fountain1fan

s thinking about putting on a race of any sort from bmx to offshore . after reading this and the outher tread. i shure the answer would be no . not worth the risk of loseing every thing u got by being sued . robbie

boatme

Aparently it is not sinking in

The attorneys are doing thier jobs trolling for other peoples money and digging for dollars with no thought of future ramifications. End of the day they do NOT HAVE TO SUE they choose to

boatme

This is interesting Below is a comment i made in a PM to a boat racer that had PMd Me

This was when the first mention of a suit was going on and the info on going after the sponsors had not yet come to light
read my responce to him

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
XXXX,

With respect it is NO DIFFERENT as you know i have promoted boat races as well as poker runs and the end result is the same.

You have to look at how this effects the sport (I am sure that is what you think you are doing) Mark my words, answers need to be found, and all those involved (Racers and promoters ) need to be concerned that when this is all over that any moneys would better the sport, not one individual group (family members) XXXX, we will have to agree to disagree as I think this issue is becoming very similar to what happened to us and will play out the same way.

Thank you for your point of view

boatme

Does anyone have a current copy of the waivers signed at the SBI races?

I will go looking for the waiver that were signed at our event
The ones we used were also used at races at that time It will make for interesting reading

I haven’t opened up those archives in years but i will pick the scab some more to prove to all of you that you can NOT protect yourself from dirt-bag attorneys short of NOT having an event. And those of us who have and who continue to take the risk of putting on events are going to think twice even three times before putting on an event. The sponsors who have only a few bucks into the game will not be effected that much by not sponsoring events why would they put there business on line with even a hint of possible litigation? We all know lawyers go where the money is (or insurance companies are) They do not search out these accidents to make the sport better, Really who believes that a lawsuit for money will change anything for the good except the wallet of the lawyer and possibly the families that the lawyer is using to get money. I believe that the Gratton family has been convinced that a lawsuit is the best way to fix what went wrong. I think in there mind they are doing what is best for the sport. I also believe that the legal system talked them into a suit during there weakest moment (while grieving for there loss) Look at how fast this became suit for MONEY not for change

I will say it again, discovery has nothing to due with talking to sponsors and getting them to make the sport better they are looking for sponsors insurance information so they can get one simple thing MONEY!!!!! it has everything to do with MONEY

POWERPLAY J

Boatme and I definitely see eye to eye on this matter. I made it pretty clear in the other thread before I started receiving pm's... Back to lurking

boatme

Apparently some did not hear this

So I will repeat it for those that have there heads in the sand and are drinking the legal kool-aid

After the accident and subsequent lawsuit after the two deaths at Smoke On The Water Poker Run I had two sponsors (one that contributed a fair amount of money but more important provided many services for free) immediately call me and tell me they had to back away from our event due to the fact that they heard the lawyers were swarming. Others followed suit with questions concerns and comments like “I am sorry but we just can not expose ourselves to a lawsuit” Some has said Poker runs are different than races to that I say “get your ego out of the sand” when it comes to putting on an event we are all relatively the same and I have put on races as well as poker runs and I am here to tell you the mechanisms are very similar, not exactly the same, but close enough that the ramifications of suing sponsors will result in the same outcome FEWER SPONSORS!!!

Mike A was a so-called “Consultant” to the other lawyers that were directly involved in our lawsuit, and guess what sports fans, he did nothing directly with his involvement in the suits to help make offshore boating or poker runs safer.

I believe Mike A was also the Lawyer involved as the attorney for Tom Newby's ex wife. (Tom died in helicopter crash photographing a boat from the air). I was told that the legal system went after the boat manufacture, (Skater) the magazine company,(Powerboat Mag), the owner of the boat, (Bill Pyburn) The driver of the boat (Bob Teague) and finally the true guy at fault for the accident, the helicopter pilot and his company. Did this suit and the money that Toms wife recieved help make the sport of offshore boating, and the activity of action shots for magazines better ? NOPE!!! Did Mike A champion for better standards after the fact with his cut of the lawsuit?

Making our favorite sport better will come from lessons learned by those DIRECTLY involved and will come as a result of these tragedies and trying to make changes based on what WE in the sport have learned, not as a result of lawsuits looking for big money that make a few people wealthy and keep chipping away at the very small sport of offshore boating and racing.

Get your heads out of the sand people!!!! Do you hear the noise???? It is the slow sucking sound of sponsors going away and the sport losing one more piece of ground

I will say it yet one more time. The sport needs to be safer, and inquiry needs to be made to find answers to THREE deaths in Key west (Not just Joey) But it needs to be done by Coast Guard , local officials, and those active in the sport (racers,promoters,ect...) not by Lawyers who's true motivation is MONEY

Every time I start to think about putting on another race or Poker Run (I had been working with Charlie McCarthy on a long distance race) I hear the one ugly word that prevails in this sport, LAWYER and I think twice

Time to go find a row boat to sit on and watch from the cheap seats

boatme

Why do you think Pat is interested in this ???

He is a sponsor for a few events, and In talking to him the other day he is concerned about his involvement as a sponsor in the future

He is not the only sponsor that has reached out to me recently to discuss the ramifications of there involvement in sponsorship

Is this proof enough that the sponsors are watching ???

(Sorry Pat did not mean to toss you under the bus just needed a good example)

BROWNIE

Interesting fact. There are more attorneys in Dade/Miami, Fl. than in the entire country of Japan. Since 90+ % of the lawmakers are attorneys, they make laws that allow themselves to suck a lifestyle out of other people's misery. As long as they make the laws, we are f&&&&d...........

Indy

Bravo!!!!!

boatme

For you guys (and girls) that think the the lawyers are always correct and “The Law States” is the final word. Consider this. Most of the waivers are constructed with the help of lawyers who say “This will protect you” then they are made irrelevant by another lawyer that says “This does not absolve you from liability”

I will keep screaming this till everyone understands IT IS ABOUT THE MONEY plain and simple. I will be willing to bet that this will never see a courtroom and will be SETTLED for money and POOF the issue will die, making the sport better will no longer be the issue. There will be NO AWARD by the court there will be a financial SETTLEMENT and then disappear. End of story