hadid threatens hillsides against hadid with lawsuit
Today we received a “Cease & Desist” letter from Hadid’s attorneys. The entire letter is posted below (click the letter). In a nutshell, Hadid’s lawyers falsely assert HAH convinced the public they had a right of access to the Hastain Trail and that HAH’s yard signs are the sole cause of his crumbling empire. Our response is below.
Excerpts of our response:
“Hi Jeff:
Thank you for your letter. [We] think you are mistaken. [Hillsides Against Hadid] has never once stated that the public had a right of access to any of Mr. Hadid's properties. Rather, [our] communications have only asserted facts that the public had access to Mr. Hadid's properties and that access would be ending by way of Mr. Hadid's development plans, including pending applications for building permits. There is nothing false nor defamatory in those assertions. As for statements made on various social media by third parties, we disagree they are defamatory but in any event, they are neither endorsed nor approved by [HAH] and you are welcome to pursue those individuals as you see fit.
As for Mr. Hadid's reputation in the community, that has been self-made. Mr. Hadid's folly at Strada Vecchia (including criminal convictions for building code violations) has been reported worldwide and is well known. Thus, Mr. Hadid's reputation is not of [our] making or breaking.
The same holds true for Mr. Hadid's present business circumstances and apparent difficulty in attracting new partners for his grand ventures; those stem from a series of risky business maneuvers, public bankruptcies and a breathtaking portfolio of unpaid judgments and liens (including tax liens) in the tens of millions of dollars. Given this background, [we] don't think anyone will be convinced that a couple of (truthful) yard signs had any effect on Mr. Hadid's eventual fate.
The stated goal of [this] grassroots organization (and all related social media) is to raise awareness of the circumstances and work with elected public officials to encourage meaningful changes in zoning regulations to better serve the public and to protect the environment. [We] have never encouraged nor condoned lawlessness. Notably, even in the cherry-picked screen captures you included in your letter, as soon as a visitor mentioned or encouraged trespass or vandalism of Mr. Hadid's private property, [we] specifically warned them: "To be crystal clear, Hadid owns all of the land and can put up gates anytime he desires. As much as we oppose this (and are working with officials to restore access) bypassing the gates is at your own risk."
Jeff, [we] have nothing against Mr. Hadid nor reasonable development in this community that preserves the natural beauty of the hillsides and ridgelines for generations to come and enjoy. [Our] agenda is to use the democratic process to make meaningful change through legislation. Having said that, in addition to already posting a copy of the Friends of Hastain Trail Court of Appeal decision for visitors of [our] social media to review and consider when deciding what to do for themselves, [we are] happy to discuss with you posting an additional statement further clarifying that the property is private property owned by Mr. Hadid and that while the public had access to hike and recreate upon it for decades prior to Mr. Hadid's ownership (and Mr. Hadid has allowed access since purchasing it), it has always been with the caveat that Mr. Hadid could end access anytime he desired.
Please call [us] if you wish to discuss. Thank you very much.”