Burke Ramsey Files 750 Million Dollar Lawsuit Against CBS

[andreww]

When was Burke on 20/20? I don't remember that.


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Cant remember if it was 60 Minutes or 20/20. Might even have been the Australian version, but it was a John Ramsey piece that had clips of Burke in it. I seem to recall it showing him on a boat or something.

 

[passionflower]

Well, IMOO if BR and family was smart, they would just go away, big law suit and all the proof they came up with will destroy BR in court. He cannot be charged because he was so young? BUT they are now putting 10 year olds in jail for murder ......can this backfire? Did he ever get anger management help? IMOO I really feel that BR went into a tantrum at the pineapple thing, they ran downstairs and everything went out of control. BUT WHY did JR cover this up as a horrific crime? Because he knew BR was in need of help. PR helped cover up so the world didn't know BR was dangerous and she didn't want to lose him or bring disgrace to her image. JR & BR be careful what you wish for..........simple people on a jury for this can and have figured it all out........JMOO

 

[HarmonyE.]

Well, IMOO if BR and family was smart, they would just go away, big law suit and all the proof they came up with will destroy BR in court. He cannot be charged because he was so young? BUT they are now putting 10 year olds in jail for murder ......can this backfire? Did he ever get anger management help? IMOO I really feel that BR went into a tantrum at the pineapple thing, they ran downstairs and everything went out of control. BUT WHY did JR cover this up as a horrific crime? Because he knew BR was in need of help. PR helped cover up so the world didn't know BR was dangerous and she didn't want to lose him or bring disgrace to her image. JR & BR be careful what you wish for..........simple people on a jury for this can and have figured it all out........JMOO

I have special contempt for John Ramsey. Burke was a child. Patsy was image-obsessed to the point of mania and probably frantic to protect her only remaining child from any potential punishment as well as the family from intense scrutiny. (She likely had no idea that night he would go scot-free because he was just a few weeks too young for any punishment. And regardless, social services would have become very involved in his and his parents' lives if the truth came out then.)

But John was the calm, clear-headed one. The one who should have been able to see that covering this horrible thing up was the absolute wrong thing to do - for both the memory of his deceased child AND his surviving child. A surviving child who can now never put this behind him if he lives another 70 years.

John Ramsey is a snake, a liar, and an all around horrible person. I truly hope the surviving innocent people he so cruelly and casually threw under the bus find their voices and the courage to speak out.

 

[buggiegirl]

I'm sure the show was vetted thoroughly by CBS's bank of high paid lawyers before it was broadcast. I think LW is hoping for a settlement before the depositions start. I don't think CBS's attorneys will allow JR and BR to say, "I don't recall," during depositions. Network/news attorneys are very aggressive. Also, CBS has very deep pockets and would be able to outlast JR's attorney budget.

This is what I don't get. I can't imagine CBS didn't have lawyers ALL OVER this show before it was broadcast, especially given the Ramsey's litigious past. Since I am 100% sure they were expecting to get sued, I don't really get what LW or the Ramseys think this will do for them. They just have to put up a show of "we're so innocent, see we sued"?

My only hope is CBS doesn't settle just to avoid the time spent. Wonder how much they spent making the show and what the ratings/money it brought in were? Maybe they built a lawsuit settlement into the show budget if they were expecting amazing ratings or something. Granted, I highly doubt they built 750m into the budget

 

[andreww]

This is what I don't get. I can't imagine CBS didn't have lawyers ALL OVER this show before it was broadcast, especially given the Ramsey's litigious past. Since I am 100% sure they were expecting to get sued, I don't really get what LW or the Ramseys think this will do for them. They just have to put up a show of "we're so innocent, see we sued"?

My only hope is CBS doesn't settle just to avoid the time spent. Wonder how much they spent making the show and what the ratings/money it brought in were? Maybe they built a lawsuit settlement into the show budget if they were expecting amazing ratings or something. Granted, I highly doubt they built 750m into the budget

My guess is that the exorbitant $750 million figure was meant to ensure that the case never goes to trial. Its not as simple as CBS simply saying screw them, we'll go to court. They will look at the cost of three scenarios; 1) What it will cost to put up a defence and win 2) what it would cost to put up a defect and lose, and 3) what it would cost to settle and make it all go away. With the amount being so great, it is quite likely that settling will probably be much cheaper than the cost of defending so I'm not getting my hopes up.

 

[andreww]

Just to add, this would be a great opportunity to do a "Making a Murderer" style show

I'd watch it.

 

[MaryG12]

I lived in Boulder, CO for a year from 2005 to 2006 years after this crime occurred. Yes, there is a lot of money in that city. It is also a city with very little crime in it. You can walk pretty much anywhere at night in town and not have to worry about being mugged or anything. I have done that. MOO, LE mishandled the whole case from the start. I am one who believes that someone in the house most likely the family commit the crime.

Was JonBenet's death an accident?

It is possible. Again, MOO.

Did the family have problems overall? Unquestionably.

 

[lisette]

All I can say is, IF he DIDN't kill his sister, I don't blame him for filing the lawsuit. It would be awful to go through life labeled as a murderer---if he didn't do it.

 

[HarmonyE.]

I lived in Boulder, CO for a year from 2005 to 2006 years after this crime occurred. Yes, there is a lot of money in that city. It is also a city with very little crime in it. You can walk pretty much anywhere at night in town and not have to worry about being mugged or anything. I have done that. MOO, LE mishandled the whole case from the start. I am one who believes that someone in the house most likely the family commit the crime.

Was JonBenet's death an accident?

It is possible. Again, MOO.

Did the family have problems overall? Unquestionably.

The strangulation that ended her life was no accident.

 

[andreww]

28. Burke is a private citizen and has never attained the status of public figure for
purposes of filing and prosecuting a defamation action to seek redress for false attacks on his reputation. Since the time of his sister’s death until September of this year, Burke never voluntarily participated in any media or public interviews to discuss his sister’s tragic murder.

Thats not true. Burke participated in a segment with JR (I believe it was 20/20) earlier this year.

90. Former Boulder DA Hunter’s May 1999 exoneration occurred approximately eight months after he convened a grand jury and approximately five months before the grand jury investigation concluded.

So Hunter exonerated Burke knowing full well the Grand Jury was investigating him. What was the conclusion of the Grand Jury LW?

100. On April 7, 2003, former Boulder DA Mary Kennan, n/k/a Mary Lacy, issued a press release stating, in part, “I agree with [Judge Carnes’] conclusion that ‘the weight of the evidence is more consistent with a theory that an intruder murdered JonBenét than it is with a theory that Mrs. Ramsey did so.’” A copy of said press statement is attached hereto as Exhibit “B”.

Call Mary Lacy as a witness then. First question; "Did you even read the case file?"

130. Burke was not awakened during the night.
131. Burke did not leave his bedroom during the night.

Might want to talk to your client again about that one.

155. During the course of the investigation, John and Patsy sought repeatedly to
cooperate with investigators, including signing more than one hundred releases for information requested by the police, and providing all evidence and information in their possession requested by the police.

Um, no they did not.

159. John, Patsy, and Burke each consented to multiple interviews by law enforcement.

Consented so long as the interviews were done separately and that they were provided with all previous statements.

165. None of the six experts concluded that Patsy wrote the Ransom Note. Although they could not determine with 100% certainty that Patsy did not author the Ransom Note, the handwriting experts’ consensus was that the chances she wrote the Ransom Note were “very low”:

Ask Cina Wong about that.

166. The Ramsey home was not secure on the night of December 25, 1996. They had
not turned their security alarm on, and at least seven windows and one door were found unlocked on the morning of December 26, 1996. A door from the kitchen to the outside was found open.

The first thing John told police was that it was secure.

180. Other items not belonging on the second floor of the Ramsey home were found there on the day after the murder.

Like what?

181. A rope was found inside of a brown paper sack in the guest bedroom on the second floor.
182. Small pieces of the material of this brown sack were found in JonBenét’s bed and in the body bag that was used to transport her body.
183. John and Patsy disclaimed ownership and knowledge of that rope.

It was JARs rope. Even I know that LW.

186. Recently-made and unidentified shoeprints containing a “HI-TEC” brand mark were found in the basement imprinted in mold growing on the basement floor.
187. Neither John, Patsy, nor Burke owned any HI-TEC brand shoes at the time of the murder.

Lets ask Fleet White about that.

202. JonBenét had burn like marks on her face and back consistent with the application of a stun gun.

She had no burn marks at all. Those were abrasions.

215. Smit concluded that JonBenét was murdered by an intruder who subdued her with a stun gun and then sexually assaulted, tortured, and brutally murdered her in the basement of the Ramseys’ home (“the Smit intruder theory”).

Smit told Steve Thomas his intruder theory the day he showed up for work. You can't draw conclusions without reading the case file.

224. Burke has never been suspected of the crime of Murder in the First Degree and Child Abuse Resulting in Death.

Chief Kolar and the grand Jury seem to think he was a suspect.

233. Upon information and belief, the third part of the Documentary examined and excluded suspects other than members of the Ramsey family, thereby supporting the preconceived storyline that Burke was the killer and that this accusation was the only conclusion supported by the evidence.

Interesting that is what they chose to remove. Wonder if that statement is accurate.

254. The purported analysis of the 9-1-1 Recording was not “new evidence” and was not the result of any advancements in technology: the analysis was performed in 1997.

The fact that they actually played the enhanced version is new. I've never heard it. Yes it is old evidence, but it was new to the general public.

266. Contrary to their representations to the public, Defendants did not present a
Documentary and did not conduct a “complete reinvestigation starting right from scratch” based on true facts, “new witnesses,” “new evidence,” and “new theories.”

New evidence: Enhanced 911 call
New Witnesses: 911 operator
New Theory: That Burke did it.


Anyway, that is just the first 35 pages. If anyone else wants to continue...

 

[andreww]

I lived in Boulder, CO for a year from 2005 to 2006 years after this crime occurred. Yes, there is a lot of money in that city. It is also a city with very little crime in it. You can walk pretty much anywhere at night in town and not have to worry about being mugged or anything. I have done that. MOO, LE mishandled the whole case from the start. I am one who believes that someone in the house most likely the family commit the crime.

Was JonBenet's death an accident?

It is possible. Again, MOO.

Did the family have problems overall? Unquestionably.

How could it be an accident. In the CBS filing it states that the head injury is equivalent to a fall from a 3 story building. Please give me a viable theory as to how that kind of injury could possibly have occurred accidentally.

 

[buggiegirl]

Consented so long as the interviews were done separately and that they were provided with all previous statements.

So the thing that bothers me about this is that I 100% hold the police responsible for that insanity because they capitulated to it! I know they needed to talk to the Ramseys and giving in might have been the only way they could, but those conditions basically make anything they say useless anyway so all it did was give the Ramseys more power and take more power away from investigators. Drives me batty.

Also I find it so crazy that he is still harping on a stun gun being the source of those marks. Never mind that no stun guns prongs match that distance, but it just makes no sense whatsoever for an intruder to use a stun gun in that situation. Let's make the tiny 6 year old I could easily subdue and silence scream bloody murder via stun gun while her family is like 20 feet away. Even if I was IDI I wouldn't believe the stun gun business.

 

[andreww]

So the thing that bothers me about this is that I 100% hold the police responsible for that insanity because they capitulated to it! I know they needed to talk to the Ramseys and giving in might have been the only way they could, but those conditions basically make anything they say useless anyway so all it did was give the Ramseys more power and take more power away from investigators. Drives me batty.

Also I find it so crazy that he is still harping on a stun gun being the source of those marks. Never mind that no stun guns prongs match that distance, but it just makes no sense whatsoever for an intruder to use a stun gun in that situation. Let's make the tiny 6 year old I could easily subdue and silence scream bloody murder via stun gun while her family is like 20 feet away. Even if I was IDI I wouldn't believe the stun gun business.

Don't be so hard on the BPD. Yes there were mistakes, mainly because for hours the case was a possible kidnapping. But from the beginning they were instructed by the DA to go easy on the Ramsey's. They should have been interviewed separately immediately after the body was found. Unfortunately you cannot force someone to consent to an interview. What they could have done is held the parents in a cell for a couple of days, surely Patsy would have broken. They should have subpoenaed phone records, and medical records, and they probably should have bugged their home, but Alex Hunter would have none of it. Steve Thomas could not force the Ramsey's to talk, but that is not because he screwed up.

 

[katydid23]

How could it be an accident. In the CBS filing it states that the head injury is equivalent to a fall from a 3 story building. Please give me a viable theory as to how that kind of injury could possibly have occurred accidentally.

But how would an 8 yr old boy create injuries which were like a fall from a 3 story building?

 

[DrollForeignFaction]

I haven't had a chance to look at the filing yet but does LW intend to prove it isn't Burke's voice on the tape? He makes the point that it isn't "new" evidence but as andreww said, it is the first time it's been played publicly, which inconveniently for LW proves he was lying or deaf for all the years he insisted there was nothing at the end of the tape, full stop. And I assume they did not have access to the Aerospace tape, so this must be a new enhancement. I didn't totally like how they handled the tape - they should have at least given a brief explanation about the Aerospace enhancement. But it's pretty petty for Wood to squabble over how "old" it is instead of the more relevant point of whether or not it's accurate.


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[andreww]

I haven't had a chance to look at the filing yet but does LW intend to prove it isn't Burke's voice on the tape? He makes the point that it isn't "new" evidence but as andreww said, it is the first time it's been played publicly, which inconveniently for LW proves he was lying or deaf for all the years he insisted there was nothing at the end of the tape, full stop. And I assume they did not have access to the Aerospace tape, so this must be a new enhancement. I didn't totally like how they handled the tape - they should have at least given a brief explanation about the Aerospace enhancement. But it's pretty petty for Wood to squabble over how "old" it is instead of the more relevant point of whether or not it's accurate.


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I can only guess that Wood is talking about the big picture here. The special was advertised as having a panel of experts examining new evidence and new witnesses. He contends that the special was basically scripted and that the experts were previously aware that they were to come to the same conclusions presented in Kolar's book. The enhanced 911 call does nothing to prove that Burke did it, so he is conceding the point. Remember, Burke can't be charged anyway and he likely doesn't give a crap what people think about him. $750 million buys a lot of friends.

 

[andreww]

But how would an 8 yr old boy create injuries which were like a fall from a 3 story building?

Did you watch the special? It was proved that a 9 year old boy swinging that flashlight with anger would cause those same injuries.

 

[icedtea4me]

Did you watch the special? It was proved that a 9 year old boy swinging that flashlight with anger would cause those same injuries.

Could, not would.

 

[katemess]

He was a month off turning 10, not 8.

Have you ever read about the James Bulger case? Children can cause horrific (intentional) injuries to other children.

 

[kanzz]

But how would an 8 yr old boy create injuries which were like a fall from a 3 story building?

Burke was almost 10 years old.

To put this into perspective about the head injury and a fall from a 3-story building, here are some comparisons:
A head injury at 30mph is equivalent to falling 30 feet - or off a three-story building.
A kid in little league can swing a bat an avg of 50 mph.
Average speed of a hammer (or maybe a flashlight) swing is also 50mph.