Bigfoot Field Reporter, Sharon Lee Hit With Cease-and-Desist Letter
As we reported last week, the website Cryptomundo and BFRO president Matt Moneymaker had a lawsuit filed against them from a Florida man named John Johnsen for defamation. According to the public filing posted on Cryptomundo, Johnsen's lawsuit claims that "On or about June 8, 2011, Defendant Moneymaker published an inaccurate recitation of his interactions with Plaintiff, during a wildlife expedition in the Ocala National Forest. During this characterization of Defendant Moneymaker's interactions with Plaintiff, Defendant Moneymaker defamed Plaintiff by stating that Plaintiff was mentally ill and by accusing Plaintiff of carrying firearms into the Ocala National Forest."
Several other blogs like Bigfoot Lunch Club and Sharon Lee's bigfootlives.blogspot.com picked up on the lawsuit story. You can read more about the lawsuit here.
This morning, we found the following post on Sharon Lee's blog at bigfootlives.blogspot.com:
Let it be noted publicly that on 5/1/12, I, Sharon Lee Lomurno, author of the blog The Bigfoot Field Reporter is responding in compliance to a CEASE AND DESIST order issued by the attorney Adam Russo on behalf of his client John L Johnsen. I have removed the post titled, "At What Cost Freedom, In My Opinion" and am issuing a public apology to JOHN L JOHNSEN for my participation in sharing an article that John L Johnsen feels had contained defamatory statements. THAT IS ALL. Thank you and have a good day.
"At What Cost Freedom"...
ReplyDeletethe cost of a c&d letter, apparently.
"At What Cost Freedom"...
Deletethe cost of a BFRO expedition, apparently.
who is this Johnsten person and who the hell cares?
DeleteSo, with all the various blogs and forums dealing with bigfoot, Mr. Johnson is going to get his lawyer all over everyone for publicizing his lawsuit? Maybe Moneymaker was right about him! Is that wrong to say? Eek!
ReplyDeleteMake sure to add (in my opinion)!
DeleteWhat hell hath the American legal system become? Tis a hell fraught with creatures bedecked with horns trotting about on two hooves called attorneys...
UH-OH! That could be defamation....Expect a call from my attorney! Yeah your screwed now Mr. Anonym... DAMN IT!!!!
DeleteSomeone should call the Electronic Frontier Foundation and/or the ACLU. This sounds like a SLAPP suit waiting to happen.
ReplyDeleteJohn Johnsen is nuts if he thinks he can keep people from blogging about a court case.
I wonder if she is in California...she could file an anti-SLAPP and then SLAPPback for damages...
DeleteSharon is a very unhappy soul. She has repeatedly spoke negatively about many bigfoot researchers over the years, trying to make her niche not by researching but by attacking others, needlessly. If you continue to live on the darker side of life, the darkside will bite back...
DeleteI just heard of a precedence set in a very similar affair on the O'Reilly Factor while changing channels during a commercial.
DeleteA couple out of Clarksville,TX, Mark and Rhonda Lesher(spelling is a guess), sued and won a 13 million dollar judgement against an Anonymous Poster on the site Topics.Com. This Annon. poster said all sorts of terrible things against the couple including murders and pediphiles.
They sued and were able to get a subpoena against the website to obtain the address of the annon. poster.
What is happening with John L Johnson and Matt Moneymaker sounds to me more like grade school tirades and it is ridiculous that this case is not dismissed, however the Genie is now out of the bottle, and folks and website owners might want to think about what is being written.
Chuck
thanks Chuck that post was worth reading!
DeleteThe pro golfer Phil Mickelson also sued a blogger for posting horrible things about him on the internet that Mickelson says are not true. Last I knew the case was allowed to proceed and the identity of the poster was ordered to be provided to the plaintiffs by his/her internet access provider.
DeleteThe Lesher case is a different beast, with a completely different fact pattern, and in a different jurisdiction. Among other things, it looks like it was a organized, ongoing, long time effort to target the couple and destroy their business. There's a big difference between "X is crazy" and "X is a pedophile who will molest your children. Don't go near X."
DeleteYou might change the wording to "Cease and Desist Letter" by the attorney. Only a Judge can issue an "Order," that one is compelled to obey and then only when one is a party to a case. A cease and desist letter may or may not be a representation of the law and/or the (future, if not suit yet) Judge's determination. In other words, Cease and Desist are often "blow hard" letters, and then sometimes they ain't....but they aren't orders one must follow.
ReplyDeleteI HOPE THIS VOICE OF TRUTH AND REASON IS HEARD LOUD AND CLEAR! I NEVER 'YELL' ONLINE, BUT DO NOT BOW DOWN TO B.S. LEGAL BULLYING!
DeleteI would be very upset if I attended a public expedition only to find the group leader didn't like me, harrassed me, and tried to humiliate me in front of everyone, and then took his smear campaign to the internet.
ReplyDeleteIf JJ were truely mentally ill MM's actions would have been exceedingly cruel and I would hope someone would stand up for such a vulnerable type, even if a hired lawyer.
If he is not mentally ill, and just had a bad trip and relationship with MM, then MM's posts are still outrageous and should never have been published under his name, because it wasn't anonymous given the number of people who were there.
You can report on the story without repeating the insults as though they are valid...and just maybe finding out the truth, rather than rerunning Crypto's posts.
These days you have to be careful about anything you say it seems.. But its getting ridiculous. I think some people need to grow a back bone, If you believe in bigfoot, ufo's, monsters or other creatures your going to get ridiculed and have people say your crazy.. cant be thinned skinned and act like a baby about it.. Some of these adults are acting like pre schoolers and really need to grow up..
DeleteBiggest Bigfoot drama queen evah.
ReplyDeleteAnd every last one of you posted anonymously LOL
ReplyDeleteI am not touching this one. But as for Matt Moneymaker, was this something he said on "Finding Bigfoot"? I wouldn't know as I got sick of seeing a bunch of idiots hollering in the woods and and beating on trees and knowing there is little possibility of a Class-A encounter with a camera crew following them around. But if he said something like this on his show, then I can see why he is being sued.
If John Johnsen's crazy enough to sue me, I'm gonna make him work at it. No freebies.
DeleteBFRO should have a way to weed out such allegged mentally ill types if so obvious a laymen can identify the illness. Not doing so puts the rest of the paying members at risk, either from MM's explosive behavior or of the mentally ill person, on the edge, he pushed.
ReplyDeleteIt had to be a very uncomfortable trip for everyone, if not, then shameful and perhaps an example of the lowest common denominator among BFers, or the BFRO.
Here's my crazy test for bfro trips.
DeleteIf your willing to pay for a hike led by moronic squatchers well then.. your CRAzY.
What happened to the good ole days when if you had a problem with someone you took it outside and handled it. Problem solved then get a beer afterwards. None of this lawyer garbage. Real men handled it this way, just look at how limp wristed this world is becoming. You also didn't have these sissy fied punks shooting each other over stupid issues back then either.
ReplyDeleteCTJ
What happened to the good ole days when conflict resolution involved civil discussions and no fist of cuffs?
DeleteCivil and ethical behavior is still out there, just not in Bigfootery, where apparently some pine for the good ole days of brawls in person rather than words on the internet. Go figure.
Sounds to me like a duel is in order.
DeleteChuck
8:07 that's what I'm talking about tofue fartin fairies like you. Spineless.....
DeleteI hope Sharon gets in trouble more often! She needs a big slice of humble pie. After all the years of abusing others, she needs to be slapped down!
ReplyDeleteKeep the interwebz dangerous! Anon post or opinion articles should NOT be brought to charges. EVERYONE is entitled to an opinion and is constitutionally able to express it! If I said Shawn was an a-hole (which he's not) that's my opinion! If I wanted to start JohnJohnsonIsAnA-Hole.com and talk about what an a-hole he is or others are, I would be within my right to do that too. If I run into someone and they call me an a-hole, I can either let it go or confront that person... I do not think I would EVER imagine taking an INDIVIDUAL to court over slander/defamation. A large news conglomerate over false data WRT a nationally ranging figurehead, maybe... But person to person? What next? My neighbor takes me to court because they want my lawn 1.5" not 2", or my house a different color??? "It's deflating my property value"... Give me a break!
ReplyDeleteDavid from the PAC/NW
I agree with your David. However in this new day and time their are activist judges who would take a spat such as this and turn itinto a full blown hate speech trial and let a case such as this go to court. And their are many many blood sucking lawyers that would love to put their name to this kind of action.
DeleteMany posts on this site have been multiple times worse than what Matt Moneymaker said, and although I find their words reprehensible, It should not even remotely constitute a court case. However there are many people (as witnessed through their writings here) that hate Matt or Sharon Lee or others enough that they would rejoice to see it become legal action, not realizing that today it is your enemy, but tomorrow it will be you.
History is rampant with these type of endeavors.
Chuck
Chuck, you are a wise man...the Bigfoot World needs many more of you in it! :)
DeleteAww David...you must have had a HOA attack, special emphasis on the HO, lol. I feel for you!
DeleteJohn Johnsen lives in the Tampa Bay area so he is known by researchers locally. He has lately been working for Tom Biscardi editing an upcoming DVD release. His production company Grendal films never made money so he started going after Bigfoot people because he could not find Bigfoot. He even threatened to sue me because I worked with some friends of his and he said I was spinning the YouTube videos to give false meaning. He is being used by Biscardi and he does not care. He wants that coveted Pocono Film Festival award that Biscardi seems to win every year with really terrible videos. Johnsen needs to focus on his Pasco county wolves project and leave Bigfoot alone.
ReplyDeleteSo thats why bigfoot people are always at each others throats-because they cant find bigfoot. Or is it they can't find bigfoot because they're always at each others throats? Can't we all just get along? It could be amazing what a little cooperation/group effort can acomplish
DeleteI guess the old adage about the company one keeps. To above anon,,i couldn't agree more. You would think,,with a huge chunk of public option of BF(and the people who "believe" in them),damn near 95% of so called scientist,,scientific community treats us like the plague,,and the media only gives hoaxers and glory mongers any airtime,,all these trails and tribulations would only unite and make stronger the small group that wants to explore and define the special beings. But it doesn't. Maybe all these stress factors increase all the negativity and drama. The BF mystery may never be solved,,if his only friends in the world can't all get together to help them. Then agian,,that may not be such a bad thing. Last time I was at a zoo,,they didn't have a spot for Bigfoot. And at this rate I wouldn't hold my breath.
DeleteOption was supposed to be opinion. Sorry bout that. Time to go to sleep lol
DeleteIt is, and has ALWAYS been about making money from his Bigfoot DVD's for Johnsen.
ReplyDeleteSharon Lee's drunken radio tirades and
crap blog always good for a chuckle.
I thought there was some sort of Lee-Biscrdi connection. Both of their offspring were allegedly bumpin' uglies or something like that. Did they have a falling apart...or out, as it were?
ReplyDeleteSharon can ignore the ceast and desist letter. That lawyer will send those out to anyone who Johnsen tells (pays) him to. They have no legal validity. She can certainly restate the posts that are at issue in the case -- the case brought in public courts by Johnsen himself.
ReplyDeleteIt is not defamation to repost what Moneymaker claimed about Johnsen. Moneymaker still strongly believes that everything he said is true. He believes that Johnsen brought a gun to that Florida expedition, because Johnsen said he was going to bring a gun to shoot a bigfoot on that expedition. Johnsen no doubt will say he didn't have a gun. That does not make it automatically true. Johnsen may be lying about that now, and Moneymaker has first amendment protection to say on any blog that he believes Johnsen is now lying about that, and Sharon Lee has every right to post that.
Moneymaker is also pretty sure that Johnsen really is a paranoid schizo. Moneymaker can say that, and any blog may post that, and it may be very true, even if Johnsen claims it is not true. That is what a paranoid schizo would do. He would deny it.
Moneymaker does not have to prove that Johnsen is a paranoid schizo. Actually Johnsen has to prove that Moneymaker KNEW that Johnsen was NOT a paranoid schizo when he said that. Johnsen would also need to prove Moneymaker KNEW it was not true that he (Johnsen) was carrying a gun.
Clearly, Johnsen will not be able to prove either of those two things because Moneymaker did then, and still does, believe Johnsen is a schizo. And Moneymaker did then, and still does believe Johnsen had a gun with him at the expedition.
Johnsen has no case against anyone. He has found a lawyer who will send out letters and will file complaints that will be easily dismissed.
Have no fear of those letters, especially if they relate to your right to post the statements at the core of a court proceeding. Johnsen has made all of that very public now and there is nothing he can do about it.
FINALLY!! Sharon Lee gets her come-uppance! Now, what about that defamatory fake blog she put up about the woman she's falsely accused of horning in on her affair with Craig Woolheater? Think she'll learn a lesson and take that down, too?
ReplyDeleteWhere is that blog? I think the woman it's about might want to sue her.
DeleteCorrection - the blog was posted by another person. The blog's victim has initiated an investigation and in addition to being targeted by Sharon, she seems to have discovered that she has a stalker. My apologies to Sharon for my May 2, 12:40 comment.
DeleteHowever, people need to wake up that you can't say just anything about anyone because it doesn't take much to get to you. Everything you do online is documented - it's just a matter of getting the records.
Divine justice! That is one whack job!
ReplyDeleteSharon Lee can say whatever she wants. She can state her suspicions, her beliefs, her opinions, etc. JOHNSEN will end up paying for legal fees beyond those of his own lawyer. He is a blustering fool and he is going to learn a hard lesson from this. You will see.
ReplyDeleteJust yesterday, Sharon Lee threatened me for leaving a comment on a Bigfoot Lunch Club about her friend Melissa Hovey. I have the emails with the threats and told her to back down or I would go public with it. This woman needs to be brought down for these kinds of actions.
ReplyDeleteIt wasn't that long ago the Sharon Lee was saying a bunch of crap about Melissa herself. Now there best buddies. Sharon needs to get a life.
DeleteHer friend Melissa Hovey? Last year she drunkenly insulted Hovey personally and professionally on blog talk radio.She even said Melissa was ugly and had a hateful blog. Is Sharon bipolar?
DeleteI believe she is.
DeleteOr just two-faced.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.myfoxdfw.com/story/17772677/web-trolls-sued-order-to-pay-14-million-for-defamation
ReplyDeleteCheck yourselves before you wreck yourselves!
"AnonymousMay 1, 2012 06:05 PM
ReplyDeleteSharon is a very unhappy soul. She has repeatedly spoke negatively about many bigfoot researchers over the years, trying to make her niche not by researching but by attacking others, needlessly. If you continue to live on the darker side of life, the darkside will bite back..."
Ever since you posted this I have been reading all of the archives of Sharon's blog and it was actually quite refreshing to see that her stories were like and uplifting. It seems to me that she is trying to focus on the good side of Bigfoot research.
I don't think any one is perfect but she hardly seems like the demon you are making her out to be!
Sharon Lee has a long history on many chat boards where she repeatedly bullied people and was booted off. All of that history is available if a attorney requests it.
DeleteI certainly don't think that John L Johnsen is any better.
ReplyDeleteSo let me get this straight, Matt MoneyMaker said that John L carried a weapon while in the the ONF? Is that a No No in the ONF?
I doubt this is something MM would make up?
Since I have personally seen John L also carry his firearm into the forest and in a location where we were told weapons were a NO NO??????????
I tend to think it's the truth. I don't get how that is defamation? The TRUTH IS THE TRUTH!
I hope MM and LC kick his AZZ in court!
They can always ask me to testify! I think I can show evidence of a pattern and I know other witnesses that when giving that little piece of paper would have to say they say the same thing!
So wait this is the same John L Johnsen that with MK Davis was basically accusing these guys of a massacre once??????????
ReplyDeleteSharon Lee creates DRAMA when there IS no drama,She must be the center of attention. She is negative and she jumps beds to climb the social ladder.
ReplyDeleteWhat can you expect from a SWINGER mentality...Craig was prolly very easy to seduce...just look at him. A slob of a person..lacking in any sort of self discipline. Hands in the cookie jar...never pass up a piece of cake....he knows no limits. When Sharon touched his special area because she needed him to help her create a nonprofit website...his eye's prolly rolled back in his head....He prolly hadn't had his junk touched like that since he weighed less than 3 bills. LOL