MRG Bankruptcy Proof of Claim Form

[Greg Viggiano]

Hi Ken - further to my text message a couple of days ago, you can see the MRG federal bankruptcy activity here: https://www.pacermonitor.com/public/case/35475521/Master_Replicas_Group,_Inc

 

As my legal team advised, besides filing a proof of claim form with the bankruptcy court (which is free), any other actions against MRG will automatically be suspended (stayed) while the bankruptcy continues. We can only hope that they don't go from Chapter 11 to Chapter 7. A proof of claim form can be filed here: https://www.paeb.uscourts.gov/filing-claims

 

The Museum of Science Fiction (through my individual claim) is now listed as a creditor.

 

You are welcome to call the MRG bankruptcy law firm, Smith Kane Holman, LLC. They were very helpful and their contact information is as follows:

 

ROBERT M. GREENBAUM
Smith Kane Holman, LLC
112 Moores Road, Suite 300
Malvern, PA 19355
(610) 407-7216
Email: rgree...@sgllclaw.com

DAVID B. SMITH
Smith Kane Holman, LLC
112 Moores Road, Suite 300
Malvern, PA 19355
(610) 407-7217
Fax : (610) 407-7218
Email: dsm...@skhlaw.com

 

 

More information on the MRG bankruptcy proceedings can be viewed here:

https://businessbankruptcies.com/cases/master-replicas-group-inc

https://www.pacermonitor.com/public/case/35475521/Master_Replicas_Group,_Inc

 

Best regards,

Greg

---------------------------------------

Greg Viggiano, PhD

Executive Director

Museum of Science Fiction

Washington DC  USA

Earth: Sol: Milky Way

+1 703 629 4734
greg.v...@museumofsciencefiction.org

[Rob Hollander]

Just skimming through all the postings here for the first time. I had gone for the whole 9 yards command console, the computer cards etc. While I don't think they started out wanted to scam us, it's apparent from all I've read that there was infighting and negligence. When this all fell apart, I reached out to the woman (Amy) who used to answer my emails and she wrote back "I have no idea what is going on with MRG.  I haven't worked there for months.  I was laid off in late March.  Sorry."

As people are researching potential solutions, I wonder if anyone knows if there are any assets that we can go after? Typically, if a company goes Chapter 11 or 7, they are showing that they do not have the revenue or assets to continue doing business. 11 being a re-org is usually about a restructuring to become viable again, which comes with its own protections. And 7 is just, well, game over. 

And, while class action suits are typically contingency cases, I'm not sure we can get a lawyer to take this on contingency unless they see assets that they can go after. If there are no deep pockets, they will want to get paid upfront. Since they are already in 11, I can't imagine there's anything to go after that has monetary value. The longer this goes on, the more screwed I feel in a caveat emptor way.

Rob 

[Philip Raciti]

Just one point of clarification, Amy or someone using her account, had been responding to me up until early July. 

On Sep 24, 2020, at 4:29 AM, Rob Hollander <rshol...@gmail.com> wrote:

Just skimming through all the postings here for the first time. I had gone for the whole 9 yards command console, the computer cards etc. While I don't think they started out wanted to scam us, it's apparent from all I've read that there was infighting and negligence. When this all fell apart, I reached out to the woman (Amy) who used to answer my emails and she wrote back "I have no idea what is going on with MRG.  I haven't worked there for months.  I was laid off in late March.  Sorry."

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[Lukaz]

I think at this point is water under the bridge. I explained early on that our only chance was to get the media that promoted this scam involved (blogs, etc), but that required the participation off all the group (sending emails, etc) and there was no collective interest. 

[William Cheng]

How do I file a Proof of Claim?  I used your link, however I can't seem to find the case number? 

Would this work since I'm in Canada?  I ordered the whole console - I'd much rather get the product, is there still any chance of that happening?

What is the best course of action for us?  Tried my credit card, but I pre-ordered back in 2018 - anything over 90 days and I'm SOL.

[Matthieu Jacquier]

I was able to file a claim using the case number 2:20-bk-13095. I sent the Indiegogo confirmation e-mail as a proof of claim. Also, it seemed to already know me (name and address), so it is possible that all Indiegogo creditors are already listed.

There is no indication that it wouldn't work for creditors outside the US. As I understood, they would send us a check by mail. Obviously not soon, probably not the full amount.

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[William Cheng]

Thanks so much matthieu, the case number you provided worked!  I was able to file the claim, as soon as I entered my name, it had my full address and company already entered - I guess they had me in their database already.  However when the online form asked for my address again, I was only able to choose American states and enter an US postal code - however they had my original purchase address from Canada on file.  I was only Claim #13 - I thought a lot more people would have had claims or were there a bunch that is automatically entered from their records (which is why they already had my name, company and address?)

[Mark Smith]

I was able to file also. Remember that our claim is entitled to Priority, the $3,025 limit for purchases for personal or household use, if appropriate.

Mark

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[William Cheng]

Hi Mark,

Priority I don't really know what that means, does it mean that for all items less than $3,025, we get priority repayment because its for personal or household use?

[Panduka Samarasinghe]

I just filed this. My Address is in Australia.

Claim No#15

I initially filed it without Priority, but thanks to Mark's information I re-filed it and amended my previous filing with Priority.

Thank you all for the information.

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--

Regards,

Panduka Samarasinghe.

[LAL]

To All,

Many thanks to the group for sharing this information.  I have successfully filed and I am claim #16.  I did not understand the rules concerning Priority, what is the procedure for amending the claim?  Thanks again, best wishes to all.

Respectfully.

L.A. Lewis

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[HARRIS]

I just Filed ... I'm claim #19. Thank you!!! for the info.

[Darren Leis]

I just filed as well, #20.  Thanks for the great information... Everyone in this group should file, this is the way.

Talk to you in the future...
-Darren

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[Michael M]

I must be missing something here. Where exactly do I go to file? I am getting lost in a rabbit hole of websites but they are all just court docs...

Anyone have a link of where we actually file?

Michael McArthur

On Sep 27, 2020, at 12:37 PM, Darren Leis <dpl...@gmail.com> wrote:



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[Panduka Samarasinghe]

Hi,

File the claim here >> https://www.paeb.uscourts.gov/filing-claims

Case number is found here >> https://www.pacermonitor.com/public/case/35475521/Master_Replicas_Group,_Inc

Cheers..

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--

Regards,

Panduka Samarasinghe.

[Michael M]

Thanks! Claim 22. For what it’s worth...

Michael McArthur

On Sep 27, 2020, at 12:48 PM, Panduka Samarasinghe <pandu.sam...@gmail.com> wrote:



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[Ken Adomaitis]

Thanks. Claim number 24. 

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[Kovacik Scott]

Thank you all, I was claim #23.

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[Brian Quinlan]

Claim #29 here.

[Scott Wright]

Claim #30. Thanks for the information!

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[davidb...@gmail.com]

Claim #35 here. Thanks for all the help and guidance. Fingers crossed!

[Mat Ellis]

Greg

Thanks for posting this. I would not have been filing a claim if you hadn't.

M.

On Friday, August 21, 2020 at 4:05:32 AM UTC-7 Greg Viggiano wrote:

[Ulysses13]

Thanks for the info, I have filed a claim, I'm #39.

Fingers crossed, although I'd far rather get the actual product... Sigh.

[jack.b...@gmail.com]

Thanks all for the help with this. Since I had two different addresses listed with the court  (I moved during this fiasco) and two different orders, I files one claim for each, 40 and 41.

[Greg Viggiano]

Sure thing Mat - after the proof of claim form is processed by the administrative office, the bankruptcy attorney will send you several creditor documents. You'll be able to see the full extent of the MRG's situation (and it doesn't look that great). I'm expecting that MRG will probably have convert their filing to chapter 7 if they can't find someone to invest in the company.

Best regards,

Greg

---------------------------------------

Greg Viggiano

+1 703 629 4734
greg.v...@gmail.com | viggianousa (AOL, Skype)

610 N. West Street, No. 408

Alexandria | VA | 22314

USA

 

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[Marc Teerlink]

Greg - thank you for the guidance 

 claim number 42.

 Sent from my iPhone

On Sep 28, 2020, at 13:45, Greg Viggiano <greg.v...@gmail.com> wrote:



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[Ihave Noname]

All should file a claim but we have to be realistic that we are probably on our way to Chapter 7. Mister Steve has told us that there is a new management team at MRG but I can not find any proof of that and they have kept silent. Anyone know if Indiegogo itself is a creditor?

Covid-19 was the final nail... but we where already all in the coffin for much longer.. we have been lied to and screwed over, big time. And Steve is laughing at us..

[Peter Romanoff]

Submitted my claim. Had an issue uploading my proof of purchase which was essentially a screenshot of my indieGogo contribution.  It would not let me do it. Maybe the file was over 20mb. Also did anyone receive a confirmation of the claim?  

On Sep 28, 2020, at 9:32 AM, Ihave Noname <jvan...@gmail.com> wrote:

All should file a claim but we have to be realistic that we are probably on our way to Chapter 7. Mister Steve has told us that there is a new management team at MRG but I can not find any proof of that and they have kept silent. Anyone know if Indiegogo itself is a creditor?

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[Greg Viggiano]

Indiegogo is a pass-through vendor that MRG used to collect funds. I'm not sure if anything is owed to IG from MRG. When you get the creditor papers from the MRG bankruptcy law firm, you'll see the current (and very interesting) list of secured and unsecured creditors - I imagine it will grow as more people file claims.

Best regards,

Greg

---------------------------------------

Greg Viggiano

+1 703 629 4734
greg.v...@gmail.com | viggianousa (AOL, Skype)

610 N. West Street, No. 408

Alexandria | VA | 22314

USA

From: hal-9000...@googlegroups.com [mailto:hal-9000...@googlegroups.com] On Behalf Of Ihave Noname
Sent: Monday, September 28, 2020 9:32 AM
To: HAL 9000 Replica
Subject: [HAL9000-Replica] Re: MRG Bankruptcy Proof of Claim Form

 

All should file a claim but we have to be realistic that we are probably on our way to Chapter 7. Mister Steve has told us that there is a new management team at MRG but I can not find any proof of that and they have kept silent. Anyone know if Indiegogo itself is a creditor?

--

[Ken Wiebe]

Kind of related to this, I'm wondering if the court is going to honor our claims since our money went to Indiegogo.

I'm thinking it may not, from a purely legalistic point-of-view.  Think about it - all the claims have a receipt from Indiegogo attached to them.  How do those receipts support our claim that we are MRG creditors?

Just playing devil's advocate here.

If true, I'm not certain what our legal standing is.  Indiegogo maintains they're just a pass-through and must be held harmless because of the nature of the transaction (they facilitate a 'campaign' which may or may not produce anything, in the end).

This seems to be the setup which leads to crowdsource contributors left holding the bag:  Campaigners are insulated from fraud and malfeasance claims by the crowdsourcers, who make contributors agree to hold them harmless if a campaign fails.

What do you think?

How do we prove we are MRG creditors?  Or if we cannot, how do we go after Indiegogo to test their position?

This is why I think we need to raise funds and retain counsel if at all possible.

Ken

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"Ne te quaesiveris extra"  --Persius

[Pat Sklenar]

 It didn't take my attachment?  is there some way to add it after the fact?
pat----  

[Mark Smith]

You have to check that you have an attachment before you Submit the claim. Then it'll give you a place to upload.

Mark

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[Declan Imeson-Wood]

Thanks for all the useful info - I have submitted claim 48 for what it may bring.

Best Regards

Declan

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[Richard Harris]

"Campaigners are insulated from fraud and malfeasance claims by the crowdsourcers, who make contributors agree to hold them harmless if a campaign fails.

What do you think?"

Hi Ken,

Just because a user agreement for a crowdfunder platform website states that the campaign organizer is held harmless by consumers who provide funds to a campaign, does not mean that the campaign organizer can break consumer protection anti-fraud laws with the FTC - Federal Trade Commission and is protected. The user agreement would become null and void via a Judges court order during a hearing. 

IF the 650K was misused by Steve Dymszo and Master Replicas and is considered fraudulent, then there would be a criminal investigation by the Department of Justice / FBI. And where there is fraud there is personal accountability. 

Where did all of that money go exactly??? 

Once the financial records are examined, this could lead to investigation, prosecution and thus personal liability and law enforcement would begin tracking down missing assets purchased with pledge donors money and seizing them for those of us who lost their money. 

All that money was supposed to be used to produce the product. Not line the pockets of Steve Dymszo and possibly other executives and owners of Master Replicas. The Bankruptcy trustee should be able to get a view of how that 1/2 million dollars  was spent and where it went. But they need to be pressed to do so. 

RH

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[DA AV]

Claim 53 checking in!

[Rob Hollander]

#50. Thanks for the info. 

To view this discussion on the web visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/hal-9000-replica/5977acca-22a4-4b0d-8915-7920553b346fn%40googlegroups.com.

--

Rob Hollander

310.733.6968 p

818.572.8740 f

rshol...@gmail.com

LinkedIn

[Ken Wiebe]

Hi Richard,

Good points and I hope you are right. 

"The Bankruptcy trustee should be able to get a view of how that 1/2 million dollars  was spent and where it went. But they need to be pressed to do so."

I just wonder and still have doubts as to whether the claims citing receipts from Indiegogo, as a technical matter, will pass muster with the court as proof of being a creditor in a bankruptcy proceeding having MRG as the debtor.

Courts are very particular about legal standing and often dismiss claims on that basis.  Doing so would not invalidate anything you said about the bankruptcy court being interested but like you alluded to, that would be an entirely different process including potentially criminal charges.  The point is, in that event it becomes a referral from the bankruptcy court and we Indiegogo campaigners would be subject to the outcome of some other legal proceeding.

Again playing devil's advocate, if I were MRG and facing claims from people who sent money to Indiegogo, I would argue that it was Indiegogo I contracted with, not the campaigners, to help raise money for a project (not the claimants directly), and that I never made any promises to claimants.  I only entered into a campaigner agreement with Indiegogo, and I would at least claim that I followed the terms of that agreement.

This MRG argument could be made without ever delving into whether or not the Indiegogo funds were mishandled as it would be irrelevant from the standpoint of Indiegogo contributors.

I think the real questions revolve around the legalities and responsibilities of the individual parties in these three-way crowdfunding deals and their respective legal standings when disputes arise.  Whether or not MRG actually followed the terms of its Indiegogo agreement, and whether those terms were sufficient to protect contributors (and thus not put contributors at risk of fraud) is an interesting legal question in my mind.

Ken

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[Ken Wiebe]

Edit - I meant to write "Indiegogo contributors" in a couple highlighted places below:

-Ken

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[Richard Harris]

"Again playing devil's advocate, if I were MRG and facing claims from people who sent money to Indiegogo, I would argue that it was Indiegogo I contracted with, not the campaigners, to help raise money for a project (not the claimants directly), and that I never made any promises to claimants.  I only entered into a campaigner agreement with Indiegogo, and I would at least claim that I followed the terms of that agreement."

I have a background in complex business litigation and am a business affairs strategist although I am not an attorney. I disagree. Indiego is a service provider. A service platform. They do collect funds from the donors and then transfer those funds to the campaign organizer, but they do so as a service provider taking a % akin to Paypal, a credit card company or a bank fee. The onus is on the campaign organizer. Their promotional videos are aimed directly at the public aka consumers. And they are responsible for using the funds accordingly and delivering the product they have promoted to the general public aka consumers.

"This MRG argument could be made without ever delving into whether or not the Indiegogo funds were mishandled as it would be irrelevant from the standpoint of Indiegogo contributors."

Again, I disagree. Indiego is not above the law. Nor is any corporation. There are many laws on the books designed to protect consumers across the board. Regardless of any so-called user agreement and/or business methodology between a corporation and a service provider used to engage in fraud with any consumer. The issue is these so-called crowd fund platforms are new territory for the Department of Justice / FBI and Federal Trade Commission. BUT crowdfund organizers have absolutely been brought up on charges for fraud via misspending of donor money (see the recent Steve Bannon arrest.) And monies have been tracked down.

"I think the real questions revolve around the legalities and responsibilities of the individual parties in these three-way crowdfunding deals and their respective legal standings when disputes arise.  Whether or not MRG actually followed the terms of its Indiegogo agreement, and whether those terms were sufficient to protect contributors (and thus not put contributors at risk of fraud) is an interesting legal question in my mind."

But again, regardless of what agreement Master Replicas and Steve Dymszo signed with Indiego, every single consumer is protected by U.S. law when it comes to fraud. It is not that simple to make misrepresentations (even with a clear cut disclaimer) and steal 1/2 a million dollars from the general public aka consumers. It all depends on where the money was spent and invested by Master Replicas and Steve Dymszo. If it is in fact issues with the manufacturers in China and the general partners etc.? that is one thing. But if Steve and his partners paid themselves 6 figure salaries once they saw all of that cash come in? and leased high performance BMW's? And bought themselves high-end collectibles (that they are now selling?) that is another?

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[Mark Turner]

Thanks for the information group.  Claim #57 submitted

[Heiko Fischer]

Thank you everybody for the hand-holding! 

Your claim was successfully filed in case number 20-13095.
Your claim number is 58.

Works with claims from Germany, too y’all.

🤘

Heiko

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[Walt]

#59 from the Netherlands. Cheers.

[Nicolas Aubry]

Hi every body, 

thank you very much for your concern. I filled the claim, I'm #62. 

I preordered in 2019 on MRG web shop... for $1088 (HAL9000 + shipping to France)

Kind Regards,

Nicolas

[Adrian Petford]

Thanks so much for the information, everyone.

Claim #63 checking in!  

My first post here, although I've been reading the group throughout this debacle. I was a previous happy customer of the original Master Replicas so thought this was a worthy project. I only became aware of Dyszmo's previous pattern of behaviour ripping off his customers over a long period of time after I had paid. An expensive lesson to learn but I will not be crowdfunding anything through Indiegogo again.

For anyone outside the US who thinks they may not be eligible to claim, do it.

I am in the UK and the process was trouble-free. Just make sure you have your PDF file of evidence (I used screenshots of my Indiegogo confirmation email) prepared in advance.

While I am not optimistic of success, anything we can do is worth a try. I hope as many backers as possible file claims against MRG. Like others. my name and address was already listed on the system so the more of us use this facility, the more visible we will be.

Best wishes and good luck to all,

Adrian

[Clyde Wilson]

Thank you for all the great info and leg work.  Apologies though if this is something that has been addressed in the thread.  I want to file a claim but there are some questions on the claim form which I would feel more comfortable knowing I am answering correctly before I hit that submit button and since so many of you have claimed I feel like it is safe to ask you guys.  

Having zero legal knowledge I was wondering if someone could clear up a couple of things for me on the form.

__________________________________________________

2: Has this claim been acquired from someone else?  Yes or No

__________________________________________________

4. Does this claim amend one already filed?  Yes or No

__________________________________________________

5. Do you know if anyone else has filed a proof of claim for this claim?  Yes or No

Who made the earlier filing?  

__________________________________________________

6. Do you have any number you use to identify the debtor?  Yes or No

Thanks for any help!

Clyde

B.T.W.  If anyone here has open orders with Chronicle Collectibles it looks like they are pulling the same trick as MR.  I’m out for $900 here and 2K there.  My ass is sore.

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[Stephen Becker]

Thank you for the information.

[AR54]

Your claim was successfully filed in case number 20-13095.

Your claim number is 70.

[Philippe van Nedervelde]

I am not a US citizen. Can I too file a claim there? (I have dual Belgian and French citizenship and live in Spain.)

Anything else I can do as a non-US citizen in this matter?

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[Adrian Petford]

Yes Philippe, you should definitely file a claim.

Several in the thread above are outside the US and have successfully filed claims, myself included. I am in the UK.

The address section only allows for the input of US states and zip codes but it seems the bankruptcy court already has us all on file in their system. When I put my name in, my address in the UK came up automatically.

I assume we must be on their records as customers of MRG. Whether they are aware we never got our orders fulfilled, I do not know but it can't do any harm to get listed as an official creditor.

While I am not confident of any kind of refund, anything which makes us more visible and highlights the huge amount of money MRG raised for the project then failed to deliver has got to be good.

I hope as many of us file these claims as we can.

Good luck,

Ade

[Ian Brodie]

Claim Filed - No 71.

Ian

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[Heiko Fischer]

Philip

I filed from Germany. Works.

Cheers

Heiko

Sent from my iPhoneX

On 6. Oct 2020, at 00:32, Philippe van Nedervelde <phil...@gmail.com> wrote:



To view this discussion on the web visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/hal-9000-replica/CA%2BJZKnjgixvYJM8WtMJXv2u3%2BjucPZrvY6HCyHJxcNjzKOwgjA%40mail.gmail.com.

[JJT]

Another claim filed here #78

 

Thank you!!

[John Wood]

Hi No.81 here! Glad I found you all.

Lets see if we can get our cash back

[John Wood]

I saw it on Indigogo first but bought directly from MR via PayPal.

[Emm Bee]

Your claim was successfully filed in case number 20-13095.

Your claim number is 86.

To view this discussion on the web visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/hal-9000-replica/e93b5c62-d56e-49fb-9ba0-b2c4060bd6f1n%40googlegroups.com.

[Panagiotis (Peter) A. Vretanos]

Would really, really, really prefer the console...  However, for whatever good it will do, claim #89 filed!

To view this discussion on the web visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/hal-9000-replica/CAAuGO-%3DXYt%3DDvLmHN9wDzUw91Yjr_VJMmJErXqTKiaZBrg5Ctw%40mail.gmail.com.

[Keith Lambert]

Filed, claim #93. Thanks to everyone for the assistance.

[Themistocles Chalikias]

Also filed, Claim #94. My info was already in the system, despite being an EU buyer. However, the address at the bottom part of the claim form had US only options - I hope it works.

To view this discussion on the web visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/hal-9000-replica/1f9ab860-74b6-41cc-8d86-fcc9fa6a32f2n%40googlegroups.com.

--

Θεμιστοκλής Χαλικιάς

6944516833
tchal...@gmail.com

[Keith Lambert]

Apologies, I forgot to mention that my name was not originally recognised but I realised that this was because I had included my middle name. This obviously didn't match with their records. I removed this and my details then came up automatically. I'm in the UK and I was able to file without completing the final address/zip code/state details just before the signature section at the end of the form.

[severstal81]

Filed #98. Not sure it'll matter since they filed for a Chapter 7 but filed anyway.

[Steven Koo]

Filed #99.  Keeping my fingers crossed.

To view this discussion on the web visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/hal-9000-replica/2fba6eb3-8fcd-43cd-a8b5-42a8aeb2b13cn%40googlegroups.com.

[Michael Hraba]

A) Now that is Chapter 7, is there any reason to still file this?

B) I've done *zero* in pursuing all this, so far, and I just got a letter in the mail about this going from 11 to 7. Anyone else get it?

[Pat Sklenar]

I received the letter today (in CT, USA) as well.
pat----

[Peter Romanoff]

Got it too in NY :(

On Oct 22, 2020, at 4:05 PM, Pat Sklenar <pat.s...@gmail.com> wrote:



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[sundancejedi]

Looks like they locked down their website

[Darren Leis]

Yes, I got a letter in CA today... I think we are screwed.

-Darren

 

 

To view this discussion on the web visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/hal-9000-replica/82F6EE29-E716-4551-BADE-E07685DF161D%40gmail.com.

[Michael Hraba]

Very interesting... trying to post the image of the letter, or attach it, it says "your post is too long", so I can't share what is a bear bones court mandated document saying motion granted from 11 to 7.

I filed - #101. Nearly at the end of "spending time which is $$ & energy which has value" moment of pursuing this headache. But, even if I got it in a few years, I would still love to see it. The last few years of outright counterfitters, bait and switch, bungled ops, bad management, and other consumer situations has just made me tired of the internet, technology, and companies too busy swimming in cash to care about the consumer? Pretty tired of that, frankly. 

[Peter Romanoff]

So I got this today....

On Oct 22, 2020, at 4:30 PM, Michael Hraba <hrabahospital...@gmail.com> wrote:

Very interesting... trying to post the image of the letter, or attach it, it says "your post is too long", so I can't share what is a bear bones court mandated document saying motion granted from 11 to 7.

I filed - #101. Nearly at the end of "spending time which is $$ & energy which has value" moment of pursuing this headache. But, even if I got it in a few years, I would still love to see it. The last few years of outright counterfitters, bait and switch, bungled ops, bad management, and other consumer situations has just made me tired of the internet, technology, and companies too busy swimming in cash to care about the consumer? Pretty tired of that, frankly. 

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[Michael M]

Looks like all I will end up with out of this is a nice autographed plaque And no prop replica. I should just frame my notice and attach the plaque to it, Except for mine they ran out of ink and the first page is blank. All I got is the second that just says the case is ordered to convert from 11 to 7. 

Michael McArthur

On Oct 24, 2020, at 3:46 PM, Peter Romanoff <prom...@gmail.com> wrote:



So I got this today....

<image0.jpeg>

To view this discussion on the web visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/hal-9000-replica/AD9126EA-E12D-4E0D-AB8C-486AF4D1C2B1%40gmail.com.

[Michael Hraba]

I got that as well... but this is a new doc. So this is quite nice to see the legal system in order enough to keep us updated. You should see that new one in a day or two.

[hubber cbd]

we sale gold bars..BUY AU GOLD BARS   Whatsapp+ 1 9516389432

hubber...@libertylocalminersltd.com

Commodity : Gold Bars

Purity : 98 % pure, 23 + carats

45000$/kg,we trade on CIF,and FOB Basis,our cif basis qty order begins as from 250 KG,no upfront payment.

Whatsapp+ 1 9516389432

[Steven Koo]

FYI - Article posted yesterday.  Hard lesson learned.  I doubt very much I will ever back another project on Kickstarter after this bad experience.

https://www.slashgear.com/hal-9000-crowdfunded-replica-will-no-longer-deliver-as-creator-goes-under-25644334/ 

To view this discussion on the web visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/hal-9000-replica/3cafae5d-c82b-49e6-b9e5-0e2217a365cen%40googlegroups.com.

[Ken Wiebe]

That story was clearly intended to bolster the crowdfunding concept.

It would be nice to see someone do more of an investigative piece.  At least mention the $650K and question its whereabouts.

There's an expose waiting to be written, and this MRG story could be the centerpiece.

To view this discussion on the web visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/hal-9000-replica/CAHJPKEQ_yX3rcoOGg429iSyVZu0Laz5kOoykQ-0MTf90MgyhnQ%40mail.gmail.com.

[Steve Google]

https://gizmodo.com/a-pandemic-induced-bankruptcy-killed-the-hal-9000-smart-1845482857  Today’s Gizmodo article on this sad affair:  

On Oct 26, 2020, at 10:20 AM, Ken Wiebe <hal...@networkguy.me> wrote:



To view this discussion on the web visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/hal-9000-replica/04ba9ac9-0aee-4ee6-a9f4-d937c0679c74%40www.fastmail.com.

[Michael Hraba]

Well, I guess I paid $37 a month for 27 months to be excited about something, an energy otherwise absent of my life if I hadn't stumbled over this badass creation (that doesn't exist). Bummer.

[Heiko Fischer]

That’s a badass positive attitude, Michael.

My daily star goes to you sir!

I gotta admit, this whole forum went some ways to restore my faith in humanity and digital communities 😂

Greetings from Germany (aka “Position 19” in the global Covid19 Games)

Heiko

Sent from my iPhoneX

On 26. Oct 2020, at 17:55, Michael Hraba <hrabahospital...@gmail.com> wrote:

Well, I guess I paid $37 a month for 27 months to be excited about something, an energy otherwise absent of my life if I hadn't stumbled over this badass creation (that doesn't exist). Bummer.

To view this discussion on the web visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/hal-9000-replica/b34725bd-e4d8-4795-b9c7-b652ba3dd3d0n%40googlegroups.com.

[Michael Hraba]

I am pretty bad at anger, so I engineer ways out of it, like the mental trick of amortizing something that doesn't exist. LOL If I had just "lost" this money NOW, vs having it out of my life 2 years ago, I would likely be less good natured about it.

But I even joked to myself how much I would pay to not be angry about this.... I would say a 1/3 of the project. So now I only lost $600! haha

If I can't laugh at nearly everything, life is going to be really miserable.

[Heiko Fischer]

I want my star back 😂

Sent from my iPhoneX

On 28. Oct 2020, at 00:03, Michael Hraba <hrabahospital...@gmail.com> wrote:

I am pretty bad at anger, so I engineer ways out of it, like the mental trick of amortizing something that doesn't exist. LOL If I had just "lost" this money NOW, vs having it out of my life 2 years ago, I would likely be less good natured about it.

To view this discussion on the web visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/hal-9000-replica/6e01852e-5768-45ce-969f-a909874d9d38n%40googlegroups.com.

[Heiko Fischer]

Anyone else receive this email from Mr.Dymszo?

“I am sorry, and I certainly didn't mean to bother you. I'm just trying to carry on with my small business because I am now unemployed and I have to support my family, having left MRG back in May. I don't have any MRG inventory right now. I am just selling off my personal copies of each item. And believe me, I did NOT get rich off of anyone’s money. If I did, I wouldn’t be wasting my time, selling $40 items on the internet.

 

THIS IS VERY IMPORTANT:

 

I need people to understand that I did NOT create a scam here. I and my family worked for this company for three years and we all took a pay cut to work here. We all believed very very strongly in what we were doing and we were excited to get such an amazing product out to the public. Unfortunately, other people had other ideas. We have numerous witnesses and documentation to prove that neither I, nor our employees, had anything to do with this. 

 

I created a document summarizing some of the unfortunate events that transpired while I was at MRG, and I have shared it with many people. If you would like a copy, I would be happy to give it to you... just let me know. Hopefully, it will clarify some of what happened. 

 

I also worked very hard to make sure that none of this would happen, but my ex-partners had other plans and I was simply out-maneuvered at every turn. These are dishonorable people who had a different agenda (apparently from day one.) 

 

To this day, I do not understand why they would want to intentionally wipe out a successful business and cause so many customers to lose out on the product for which they paid. My mind simply doesn't work that way. All I wanted to do was get the customers the product that they paid for. 

 

I spent three years fighting with people to do that... that's not how I envisioned my career going. And now I am unemployed because of their deliberate (IMO) sabotage. And it is unlikely that the customers will ever see their product. This is a horrible situation and it weighs on me painfully every single day.

 

Right up until the end, I felt very strongly that we were going to complete the HAL project and get them all shipped. We paid engineering consultants and the factory in China enormous amounts of money for design, development, tooling and to actually start production. The money did not go into big paychecks for anyone. All the money went to manufacturing, overhead, and the typical things needed to run a small business for three years.

 

Unfortunately, my ex-partners refuse to communicate with me in any way and I've had to hire a lawyer. I just found out that the company filed for chapter 7 on the Internet as many other people did. They didn't even inform me, or give me a chance to input or vote on anything. This is a massive violation of our company bylaws.

 

Also, unfortunately, I have absolutely no control over the product in China anymore, so there is nothing I can do there.

 

MRG filed for chapter 7 on October 16^th against all of my efforts to stop it. We had a board meeting back in April of 2020, where I presented numerous plans to reorganize the company and get the product finished. I also clearly stated that I absolutely refused to agree to bankrupt the company. I also clearly stated that I absolutely refused to agree to bankrupt the company. I said that I would not allow MRG to “burn the customers.” One of the partners replied: “Steve, we are going to burn the customers.” The partners insisted on bankrupting the company. I was out-voted and could not stop them, as I was never informed of any subsequent meetings after that date. They filed for Chapter 13 (and subsequently Chapter 7) without my knowledge or agreement. 

 

I am so sorry this has happened. I literally have no words to express the pain I feel right now for everyone. If you can get a refund through Paypal, or your credit card company, I urge you to do so. 

 

Again, if you would like to see the document I wrote, just let me know.“

Sent from my iPhoneX

On 28. Oct 2020, at 08:18, Heiko Fischer <he...@resourceful-humans.de> wrote:

I want my star back 😂

[frogn...@yahoo.com]

 

Yeah I got it.  I wrote him back yesterday the following prior to receiving this email:

 

Thanks for scamming me out of almost 1200 dollars and you have the gull to send me emails soliciting to buy products from you. Drop dead you scam artist con man!

 

Im guessing I was not the only one to send him something if he responded with this….

To view this discussion on the web visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/hal-9000-replica/EB4D4303-0582-41C2-A9FF-38FBBC7FEC71%40resourceful-humans.de.

[Clyde Wilson]

First sentence “support my family”.  makes me sick.

On Oct 28, 2020, at 11:58 AM, frognwntr2 via HAL 9000 Replica <hal-9000...@googlegroups.com> wrote:

 

Yeah I got it.  I wrote him back yesterday the following prior to receiving this email:

 

Thanks for scamming me out of almost 1200 dollars and you have the gull to send me emails soliciting to buy products from you. Drop dead you scam artist con man!

 

Im guessing I was not the only one to send him something if he responded with this….

 

From: hal-9000...@googlegroups.com <hal-9000...@googlegroups.com> On Behalf Of Heiko Fischer
Sent: Wednesday, October 28, 2020 2:34 PM
To: hal-9000...@googlegroups.com
Subject: Re: [HAL9000-Replica] MRG Bankruptcy Proof of Claim Form

 

Anyone else receive this email from Mr.Dymszo?

 

<image001.png>

To view this discussion on the web visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/hal-9000-replica/004901d6ad5c%245249c0d0%24f6dd4270%24%40yahoo.com.

[Ken Wiebe]

Makes me sick too.  I would like to see some proof for his claims that he made a valiant attempt to safeguard our interests but was powerless in the face of diabolical saboteurs.

The frustrating thing is that going through a bankruptcy proceeding is a mechanical process that doesn't focus on the "why" or "how" (or "who was responsible").

So he's free to claim innocence of wrongdoing and malfeasance and so are the supposed "saboteurs".

And since the Indiegogo terms protect MRG and leave backers holding the bag, everything proceeds according to plan and the bad actors can continue to make claims and avoid transparency.  To the bankruptcy court it's just gonna be numbers on a page and who gets what little will remain.

To view this discussion on the web visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/hal-9000-replica/CBD20F72-FE37-45D4-A2EF-508F162FFEDD%40yahoo.com.

[Austin R. Chamberlain]

Hi, 

  I'm trying to file a claim, but what do I type under creditor? I'm really not good at this.

-Austin

Sent from AT&T Yahoo Mail on Android

On Mon, Nov 16, 2020 at 7:06 PM, Mike Wishart

<wishar...@gmail.com> wrote:

I'm claim #114 FWIW. 

To view this discussion on the web visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/hal-9000-replica/ab09ac3f-0481-4511-b98c-2788b1d578cfn%40googlegroups.com.