IS THERE A LAWYER IN THE HOUSE?

Link: Home Education & Other Stuff.

Our friend Daryl Cobranchi asks: "IS THERE A LAWYER IN THE HOUSE?"

He then explains: "I've been threatened with a lawsuit for defamation AND libel over a couple of old posts...

"As far as I can tell, I've done nothing wrong. I posted a brief comment about a silly press release and linked to a Google cache of a rant about the Einstein Academy. Heck, I never even named names. Hardly libelous."

Given the widespread experience of homeschoolers with the purported suers of Daryl, the ongoing comments on this entry will probably be more interesting than usual...

Comments

[Helen]

Daryl shares his email exchanges with Mimi Rothschild in this latest addition to his blog:
The Emails

[Jonathan Browne]

Mimi Rothschild's new company Learning By Grace is advertising something they call Partners By Grace and it looks to me like it may be a way for her to catch more unsuspecting homeschool fish with one net. My memories of her involvement with Einstein Academy are way too fresh for me to imagine that this could be legitimate.

[Sara S.]

Just so everybody knows, I happen to think that Mimi Rothschild and the rest of her organization are homeschooling heros. I've been at The Jubilee Academy for 2 years now and it is the best thing that has ever happen to me and my 4 homeschooled wonderful children. -Sara

[Stone W.]

Just so everyone knows, Sara is probably someone from the Grace Academy. Its a long known tactic of theirs to post under many different guises as "satisfied customers"... like the people who create multiple eBay accounts with fake transactions to increase their ratings.

[Patricia B.]

You are absolutely correct, Stone, and the tactic you describe only scratches the surface.

[tracy]

i remember her from owning a used children clothing store in delco

you could bring your clothes in and she would determine if she would buy them from you or donate them for you to some charity

i was told by her that the clothes were not in good enough condition to be sold, so got no money for them, and donated them. weeks later i went in the shop and saw all of my clothes hanging on racks for sale!!!!

may have been an oversight, as she stated, but a friend at the municipal bldg stated she had complaints logged against her for not paying electric bills, employees and being caught by the fire inspector numerous times for stacking clothes in the hallways blocking the fire exit

i'm always one to give the benefit of the doubt, but after hearing about the home schooling legal issues, i think it's too many accidents in her career to be a coincidence.

[Bill T.]

Oh my gosh! Have you seen the list of lawsuits againt her, her husband and their companies at http://courts.phila.gov and searching under last name Rothschild and first initial M? If you search under their company Learning By Grace you come up with even more!

[Daryl Cobranchi]

Hi, y'all-

Thanks for the support. So far, all's quiet on the Western Front.

[Mimi Rothschild]

Daryl,
I would greatly appreciate it if you would contact me at your earliest convenience. I just learned today that you are a Christian. We probably share the belief that when you feel that a brother or sister has dome something wrong, that you should go to that person and confront them with their sins. I ask you to please talk to me privately to explain what it is you believe we have done so that we can have the opportunity to experience Biblical reconciliation.

I am truly saddened by the proliferation of false allegations on your blog and I hope that you will give me the opportunity to share with you the truth as I understand it.

One of my vision's is to empower people who wish to educate their children with tools and support. I believe that your blog has a wonderful opportunity to inform and educate and empower people, but I believe it also has the power to destroy. I don't believe that is what you really want, Daryl.

Most Sincerely,
Mimi

[Helen]

Mimi, having followed your breadcrumb trails for many years now, I'm afraid that "the truth as you understand it" and the truth as I understand it take totally divergent paths.

Daryl - your "quiet on the Western Front" isn't any longer. Good luck with this...

Helen

[Shelly]

Mimi,

God bless you and your wonderful academy. My child is a student with The MorningStar Academy and we have watched him blossom into a fantastic young man. We had tried to use another curriculum provider prior to finding MSA, but it wasn’t very comprehensive and the service was not so great. The live chats have proven especially beneficial for my son and me. It was a big part of what made this past year of home schooling so successful. Being able to have a live chat with one of my son's teachers when he was having problems or a question about his work was such a blessing. We had no hesitation in deciding to send him back again next year, and getting in at last years tuition prices was also an answer to prayer.

It puts me through great distress to read such harsh comments about you and your company, Learning By Grace. I pray every evening for you and would like you to know that there are many supporters of you and your academies out there. Unfortunately, the internet seems to be overcrowded with negativity, and I felt obliged to step in and offer my two cents.

God Bless,

Shelly

[DJ]

I've known Mimi for years and she is probably one of the most caring individuals I've ever met. I've watched her go through personal hardships and still manage to not only take care of her very large family but also help thousands educate and improve their relationships with Christ. I can't believe so many of you are so bored with your own lives that you have to blatantly attack someone you don't even know. Why don't you talk about some things that really matter:

http://www.cnn.com/2005/WORLD/meast/06/15/iraq.main/index.html

http://www.cnn.com/2005/WORLD/asiapcf/06/15/afghan.taliban/index.html

http://www.cnn.com/2005/EDUCATION/06/15/failing.students.ap/index.html

[Helen]

Well, golly. This is certainly interesting:

IP Address: 68.162.95.251
Name: Mimi Rothschild
Email Address: mrothschild@learningbygrace.org

IP Address: 68.162.95.251
Name: Shelly
Email Address:

IP Address: 68.162.95.251
Name: DJ
Email Address:

IP Address: 216.178.56.168
Name: Helen
Email Address: EdChief@homeedmag.com

An identifier for a computer or device on a TCP/IP network. Networks using the TCP/IP protocol route messages based on the IP address of the destination. The format of an IP address is a 32-bit numeric address written as four numbers separated by periods. Each number can be zero to 255. For example, 1.160.10.240 could be an IP address.

And "Lauren" over at my place-- 68.162.95.251

That's pretty good TraceRoute software you have, Helen. Mind if I ask what you're using? All I got was that "Lauren" was on a Verizon DSL in Philly.

[Daryl Cobranchi]

Oops. That was I.

[Helen]

Nothing fancy, just reading the headers that notify me that a new message has been posted.

Our office manager tells me Mimi has called trying to contact me and discern what she's done to upset me.

Mimi - if you're reading this don't bother to call our office again. I'm not there and they usually don't know where I am. If you've got something to say, say it in public.

[Rikki]

Now the phone calls are just downright creepy. Coupled with the fake user names and 'support' it's downright stalkerish.

[Helen]

Well... That's not the end of it, either. She called back and harassed our office manager, Stacy, again. Mimi asked her about our ad manager, Barb Lundgren, and our friend and ex-columnist Ann Zeise. She asked if we're Christians, called Stacy a liar, accused her of being me in disguise, claimed she's a millionaire and has a good lawyer, threatened a lawsuit... Typical Mimi stuff. I am definitely not amused.

[Bec Thomas]

This women really needs a good therapist. Makes me want to put a warning about her up on my website.

[Bec Thomas]

Helen maybe when your phones are picked up there should be a message that says this conversation could be recorded, bet she wouldn't want to purger herself then.

[Annette]

Hmmm... I always like to give people the benefit of the doubt. I got it.
It went like this:
Mimi was at the Academy (the same one where DJ, Lauren, and Shelly were at on the same day). Mimi was in her office reading the blog here, when she had to step away from her computer and her office. The ladies went in to Mimi's office (at least DJ and Shelly at the same time), saw the comments about Mimi and they decided to jump to her defense by posting here (POOR Mimi!). The ladies leave the office, Mimi returns and sees that her computer was hijacked; however with the best of intentions.

Does that help, Mimi?

[Helen]

Surrre they did.

Maybe you'd like to try explaining away Mimi's nasty abusive second phone call to our office manager too?

[Annette]

Nope. My benefit of the doubt got broken on her in that exercise and is in need of repair.
She's own her own; and hopefully she'll stop dragging God in on this too.

[Annette]

So, Miss Mimi joins statewide groups besides watching homeschooler blogs. The email address kept haunting me so I finally checked the archives.

Mimi, I'm sorry for the great personal loss you have experienced by losing your child and the difficult times you have suffered with another child. It is not mentally healthy for you to be watching what people are saying about you and then try to "fix" it all. You would be better off to turn your back on these homeschool sites and put your time, mind, and spirit on something profitable. All you have done is create enemies where you had none before by your use of deceit and method of pursuit. YOU have become your worst enemy not these blog sites. I had no problem with you before, but now I don't want to see you or your advertisements on my statewide group again.
Take this note that has some sympathy for you and be happy there are people out here (besides me) that are willing to find some reasoning in your odd behavior.
Proverbs 17:28
Wishing you peace,
Annette
Helen, feel free to remove this if it's not appropriate for this blog.

[Julie]

Seems ole Mimi has a few sockpuppets now.