TBN-Kober Lawsuit Targets Former Mayor of Tustin/TBN Attorney

http://www.theliberaloc.com/2012/02/14/former-tustin-mayor-target-of-christianbroadcasting-lawsuit/

Former Tustin Mayor Target of Christian Broadcasting Lawsuit

February 14, 2012

By Dan Chmielewski

Hat tip to the OC Register and Our Town Tustin blog for this story about former Tustin Mayor, council member, and Jerry Amante-confidante Doug Davert who’s in hot water over a federal lawsuit filed against his law firm by the granddaughter of TBN leader Jan Crouch.

From the Register’s story: Observers have often wondered how the Crouches can afford multiple mansions on both coasts, a $50 million jet and chauffeurs,” said Tymothy MacLeod, (Brittany) Koper’s attorney. “And finally, with the CFO coming forward, we have answers to those questions.”

Koper had served as chief financial officer, director of finance, corporate treasurer and director of human resources for Trinity Christian Center of Santa Ana, which does business as Trinity Broadcasting Network (TBN), according to the suit. Koper’s complaint is not directed against her grandparents or TBN — but against the two attorneys who handle some TNB legal work, and who once worked for Koper herself. She accuses them of professional negligence, breach of fiduciary duty and other transgressions in the suit.

Koper was using these attorneys for her personal affairs, and she went to them with her suspicions over the legality of the payments to TBN’s directors, only to be told to shut up, return everything she had earned through TBN to the company, and be gone, according to the suit.

Douglass S. Davert of Davert & Loe in Long Beach is one of the attorneys targeted in Koper’s suit. ”Her assertions are outright fiction and wholly without merit,” he said. ”The allegations are defamatory and to the extent they get printed we are going to defend ourselves vigorously.”

Gallagher has a somewhat different take on the story:

Of course, our good former mayor, in his best lawyerly fashion, said her allegations are “outright fiction and wholly without merit. The allegations are defamatory and to the extent they get printed, we are going to defend ourselves vigorously.” He also says there is a lot more going on here than meets the eye and, that it was actually Koper and her husband who did the misdeeds. Both Koper and her husband, Michael, have been accused of misappropriation to the tune of $400,000. Koper says that lawsuit filed against them by Redemption Strategies Inc. was a pre-emptive strike to discredit them. Well, I guess it is all in the timing. It does seem interesting that, at one time, Davert was Koper’s lawyer and he is now champion of the TBN cause. It is also interesting that Redemption Strategies Inc. was formed by David Loe, yes of Davert & Loe, on October 17, 2012 and the lawsuit was filed October 18, 2011. The law firm address is listed as the address for the corporation so it wold be safe to say they are one and the same. You have to admit, Redemption Strategies Incorporated is a pretty catchy and all-encompassing name.

But, there appears to be more to it than that. Koper alleges in her Federal Complaint that Redemption Strategies was formed for the specific purpose of suing the Kopers and being able to issue “numerous subpoenas” to multiple banks and other institutions seeking the bank records of Ms. Koper and the other defendants in the Redemptions Strategies litigation. The aim of all of this, according to the complaint, has been to keep her and the other defendants from spilling the beans about Trinity. Sorry, Doug, the word is out. I don’t think this lame attempt of starting a sham corporation to shut up the whistleblower is going to work this time.

It’s interesting that Davert’s law firm website touts his time as a Judge pro tem and proudly states he served twice as mayor. It also claims, “Davert & Loe is committed to providing efficient, high-quality legal representation to the business community as well as to the individual client.”

Huh….. OK…..

Davert filed a complaint with the Orange County District Attorny’s office against then Assembly candidate Steven Choi accusing the Irvine councilman with criminal voter fraud. The details of Davert’s investigation into Choi’s residency can be viewed at this site and the subsequent mudslinging between Choi and Assembly candidate Jerry Amante propelled Don Wagner to the primary win.

The best thing to say about Davert is after meeting him, many feel compelled to shower. But between this lawsuit and complaints filed against Amante and Tustin Mayor John Nielsen this week, it hasn’t been a banner time for the old boys network in Tustin.