Steve Quest (p/k/a Montagraph) vs. Nicholas Robert Rekieta & Rekieta Law, LLC (2023)

[prolapsed_cranium]

He's going be be at least 500k in, on a case he could have settled for a tenth of that. (Or more, Monte was asking for $50k.)

Monty asking for 50k is absolutely obnoxious

 

[sneedem&feedem]

Monty asking for 50k is absolutely obnoxious

Calling someone a pedophile with no evidence is more obnoxious. Dare I say even contemptible. Besides, when Null asked Nick to PULL UP he responded that he was rich and didn't care what people said. So what's a little 50k to him? Give him the Mustang as payment, he can always buy a new one. Just make sure not to crash it this time.

 

[John Andrews Stan]

Monty asking for 50k is absolutely obnoxious

It’s exactly what Nick deserves. If he can’t take a step back and look at this situation as a huge wake-up call, he’s going to continue being a miserable drunk (and miserable drunk father) for years to come. He really wants to look back someday and see that his life peaked at 37? This is what he’s willing to settle for?

I’d honestly kms in his shoes if I just didn’t have it in me to get sober.

 

[Useful_Mistake]

It’s exactly what Nick deserves.

No, it is hilarious because there is no way Montagraph suffered 50 grand. People who think this isn't a cash grab are being blinded by their hate for Nick,

 

[Owlbear]

No, it is hilarious because there is no way Montagraph suffered 50 grand. People who think this isn't a cash grab are being blinded by their hate for Nick,

It's an obvious cash grab, but I do wonder how much monetary damage he has suffered from gaining the reputation of being a pedophile. Rekieta is only a small part of that, but it's not hard to add up 7 figures of damage from false sexual misconduct allegations against normal people.

 

[Kosher Salt]

It's an obvious cash grab, but I do wonder how much monetary damage he has suffered from gaining the reputation of being a pedophile. Rekieta is only a small part of that, but it's not hard to add up 7 figures of damage from false sexual misconduct allegations against normal people.

Millions of dollars? Little Piggy and the Umbrella Man was published in 2014. There's no way Steve Quest suffers hundreds of thousands of dollars of economic loss every year on average. He was never making that much to begin with.

For a normal person over a long enough lifetime, perhaps, but does anybody know how much money Quest has ever made? As far as I know he's basically unemployed and probably living off government gibs. He's definitely not making a living on YouTube. Comparing him to "normal people" is a real stretch.

 

[Useful_Mistake]

but I do wonder how much monetary damage he has suffered from gaining the reputation of being a pedophile.

That’s certainly an important question (though I don’t believe he was ever very financially successful), but ultimately that issue is irrelevant to Nick’s case. Whatever you may think of his responses, I think these two sentences sums up the situation very well: “Suffice to say that if this case were about damage to a vehicle, the Plaintiff would be dragging a car out of a smash up derby contest, and seeking to be compensated for a scuff that Rekieta may have put on it when the driver ran into him on a public street. Or if he were here seeking compensation for an injury, he would be here after being beaten up by an MMA fighter, and then seeking redress for Rekieta throwing a paper airplane in his general direction.”

I think all the damage that was caused, if any, was caused before Nick. These allegations have been floating around since 2015, and in 2019 they have been picked up by several newspapers. I don’t think Nick should have defamed him, or repeated the unverified rumors, but I can’t imagine he has caused any significant damage to him that wasn’t already caused, and even if he did, not 50k. Has Montagraph even ever made that much from his work?

that, but it's not hard to add up 7 figures of damage from false sexual misconduct allegations against normal people.

Very hard actually, especially when there is little to no evidence so much harm was caused by Nick (or that so much harm could be caused to him to begin with)

He was never making that much to begin with.

Yeah, that’s my issue with this too. Has he even alleged what specific damages he suffered? Sure, he doesn’t have to do that until trial, but I don’t recall seeing that he had a big drop in his subscribers (the only place he makes money from his reputation, IIRC (though he may not even be monetised, so who knows))

 

[Kosher Salt]

Has he even alleged what specific damages he suffered?

Nope. But don't worry, I am sure he will have it all figured out by the end of discovery. They just need to find out how much damage Nick can afford to have caused.

 

[Dixieland Buckaroo]

The $50k was about the biggest they could ask for without risking this going to Federal courts. That's why it's $50k. You go for the large amount up front (in this case, large but not too large), and hope you get half of it. (And your lawyer gets 80% of that.)

I'm sure they can pull together something to claim $50k in damages. Points above are fair, Monte had a reputation prior and how much did he really lose? To make it to 50k though, all Monte needs to do is find one missed indy film opportunity and that could easily be claimed to be worth 50k.

 

[7iKjzrcw]

No, it is hilarious because there is no way Montagraph suffered 50 grand. People who think this isn't a cash grab are being blinded by their hate for Nick,

I'm sure they can pull together something to claim $50k in damages. Points above are fair, Monte had a reputation prior and how much did he really lose? To make it to 50k though, all Monte needs to do is find one missed indy film opportunity and that could easily be claimed to be worth 50k.

This is defamation per se case. The damage is being labeled a pedophile.

 

[Swole McPole]

This is defamation per se case. The damage is being labeled a pedophile.

But even if it wasn't, $50k is fuck all. If you could show that you couldn't get work for a year because your whenever your potential future employers Googled you, they found video of a lawyer accusing you of being a paedophile, that'd be your $50k right there.

Rekieta's being a lawyer means the defamation carries significantly more weight than if it was just random Joe Blow doing it. Potential employers are going to assume that he knows the law and wouldn't make such an allegation unless there was some truth behind it.

Nick is lucky it was Monty he chose to defame. This shit can get really expensive.

 

[John Andrews Stan]

No, it is hilarious because there is no way Montagraph suffered 50 grand. People who think this isn't a cash grab are being blinded by their hate for Nick,

If you call someone a pedophile who sucks little boy penises and dare them to sue you, you deserve a cash grab. Team Monty all the fucking way.

 

[Useful_Mistake]

The $50k was about the biggest they could ask for without risking this going to Federal courts.

75k is the minimum needed for (applicable to this case) Federal Jurisdiction. You are just literally incorrect. Actually, you would be incorrect even if this raised a federal question (but for different reasons).

biggest they could ask for without risking this going to Federal courts. That's why it's $50k.

In other words, like I said, cash grab.

I'm sure they can pull together something to claim $50k in damages.

I've seen nothing to suggest he even remotely makes that much or suffered that much (especially from Nick).

To make it to 50k though, all Monte needs to do is find one missed indy film opportunity and that could easily be claimed to be worth 50k.

You can't just claim you suffered 50k and then get awarded 50k. If he can't prove actual damages, the only thing he may be entitled to is punitive damages which will be for a jury to decide. Considering that he did nothing about the pedophile allegations since 2015 and the terrible reputation he wielded even before Nick, if there's any punitive (or other) damages, it will be on the low end.

This is defamation per se case. The damage is being labeled a pedophile.

He was called a pedophile since 2015 and that was not Nick. Nick didn't establish the label of pedophile on him, nor any other labels, he merely repeated what was already said in the public (unwisely, in my opinion). I don't believe there is much to recover in such a scenario (which isn't ideal because it encourages people to repeat baseless accusations with minimal financial liability).

$50k is fuck all. If you could show that you couldn't get work for a year because your whenever your potential future employers Googled you, they found video of a lawyer accusing you of being a paedophile, that'd be your $50k right there.

It'd be hard to prove that they:
a) Didn't employ you because of the defamation instead of many other reasons. Employing criminals is very politically and economically good, because the Government pays you money (or offers cuts in taxes) for having done so
b) that they even found the video at all
c) that you would have worked there for a full year

If you call someone a pedophile who sucks little boy penises and dare them to sue you, you deserve a cash grab. Team Monty all the fucking way.

He's not upset about the allegations. If he was, he had nearly a decade to do something about them. Instead he found an easy target to get some money, filed a lawsuit, had a shizophrenic meltdown in the discovery plan (accusing Nick of paying people to hang Niggers and having a criminal empire), and wants to get that money without any observable damage. You see two people defaming one another with Defamatory per se statements (Monty was smart enough to put his in a lawsuit and thereby gain privilege, but the point remains) and you chose, for some weird reason, to support the dude trying to make money out of the very same actions he is suing for. Nick fucked up big time, but the Plaintiff isn't a peach either.

 

[John Andrews Stan]

you chose

How about you don’t tell me what I think? They’re both pieces of shit. In this case, Nick deserves to learn a lesson and be made an example of: Literally all he had to do was not beg a known litigious plaintiff to sue him over defamatory statements. Your sympathy is extremely misplaced.

 

[7iKjzrcw]

He was called a pedophile since 2015 and that was not Nick. Nick didn't establish the label of pedophile on him, nor any other labels, he merely repeated what was already said in the public (unwisely, in my opinion). I don't believe there is much to recover in such a scenario (which isn't ideal because it encourages people to repeat baseless accusations with minimal financial liability).

And? Has every single person in Nick audience been aware of Monty and this label? Has he show any regard for the truth when informed by Monty that what he says is likely false?

Edit:

If he was, he had nearly a decade to do something about them.

What exactly? Sue every kiwifarm user making claims about him? Monitor entire internet and object to everything? And why would that mean that he now has no right to go after "reputable lawyer" repeating baseless rumors?

wants to get that money without any observable damage

That's defamation per se.

 

[Kosher Salt]

But even if it wasn't, $50k is fuck all. If you could show that you couldn't get work for a year because your whenever your potential future employers Googled you, they found video of a lawyer accusing you of being a paedophile, that'd be your $50k right there.

$50k? More like $15k, the dude's barely qualified to be making minimum wage, and then he'd still have to explain why he only decided to go get that job after the alleged defamation occurs. If you went back and compared it to his average annual income from previous years, I suspect it'd be closer to $0k.

If Steve Quest had marketable skills, he'd have been making money instead of being an online nutjob. He's not even a case like Terry Davis where it's a dude who clearly had marketable skills but was just too mentally ill to actually get and hold down a real job. He's an artist, and he's crap at it, and artists who are crap at it don't make any money.

 

[Dixieland Buckaroo]

The $50k was *about* the biggest

Emphasis added on "about". I'll grant you, 2/3rds isn't just about $74.999. My operating assumption was Schneider wanted to keep damages high but at a level that could not invoke federal jurisdiction. I'm also assuming they have an eye to settle in arbitration (which is now scheduled, or maybe before, had this been a normal case; I'm also assuming initial damages requested are higher than could be proved).

You can't just claim you suffered 50k and then get awarded 50k.

Monte's filling is a piece of shit, but so is Rackets'. I haven't seen the damages either. I merely state it is possible, and it would not take much to reach that level.

I'm all for hanging all the lawyers, and letting God sort them out. I have no love for Monte, but I have no love for Rackets, either. That said, this has the potential to be just about the best lolsuit in the Farms' history, and y'all can hate on Monte and Schneider all you like. I find both sides hilarious to date and look forward to more laughs.

Edit for clarity

 

[Useful_Mistake]

How about you don’t tell me what I think?

I thought “Team Monty all the fucking way.” was pretty self explanatory.

Your sympathy is extremely misplaced.

Considering your statement above, this feels pretty ironic. “Rules for thee” much?

And? Has every single person in Nick audience been aware of Monty and this label? Has he show any regard for the truth when informed by Monty that what he says is likely false?

Mate, learn to quote. Here’s a guide.

Reminder, there hasn’t been any allegation that the superchats were Monthy’s (you can literally put any name on super chats, and there had been many fake Null superchats spreading around) and even if they were, he only specifically called out the watermelon thing as a lie, a thing that, in fact, was not a lie. Btw, crazy how it wasn’t the pedo accusations, huh? Sounds like he doesn’t much care about those.

Though, to not repeat myself, I’ve already stated the problems I see.

What exactly? Sue every kiwifarm user making claims about him? Monitor entire internet and object to everything? And why would that mean that he now has no right to go after "reputable lawyer" repeating baseless rumors?

Just about anything would have sufficed. The most he did, IIRC, is threaten to sue Metokur (never happened). But, I mean, yeah, he could have sued the bloggers and people who have been defaming him since 2015. As towards your last sentence, please reread my post. I have not claimed what you claim I claimed.

That's defamation per se.

I am rather certain that my post was not, in fact, defamatory per se. Noticably, however, I find that you are unable to point to any examples either. Curious, that.

and it would not take much to reach that level.

And I respectfully disagree.

I find both sides hilarious to date and look forward to more laughs

That’s a perfect outlook actually

 

[Dixieland Buckaroo]

And I respectfully disagree.

That's fair, I can 100% see the flip side wrt Monte.

Bullshit prediction time: based on nothing, and not even knowing if the jury or judge determines damages, if this goes to trial...

I'm going to predict a majority Scandinavian-descent Minnesota jury sees two retards in an Internet slap fight, who wasted several days of the jury's lives, when they could be out doing something useful like fishing, farming, logging, or making lefsa/surströmming. (Or more realistically, streaming some Disney goyslop.)

The jury sides with Monte, and the jury/judge give Montegraph nominal damages ($5k?) and lawyer's fees. And more people in Kandiyohi county find the Rekietas to be a bunch of weirdos.

Above is completely uneducated, with only minimal public evidence, but it is based on my feel of rural America.

 

[prolapsed_cranium]

It's an obvious cash grab, but I do wonder how much monetary damage he has suffered from gaining the reputation of being a pedophile. Rekieta is only a small part of that, but it's not hard to add up 7 figures of damage from false sexual misconduct allegations against normal people.

If it was easy, he'd have that proof sitting around.