You may remember that part of the fall-out from the Murdoch phone-hacking scandal in Britain was renewed scrutiny of News Corporation's activities in the U.S. and whether similar methodology was ever employed there. Though allegations of phone-hacking per se remain speculation at this point, focus has been drawn to the heavy-handed way Murdoch's company dealt with a minor business rival Floorgraphics, engaging in very dubious activities to drive them out of business. The case was discussed here last month in a diary by The Anomaly which mentions the help Floorgraphics received from a News Corp. whistle-blower Robert Emmel.
Well now The Guardian (who else!) has an article that outlines just what cost Mr Emmel has suffered as a result:
Five years ago Robert Emmel was enjoying the American dream. He lived in a detached house in a suburb of Atlanta, Georgia, drove a BMW, and earned $140,000 a year as an accounts director in a highly successful advertising company called News America Marketing.
Today, Emmel is described by his lawyers as destitute. Jobless and in debt, he was discharged from bankruptcy last year. He does occasional consultancy work that last month brought in $500, and this month, court documents show, will probably produce nothing. His wife's earnings raise monthly household income to about $3,000 – half their outgoings.
According to Philip Hilder, his lawyer, News Corp has engaged in "Rambo litigation tactics" and a "scorched earth policy" amounting to extreme legal harassment.
He also notes the irony that:
"Here is a company, News Corp, that is in the business of disseminating information to the public, and yet its subsidiary does everything in its power to silence (Emmel)."
Well, in my opinion the more they try to hide the more we have to shine a light on what they're doing - hence this diary as I haven't found any other references to this article yet.
As the Guardian story concludes:
While legal proceedings continue, the injunction preventing Emmel from approaching corporate regulators remains in place. But the appeal court in June made one important proviso. Nothing in the injunction, it ruled, "prevents Emmel from complying with grand jury or court-issued subpoenas or from co-operating with law enforcement authorities in any formal investigations of News America".
