nevada, and California.
I operate my business and life with the utmost integrity.
I take responsibility for my actions both personally as well as professionally.
Recently, my integrity has come into question in regards to a supposed private debt to an anonymous member named 'TJWalker', who has been active on this board. I have defended myself insofar as making legally binding public statements that these allegations are false, and hold no merit. I do have proof of their falsehood that can and will be presented to the authorities should the question arise in a formal and legal forum. I am legally protected from the need to publicly present this information to maintain my unsolicited innocence. The fact that 5 months have passed since these allegations have been made, without any legal action taken against me or my business is further indication that these allegations are spurious.
Regardless of my public insistence in denial of these allegations on this forum, certain other self-proclaimed 'senior' members anonymously referred to as 'DZEL' and 'RobotOil' have maintained an illegal campaign of defamation and libel against myself and my legally licensed corporations; JetSet Graffiti, LLC and Lahoda Fine Arts, LLC. They have made libelous and defamatory statements on a number of threads to which I have willingly participated. These threads are monitored, edited, and censored under the auspices of yourselves as owners of this public forum. These 2 members are now actively engaged in 'following' me and continuing to issue publicly defamatory statements that "JetSet Graffiti = Fraud Artist" and "Daniel Lahoda = Fraud Artist". Both statements are untrue as of the dates of publication on this public forum, and will remain untrue indefinitely.
They collectively have joined in maintaining these allegations, whereas the original poster has abandoned his insistence of publicly maintaining said allegations. Instead, the anonymous member, TJWalker, has relied on Private Messages to RobotOil as an extremely active and trusted member and monitor of my posts to maintain these illegal allegations in a public manner.
There are 2 threads in particular where this illegal campaign has been maintained, despite a fundamental lack of legal proof otherwise:
{redacted}
These allegations have made considerable damage to my reputation and business as a legitimate art dealer and limited edition publisher, with physical gallery locations in Los Angeles, and Brooklyn.
I am hereby insisting that these illegal and publicly viewable statements be rescinded from publication on this and any site owned by yourselves. I do believe you operate this site as an educational and informative source for documentation on the genre of art that we are all extremely passionate about. I do not believe that you care to be party to any forthcoming investigation or lawsuit pertaining to these issues of defamation against myself or my company.
If you agree to remove all defamatory content, I will provide a complete listing of all threads and posts with the aforementioned illegal content. I understand that there exists a difference between opinion and defamatory libel. For your own edification of your liability in these circumstances, I urge you to research the issue of internet defamation and its current legal precedent in the court system in New York, Rhode Island, and California.
I do continue to wish you the best, and I await your reply to my concerns. I have copied attorney Eric Syverson, of http://www.syversonlaw.com/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;, an authority of internet business and e-commerce law, this letter of my concerns.
If this request is not met, we will be forced to take legal action to repair any and all damages made through this negligence as the owner/operators of this publicly viewed forum, where threads and statements are monitored and censored willingly by yourselves, or appointed moderators.
This solicitation to remove all spurious defamatory and libelous content against myself and my businesses has been sent in confidence and your cooperation in maintaining its privacy is appreciated and duly noted.
Sincerely,
Daniel Lahoda
CEO and President
Lahoda Fine Arts, LLC.
http://www.jetsetgraffiti.com" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
1855 Industrial St.
Los Angeles, CA. 90021
info@lahodafinearts.com
(702) 813-4006 (cell)
(213) 415-1826 (Los Angeles Gallery)
To:
{redacted}
THEGIANT.ORG's reply to Mr. Lahoda:
Mr. Lahoda,
Pursuant to your request, dated December 1, 2008, we will remove the threads indicated in your letter from public view on THEGIANT.ORG (“the site”). The material contained within those threads will be retained should future civil or criminal action warrant its release.
Your letter will be posted publicly on the site as explanation for the material’s removal, as will a copy of this letter.
Additionally, all material pertaining to the promotion of your business, Jet-Set Graffiti, will be removed from the site. And as it is not incumbent upon the site, its owners or administrators, to provide you with access for further business or self-promotion, your account and all privileges associated therewith are hereby rescinded.
Any further communication with the site, its owners or its administrators, should be conducted through retained counsel via the addresses already in your possession.
Sincerely,
{site owners}
A few important claims, presented as facts, are found within Mr. Lahoda's letter:
In it, he's claiming a lack of legal action against him is proof of innocence, but it's not.
In it he's claiming the fact he works with artists proves he isn't a fraud, but it doesn't.
In it, he's claiming what is written about him in the forums is illegal, but the opposite is true. (If anything, it's a matter for civil court which doesn't cover criminality.)
Still, as this is a litigious society and one can file suit for any reason at all, valid or otherwise, we felt it best to remove all previously-posted references to Mr. Lahoda and his business dealings from the site. As is noted in our response to him, above, that material has been retained should future criminal or civil charges warrant its release.
Parties with interest in civil or criminal action against Mr. Daniel Lahoda, Jet-Set Graffiti or Lahoda Fine Arts, LLC may request access to this information through their retained counsel or by valid court order directed to the owners and administrators of this site.
Many of your posts were caught up in the sweep of "Lahoda Material," and for that we apologize. It was a regrettable reality that it had to be done.
No further discussion of Mr. Daniel Lahoda, Jet-Set Graffiti or Lahoda Fine Arts, LLC will be permitted on this site without first notifying the site's owners and administrators of your intention and the discussion's content, and obtaining approval prior to posting.
Failure to notify the site's owners and administrators and obtain permission prior to posting information regarding Mr. Daniel Lahoda, Jet-Set Graffiti or Lahoda Fine Arts, LLC will result in your post's deletion and resulting warnings and forum suspensions.
We apologize for this as well, but it is another regrettable reality.
--Admonkey, THEGIANT.ORG administrator
