The sham lawsuit

Anne Cori, Eunie Smith, and four others filed an Illinois lawsuit in April to take over Eagle Forum c4, one of the late Phyllis Schafly’s Eagle organizations. I have come to the conclusion that the entire lawsuit is a sham and an abuse of process. Judge Barberis should be ashamed that he is going along with it.

The lawsuit sought, at the outset, to control the lawyers on both sides of the case. On Oct. 20 the judge issued a temporary restraining order whose main effect was to grant that request.

This goes against our whole adversarial system of justice. The Cori-Smith group seeks to use Eagle Forum c4 against Phyllis Schlafly’s express wishes, and her views are not being represented.

Their press release complains:

I am particularly troubled that Martin seems to be intentionally misleading people to believe that he is speaking on behalf of Eagle Forum. He is not," Smith said.

Last month, a temporary restraining order issued by a circuit court in Madison County, Illinois ordered Martin suspended from his role as Eagle Forum President. In its ruling, the court inserted Smith as acting President and Anne Schlafly Cori as acting Chairman of the Board. Martin formed the Phyllis Schlafly's Eagle PAC which has no relationship with Eagle Forum whatsoever.

That temporary order suspended Ed Martin from the Eagle Forum c4, but he continues to act in behalf of Eagle Forum c3, Eagle PAC, and Phyllis Schlafly's American Eagles. He is the one who co-authored a best-selling book with Phyllis Schlafly, not Smith or Cori.

As Smith and Cori explain:

Last week's ruling by the Madison County (IL) Circuit Court has temporarily returned management of Eagle Forum to its Board of Directors, which removed Ed Martin from the position of President of Eagle Forum on April 11, 2016. The Circuit Court's ruling directs the Eagle Forum Board of Directors to assume management and control of Eagle Forum and its property, consistent with their fiduciary duties and obligations to Eagle Forum.

The court's ruling makes Mrs. Eunie Smith, First Vice-President of Eagle Forum, the Acting President of the organization while the litigation moves toward a final resolution. Together with Mrs. Anne Schlafly Cori, Acting Chairman of Eagle Forum, Mrs. Smith will work to reinvigorate Eagle Forum and its many volunteers and supporters. ...

There are a number of pending legal challenges still surrounding Eagle Forum and Martin's controversial tenure as its President, including various contempt of court motions related to Eagle Forum's Board of Directors many attempts to enforce compliance with the Circuit Court's Orders. A federal lawsuit alleging misappropriation of Eagle Forum resources by a Virginia corporation called Phyllis Schlafly's American Eagles, is also still pending in US District Court for the Southern District of Illinois.

Yes, Smith and Cori have made a number of motions for contempt of court, but none of them have merit and none of them have been granted.

Eagle Forum c4 has no title of "Acting President" or "Acting Chairman". Any claim to such a title is illegitimate. It is just the opinion of a judge who has heard a sham lawsuit where Smith and Cori have sued themselves.