Moroun Found in Contempt

[gnome]

Looks like Matty is having a bad day. Poor guy ...

"Wayne County Circuit Judge Prentis Edwards found the Detroit International Bridge Co. in contempt of court this morning for failing to build the Gateway project at the Ambassador Bridge as ordered."

http://www.freep.com/article/2011110...text|FRONTPAGE

[Scottathew]

Matty has no respect for us. All of us, citizens, M-DOT, judges, we're all just ants on his sidewalk.

[bartock]

Matty has no respect for us. All of us, citizens, M-DOT, judges, we're all just ants on his sidewalk.

He's also a criminal. Anyone who lies in order to get a quarter of a billion dollars of taxpayer money to build an apple, then purposely builds an orange, is guilty of criminal fraud and should be in prison.

[Bigb23]

So what's going to happen to that partial bridge span ? We know that Michigan Central has been falling apart for the 30 years Moroun has been slumming it there. He'll have no immediate plans to tear down the span either.

Maybe Robbie Knievel can use it to jump a motorcycle to Windsor.

[j to the jeremy]

He's also a criminal. Anyone who lies in order to get a quarter of a billion dollars of taxpayer money to build an apple, then purposely builds an orange, is guilty of criminal fraud and should be in prison.

Hear Hear!

[Meddle]

Ambassador Bridge owner Manuel [[Matty) Moroun must appear before a Wayne County judge on Jan. 12 to face penalties that could include jail time after his company was found in contempt of court today.

Wayne County Circuit Judge Prentis Edwards ruled this morning that Moroun’s Detroit International Bridge Co. was guilty of civil contempt for its failure to complete the long-delayed Gateway project at the bridge as Edwards ordered in February 2010.

The judge set a hearing for Dec. 1 to determine if a receiver should be appointed to take control of the project away from Moroun’s company, and set the Jan. 12 hearing to decide what sanctions he should impose to force completion of the Gateway project.

Dan Stamper, president of the bridge company, declined to comment after the hearing. Edwards ordered that Stamper appear along with Moroun at the Jan. 12 hearing. Edwards briefly jailed bridge company President Dan Stamper last January for failing to comply with his February 2010 order to rebuild the company's portion of the project.

Edwards noted in his ruling that penalties for civil contempt could include financial fines to coerce the bridge company to comply, and jail time for the company’s leaders until the Gateway project is completed.

http://www.freep.com/article/2011110...text|FRONTPAGE

[Wesley Mouch]

Edwards noted in his ruling that penalties for civil contempt could include financial fines to coerce the bridge company to comply, and jail time for the company’s leaders until the Gateway project is completed.

This stinks. So in other words, if you have the money to pay, you can only be jailed until you comply. Or just wait until the final order. Stall in court. And you can have years of profit for just one small payment. Kinda like paying your property taxes on the last possible day before foreclosure. Legal, but morally corrupt.

[Scottathew]

Has anyone seen Kraig or Richard?

[bartock]

Has anyone seen Kraig or Richard?

Kraig is more of an eminent domain skeptic than a supporter of Maroun.

[leland_palmer]

Dan Stamper and Matthew Moroun hold Judge in contempt.

Dan Stamper:

"The judge was seriously wrong and we will properly appeal," said a statement from Stamper. "The evidence shows clearly that piers 11, 12, 13 and 19 were built properly. DIBC is continuing to work hard to finish its portions of the Gateway Project by 1/10/2012, and it will do so. We invite the public to review DIBC’s actions over the past half year and MDOT’s inactions, as any such review will make it clear that DIBC is doing what it is supposed to do and MDOT is consistently being obstructive. For these reasons, we are confident that we will win on appeal.”

Matthew Moroun:

“The opinion issued today has no legal or factual basis. The Ambassador Bridge can only conclude that the politics in Lansing have influenced this lawsuit,” the statement read. “We have been bracing for a backlash stemming from the Senate Committee’s rejection of the Governor’s bridge. Now we have it.”

[kraig]

Has anyone seen Kraig or Richard?

I'm right here. What do you need? As I've stated before, Moroun, like anyone else should comply with the law. Yes, he had a second span in mind when he agreed to the Gateway Project. And yes, MDOT was aware of his second span plans when they agreed to the project. However, that agreement was not put on in the contract. And Moroun has more than enough business savvy to know that the point of a contract is to put what's agreed to in writing. Because it's what's in writing that counts.

Of course, we'll have to wait and see how the appeal plays out or January, whichever comes first. But does anyone here actually think that Matty is going to do some time over this?

[detroitsgwenivere]

.....crickets..... ^^

[kraig]

.....crickets..... ^^

[[Laughing) Where's 48091?

[Lowell]

Chirp chirp
Not to be too picky but Mr. Moroun has not been found in contempt; Detroit International Bridge Co. has. Yeah yeah I know.

I heard tonight that Moroun and Stamper will be required to appear at the next hearing in January? which will determine penalties. Don't expect him to be cuffed and frog-walked. I am going to guess a round of appeals will follow. What do you think?

[Hamtragedy]

Just get the damn trucks off the surface streets, and out of the right lane parking lot of I-75.

[kraig]

Just get the damn trucks off the surface streets, and out of the right lane parking lot of I-75.

Ironically, that would probably benefit Moroun. Less traffic jams would lend to his argument that a new bridge is not needed. Not to mention that, at some point, those very civil protestors aren't going to stay as civil.

[Richard]

Has anyone seen Kraig or Richard?

Okay you got me and yes I would be a Moroun supporter,I guess I do not have the luxury of looking back all I can do is read your comments and try and learn how to make a better future my plans involve several aspects that do in many ways correlate with the DIBC which in turn also helps the city and its residents with jobs and revenue and helping to restore and reuse some of the older buildings verses demolition. This would be in heavy and light rail ,backup on demand storage facilities,training facilities,a combined joint effort with large property owners that are in need of replacement custom historically correct windows with the goal of rehabilitating these properties for reuse cost effectively and making them viable employment centers.that's just a small sample.

I am not into shrinking city more so into rebuilding the outer rings with employment centers interconnected so yes sometimes it is best to look forward and not make the mistakes from the past,so back to Moroun and DIBC when I proposed my plans to them I was directed to Mr. Stamper directly no yes man ,no middle men direct and to the point and was offered any assistance needed in sincerity,contrary to the piles of emails from those who you pay as taxpayers to help make these things happen including the one that repetitively states in public that they want to be the conduit for companies locating to Detroit to wade through the red tape,so I have a tendency to believe in those that are willing to help see Detroit progress not just the chosen few but everybody.

Most everything else I post with my opinion is just that and how I feel about certain things when I look at the big picture. If I think I smell a rat them I will add my two cents, I may not agree with how things where handled in the past but like I said I can only look at how to best handle them in the future.

There are things happening now that will make this whole bridge thing look like a cakewalk and the only thing I can say is maybe learn from this and use it hard and fast next time before it gets out of hand . so there you have my opinion in a roundabout way as usual.

[Dexlin]

Couldn't have happened to a better guy. Judge Edwards doesn't f%ck around, apparently. Now, let's see if he proves to us that all are equal before the law, even the insanely wealthy. If this was some lowly Roosevelt Park crackhead squatting inside Matty's station or under his bridge, they'd have jailed his strung-out ass long ago.

As the saying now goes, I'll believe that corporations are people, too, when I see one of them behind bars.

[Occurrence]

Isn't Moroun almost 90? He has to know he's going to pass away soon, why not just have fun and enjoy your hundreds of millions of dollars? Someone must have forgotten to tell some of these people that life is temporary.

[Scottathew]

so there you have my opinion in a roundabout way as usual.

LOL. I do appreciate hearing your opinion, although on this subject we won't agree too much!

[gnome]

No worries 48091, I've diagramed Richard's post:

[Hypestyles]

i don't feel sorry for him.. I hope the judge has enough sense to follow through with the threat and substantive sanctions.. not slaps on the wrist, i.e., cheap fines..