Sitcomm Arbitration Association
| Industry | Law |
|---|---|
| Services | Fraudulent arbitration based on sovereign citizen ideology |
Innovated Holdings, Inc,[1] better known under the trade name Sitcomm Arbitration Association, is a "pirate"[2] arbitration company located in Wyoming[3] and associated with the sovereign citizen movement. It has been identified as a "sham" by courts,[4] having filed "fraudulent arbitration awards in several states", and the Anti-Defamation League's Center on Extremism characterises it as "the largest promoter of fraudulent arbitration".[5]
A 2021 ruling by the Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit upheld a District Court finding vacating an award made by Sitcomm on the grounds that there was no evidence of a valid arbitration agreement between the parties.[4] In another case, United States Magistrate Judge N. Reid Neureiter described Sitcomm's modus operandi thus:
an extremely troubling fraudulent “arbitration” scheme whereby a supposed aggrieved party (Mr. Matios) presents an “arbitration contract” to the defending party (the City), while simultaneously declaring that a failure to respond to the contract will result, by tacit acquiescence, in a binding arbitration agreement.[6]
The process was unilateral, as the City of Loveland had never agreed to participate in an arbitration with Matios. The "Notice of arbitration hearing" sent to the city also failed to specify the location for the purported "hearing". The supposed arbitrator in this case was identified as Bret "Eeon" Jones,[6] a convicted sex offender and sovereign citizen who was sentenced in 2019 to three years and eight months in prison for failing to register as a sex offender, and driving without a valid licence.[7] Although the City of Loveland had responded several times by specifying that it did not intend to participate in the arbitration, Sitcomm eventually issued a "Final Arbitration Award" ordering the city to pay $300 million to Matios.[6]
In an article in the Minnesota Law Review, the case of Teverbaugh v. Lima One Capital was analysed: "It was—as another federal judge would later proclaim—“unlike any other [that] this [c]ourt has ever seen.”", consisting of "a bizarre jumble of inconsistent, nonsensical word salad".[2] The tactics of Sitcomm are described in detail. Lima One was asserted by the purported arbitrator as having accepted the case "by silence". The award made no mention of underlying facts, but instead contained "cryptic references to the Uniform Commercial Code" (a hallmark of SovCit practices). Having been rebuffed in court, Teverbaugh filed another claim in Illinois, listing "A.M.T. Design" as plaintiff, and also filed in Mississippi. She also filed separate Sitcomm arbitration claims in her favour in Illinois and Indiana, with similar language.[2]
In August 2021, Sitcomm was held jointly and severally liable for a $1,384,371.24 fine in a default judgment for violation of the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act (RICO).[8]
Further reading
[edit]- PennyMac Loan Services, LLC v. Innovated Holdings, Inc. (2:19-cv-00193) at CourtListener
- Marlon Pena v. TD Auto Finance LLC, decision of US Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit
- New Sovereign Citizen Bogus “Arbitration” Tactics Appearing in Many States, Anti-Defamation League
References
[edit]- ^ "Plaza Home Mortgage, Inc. v. Innovated Holdings, Inc. et al". Justia.
- ^ a b c Horton, David (2022-08-19). "Pirate Arbitration". Minnesota Law Review. 2022: 2111–2171. Retrieved 22 October 2022.
- ^ Johns, Marian (Dec 23, 2019). "Lawsuit alleges Wyoming-based arbitration association is a 'sham'". Legal Newsline. Retrieved 22 October 2022.
- ^ a b "Third Circuit Affirms Dismissal of Petition to Confirm "Sham" Arbitration Award". JDSupra. Retrieved 22 October 2022.
- ^ Karlik, Michael. "Federal judge rejects attempt to extract $300 million from Loveland through 'bogus' arbitration". The Gazette. Retrieved 22 October 2022.
- ^ a b c "Eyoel-Dawit Matios v. City of Loveland". United States District Court for the District of Colorado.
- ^ Szydlowski, Joe. "Eviction protest led cops to Salinas 'sovereign citizen,' sex offender with long alias". Salinas Californian.
- ^ "Default Judgment – #275 in PennyMac Loan Services, LLC v. Innovated Holdings, Inc. (S.D. Miss., 2:19-cv-00193) – CourtListener.com". CourtListener.