By COLlive reporter
Officials at Lubavitch Headquarters in Brooklyn found it most symbolic that a judge has granted them a win Tuesday over a dispute involving books.
U.S. District Judge Frederic Block denied a request by plaintiffs Vaad L’Hafotzas Sichos, Inc. and Rabbi Zalman Chanin in a case surrounding the ownership of the publication of Likutei Sichos.
Kehot Publication Society, a division of Merkos L’inyonei Chinuch, has collaborated in the past with the Vaad in printing the Rebbe’s edited talks. Their relationship has grown sour since.
Judge Block has affirmed Magistrate Judge James Orenstein‘s discovery order of August 17, 2012 that Merkos and Kehot do not need to provide financial and internal management information.
Representing Chanin was Mitchell Shapiro and associates of his law firm.
David Hosp of Goodwin Proctor LLP represented the defendants, Merkos Chairman Rabbi Yehuda Krinsky, Kehot director Rabbi Yossef Friedman and Agudas Chassidei Chabad.
“Defendants have indicated they are more than willing to work with plaintiffs to conduct additional, narrowly tailored searches,” the ruling said.
“The Court fully believes that any future disputes are capable of being resolved by the parties without further judicial intervention.”
Officials of Merkos working on the case such as Mendel Sharfstein and others were said to find the timing most symbolic as Teves 5 is celebrated as the day of the “Seforim Victory.”
On this date in 1987, U.S. Federal Court issued a decision in favor of Agudas Chassidei Chabad ruling that Chabad books belong to the movement, and not an individual.
Since when is it OK to take a Jew, or a Jewish mossid, or the Rebbe’s mossid to court?
Chanin is the plaintiff.
Personally suing the Rebbe’s mazkir and director of Kehos for 21 million dollars??!!!
How low some have sunken.
Nothing to see here, people, move along now
we need arab spring
Your article states: “The Court fully believes that any future disputes are capable of being resolved by the parties without further judicial intervention.”
While the court did say that in the ruling, it was specific to retreiving documents from one another. It does not indicate an end to this complex litigation.
Your article seems to imply an end and win for Merkos. Please specify.
The court is saying that for the purpose of retreiving documents from one another, the plaintiffs and defendants should not meed judicial intervention.
kehos did not want this in court!
it was chanin that took them.
Chanin and his people accuse the rabbis in personally stealing 21 million dollars. They disparage the Rebbe and his organization. The besmirch the Rebbe’s library, called the Rebbe’s secretary and sole executor of his will a former driver. They are a big shanda to Chabad.
What was the 1st case?? Btw this is a minor detail in the case
mitch shapiro – this “lawyer” representing chanin is partners with ZAKI TAMIR http://shapirotamirlaw.com/
PLEASE someone explain to me how we sit by quietly as the rosh hakohol teams up with tamir to sue CH organizations in goyishe court. what is going on?
Shapiro was acting totally ridicules, Asking for discovery which had nothing to do with the case. Merkos won on the merits and Shapiro was way out of league. He didn’t grasp the case and didn’t realize how wrong Chanin is and had no chance winning in court.
As a law student, you may want consider doing a bit of work on your spelling and grammar. Unless that’s your strategy…
Fine, don’t call it a victory. But on Hey Teves the judge sides with kehos in a seforim related case…that’s news!
THIS CASE IS FAR FROM OVER,,, HE WHO LAUGHS LAST….
Just like the first Hey Teves, when a former Lubavitcher tried to say that the Rebbe’s books belonged to him. This happened again, except not from a former Lubavitcher, but people who consider themselves Lubavitch. And as in the first Hey Teves, the judge recognizes that the Rebbe’s books do not belong to an individual but to the organization called Agudas Chasidei Chabad.
I admire Rabbi Friedman and Krinsky for all the hard work they do. i also think Rabbi Chanin and the Vaad produce wonderful works. let’s put politics aside. Why did Kehot reprint the Vaad publications when 100’s of titles are out of print, in the good years the Merkos book store always purchased books from Vaad and focused on printing seforim from other rebbe’s, I was looking for books from the Alter Rebbe, Mitteler Rebbe, Tzemach Tzedek, etc. and it is out of print, don’t you think the money being spent on lawyers can be put toward printing books? is… Read more »
2 Lubavitchers did not go to court. One Lubavitcher took Kehos, the Rebbe’s organization to court.
Just like the first Hey Teves, when a former Lubavitcher tried to say that the Rebbe’s books belonged to him. This happened again, except not from a former Lubavitcher, but people who consider themselves Lubavitch. And as in the first Hey Teves, the judge recognizes that the Rebbe’s books do not belong to an individual but to the organization called Agudas Chasidei Chabad.
This was simply a discovery request denied, read it and get your facts straight.
Will see in a few weeks when Mitch loses again !!!
as a law student i spent hours going over the works of Mitchell Shapiro. i believe hes got this unconventional strategy and seems to loss early on but its a gimmick somehow he never losses may god protect us from such people.
Pathetic article. What exactly did “chabad” “win”??
Ahavas yisroel. ahavas chinam.
we need moshiach now!
The article is fine. The headline is the problem. This is a news site. Not a “gotcha” site like other sites. Both sides are chabad and both sides print the rebbes work. I therefore find the headline to be of very sour nature. Let’s not forget, vaad lehafatzas sichos was instituted just like kehos was. Just please put a more peace leaning headline and don’t be like abominable chabad blogs. Thanks
who is paying all these lawyers?
That’s exactly what I was going to say.
The fact that 2 Lubavitchers went to court instead of a din torah is a sad day, regardless of who is right and who is wrong…
This is not a hey teves victory.
This is the second case he has lost in Crown Heights.