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| Penny Pritzker Trans Union, Hyatt, Marmon Group Organized crime, RICO Chicago, Illinois |
| 13th of Feb, 2013 by User492613 |
February 11, 2013
RevisedLARGEST DATA THEFT, SECURITIES FRAUD AND INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY THEFT OF COPYRIGHT PROTECTED MATERIAL In 2000, Cliff Mortensen contacted Bruce MacLeod of Hennigan, Bennett and Dorman (now McKool, Smith, Hennigan) in Los Angeles, CA to represent him in a wire fraud, data theft and computer hacking federal lawsuit against Trans Union LLC, 555 W. Adams, Chicago, IL and Acxiom Corporation (ACXM) 601 E. 3rd Street, Little Rock, AR 72201. Trans Union was represented by Michael O’Neil of DLA Piper, Chicago, and Acxiom was represented by Amy Stewart of the Rose Law Firm (Hillary Clinton’s former employer) of Little Rock, AR. Acxiom and Trans Union had been secretly stealing and hijacking billions of dollars worth of intellectual property data from Cliff Mortensen and his companies Credit Bureau of Carmel and Pebble Beach, Inc., Credit Research, Inc. and many other independent Trans Union credit bureau franchisees across the country for at least ten years. Trans Union and Acxiom called it “data mining”. Cliff Mortensen’s lawyers called it “theft and fraud”. It is the largest data theft, hacking and wire fraud crime in United States’ history. Trans Union during this period was controlled by the Marmon Group and attorneys Penny Pritzker and Robert Pritzker (d.) of Chicago, IL. Trans Union’s address is 555 West Adams Street, Chicago, IL 60661. The case number was 00 C 3885 Northern District of Illinois, Judge James B. Moran (d.). This was a peremptory filing by Trans Union for venue choice and position. Cliff Mortensen was a defendant and a counter plaintiff in this SLAPP (Strategic Lawsuit Against Public Participation) suit. The data hacking/hijacking occurred on IBM super computers at Trans Union facilities in Chicago, IL, Emeryville, CA, and Fullerton, CA as well as Acxiom facilities in Westlake, CA and Little Rock, AR during routine daily database maintenance and “batch processing”. This data theft occurred in terabyte quantities at nanosecond speeds. Acxiom managed data files on the Trans Union Cronus Database at these and other Trans Union locations. Acxiom was granted unlimited access to hundreds of millions of data files many of which were not the property of Trans Union or Acxiom. These files were the information root of millions of Trans Union and Acxiom target marketing lists and credit reports which were sold to most banks and financial institutions. These privately owned credit files were subject to the copyright laws of the United States of America. They were the intellectual property of the individual credit bureau owners and were subject to royalty payments per contract. These files were stolen property. Acxiom paid Trans Union for this stolen data with hundreds of millions of dollars worth of stock warrants (ACXM). Trans Union had a fiduciary responsibility to redistribute this revenue with the lawful owners of this data, the independent Trans Union affiliated credit bureau owners across the United States. It appears that the management of Trans Union and Acxiom believed that if the data theft, computer hacking and wire fraud were conducted on IBM super computers at speeds faster than the eye could see, it wasn’t really provable “theft”. Data theft leaves no evidentiary “footprint” no matter how often the data is copied or illegally accessed (stolen) and Trans Union and Acxiom knew it. It was the “perfect burglary”. Penny Pritzker and Robert Pritzker got their money the “old fashioned way”-they stole it! This data theft began to occur after Allen J. Flitcraft, formerly with IBM, resigned as president of Trans Union. Charles Morgan was president of Acxiom Corporation and Harry Gambill was president of Trans Union during this period of wire fraud, data theft, securities fraud and insider trading cybercrimes. Charles Morgan was abruptly replaced in 2007 after 30 years at Acxiom Corporation. 2007 was the year Trans Union and Acxiom settled the secret lawsuit with Cliff Mortensen. Harry Gambill has also been replaced at Trans Union LLC and is no longer on the board of directors at Acxiom Corporation. Robert Pritzker prior to his death was replaced at the Acxiom board of directors. Most all of senior management at Trans Union LLC and Acxiom Corporation has been replaced after this period of data theft. II. RECIPIENTS OF STOLEN DATA IDENTIFIED Trans Union has been a major stockholder in Acxiom Corporation. They had interlocking directorates. Trans Union was the primary source for the very current credit database content at Acxiom. It was a clone of the database at Trans Union. The payback to Trans Union for the stolen data was in the form of Acxiom stock warrants, unbeknownst to their shareholders. The major national banks, financial institutions, large credit data users and data brokers, including the United States government, which unknowingly purchased the hacked and stolen data from Trans Union and Acxiom Corporation were Chase, Citibank, Bank of America, Wells-Fargo, HSBC, Capital One, Bank One, American Express, U. S. Bank, Discover Card, LexisNexis, and most banks which issued credit cards including First National Bank of Omaha (FNBO). FNBO received a $23,000,000.00 court award against Trans Union for data theft and breach of contract in 1997, case number 8:95CV-57 United States District Court District of Nebraska-Allen Rugg, Esq. of Powell Goldstein for the plaintiff; Roger Longtin, DLA Piper, for the defense. Trans Union has a bountiful history of data theft in the building of their database. The data theft was discovered during a “sting operation” and Trans Union fell right into the trap. For ten years, Trans Union and Acxiom Corporation shared the ill gotten proceeds without paying the rightful owners of the data, the hundred or so local Trans Union franchisees across the United States including the bureau owned by Cliff Mortensen. This wire fraud, conversion and data theft continued for at least ten years before Trans Union admitted to it during settlement of one of the many federal cases against Trans Union. Trans Union admitted to their criminal activity and they wanted all settlements to be secret. Eric Holder, (appointed by Barack Obama), of the Department of Justice, Andrew Cuomo (Attorney General and now governor of New York), Kamala Harris (Attorney General of California) and the F.B.I. have failed to prosecute these crimes by these Pritzker owned entities. Penny Pritzker is part of the Pritzker family of Chicago (Hyatt Hotels, Trans Union Credit, Trans Union Healthcare and the Marmon Group). Penny Pritzker is a graduate of Harvard University and Stanford University Law School. She was the finance chair for President Obama in 2008 and was considered for but not offered the cabinet position of Commerce Secretary in 2009 due to her colorful past. At this writing, she is in contention for the Secretary of Commerce Cabinet position again. In 2002 Penny Pritzker was a defendant in a RICO (Racketeering Influenced Corrupt Organizations) lawsuit filed against her in the Superior Bank (Chicago) collapse. Mortensen asked Bruce MacLeod (now with Mc Kool Smith Hennigan, Los Angeles) to file a RICO action against the Pritzkers for wire fraud, extortion and anti-trust crimes. Bruce MacLeod refused to file a RICO or organized crime action against Trans Union on several occasions. III. CONFLICTED WORKING RELATIONSHIPS OF LAW FIRMS Mr. MacLeod was referred to Cliff Mortensen by his attorney Ralph Wegis, a pioneer in SLAPP lawsuits, of Bakersfield, CA. Bruce MacLeod evaluated the case for twelve months before he decided to accept it. This was a major delay that benefitted Trans Union, Acxiom and DLA Piper. Mr. MacLeod had a prior working relationship with opposing counsel, DLA Piper of Chicago. Both firms worked together successfully on the 1994 bankruptcy of Orange County, CA and later (without Mortensen’s knowledge) worked together representing John Hancock Life Insurance Company (v. Bank of America) on the international Parmalat (Italy) bankruptcy case. Both firms have represented the Catholic Church in the United States. Michael Hennigan represented the Archdiocese of Los Angeles and hundreds of pedophilic priests. Michael Hennigan and Bruce MacLeod had mutual friends at DLA Piper. Mortensen was not informed of this ongoing conflicted friendship and dual working relationship until August 15, 2012. Mortensen would have never permitted it and would have terminated Bruce MacLeod and Michael Hennigan had he known. IV. ABUSE OF PROCESS Initially, Michael O’Neil of DLA Piper sued Cliff Mortensen in a SLAPP (Strategic Lawsuit Against Public Participation) lawsuit to quell Mortensen’s impending lawsuit for data theft, fraud and breach of contract. This was a malicious prosecution by DLA Piper to bankrupt Cliff Mortensen. This was abuse of the court process. The $1,000,000.00 cost to defend this suit was paid for by Cliff Mortensen’s insurance carrier, State Farm. Cliff Mortensen was represented by Steve Baron of Mandell Menkes of Chicago. This case settled for $19,000.00. There was no SLAPP Back or malicious prosecution lawsuit filed on Mortensen’s behalf. Steve Baron, of Mandell Menkes, did not attend the settlement conference. V. CASE VALUATION On the first discovery trip to Chicago, the home of Trans Union, Bruce MacLeod mentioned to Cliff Mortensen that if his case were only worth $4,000,000.00 or less his firm would not be interested in representing him. He then excused himself for a lunch meeting with his old pals at DLA. Bruce MacLeod later indicated the case was worth in excess of $100,000,000.00 per appraisal by Monica Ip of HemmingMorse due to contract breach and fraud. VI. UNDERSEAL, CASE SECRECY AND PROTECTIVE ORDER Bruce MacLeod, Michael Hennigan and Ralph Wegis allowed the case to be filed “under seal” with a protective order (against the strong protestations of Cliff Mortensen). Mortensen told Bruce Mac Leod on several occasions that he did not approve of this secrecy strategy, yet Bruce Mac Leod insisted on secrecy. This order only protected Trans Union, Acxiom and the Pritzker family from public exposure of their data theft, wire fraud, stock fraud and anti-trust crimes. Wall Street investors would have benefitted from public exposure of these crimes. Bruce MacLeod was asked on at least fifteen occasions to remove the case from protective order, to unseal the filings and to amend the complaint to include an anti-trust pleading and RICO claim against Trans Union. Bruce MacLeod always refused and would become very irritated whenever the subject was broached by Cliff Mortensen. He stated that the “appropriate people” know how to access the file through Lexis Nexis. This secrecy and failure to amend accommodated his friends’ wishes at DLA Piper while ingratiating himself with them for amicable and profitable working relationships while ignoring the demands and best interests of his clients, Cliff and Pat Mortensen and Cliff Mortensen, Jr. Secrecy weakened the case and settlement position for seven years. It fortified Trans Union’s and Acxiom’s position by delays. Secrecy of Mortensen’s case facilitated insider trading and securities fraud by allowing Trans Union to sell out their position in Acxiom stock at $40.00 per share. Acxiom stock today trades in the $18.00 range. Investors lost a fortune. If Cliff Mortensen’s theories of data theft were so misguided, as Michael O’Neil, of DLA Piper stated, why was secrecy paramount in Trans Union’s and Acxiom’s strategy? The answers are insider trading, wire fraud and securities fraud. VII. SECURITIES FRAUD AND INSIDER TRADING Public exposure of their securities fraud and wire fraud crimes terrified the management of Trans Union and Acxiom, a publicly traded company (NASDAQ). The Pritzkers eventually planned to take Trans Union public. The secrecy and delays benefitted Trans Union and Acxiom by keeping the other franchised credit bureaus, investors, the capital markets and the Securities and Exchange Commission uninformed about their data theft, wire fraud, securities fraud, “insider trading” and anti-trust actions. Public exposure of these crimes would have resulted in more lawsuits, sanctions, significant financial loss for Trans Union and Acxiom with subsequent erosion of stock value in those securities. Trans Union was paid hundreds of millions of dollars in stock warrants by Acxiom for unlimited access to the stolen data. In 2000, Trans Union cashed in their Acxiom stock warrants for hundreds of millions of dollars with an Acxiom stock price of $40.00. They had insider trading knowledge that the data was stolen and worthless. Other investors were not similarly enlightened. Today, Acxiom stock trades in the $18.00 range, a loss of over 50% of Trans Union’s unload price of $40.00. Investors have lost billions of dollars of stock equity. This is securities fraud. Trans Union’s planned IPO was withdrawn February 17, 2012. Bruce MacLeod was accommodating Trans Union and Acxiom to Mortensen’s peril. Cliff Mortensen’s lawyers by their secret filings enabled Trans Union and Acxiom Corporation in the theft “cover up” and securities fraud of copyright law protected credit data files and intellectual property. Even the lead Judge James B. Moran was tired of the ongoing secrecy and stated so. VIII. SCOPE OF THE DATA THEFT AND BRUCE MAC LEOD’S FAILURE TO FILE WIRE FRAUD AND SECURITIES FRAUD CAUSES OF ACTION After an error filled initial filing, Bruce MacLeod finally did some intensive legal discovery work regarding Mortensen’s claims of fraud, breach of contract and data theft in a first amended complaint. He found that Trans Union and Acxiom had stolen billions of dollars worth of data from individual Trans Union credit bureau franchisees across the United States and over $100,000,000.00 from Cliff Mortensen. Mr. MacLeod called it “fraud”. He never claimed “wire fraud or securities fraud”. These are felonies and people could have gone to prison. Again, Mr. MacLeod was protecting the upper management and owners of Trans Union and Acxiom. He should have been concerned with his own clients and securities investors, who lost hundreds of millions of dollars in this stock manipulation scheme. Mr. Roger Longtin of DLA Piper told one of the court reporters that Bruce MacLeod had “cracked the data theft case” but he (Roger Longtin) would deny it if queried. Roger Longtin is an officer of the Courts. MacLeod demanded to see the personal computer hard drives of Cliff Mortensen, his son, Cliff Mortensen, Jr., his wife, Pat Mortensen and all of their business computers plus all of Mortensen’s personal tax and corporate tax filings. Cliff Mortensen asked Bruce MacLeod for reciprocity from the Pritzkers , Trans Union and Acxiom. Bruce MacLeod flatly refused Cliff Mortensen’s request. Bruce MacLeod allowed Trans Union and Acxiom to take Mortensen’s personal videotaped deposition on ten (abusive) different occasions, yet he never deposed Robert Pritzker (d.) or Penny Pritzker, the “de facto” owners of Trans Union. Charles Morgan of Acxiom stated at a deposition “Hell, if I had known the data was stolen I never would have paid for it”! He was replaced at Acxiom shortly thereafter. IX. ANTI-TRUST CYBERCRIMES AND CONSPIRACY TO COMMIT FRAUD In an anti-trust move, Experian denied Experian database access to Cliff Mortensen in 2000. Trans Union, in a similar anti-trust move, denied Cliff Mortensen access to his own database in July of 2001. He was forced to terminate twenty employees. This was an extortionate, fraudulent, monopolistic and illegal attempt to force Cliff Mortensen to drop his lawsuit against Trans Union and Acxiom. Trans Union and Experian, which is a British owned company, then aggressively pursued Cliff Mortensen’s customers in a blatant anti-trust and unfair competition move. Cliff Mortensen asked Bruce MacLeod to enjoin Trans Union from denying Cliff Mortensen access to his own database. Bruce MacLeod refused as it would be “too much legal work”. There was a conspiracy between Trans Union and Experian to destroy Mortensen’s businesses. They succeeded. X. EXTORTION During this access denial period David Emery, Chief Financial Officer of Trans Union at that time, asked Cliff Mortensen “Are you ready to talk about signing the contract amendment now”? David Emery was clearly committing extortion. Signing the amendment would have allowed Trans Union and Acxiom Corporation to continue their data theft. Mortensen refused to sign any amendments. Alice Conlon of Trans Union was the credit bureau liaison for the independent credit bureaus and worked for Trans Union during this period. She is still employed at Trans Union. She threatened (attempted to extort) Cliff Mortensen with the statement that “If you don’t do what Trans Union wants by amending your contract, they can do plenty to you”. They did. XI. RACKETEERING INFLUENCED CORRUPT ORGANIZATIONS (RICO) Trans Union and Acxiom are corrupt organizations which have used extortion, theft, wire fraud, securities fraud, computer hacking and perjury to achieve their profit goals and revenue streams by stealing billions of credit records from individual credit bureaus. This clearly qualified as a RICO (Racketeering Influenced Corrupt Organizations) action. This is the largest data theft and wire fraud in history. Trans Union would file false computer printout reports (wire fraud) with Cliff Mortensen’s credit bureau offices in Salinas, CA on a daily basis for fifteen years. They did not disclose to the Securities and Exchange Commission their stock manipulation, securities fraud and major pending litigation. Mr. Hennigan belittled the value of the Mortensen’s case on many occasions. He stated the case was “only worth $400,000.00”. When queried, Bruce MacLeod did not have an explanation why one of the Pritzker companies, Conwood Smokeless Tobacco, prevailed in a similar unfair competition and anti-trust lawsuit against United States Tobacco for 3 billion dollars including punitive damages (Upheld at U.S. Supreme Court and satisfied ). United States Tobacco was forced to issue stock to fund this upheld award. Conwood Tobacco v. U.S. Tobacco was an anti-trust case as was Mortensen’s. Bruce MacLeod and Michael Hennigan refused on several occasions to include an anti-trust, RICO or criminal pleading in his case. Again, their lack of action protected Trans Union and Acxiom. Cliff Mortensen was so disappointed in his legal representation at this point that he contacted the law firm of Boies, Schiller and Flexner, LLP for representation. Mr. Boies refused Mortensen’s case for “a variety of reasons”. In 2006, John Blenke, chief counsel at Trans Union offered Mortensen $7,000,000.00 to settle with secrecy. Mortensen rejected that offer. This offer was made in the presence of Ralph Wegis and Bruce MacLeod. John Blenke closed the meeting with the statement to Cliff Mortensen “Cliff, you can call me at any time to discuss settlement”! Cliff Mortensen was taken aback. He thought he had his own legal counsel. What were Bruce Mac Leod and Ralph Wegis being paid for? This was unethical for John Blenke to address Cliff Mortensen as he did. It was equally unethical for Bruce MacLeod and Ralph Wegis not to object and say nothing. They were paid five million dollars to say nothing? Where was the advocacy? Since Mortensen’s case was under seal, Trans Union and Acxiom had no motivation to “true up” with Cliff Mortensen and settle for their data theft and wire fraud. They did not admit to their theft and wire fraud until seven years later at settlement. Then they wanted a secret settlement as their admission of wire fraud crimes would “be embarrassing to Penny Pritzker and the Trans Union organization”. It also would have exposed securities fraud and wire fraud. Bruce MacLeod and Michael Hennigan were always willing to oblige DLA Piper’s secrecy wishes. Under Bruce MacLeod’s guidance the case was progressing very slowly through the courts. Mortensen had large financial obligations and he informed Bruce MacLeod of his dire financial condition for years, yet Bruce MacLeod still kept the case progression slow and under seal. He suggested that Mortensen borrow $200,000.00 from Ralph Wegis to help his financial position. That money only lasted six months. Bruce MacLeod suggested that Cliff Mortensen allow all of his real estate investments to go into foreclosure. He was insolvent by 2007 and forced into a weak settlement position. On settlement day, Mortensen was in debt approximately $5,000,000.00 and had already liquidated about $3,000,000.00 of his personal assets. Bruce MacLeod had copies of Cliff Mortensen’s tax returns. MacLeod has extensive accounting expertise and he understood Cliff Mortensen’s untenable financial and emotional position. Bruce MacLeod’s actions had “broken” Mortensen emotionally and financially. He set him up for minimal settlement. Five years before settlement, Bruce MacLeod had Mortensen petition the Court to explain his insolvency. XII. DUAL CONFLICTED REPRESENTATION Incredibly, prior to settlement, Bruce MacLeod suggested that he (Bruce MacLeod) “become employed by opposing counsel, DLA Piper or Trans Union to facilitate settlement”. His stated theory was that it “would entice Trans Union to settle” as Bruce Mac Leod would then be barred from accepting any new cases against Trans Union or Acxiom. He told Cliff Mortensen he did not want to go against Trans Union or Acxiom again. (Mortensen thought that was the “traditional” way lawyers were paid). He stated that it would be illegal for him to decline other similar cases unless he was employed by opposing counsel and/or Trans Union. Cliff Mortensen was flabbergasted! He believed Bruce MacLeod was either breaking the law or at least violating California State Bar ethics. He could not believe what Bruce MacLeod was saying. Cliff Mortensen told him “absolutely not”! Mortensen felt this would be legal malpractice and certainly not in his best interest. He no longer had any trust in Bruce MacLeod, Michael Hennigan or their law firm. He began to believe that the fraternal relationship with DLA Piper was even cozier than suspected. On August 15, 2012, Mortensen discovered that both firms had been working together for the John Hancock Insurance Company on the Parmalat (Italy) bankruptcy case and Catholic Church litigation for years. Had Mortensen known this, he would have terminated Hennigan, Bennett and Dorman post haste. XIII. LACK OF TRIAL PREPARATION Mortensen was forced into a weak settlement position particularly when Bruce said “Don’t start believing your own b******” (not very encouraging). Still, there were no “trial ready” motions or “at issue memoranda” filed on Mortensen’s behalf. Bruce MacLeod never demanded a “true up” of what was owed to Mortensen. The delays accommodating Trans Union and Acxiom Corporation continued. The case was not positioned for serious settlement negotiations. Cliff Mortensen was financially broke and emotionally broken and unable to continue with the stalled litigation. Cliff Mortensen’s hacked and stolen data was valued in excess of $100,000,000.00 (per contract breach) by forensic accountant and appraiser Monica Ip of HemmingMorse, San Francisco, CA. There were at least one hundred other Trans Union franchised bureaus in similar situations. XIV. MEDIATION At the suggestion of Michael Hennigan, mediation took place at the law offices of Antonio Piazza of Gregorio, Haldeman and Piazza in San Francisco. This was the first time Mortensen had ever met Michael Hennigan. During mediation, Cliff Mortensen stated to his lawyers that he wanted Trans Union to offer a settlement figure before he did. They all said “no” that Cliff Mortensen “would have to come up with a figure first”. Cliff Mortensen felt this would be bidding against himself and not good strategy. His lawyers gave no guidance in developing a settlement strategy or case settlement value during or prior to mediation. Mr. Wegis said Mortensen had “fought the good fight” but it was “time to settle”. Mortensen’s lawyers were silent during the Anthony Piazza meeting. Cliff Mortensen felt he had been set up and railroaded into settlement. Bruce MacLeod, Michael Hennigan, and Ralph Wegis offered no counsel or guidance during the mediation. Mortensen was forced to fend for himself with three of his high powered attorneys present and silent as lambs. Mortensen’s State Farm Insurance paid ($1,000,000.00+) to attorney, Steve Baron of Mandell Menkes, Chicago, IL, who was absent as was Amy Stewart of the Rose Law Firm representing Acxiom Corporation. Acxiom had an indemnity clause from Trans Union regarding liability. XV. SETTLEMENT AND FAILURE TO CLAIM DISGORGEMENT OF PROFITS Eventually, during the mediation, Cliff Mortensen proposed a settlement figure of $15,000,000.00. Anthony Piazza said “No” he “would not present the offer to Trans Union”. This refusal violated negotiation protocol. Anthony Piazza said the figure was “too high” but he did not say on what he based his conclusion. He just pulled a number out of the air with no consideration for the professional forensic appraisal of Monica Ip at HemmingMorse. Attorney Anthony Piazza was supposed to be a neutral mediator. His bias toward Trans Union and Acxiom and his lack of neutrality cost Mortensen a fortune. He then beat Cliff Mortensen down to $10,000,000.00. Cliff Mortensen’s lawyers were silent and did not advocate his position at all. The smirk on Michael O’Neil’s face revealed the incongruity of the settlement. Bruce MacLeod did not inform Cliff Mortensen of the massive similar cyber crimes litigation in which Trans Union was involved. During mediation, Bruce Mac Leod made no demand for disgorgement of profits from Trans Union or Acxiom. The case settled on October 31, 2007 for $11,000,000.00. The settlement called for forgiveness of all transgressions “known or unknown” and global settlement with a non-disclosure clause and a $500,000.00 penalty for breach clause. This allowed Trans Union to profit from Cliff Mortensen’s database in present and future credit products. Mortensen received $6,000,000.00 and his lawyers received $5,000,000.00. From Mortensen’s proceeds he repaid Mr. Wegis the $200,000.00 loan from his retirement fund plus interest. He also paid Wood & Porter Attorneys (referred by Bruce MacLeod) $125,000.00 for tax advice since Michael Hennigan said during the mediation that his firm did not dispense tax advice. Bruce MacLeod cautioned Cliff Mortensen to be very conservative with any settlement money as it may be needed it to pay federal taxes. Bruce MacLeod and Michael Hennigan knew it was a “net negative” settlement. Yet, they remained silent. So much for Super Lawyers! Nowhere has this settlement of data theft been publicly acknowledged in required 8-K, 10-K and S-1 filings for Trans Union LLC and Acxiom or elsewhere. This violated Security and Exchange Rules and kept the investors uninformed of this data theft litigation. John Blenke, chief counsel for Trans Union, initially offered Cliff Mortensen $7,000,000.00 in 2006 to settle secretly. This should have been public information. His signature is on the 8-K, 10-K and S-1 filings for Trans Union. Acxiom Corporation had similar filing requirements. Trans Union benefitted from insider knowledge and insider trading of Acxiom stock. Trans Union was not forthright in disclosing their data theft and fraud lawsuits and settlements in their initial public offering of Trans Union stock. The day Cliff Mortensen settled for $6,000,000.00 net, he was bankrupt by three million dollars and Bruce MacLeod knew it. He, Ralph Wegis and Michael Hennigan settled Cliff Mortensen into bankruptcy. Bruce Mac Leod had earlier petitioned the Court on Mortensen’s insolvency yet he denied knowledge of Mortensen’s finances when he was queried recently by Mr. Eli Morgenstern of the California State Bar. This was not Mortensen’s plan for successful prosecution of the case. Cliff Mortensen subsequently defaulted on seventeen real estate loans (government insured) totaling millions of dollars. He felt he was forced to settle as his lawyers had no plans to take his case to trial and the opposition knew it. Cliff Mortensen was not “made whole” and the subject was never mentioned by Bruce MacLeod, Ralph Wegis , Michael Hennigan, Antonio Piazza, Michael O’Neil or Steve Baron. Two weeks after the mediation and prior to final settlement Cliff Mortensen asked Bruce MacLeod if the mediation was binding. Cliff Mortensen wanted to cancel it. Bruce MacLeod lied when he stated that the mediation was indeed “binding and could not be cancelled”. This was not true. Cliff Mortensen relied on Bruce MacLeod’s false statement. This is malpractice. XVI. DESTRUCTION OF COURT RECORDS There was a confidentiality agreement on the settlement with a $500,000.00 penalty clause if Cliff Mortensen breached it. DLA Piper demanded that Cliff Mortensen destroy all personal court records, documents and digital records of the legal proceedings. Cliff Mortensen did not destroy them. Bruce MacLeod maintained all of his legal records and case log history on his computer. He has that digital record today. Two years after settlement Ralph Wegis returned to Cliff Mortensen all legal documents in his possession. Bruce MacLeod refused to do the same when requested. He destroyed them against Cliff Mortensen’s wishes. XVII. INITIAL PUBLIC OFFERING CANCELLED In April of 2011, Cliff Mortensen posted the details of the case on Yahoo! Finance. Within 72 hours he received a disturbing telephone call from an irate Bruce MacLeod, McKool Smith Hennigan, who threatened Cliff Mortensen with legal repercussions from DLA Piper and demanded that he “take down” the offensive posting immediately. Mortensen informed him that he would not remove the posting. Oddly, Bruce MacLeod stated that he “did not and could not represent Mortensen any longer” and he had attorney Andrew Swartz of Spiering, Swartz and Kennedy of Monterey call him. Mr. Swartz stated that Bruce MacLeod requested that he call as Mortensen was in need of representation. Mr. Swartz was clueless about the call. Mortensen thanked him for his concern and told him he had no legal issues presently. The next day Mortensen received another disturbing call from equally irate opposing counsel, Michael O’Neil of DLA Piper. He threatened to sue Mortensen for $500,000.00 and to enjoin him from breaching the confidentiality agreement. He demanded that Mortensen take down the Yahoo! Finance posting. Mortensen informed Mr. O’Neil that he had every legal right to discuss any federal crimes committed against him at anytime and anywhere he chose. Michael O’Neil of DLA Piper queried emphatically “Why now”? He followed up his request in email format at Cliff Mortensen’s request. Trans Union was in the process of an Initial Public Offering and this theft and fraud case secret settlement could have been an issue of concern at the Securities and Exchange Commission. Hennigan, Bennett and Dorman (Los Angeles) merged with McKool and Smith (Texas) in September of 2011 to form McKool, Smith and Hennigan in Los Angeles. On July 5, 2011, Ernst and Young filed a Consent form S-1 for Trans Union’s Initial Public Offering (TRUN). John Blenke’s name was listed on that filing as Executive Vice President and Corporate Counsel for Trans Union. The underwriting investment banks, Deutsche Bank, J.P. Morgan Chase, Credit Suisse, BofA Merrill Lynch and Morgan Stanley were published and the registration fee of $37,732.50 had been paid. The proposed maximum aggregate initial offering was for $325,000,000.00. The Trans Union IPO (TRUN) was withdrawn February 17, 2012. Apparently there was fear of potential trouble at the Securities and Exchange Commission. In August of 2011, four months after Cliff Mortensen “went public” on Yahoo! Finance about Acxiom, Acxiom Corporation announced the planned buyback of $150,000,000.00 worth of Acxiom stock. In February of 2013 they raised the amount of Acxiom stock buyback to $200,000,000.00 XVIII. CHANGE OF OWNERSHIP In 2010, Trans Union was sold to a partnership of Madison Dearborn Partners, LLC. Trans Union sold again to Goldman Sachs’ GS Capital Partners and Advent International for 3.2 billion dollars in early 2012. The database of Trans Union is the result of massive data theft and fraud. The Marmon Group and the Pritzkers wanted to distance themselves from the criminal activity at Trans Union. The Marmon Group had earlier been sold to Berkshire Hathaway, the company headed by Warren Buffett. The sale was handled by GoldmanSachs. Trans Union and Acxiom Corporations have “cleaned house” of upper management. “Bobby” (Siddharth) Mehta, Trans Union’s president has stepped down. Oscar Marquis and David Emery have also stepped down. Harry Gambill (former president of Trans Union is now on the board of directors at Black Oak Partners, of Little Rock, AR) and no longer with Trans Union. Bill Rogers of Trans Union, and Charles Morgan (former CEO of Acxiom Corporation) have been replaced as well as much of upper management of both Trans Union LLC and Acxiom Corporation. Chet Wiermanski, former Global Chief Scientist at Trans Union has recently departed Trans Union. While at Trans Union he was responsible for the algorithmic conversions of Trans Union’s stolen credit files to credit “attributes” and “characteristics”. He is currently employed at Black Oak Partners where he is the expert on Credit InsightTM solutions. Chet Wiermanski is also a visiting scholar at the Federal Reserve Board in Philadelphia. Cliff Mortensen has never heard from DLA Piper, Amy Stewart, the Rose Law Firm, Michael O’Neil, Bruce MacLeod, Ralph Wegis or Michael Hennigan again. XIX. MALPRACTICE 1. Bruce MacLeod filed the case “under seal with a protective order” against the wishes and demands of Cliff Mortensen.
2. Bruce Mac Leod failed to include causes of action for wire fraud, RICO, anti-trust, SLAPP Back, stock fraud or malicious prosecution lawsuits.
3. Bruce MacLeod failed to file a claim with State Farm Insurance Company for theft of data. Cliff Mortensen had business policy with State Farm Insurance Compnay.
4. Bruce MacLeod failed to disclose that both Bruce MacLeod and DLA Piper (adversary) both represented John Hancock Life Insurance Company v. Bank of America in the Parmalat bankruptcy.
5. Bruce MacLeod failed to disclose that DLA Piper and Hennigan, Bennett and Dorman both represented the Catholic Church.
6. Bruce MacLeod allowed ten depositions of Cliff Mortensen (abusive) and no depositions of the Penny Pritzker or Robert Pritzker, the “de facto” owners of Trans Union and hundreds of millions of dollars worth of Acxiom securities. Cliff Mortensen protested to Bruce MacLeod that this was not fair or in his best interest.
7. Bruce MacLeod demanded to see all of Cliff Mortensen’s personal and business tax records and none from the Penny Pritzker , Robert Pritzker, Trans Union or Acxiom.
8. Bruce MacLeod failed to include “extortion” claims against David Emery, Chief Financial Officer of Trans Union and Alice Conlon, the credit bureau liaison for Trans Union.
9. Bruce MacLeod, Michael Hennigan and Ralph Wegis failed to advise Mortensen during mediation. Mortensen’s lawyers sat in silence.
10. Bruce MacLeod, Michael Hennigan and Rallph Wegis failed to force mediator, Anthony Piazza, to deliver Mortensen’s demand for $15,000,000.00 to Trans Union during mediation.
11. Bruce MacLeod suggested that he go to work for Trans Union so that he “could never again sue Trans Union or Acxiom”. This dual representation of both plaintiff and defendant was not in Mortensen’s best interests. Mortensen never agreed to this.
12. Bruce MacLeod, Michael Hennigan and Ralph Wegis settled Mortensen into bankruptcy. Mortensen subsequently defaulted on 17 government insured real estate loans.
13. When Mortensen wanted to cancel the settlement he asked Bruce MacLeod if it was binding, Bruce McLeod lied and stated that it could not be cancelled and was indeed binding. This was a lie that cost Mortensen dearly.
14. Bruce MacLeod let the case languish for seven years. At the time of mediation no “at issue” or trial ready motions had been filed with the court.
15. MacLeod was ordered by Mortensen to remove the case from protective order and unseal it. He refused on ten occasions. This was a fiduciary failure that weakened the value of Mortensen’s case.
16. Cliff Mortensen informed Bruce MacLeod of his insolvency and still he let the case languish for seven years. This benefitted Trans Union and Acxiom and forced Mortensen to settle the case which was a bankrupt settlement. Mortensen was not made whole.
17. Bruce MacLeod failed to notify the Securities and Exchange Commission of
insider trading and securities fraud at Trans Union and Acxiom.
18. Bruce Mac Leod failed to file a disgorgement of profits cause of action
against Trans Union and Acxiom. XX. SUMMARY Bruce MacLeod and Michael Hennigan placed their own professional profitable relationships with DLA Piper above Mortensen’s financial interests and well being. They deliberately stalled and cloaked the case in secrecy to Mortensen’s detriment and to the benefit of Trans Union, Acxiom, DLA Piper and HBD Lawyers while they were working at the same time on the huge international Parmalat bankruptcy where they represented John Hancock Life Insurance Company (v. Bank of America) and the Roman Catholic Church cases with DLA Piper. Their actions caused Cliff Mortensen and his family great financial and emotional harm.
The damage to Mortensen’s credit is ongoing, yet Trans Union’s credit rating is unblemished after defrauding and destroying the businesses of over one hundred Trans Union credit bureau franchisees. The owners lost billions of dollars. Trans Union’s criminal actions depleted Mortensen’s substantial net worth. As of this date, more than 600 independent credit bureaus have been put out of business by the anti-trust and unfair business practices of Trans Union, Experian and Equifax credit companies. Most customer service divisions of these bureaus have been greatly curtailed or moved off shore. The Federal Trade Commission has been investigating the lack of customer service and rampant violations of the Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA) for eight years. “Sixty Minutes” ran a story on February 11, 2013, which exposed the disdain Equifax, Experian and Trans Union have for the Fair Credit Reporting Act and the accuracy of consumers’ credit files. When local bureaus were privately owned the customer service was superior. Ten thousand American credit bureau customer service employees have been terminated since the monopolistic practices of Experian, Equifax and Trans Union were implemented and all local bureaus were put out of business. Messrs. MacLeod and Hennigan can be reached presently at The Law Firm of McKool Smith and Hennigan, 865 Figueroa St., Los Angeles, CA 90017, 213.694.1200. They are partners there. Mr. Hennigan can also be reached also at Quail H Farms, 5301 Robin Avenue, Livingston, CA 95334, 209.394.8001 Certified as true and correct, February 11, 2013 Cliff Mortensen 933 W. Alisal St.
Salinas, CA 93901
831.320.3565
[email protected] Pat Mortensen |
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