BY APPO JABARIAN
In early August, Gina Kim of Law360.com wrote an article titled “LA Times Beats Geragos’ Libel Suit Over Genocide Payouts.”
She reported that “a California state judge ended attorney Mark Geragos’ libel suit against the Los Angeles Times over its coverage of a $37 million settlement for Armenian Genocide victims that prompted a State Bar probe, noting in an order made public on Tuesday that the reporters never accuse Geragos of misappropriation, theft or embezzlement.”
Kim continued: “On Aug. 3, Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Wendy Chang issued a written order that appeared to largely stick with her tentative ruling that she orally issued from the bench during a hearing in June that granted the Los Angeles Times’ special motion to strike Geragos’ complaint under the anti-SLAPP statute, which takes aim at lawsuits that target free speech, often referred to as strategic litigation against public participation.”
This and other writers along with the USA Armenian Life news organization have been reporting on the developments relating to the 2022 Los Angeles Times series of investigative articles regarding a $37.5 million settlement for Armenian Genocide victims that prompted a State Bar probe into attorneys Mark Geragos and Brian Kabateck.
On Sept. 27, 2022, CBS’s Tom Wait presented a TV coverage on the purported misuse, abuse or outright embezzlement of Armenian Genocide victims’ NY Life and French AXA insurance settlement funds and the ensuing CA State Probe into the records of attorneys Mark Geragos and Brian Kabateck. This reporter and Mr. Geragos were among others whose comments were broadcast by Mr. Wait. Here’s the link:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CvSfOaJmznw
In the coverage, TOM WAIT of CBS reported that “the State Bar of California announced it’s looking into how 17.5 million dollars in Armenian Genocide insurance settlement funds were spent. After the LA Times reported Geragos and another high-profile attorney Brian Kabateck among others, misused and diverted the funds, cheating deserving descendants of the genocide out of their settlements in a statement released by the State Bar. Their investigator says in part the status of attorneys or the size of their practice cannot and will not impact our decisions to investigate misconduct. I want to stress that in and of itself this announcement is not an indication of any misconduct by the attorneys being investigated.”
A CBS narrator stated that “Geragos and Kabateck deny any wrongdoing. Geragos gave us a statement saying ‘No good deed goes unpunished. We filed the lawsuit. We uncovered the fraud. We recouped the money. This has been investigated three straight times and we’ve been cleared all three times.’ … However, this investigation plays out the descendants of the Armenian and genocide are left watching on the sidelines wondering if they’ll ever see the money that was promised.”
CBS then quoted investigative reporter Appo Jabarian as saying “It’s a double whammy for many American Armenians.”
A CBS narrator noted: “Appo Jabarian is an Armenian American journalist here in Southern California who has reported extensively on this issue.” Then continued on quoting Jabarian who stated: “Not only the victims were robbed of their rights but also The Descendants were robbed from their rights and the funds were not appropriately dispersed to the real victims.”
Among other issues, this reporter has also been covering issues of corruption and nepotism within a number of American Armenian faith-based and community-based organizations including the Western Diocese of the Armenian Church.
Prior to the coverage of these cases, back in 2016, this writer also covered serious misconduct by Western Diocese primate Archbishop Hovnan Derderian in an Armenian church parish located in San Diego. (See article titled “Is Archbishop Derderian a Spiritual Leader or Ottoman Despot?” through link.)
http://www.armenianlife.com/2019/03/03/is-archbishop-derderian-a-spiritual-leader-or-ottoman-despot/
As time progressed, Archbishop Derderian’s misbehavior has degenerated in a series of frivolous lawsuits.
Mr. Kabateck, who is the subject of the ongoing probe by the California State Bar regarding potential misuse, abuse or outright embezzlement of the Armenian Genocide victims’ insurance settlement funds amounting to millions of dollars, serves as the attorney for the Western Diocese et al.
This writer and other colleagues have been regularly keeping their readers/TV viewers informed about the legal developments relating to a series of legal battles involving the Western Diocese that started in 2018 (Cases No. B321087, B321605 [Los Angeles County Super. Ct. No. 21STCV38713]).
Mr. Shant Karnikian is an associate of Mr. Kabateck serving along with him in those cases. One such case is the ongoing case no. 19stcv38577 involving — PLAINTIFFS, WESTERN DIOCESE AND ST. JOHN CHURCH; DEFENDANTS/RESPONDENT: PETROS TAGLYAN.
Plaintiffs and their attorneys, lost a series of cases against defendant Petros Taglyan. (See article titled “SEVEN U.S. COURT JUDGES CONFIRM WESTERN DIOCESE’S LEADERS AS ‘LIARS’ AND MASTERS OF DECEPTION.” Use this link.
http://www.armenianlife.com/2023/07/08/seven-u-s-court-judges-confirm-western-dioceses-leaders-as-liars-and-masters-of-deception/
As an award-winning investigative reporter and news organization, both this writer and the USA Armenian Life have been diligently fulfilling their journalistic duty as members of the Free Press.
Literally tens of thousands of American Armenians in Southern California, around the nation and other Armenians around the world have been following these developments with much interest and concern. Many of these individuals claim to be victims of fraud at the hands of the legal counsels including Geragos and Kabateck along with other individuals who were in charge of disbursement of settlement funds to the real victims. In order to be informed in real time, many have been regularly turning to the print and online editions of USA Armenian Life Magazine.
On a couple of occasions, this writer presented the plaintiffs Western Diocese and its primate Archbishop Hovnan Derderian with a few media inquiries. Instead of offering an honest straight-forward answer, their attorney Kabateck went on a diatribe hurling baseless accusations against this journalist through letters filled with legal mumbo jumbo in order to intimidate him into silence.
Recently, on June 28, 2023, California Appeals Court Judges J. Bendix, P. J. Rothschild, J. Chaney unanimously granted an appeals motion to award attorney fees to Plaintiffs Petros Taglyan and his family against Defendants Western Diocese/St. John Church. (Cases No. B321087, B321605 [Los Angeles County Super. Ct. No. 21STCV38713]
When this writer and the USA Armenian Life merely reported the news, Mr. Kabateck’s protégé and associate at Kabateck LLP, attorney Shant Karnikian wrote a letter outdoing his boss and sponsor Kabateck in terms of issuing threats to sue me and USA Armenian Life.
On July 26, 2023, to top it all off, Kabateck and company have served this writer with an unfair and meaningless Deposition Subpoena for personal appearance on a case in which this investigative reporter is not a precipient witness. The reporting by this writer has been based on information that have been secured through court documents.
As part of his mission, this writer cannot and should not let numerous readers and TV viewers down by simply giving in to legal harassment and bullying tactics by Brian Kabateck and his associates. Mr. Kabateck has proven to be vindictive simply because – it seems he does not ‘appreciate’ being exposed by this and other investigative reporters in the American Armenian and mainstream American media.
No matter what, the timely journalistic mission shall continue its course for the benefit of the larger society in which we live. Many members in the American Armenian community are at arms to get to the bottom of the ‘blatant misuse, abuse or purported embezzlement’ of the New York Life and French AXA insurance Armenian Genocide victims’ settlement funds.
They have expressed deep appreciation for the State Bar of California’s Board of Trustees Chair Ruben Duran’s announcement back in Sept. 2022 stating “that the State Bar is investigating attorneys Mark John Geragos (State Bar No. 108325) and Brian Stephen Kabateck (State Bar No. 152054) in connection with the Armenian Genocide insurance settlement funds from which dispersals were made in the U.S. and France.”
The Armenian victims of this newest fraud deserve Justice. They are entitled to be compensated. They strongly feel that the culprits in the massive embezzlement should be personally held liable. They “should be ultimately brought to Justice.”