i agree that a criminal conviction is the most effective way to damage cedu, no doubt about it, however, it is very difficult to obtain such convictions, especially against companies with the kind of money and connections that cedu has.
the problem is that the burden of proof lies on the state, and unfortunately, many of us have been removed from cedu for a number of years now. remember that to be convicted of a criminal charge, one must be proven guilty beyond a resonable doubt. the staff who abused us may no longer work at cedu, we had no real way to document what was happening to us, and cedu certainly didn't document it. furthermore, we all know the ways that staff fucked with our heads and abused our minds, unfortunately, that doesn't always mean that what was done to us falls under the strict legal definition of criminal abuse. i wouldn't be surprised if mel wasserman had a whole team of legal experts reviewing his brainwashing methods and techniques to determine how far he could go, and what he can "legally" get away with. no matter how true our stories are, proving that to a court of law is a whole different matter.
as a business owner myself, i am aware that companies are sued all the time, and usually end up in settlements. i've been sued myself. the difference in a civil case is that the standard of proving guilt beyond a resonable doubt doesn't apply here. to the contrary, the prosecution usually only has to prove that enough doubt exists regarding the defendant's innocence. speaking from experience, i would argue that the burden of proof is harder on the defendant rather than the plaintiff. Not only does the defense have to provide enough evidence showing that the allegations against them are false, you also have prove that the other party is suing you for the wrong reasons (why they are really out to get you). again, speaking from experience, this is usually very costly and difficult to do...that is the reason why most companies settle, it's cheaper just to pay someone off, than it is to spend the time and resources needed to prove them a liar.
obviously the victory of settling out of court is nothing compared to obtaining a criminal conviction, but there are a few things worth mentioning. first, in the eyes of public opinion, a defendant who settles out of court is almost always viewed as directly or indirectly admitting their guilt...why else would they have settled? secondly, once a defendent like cedu settles, they are automatically inviting future lawsuits. remember that each time cedu settles, the fact that they settled adds weight to any future claims of a similar nature against them. third, just about every company i ever heard of pays some kind of liability insurance to cover the costs of any future judgements against them. each time cedu pays a settlement, their insurance premiums go up, thus so does their cost of doing business. If cedu has to jack up their prices, then they run the risk of alienating more families who can't afford their "services", and they risk further pissing off the parents who already feel their getting ripped off at cedu, leading them to consider pulling their kids out.
one last thing, remember that every complaint, judgement, and settlement against cedu becomes a matter of public record. the more negative information about cedu we have available , the better the chances that parents who research the school will decide against sending their kids there.
of course we should help the police convict cedu of criminal abuse. it is our duty to speak up and let the cops know what was done to us. those of us who were at cedu know they abused us and deserve to pay for their crimes. our ultimate goal should be muliple criminal convictions. but all of us should welcome and celebrate every little victory we get against cedu, even the small court settlements that don't seem to mean much now, but may add up up to something bigger in the future.
[ This Message was edited by: SON OF SERBIA on 2004-07-19 13:44 ][ This Message was edited by: SON OF SERBIA on 2004-07-19 13:46 ]
