Attorneys Offer Opinion In Johnsen vs. Cryptomundo, Moneymaker, & Coleman Defamation Suit

"...there is a real danger that a jury may not believe that Mr. Johnsen has been damaged at all. They may even conclude that you can't hurt a professional Bigfoot hunter's reputation by calling him crazy." -- Popehat.com

Established in April 2005, Popehat.com is written by a group of mostly attorneys. Law is a relative constant focus on the site with a splash of cheeky humor.

Yesterday (June 21, 2012) Popehat resurrected the defamation case between Plaintiff JOHN JOHNSEN and co-defendants CRYPTOMUNDO,  INC,  a corporation, MATTHEW MONEYMAKER,  an  individual and LOREN COLEMAN,  an individual.

On April 23rd 2012, Cryptomundo publicized the case by starting a legal defense fund, stating, "Both Cryptomundo and Loren believe the case is baseless. Mr. Johnsen has demanded that he be given ownership of the website to settle the case. This is simply not acceptable."

The gist of the complaint is in paragraph 13 of the Summons Document

On or about June  8, 2011, Defendant Moneymaker published an inaccurate recitation of  his interactions with Plaintiff, during a wildlife expedition in the Ocala National Forest.  During this characterization of Defendant Moneymaker's interactions with Plaintiff, Defendant Moneymaker defamed Plaintiff by stating that Plaintiff was mentally ill and by accusing Plaintiff of  carrying firearms into the Ocala National Forest.

Click the following link if you want to read more details of the Moneymaker Defamation Case. Although you can get a pretty good review in the Popehat.com excerpt below.

If A Bigfoot Hunter Doesn't Have His Reputation, What Does He Have?

America is an increasingly crass nation, true. But there are still some places where decorum and good breeding are expected and even demanded.

For instance, anyone acquainted with cryptid enthusiasts knows that a gentleman seeking introduction to their society must first build a solid repute for probity. In turn, those admitted to the drawing-rooms and salons of the cryptidologists know that only the most polished among them can aspire to the rarefied circle of Bigfoot hunters, the royalty of the cryptid-seeking community. And yet even Bigfoot hunters — elite as they are — can encounter self-doubt when they ask themselves, "yes, my poise and quality have made me a Bigfoot hunter, but do I possess the savoir-faire necessary to achieve a position amongst the Bigfoot hunters ofFlorida? Can I persevere in that imperial land, where the exacting standards for urbanity and good deportment strain the abilities even of graduates of the finest finishing schools in Tampa and Orlando?"

By necessity, when swimming in these heady waters, a good reputation iseverything. So you see, when one Florida Bigfoot hunter accused another Florida Bigfoot hunter of being crazy, the latter had no choice but to sue for defamation.

Our story takes us to the aforementioned Florida, where Bigfoot is sought by our players. I admit that I — embarrassingly untutored in these things — labored under the naive belief that Bigfoot is a phenomenon of the Pacific Northwest. That, apparently, is an error on the level of believing that Duke is one of the Ivies. Bigfoot-hunting has a rich tradition in Florida. Some say that Bigfoot (never say Bigfeet; they'll wonder if you came in by the servant's entrance) migrated to Florida for its warmer climes and the easy supply of food (particularly in the late afternoon and early evening hours); those prone to unkindness suggest that the migration was a result of a Bigfoot flight seeking refuge from the increasing prevalence of Chupacabra-Americans in their traditional realms in the West.

Read the rest at PopeHat.com

Cliff Barackman and Dr. Jeff Meldrum look at London Bigfoot Tracks

Cliff Barackman co-host of Finding Bigfoot and self-described track nerd.

"The problem I found was that there seemed to be little toe splay variation from print to print." --Cliff Barackman on his initial "impression" of the London Trackway Casts

Cliff Barackman is a fountain of Bigfoot knowledge, he is especially keen on Bigfoot tracks. Recently he has had a break in his taping schedule and has taken the opportunity to update us with an update on his discussion of the London Trackway with Dr. Jeff Meldrum. Click the following link to read our previous London Trackway news.

Below is a excerpt from Cliff Barackaman's update. 

While going over the casts on my very short break in April, I discovered some things that made me wonder if the impressions could have been hoaxed.  The problem I found was that there seemed to be little toe splay variation from print to print.  This feature (or lack thereof) might indicate a prosthetic foot, such as a wooden cutout.  

I later discovered that Dr. Jeff Meldrum had an opportunity to examine a small sampling of the London casts obtained by Toby Johnson, Thom Powell, and Guy Edwards at the recent Primal Peoples gathering in Washington.  After seeing the casts, Dr. Meldrum also had some concerns about their authenticity.  

Read the rest of this update at Cliff's Blog NorthAmericnBigfoot.com

Impression 121 of the London Trackway

USA Today Promotes SyFy's Bigfoot Movie

Danny Bonaduce in SyFy's 2012 Bigfoot Movie

"I had one condition, and that was that I could beat the heck out of Danny Bonaduce at some point in the movie," -- Barry Williams (Greg Brady of the Brady Bunch)


USA Today teases at a few updates regarding the much anticipated SyFy movie simply titled Bigfoot. Click on the following link for our previous coverage of the SyFy Bigfoot movie. Below is an excerpt of the USA Today article

•Bigfoot, starring Bonaduce (The Partridge Family) and Barry Williams (The Brady Bunch). Airs June 30. 

"We've put together four fun movies in a row," says Syfy original movies chief Thomas Vitale. "It's June. It's escapist popcorn fare. They're the kind of movies that are released theatrically in the summer — the big, special-effects-driven movies to give you an emotional release."
They may mix fun and fear, but "their production is taken very seriously," says Ken Badish of Active Entertainment, which produced Arachnoquake and past Syfy originals Swamp Shark and SwampVolcano. "We're able to do so much more even on a relatively lower budget than we could a few years ago." 

Badish says technological advancements have enhanced filmmakers' ability to add higher-quality CGI for less. "We have the ability to deliver production values that are comparable to studio films because we're using the same cameras, the same lenses, the same (executive producers) and crews. We're able to make better B-movies." 

And the actors appreciate the benefits of mixing horror with hoke, and are quick to joke about it. 

"I had one condition, and that was that I could beat the heck out of Danny Bonaduce at some point in the movie," says Williams, best known for playing squeaky clean Greg Brady. (In a 2002 match on Fox's Celebrity Boxing, Bonaduce, who played the mischief-making Danny Partridge, bested him.) 

Williams knows that casting him and Bonaduce is a publicity stunt with the potential to draw curious fans of these vintage '70s shows. "When you team Barry Williams and Danny Bonaduce in a movie, that's inescapable," he says. 

Bonaduce shares the sentiment. "If you took The Partridge Family-Brady Bunch quantum out of this, you'd have yourself a pretty good sci-fi movie about Bigfoot. It's just that big numbers (of viewers) are going to be coming because of Greg Brady vs. Danny Partridge going after Bigfoot. Otherwise, you'd just have the Bigfoot cult and the sci-fi cult."