Fine Art Registry vs. Park West Gallery Lawsuit Begins its Fourth Week
Fine Art Registry® Press Release
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Fine Art Registry vs. Park West Gallery Lawsuit Begins its Fourth Week
David and Goliath in the Port Huron, Michigan, Federal Courthouse
(USA, Port Huron, MI — 5 April 2010) Fine Art Registry® begins presentation of its case against Park West Gallery after the Michigan art gallery has spent three weeks presenting its case, claiming defamation, etc. The case is clearly a classic SLAPP (Strategic Litigation Against Public Participation) lawsuit by the world's self-proclaimed "largest art gallery" against web-based company, Fine Art Registry, which has been outspoken in its criticism of the Michigan gallery's sale of inauthentic and vastly overpriced art at "auctions" primarily aboard cruise ships, and has provided advocacy and other assistance to victims of Park West Gallery's broadly questioned art and sales practices.
Park West Gallery claims that Fine Art Registry has harmed its sales and reputation by publishing reports about its art and its sales methods and by assisting individuals who were unable to obtain assistance from Park West's customer services department. Fine Art Registry claims that Park West Gallery's reputation was already so low before Fine Art Registry ever began any reports of its activities that its reputation could not be further damaged; that the reports have all been factual and truthful; that a Park West Gallery principal specifically gave permission for Fine Art Registry to continue to publish similar reports and help dissatisfied Park West customers; and that all reports and assistance have been provided only in the public interest.
The case (No. 2:08-CV-12274) is being heard in Federal Court in the Eastern District of Washington, Southern Division, in Port Huron, with Judge Lawrence P. Zatkoff presiding. The case began on March 15th with the plaintiff, Park West Gallery, presenting its case. It has spent three weeks doing so, including testimony from Park West Gallery CEO Albert Scaglione, Park West Gallery director Morris Shapiro, Park West executive over the Miami division of the company, Albert Molina, three French art dealers (one based in New York) appearing by deposition, an Arizona based art dealer, art appraiser and self-proclaimed Dali expert, Bernard Ewell, two Park West customers, their client services manager and a damages expert whose cross-examination is the last part of Park West Gallery's case presentation. They also called Fine Art Registry CEO and Publications Director as well as the owner of The Salvador Dali Gallery as hostile witnesses.
Fine Art Registry prepares to take the stand and present its case, beginning Monday April 5th. They will present leading international Dali experts and a renowned handwriting expert to prove that Park West Gallery has been selling fake Dalí prints as well as genuine prints with fake signatures. A number of Park West dissatisfied customers and ex-employees, auctioneers and other personnel, as well as Fine Art Registry CEO, Vice-president and Publications Director and a damages expert will testify on behalf of the Defendants and Counter-plaintiffs. Witnesses are flying in from the UK and France as well as from around the USA including Hawaii to testify on behalf of Fine Art Registry.
The case is a notable SLAPP lawsuit into which Park West Gallery has poured vast amounts of money to fund a battalion of lawyers and private "investigators", so-called experts and others in an attempt to try to silence a small but vocal critic who has been trying to put an end to numerous abuses in the unregulated art market. The Park West Gallery lawsuit strikes heavily at First Amendment rights and the rights of the public to find out about the gallery's practices which have been much criticized within the art industry as well as the cruise industry. This is a real, modern day version of David and Goliath.
The case is expected to last another three weeks while Fine Art Registry presents its side of the story. It will then be up to the jury to decide. Daily video updates can be found at www.fineartregstry.com.
"This is an extremely important case for art history and for free speech," said Fine Art Registry CEO, Teri Franks. "We are looking forward to finally being able to reveal the ugly truth behind Park West Gallery art auction sales."
The case is open to the public and the press and anyone can come and attend the trial at the Port Huron courthouse. The court is in session Monday, Thursday and Friday from 8:30 am to 1:30 pm and on Tuesday and Wednesday from 8:30 am to 4 or 4:30 pm.
For more information please see the Fine Art Registry Web site www.fineartregistry.com. For an interview with Theresa Franks or additional information, contact she can be reached at 888-595-2787 (except during court hours) or by email at .
ABOUT FINE ART REGISTRY:
Fine Art Registry® is today's only high tech solution to the age old problems that have existed in the art world since before the Ancient Greeks: How to establish provenance, prove authenticity and ownership, prevent forgery and fakery, deter theft and, basically, make it possible to create, buy and sell works of art with the security of knowing that they are what they claim to be. Full information on FAR® and the system of tagging and registering art is available at www.FineArtRegistry.com.
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