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Months after issuing public apologies, Doug Phillips threatens legal action against three former Vision Forum associates, Jordan Muela, Peter Bradrick, and Bob Renaud.
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This is an important development in the Doug Phillips scandal. Previously, Doug Phillips issued two statements of repentance for all to see, now World Magazine is reporting that Doug Phillips has threatened legal action against three long-time former Vision Forum associates: Peter Bradrick, Jordan Muela, and Bob Renaud.
But the travail is not over: On March 13 Phillips’ attorney sent a letter to three of Phillips’ former friends and associates charging that “the three of you have conspired together, and with others, in an attempt to destroy Doug Phillips, his family and Vision Forum Inc.”
Further in the article:
Phillips’ attorney sent a letter on March 13 to Peter Bradrick, Jordan Muela, and Bob Renaud—three of the men who confronted Phillips last October. The letter accused the men of orchestrating a campaign of slander against Phillips, and conspiring to “destroy Doug Phillips, his family, and Vision Forum Inc.” (VFI stopped selling products from its website at the end of last year, but it appears Phillips retains ownership of the company.)
The letter threatened a lawsuit but also discussed Christian conciliation. The letter noted Phillips plans to advance claims against “Vision Forum Ministries and its board members,” though the nature of those claims is unclear. Meanwhile, the woman may sue Phillips. She declined comment through her attorney, citing possible litigation, and Phillips’ attorney said her legal claims (still undefined publicly) are “false, defamatory, and made with malicious intent. …” (Link)
The entire article is very well done and does line up with reports from my Source(s).
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Spiritual Sounding Board 
‘Phillips’ attorney sent a letter to three of Phillips’ former friends and associates charging that “the three of you have conspired together, and with others, in an attempt to destroy Doug Phillips, his family and Vision Forum Inc.”’
So typical of a narcissist. Phillips gets his freak on with a woman who is not his wife, and his downfall is everyone else’s fault. Not terribly repentant. Is anyone really surprised?
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It certainly is retaliatory. It so reminds me of my former situation. When I said I was going to start my blog, he posted a threat that he would take legal action. When my blog went public, I got sued.
When Meaghan left her comment on my blog using her name, he sued her.
You threaten someone with narcissist behavior, and they go after you.
You cannot confront a narcissist and tell them they are wrong with out repercussions. This is bully behavior.
The article talks about slander. Yea right. Doug, read my BGBC archives. You won’t win. First of all, so much of this stuff is church related and the courts won’t involve themselves in this. Secondly, even if the guys are wrong (which I do not believe to be the case), if they BELIEVE they are right, then Doug has already lost the lawsuit.
Doug Phillips – it’s time to man up and take the consequences for your bad behavior.
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Mature men practice honesty and take responsibility for their mistakes. (Oh, and they treat women as equals too — Christian Patriarchy leaders, take note.) For all his rhetoric on “manhood”, Phillips hasn’t been acting like a mature man.
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What the what???!!! Any credibility this guy may have continued to have has all been lost.
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I read this in my Bible reading this morning: Do not be called leaders; for One is your Leader, that is, Christ. (Matthew 23:10 NASB)
I thought that was interesting, so I looked at several other translations (NIV, ESV, NET – thank goodness for electronic Bibles) and they chose “teachers” or “instructors” for their translations (makes me wonder why NASB translators chose “leaders” over “teachers”). But one thing I see in that whole passage (Matthew 23:1-12) is that no one is to consider themselves above anyone else. And that is the problem I see with all if these issues, whether it is Gothard or Phillips. They consider themselves above and better than others and that they have the right to tell others how to live.
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Dear Julie Anne,
Thank you for your reporting on Doug Phillips. I’m curious as to whether you know Jenn Epstein who has a blog devoted to DP and was a former member of his church. Her blog has been radio silent for over a month. I wonder if she and her co-author have also been threatened with legal action?
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This clearly shows there is not an ounce of repentance on Phillips’ part. He is only sorry he got caught.
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Dottie: I do not believe so. I’ve read a couple comments that Jen Epstein works full-time and they both have been tied up.
Also, if they were threatened, I have no doubt they would have disclosed this.
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Brad/futuristguy spent hundreds of hours on the BGBC archives covering my lawsuit, providing court documentation, commentary from around the nets, analysis, etc. Brad really did this work to help survivors. However, in this case, it would be good for Doug’s attorney to read up on what will likely happen in this case. What a colossal waste of time/money/emotional and physical energy. Oh, and just a minor detail – – the Bible says you shouldn’t be suing!
Doug’s attorney would be wise to read up. Frankly, that an attorney would consider taking a case likes this shows the attorney to be lacking some common sense. Most attorneys know that a defamation lawsuit (I’m assuming that is the kind of lawsuit that would be filed) is rarely won. And I also hear that Texas has anti-SLAPP law which means that once the 3 former associates file that baby, there is no discovery process, no interrogations, the case would be frozen until Doug’s attorney can provide compelling proof of defamation to the court.
This threat and potential legal action is just ridiculous. It’s a grown man having a 2-yr old temper tantrum because he’s not getting what he wants.
Since Phillips is in Texas, any lawsuit would likely be filed in TX. Here is helpful info on Anti-SLAPP in TX: http://slappedintexas.com/primer/
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Now this is Doug Phillips being Doug Phillips. I hope his former sychopants don’t buy into his “reconciliation” attempts. Philiips makes sure he controls that. Will he really sue? I doubt he would want “discovery” on not only his past patterns of behavior but VF finances. This is nothing more but his MO scare tactics. Perhaps he thinks his mind games will continue to work on these young men. Maybe they will. It can look awfully “pious” to agree to “reconciliation”. But it is a fools game with a narcissist.
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Let me get this straight — Doug Phillips committed adultery with a young member of his own congregation, got caught, resigned as an elder of his church, closed his own business, and wrote a confession letter which he posted on the internet. Who is going to believe that someone (any one) other than Doug Phillips defamed Doug Phillips?!?!? Someone’s living in an alternative world . . .
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“And I also hear that Texas has anti-SLAPP law which means that once the 3 former associates file that baby, there is no discovery process, no interrogations, the case would be frozen until Doug’s attorney can provide compelling proof of defamation to the court.”
Just like your former “pastor”… lather, rinse, repeat.
It’s as if they MUST be proven right- so much so they will sue before an unbelieving world in order to gain its approval. They know fellow Christians cannot approve of suing, so they reason…I am so incensed by this “slander”, I am going to sue my fellow brothers/sisters in Christ so the whole world (whose opinion I am not supposed to care about) will know,
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Diane, doesn’t he usually accuse those who walk away from him, or try to correct him in any way, of not even being believers? If they’re not truly believers (in his mind), then that would give him biblical “permission” to file lawsuits against them. That seems to be the pattern I’ve seen as I’ve been reading various blogs and comments for the past several months. To me, this just proves how UNrepentant he really is. (Not that I ever believed he was repentant to begin with.) He has absolutely NO humility.
(I’ve been following this blog and a couple of others since October, btw, but this is my first time posting here. We are a family that had started to get wrapped up in the VF way of thinking several years ago, but fortunately began to see red flags and got out before too much damage was done. Still, we’ve had to un-do some things with our girls, especially our oldest because she got the majority of the teachings while we were “sort of” following it.)
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dmaxell
Glad you came out of lurkdom – welcome 🙂
You are absolutely right – it is a common tactic of abusers to retaliate by saying those who challenged/confronted them are unbelievers, unregenerate, etc. They think that gives them the justification.
What does it say about his heart if he says in one sentence might file legal action and then at the same time say something about Christian mediation. Hello??? Wouldn’t the first step be to try to mediate?
A lawsuit would be the very last step after exhausting all other methods. Well, actually, for most Christians, a lawsuit would not enter the equation at all because it mocks Christianity/Christ in such a public way.
I’m glad you and your family saw the light!
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“Let me get this straight — Doug Phillips committed adultery with a young member of his own congregation, got caught, resigned as an elder of his church, closed his own business, and wrote a confession letter which he posted on the internet. Who is going to believe that someone (any one) other than Doug Phillips defamed Doug Phillips?!?!? Someone’s living in an alternative world . . .”
Yeah, like he needed help from anyone else! What a hypocrite!
Why do you suppose Phillips didn’t threaten litigation against Joe Morecraft, who was also part of the “confrontation”?
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“And I also hear that Texas has anti-SLAPP law which means that once the 3 former associates file that baby, there is no discovery process, no interrogations, the case would be frozen until Doug’s attorney can provide compelling proof of defamation to the court.”
Isn’t that exactly what Phillips would want? Do you really think Phillips wants discovery and interrogations to take place? Maybe he’s trying to sucker them into that. The very last thing he needs is to be in court with people compelled to testify about what they know.
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TIA:
TIA: An interesting thing happened in my case. In the first court hearing, my pastor’s attorney told the court they would be interrogating the defendants. Oh, they were very sure of it. I saw the look on my pastor’s face – – this is what he was looking for. I admit, I had a hard time containing my laughter as I sat 18-inches from the man who sued me.
My attorney, a very petite woman, reminded the court that there would be no interrogation and discovery in an anti-SLAPP. She had to essentially educate my pastor’s attorney and the court about what the anti-SLAPP law means.
Now, why would my pastor want discovery/interrogations? Because he convinced himself that he is right and we were wrong. (BTW, he still believes this and blames the court system.)
I wouldn’t doubt that Doug Phillips is the same. After all, who in their right mind would threaten to sue 3 men who confronted him and then later he confessed to the same sins of which he was confronted? Obviously these 3 guys were right on something, huh?
I definitely believe that Doug Phillips would LOVE to have discovery/interrogations. Narcissist control freaks HATE that they don’t have all information. They want to know everything. It drives them crazy that there are people who have key information that they don’t have. And they will actually sue to get that information. Thankfully, the anti-SLAPP prevents that from happening. (I have to admit, I kind of wish that in this case there would be discovery because there might be more ugly truth that would come out and show even more than has been made known.)
I’ve said before – narcissists believe their own lies. They believe they are innocent and everyone else is wrong. You better believe Phillips wants to know what Bradrick, Renaud, and Muela have in their computer files.
Mark my words: if Phillips actually files defamation lawsuit, after the anti-SLAPP is filed, Doug’s attorney will not meet even the first prong of the defamation criteria and certainly won’t pass the 2nd prong (malice). It will be dismissed. Phillips will have to pay Muela, Bradrick, Renaud’s attorney fees.
And then we will all look for round 2 of a two-year old temper tantrum.
Signed and dated,
Julie Anne, March 20, 2014
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My speculation about why Morecraft was not part of the lawsuit is because Morecraft was not part of Vision Forum business like the other 3 were. If he added Morecraft, it would be a hard case to prove that Morecraft destroyed the business when he didn’t have anything to do with it, so it was probably best to leave him off.
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WouldRatherNotSay, you quote Matthew 23:10. The verse right before that is pretty damning evidence against his world view – so much so that it is my first evidence against his teachings.
His world view is patriarchy, literally father rule, and he and others wrote some “tenets of Biblical Patriarchy” that blows up fatherly authority out of proportion to motherly authority and even to God’s authority.
In stark contrast with him, Jesus said:
Mat 23:9 And call no man your father upon the earth: for one is your Father, which is in heaven. – Matthew 23:9
That is not about not using a certain word (“father”), but about authority. It links to the verse you quoted about authority, and to :11 about being servants instead of seeking to be in authority.
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I haven’t had time to read everything here and only skimmed the post. That said, I hope that the people Phillips has threatened with a suit say “Bring it on.”
And I suspect that Morecraft is seen as someone in another category. He was old Chalcedon stock. These other guys are part of Phillips’ boy staff and yes men, from what I can tell — and I don’t mean that as an insult to them. That’s what happens when you team up with someone who runs a spiritually abusive group. You have to be a “yes man” to survive. I feel bad for them, but I hope that they stand up to this bully to expose him for what he is. God will hold them up with the righteousness of His Right Hand. I will pray that.
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dmaxell wrote~
“Diane, doesn’t he usually accuse those who walk away from him, or try to correct him in any way, of not even being believers? If they’re not truly believers (in his mind), then that would give him biblical “permission” to file lawsuits against them.”
Well, that theory would fit in well with the fantasy world he used to live in- fancy costumes, role-playing events, taking dominion over the world through travel, etc.
IOW…this (ex-rapper Owen Strachan should enjoy this too):
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Oh, well, my comment is pretty much the exact same thing as JA’s. OH well. Gotta get ready for my dinner out!
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At one time, I was convinced that those those close to Phillips were yes men. Now, I’m not so convinced – – I do not think they were all privy to the same info – – kind of like that puzzle illustration I used on an earlier post – – they were each part of the puzzle, but were not aware how they all fit together, nor knew what the picture was before them when the puzzle pieces were altogether.
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JA, you didn’t see Peter as a budding young man, obsequiously walking five paces behind Doug, carrying Doug’s purse. And Doug was not nice to him. I said when I saw Doug in action that he would have these boys wipe his bum if he could, just because he could.
I don’t think that Peter had a choice. He came from a really sweet but naive family that was local to San Antonio, and I pray that this foundation of goodness carries him through. He very likely was not a yes man at heart, but he had to be to survive. I pray that he realized who he really can be in Christ, apart from FIC madness.
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I contend that Doug did control people by requiring compliance, but it was much more subtle. It may not have been his more obvious feature, but I know that it was at work. He may not have been worried about typical fundy stuff, but he definitely manipulated people through conformity. I’ve heard it from many people, but few if any will come forward, for obvious reasons.
And that said, I don’t know anything else about these others, but I did observe Phillips with Peter and other boys.
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@JulieAnne:
I’d like to see Douggie ESQUIRE show up in court cosplaying as General Patton or Indiana Jones.
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So Doug is accusing these men of destroying his family and Vision Forum? I think he has done an excellent job of doing this all by himself. JA, do you have any idea how much His wife backs up this behavior? Have any of his relatives pushed back at him? Thanks! Ann
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Headless U G thanks a lot for that mental image :p …Do ya think he might don a uniform… and ride in the back of a Jeep ? (gag)
Phillips is so pathetic.
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What a big baby! He cannot get far with a lawsuit and he is embarrassing himself further but he cannot stand to be overlooked and impotent. He thinks he can at least scare these young men and that’s good enough for him.
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From Jen Epstein’s last post on the Allosaurus fakeumentary:
“Doug Phillips is hasty to resort to legal intimidation. He has legally threatened dozens of people. To my knowledge Doug Phillips has never actually taken anyone to trial. Rather, he only threatens to take them to court, but out of the goodness of his heart he agrees to settle with them out of court, provided they keep their mouths shut, i.e. they must sign a Non-Disclosure Agreement.”
I guess this is par for the course for him. You know, it seems as though guys like Phillips, Driscoll, Gothard, Mahaney, etc. are sort of like Mel Brooks’ Torquemada; they just won’t go away.
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Marsha, what’s really funny is that these young were selected to be his associates because they are intelligent and could make him look good. Phillips taught them a lot so in a sense, he is fighting against himself.
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@NJ:
Here in SoCal, we had a law firm that was making a lotta bank doing that a couple years ago, shaking down mom-and-pop small businesses too small to afford lawyers. Said law firm ended up getting disbarred. All of them. For shady business practices. Despite their protests that “Everything we did was LEGAL!”
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Well, thankfully since these 3 guys know how he works, they will be expecting that kind of thing.
Peter, Jordan, and Bob – – if you are reading this: PLEASE DON’T SIGN A THING. Stand on your own two feet, your integrity and your testimony. Just say “NO!!” to Doug Phillips. Truth will prevail in court, exonerating you, and exposing him. Let Mr. Toad hop in circles. That’s about the only place he can go now.
Signing anything initiated by Phillips indicates that he is still in control. He does not own you. He does not get to intimidate you anymore. He may sue you (which I understand is an emotional roller coaster), but then the court will decide. He won’t win. You have truth on your side and witnesses.
There are many who can now see through Phillips’ nonsense. We stand with you.
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“Now, why would my pastor want discovery/interrogations? Because he convinced himself that he is right and we were wrong.”
Julie Anne, this seems to be such a text book response. Don’t listen, don’t discuss, just pronounce judgment. How can people operate this way? I can only assume there must be some serious deception going on.
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He has raised to a new height of toolness. I bow to the “master”.
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Please, brian, you’ll just boost his ego. Remember narcissists like any and all attention: both positive and negative.
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Yes sorry
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I forgive you. haha
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JA, I asked earlier in the post about Beall and the kids. I guess a better question would be, are they getting any support? Or rather do they want or need outside support? I do see his kids as victims in this situation. With Doug’s lawsuit, he is cutting off any further support the kids may have from others. He is continuing to be a horrible role model for his kids and neglects to see how his actions are causing them more harm. Thanks.
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This is exactly what Doug wants to do: http://thewartburgwatch.com/2011/08/05/peacemakers-ministries-true-conflict-resolution/
Peacemaker Ministries perfected this business of playing down the statute of limitations, playing on Christian sympathy, and baiting people into mediation to get victims to clam up. Business people who were offered contracts with Phillips, requiring them to agree to mediation. I think that people are better off going to court than trying to negotiate with these folks.
I had a mechanic who used to fly jets in the Israeli Navy before becoming a citizen here. He said that you can never negotiate with a snake. They always bite you.
I hope that these who are accused will take this to heart. He’s using intimidation tactics to silence whomever he can. He has nothing to lose and I understand that he has plenty of money. If he can get some small concessions, he’s the better for it. *He has nothing to lose, and anything he gains is better than the nothing he has now.*
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As a former associate of Bob, Peter, and Jordan I stand in solidarity with their actions.
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Ryan: I greatly appreciate you stepping forward with your full name in public to support Bob, Peter, and Jordan.
Bravo! May many more follow suit. It’s time to turn the tables in Doug Phillips’ imaginary temple.
“The LORD is on my side; I will not fear. What can man do to me?” Ps 118:6
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Whoa…. The insanity just keeps on coming…
Driscoll, Strachan, CBMW, now Phillips is back in the news… Good thing it’s spring break here in Japan now. I might actually have a chance to get caught up on reading everything. 😉
And Phillips is a lawyer!? He must not be a very good one, if he has no idea what the definition of slander is, or how an anti-SLAPP motion works.
I think you’ve got him pegged, Julie Anne. He’s actually delusional enough to think that the law is on his side, and that discovery will prove him right. Either that, or he’s trusting that these 3 protoges of his are still under his cult spell, and will just acquiesce to their former guru out of sheer force of habit.
How I would loooooooove to see Phillips proven wrong. 🙂
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If these guys jump into mediation with Phillips, it will be tragedy of Joe Taylor all over again. This is what Phillips does. He threatens lawsuits, and then he dupes people into signing away their rights in a mediation, much like happens when some have used Peacemaker Ministries which gives more negotiating power to the religious authority.
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It sounds like DP wants to go back into the homeschool business and is concerned that his tribe is turning on him. He needs them in order to make a come back.
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“In the Devil’s theology, the most important thing is to be Absolutely Right and to prove everyone else to be Absolutely Wrong.”
— Thomas Merton, “Moral Theology of the Devil”
http://thegroundoffaith.net/issues/2008-10/Merton.htm
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I wonder if Phillips is thinking that he can get them for posts that were made online (Facebook are the ones I am aware of) by each of these 3 men. I believe I remember each of these guys posting something (although I don’t think DP’s name was mentioned) after his resignation. Of course, this doesn’t make his lawsuit hold any more water…I am just wondering if this is the angle Phillips is working?
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“If these guys jump into mediation with Phillips, it will be tragedy of Joe Taylor all over again. This is what Phillips does. He threatens lawsuits, and then he dupes people into signing away their rights in a mediation, much like happens when some have used Peacemaker Ministries which gives more negotiating power to the religious authority.”
Exactly. And he is setting up his typical false dichotomy. If they won’t agree to mediation then they are not real Christians but he is because he sought it. It is the old saw: He who defines, wins. And Phillips always “defines”. The problem is people allow him to do that. They should stop it there. He does not get to define. One does not “mediate” with a charalatan. That is ridiculous.
But the bigger lesson for those watching grown men vie for power is NEVER attach yourself to a celebrity Christian or one man show type of person. It rarely ends well. And we are seeing it all over what calls itself “Christendom”.
Phillips loves liberty for himself only.
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“And Phillips is a lawyer!? He must not be a very good one, if he has no idea what the definition of slander is, or how an anti-SLAPP motion works.”
This is about the lawyerly tactic of gumming up the works. What he is doing is putting ideas in peoples heads that he is the victim and this is his only recourse. This is more a PR move than anything IMO. He is a narcissist so don’t look for right/wrong. Look for it being all about him being the victim. The question is does he still have resources (as in big names from his daddy’s days) he can scare people with? Has DP worn out his welcome? Does he have anything left to offer those with gravitas?
“I t”hink you’ve got him pegged, Julie Anne. He’s actually delusional enough to think that the law is on his side, and that discovery will prove him right.”
I am not so sure it is a question of whether the law is on his side. Sometimes you can scare people or wear them down. How in the world would “discovery” work with all of VF so jumbled. That could be a nightmare. My question is whether some of the board members would go after him. The last thing they want is publicity for how they allowed VF to run. How will something like this affect Scott Brown, for instance?
” Either that, or he’s trusting that these 3 protoges of his are still under his cult spell, and will just acquiesce to their former guru out of sheer force of habit.
”
That seems plausible for me. These guys most likely still believe similar to what they believed about Patriarchy. They were under his spell. Most likely they have not had time to get rid of all their cult thinking. My guess is that they are somewhat scared of him. It can take many years to get that way of thinking changed and be able to see the great DP as the bully weanie he really is.
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I missed this part, Cindy. Actually, Bradricks are from my area in the Pacific NW. I’m pretty sure only Peter went to San Antonio as an intern. His parents have been prominent in the homeschool community up here in God’s country (the green side, not the desert side – which I still say is God’s country – lol).
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Phillip and Stephen Bradrick were also interns in S.A…. Stephen was trained with the *protection* unit. http://www.iaepa.us/executive-protection-training-student-testimonials.
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Man, I thought Peter was from a family in the Texas Hill Country, closer to where I lived at the time. There was an entourage of boys/young men on that day that the comment was made, and my church friend must have been talking about another one of the bunch. I was sure that we were talking about Peter for whom I felt especially bad, as he caught my attention as one of the older ones that Doug almost sneered at. (I have a friend who witnessed similar scenes while Peter was still pretty young.) I sat there, perplexed at the scene. It’s something to watch Doug and all of the feet following behind him, like he’s some kind of king. I clearly misunderstood. (I never saw anything like it before. I found it creepy.)
It makes sense then that Peter moved back out to the Pacific NW. I wondered why he hadn’t returned to his family “home” in Texas. It wasn’t his home to start with.
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Julie Anne,
I’ll concede that any mountains that are thick with green are God’s country! I told my grandfather that the Smokies were the most beautiful mountains I’d seen, and that Blue Ridge Parkway was breathtaking, too. He scolded me for forsaking my home near the Poconos and then fended for the heart of the Appalachians where he lived. He called it God’s Country, too. 🙂
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It’s like you said on Twitter, JA. The man seems to have forgotten the part in Scripture about not suing fellow believers. Although perhaps he considers their questioning him as apostasy and so he gets to treat them like if they aren’t his brothers in Christ now.
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Tim,
Phillips uses the same loophole that Peacemaker Ministries embraces, something Ken Sande has written in his book. If you can declare a person no longer Christian, they teach that it is right to sue them, because they are no longer part of the Ekklesia. Then you can sue them for “justice.” So there is a trend in many of these churches to call up ecclesial courts, and church authorities are pressured to make a declaration of judgement against a person. This is then used to justify taking legal action against another Christian.
Page 282 of Sande’s Peacemaker states that “if your opponent still refuses to cooperate [with church discipline measures], and if these advisors conclude that your opponent is behaving ‘as a nonbeliever’ and that your action is worth pursing, you may be able to proceed with a lawsuit.”
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Cindy, I live in the desert of WA. I originally thought it was ugly. Now I am in awe of the beauty here. You just have to look a little more closely. I don’t complain about 300 days of sun each year after living in rainy Portland which is only 4 hrs away.
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This is so frightening. The threat of legal action as described in the article sounds like the response of someone who is not rational. I am so worried for his family. To expect someone to bow down after all of this — the threats seem wholly out of touch with reality. What legal action could he possibly take against these men??
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NB,
Welcome! He can file a defamation lawsuit if he finds a foolish atty who will take his case.
He’s not going to win any lawsuit (my opinion). He’s behaving like a 2-yr old who got his candy taken away. The sad thing, as you have acknowledged, is that surely his family are victims, too. What an embarrassment for them. I hope they can recover from this.
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“It’s like you said on Twitter, JA. The man seems to have forgotten the part in Scripture about not suing fellow believers.”
In their twisted little universe those that are against you are not Christians and it is the eternal will of a Holy Faithful Loving Father who sent His Son as the Prince of Peace to rip their throats out with great passion. I always found that a bit strange, but I lack their spiritual insight.
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This idea has churned in my brain all day.
I have heard that Phillips offered people contracts that required them to accept mediation in the event of a dispute, and the mediation had to take place in Texas. (The contracts may have even specified that VF had the right to pick the mediator. I don’t know.)
Could the reason that Morecraft was not named and these others were threatened be a consequence of a contract they likely signed with Vision Forum when they were hired or when their help was sought? Did they essentially sign away their rights to speak in a negative light about VF and/or Doug? If it is unlikely that Doug’s charges don’t meet the requirements for defamation, perhaps a signed contract of this nature provides the basis for Doug’s action.
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Boy— Peacemakers has a great gig. They are paid by the very people they “mediate” for. I mean, can people not see the conflict of interest there? Amazing what people will sign when they think it is “Christian”. It often isn’t.
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“Did they essentially sign away their rights to speak in a negative light about VF and/or Doug? If it is unlikely that Doug’s charges don’t meet the requirements for defamation, perhaps a signed contract of this nature provides the basis for Doug’s action.”
Cindy, that is most likely what this is all about. Isn’t this a variation of what happened with Joe Taylor? Doug knows what he is doing. If they signed something similar to what you describe then they broke the “contract” and are forced into mediation. And we both know what happens in “mediation”. It always ends with a “no talk” agreement.
These guys are all about censorship.
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Maybe, but I know I don’t have a signed contract of that nature…
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If it says “mediation”, then the law in Texas says there is no force to agree, just to discuss, and the suit can still go to court. If it says “arbitration”, the the arbitration will generally be upheld, as long as there is an appearance of fairness in the original agreement to arbitrate and the selection of the arbitrator. And, btw, the mediator is NOT to testify in court or be deposed about the mediation, and what happens in the mediation is to be confidential, other than any agreement that may result from it.
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Um, er, sorry but I kept thinking about this cartoon 😉 …. regarding Duggie… http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hxGgnI6kCrs
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There were no non-disclosure agreements signed. That is not an issue.
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Thanks Ryan and wantingthetruth for that information. That’s good to know.
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I would also like to caution all the readers here who may also be reading the articles at Jen’s Gems to please be aware that much of what is written on Jen’s blog is exaggerated and inaccurate. Julie Anne thus far has had the most accurate posts on the Doug Phillips scandal as she has no agenda unlike Jen and Peter Kershaw.
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Wantingthetruth: Who is Peter Kershaw?
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Keith,
It was the subject of a previous post:
https://spiritualsoundingboard.com/2014/01/27/tw-eston-co-blogger-at-jens-gems-blog-is-a-rushdoony-fan-and-a-kinist/
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Thanks Cindy K. I just reviewed it.
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I second wantingthetruth. Jensgems still contains numerous half-truths.
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actually she doesn’t………she’s on target with all of it…….the only thing that’s “off” is that in the article it states it was an 8 year relationship. It was a 12 year relationship.
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actually employees DID sign NDA…….but I am pretty sure that it was just for while they were working for VF and under DP. He used enough weapons and fear though to scare these poor boys to death though into silence.
It’s pretty sad when his own “close friends” and former employees like Perry Coghlan says “Man up” in regards to DP trying not to own up to the blame and trying to get blood out of a turnip by suing these poor boys.
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Just an FYI: I cannot vouch for the accuracy of notsurprised’s comments.
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@notsuprised I am not sure where you are getting you info from. You are claiming the relationship lasted 12 years. That is incorrect. The victim was 28 when it ended. She is 29 now. Twelve years would have made her 16 when it it started and that is completely false. Julie Anne’s article lines up with what the victim has said as well as several sources. Also, as stated before the men being sued did not sign NDA.
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@notsurprised – no, for sure some of the stories on jensgems will fall apart when held under a microscope. I’ll give them the benefit of the doubt that some stuff, like the ring story as reported elsewhere on this site was fed to them by people who had an agenda, but it’s definitely not 100% accurate.
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the guys might not have had to sign a NDA but employees after them DID have to sign them. I know that as a fact. I have seen it. I was told she was 30 and it started immediately after she turned 18. It really is a “mute point” about the legnth of the affair………..but I know for a fact an NDA was signed by employees that had been employed over the last and most recent years of VF.
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I’m still in shock that I thought that Bradrick was from Texas for all these years. That’s what happens when you’re a childless pariah in these circles, though. You get isolated and excluded. Though it once grieved me terribly (and it was bad enough not managing to have kids privately), I was also spared from getting really hooked into the system. I didn’t have any strong ties and ties wrapped around family and family friends keeping me in the the group that wouldn’t accept me in the first place.
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An NDA cannot be enforced to cover up misdeeds including crimes and violations of state or federal regulations. I believe that anything about a sexually oriented affair, even one involving other than vaginal intercourse, would be exempt from the NDA. Further, business activity that is outside good business practices could be exempted and would be a defense if the NDA was sought to be enforced. And everything would come out in court!
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@notsurprised You are incorrect about the NDA. It has been confirmed by employees that were at VF by the end. Regular employees of VF did not sign NDA. The only NDA agreements that may have been signed were for book deals, film protects, ect. That is par for the course. There is no story with the NDA, it is a dead end.
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