My correspondence with Chicago Tribune reporter Lisa Black about her reporting about my ex-wife, my...

Gordy Pratt <[email protected]>

7 messages

Gordy Pratt <[email protected]> Wed, Sep 30, 2009 at 8:54 PMTo: [email protected]

Lisa BlackThe Chicago Tribune

Dear Ms. Black,

I was informed that you're reporting an article about the Save A LifeFoundation and about my ex-wife, Carol Spizzirri, and that you areinterested in reviewing documents about the recent legal action takenagainst me by Ms. Spizzirri in Lake County Circuit Court.

Here are the court documents along with a September 11 letter from myattorney, Richard S. Kopsick of Waukegan, that summarizes the outcomeof the case. Please feel free to contact him if you wish:http://jumbofiles.com/tv2ctj5ha1y4

Here's a brief description of the case.

On August 3, 2009, the Daily Herald published this letter to theeditor from me: http://www.dailyherald.com/story/?id=310714&src=To my surprise, a few days later I was served by the Milwaukee CountySheriff's Department and ordered to appear in Lake County Court toanswer the charges. Long story short, every allegation in thecomplaint is fiction and Judge Waldeck clearly agreed. I have not setfoot in the state of Illinois or seen Ms. Spizzirri since 2002 when weattended the funeral of our eldest daughter, Carlotta.

On September 10, I appeared before Judge Waldeck with Richardrepresenting me. Carol Spizzirri represented herself without counsel.

The hearing opened with Richard asking Spizzirri if she had filed alawsuit against Peter Heimlich, Dr. Robert Baratz, and a blogger. Shereplied, "Yes, but that case has already been settled." Richardreplied, "That is not true. You did not settle the case. You droppedthe case. There's a big difference between settling a case anddropping a case altogether."

Richard then asked Spizzirri if she was aware of the four Chuck Goudiereports about her and the Save A Life Foundation that aired on ABC7Chicago. Spizzirri replied she knew of only one report by Chuck Goudieand that she had never seen or known about the other three. ThenRichard pulled out a DVD containing the four reports and askedSpizzirri if she would like him to play it in court. Spizzirri saidno, she didn't want him to play it.

Then Richard asked if she had recently appeared in a TV interview onthe Illinois Channel in which she said she was the victim of cyberstalking. She said yes. Then Richard asked, "Then how do you know it

Gmail - Save A Life Foundation, Carol Spizzirri http://mail.google.com/mail/?ui=2&ik=e1a2b66204&view=pt&search=s...

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wasn't this cyber stalker who broke into your home?" (One of thecharges in the complaint is that I allegedly broke into her home andstole her computer.) Spizzirri replied, "I don't know." Then Richardasked, "Then isn't it also possible that it was the cyber stalker whomade the hundreds of phone calls you claimed to have received?"(Another charge in the complaint.) Spizzirri said, "I don't know."

Then Richard asked her, "Didn't you claim to be a Registered Nurse andto have a Bachelor of Science degree?" Spizzirri then denied she hadever made either claim. Then Richard presented her with these pagesfrom an April 13, 2004 grant application from the Save A LifeFoundation to the US Centers for Disease Control for $1,005,000,signed by Spizzirri: http://jumbofiles.com/l5fetgq6ml6e

Richard pointed out that next to her name and signature were the typedinitials "RN" and "BS". Spizzirri then denied she had written those onthe funding application. She said that one of her employees must havewritten them or that the CDC had written it in. At that point I sawJudge Waldeck roll his eyes.

Spizzirri then said, "My ex-husband admitted that he has been writingletters to newspapers and public officials since 1993, trying to makeme look like a bad person." Judge Waldeck said to her, "Yourex-husband has the right to write letters. That is covered by theFirst Amendment of the Constitution that guarantees us all freedom ofspeech and it has nothing to do with this case." Then the judgedismissed the case saying that the evidence she presented did not meetthe standard to issue a restraining order. The entire hearing lastedabout 20 minutes. I never said a word.

On the way out of the courtroom, Richard and I passed Rita Mullins. (Irecognized her from news photos.) She was sitting in the back of thecourtroom next to the exit door. When Richard passed her, Mullins saidto him in full voice, "Asshole."

You may already know that Carol Spizzirri has a long history of filingspecious legal actions against me and others. This was the fifth legalaction of this kind she has filed against me over the last threedecades. She lost four of the cases and won one case by defaultbecause I was late getting to court.

I have heart trouble and I don't intend to be put through any more ofher abuse so I've prepared the following sworn affidavits in the hopethat she will discontinue this conduct against me and others.

1) September 9, 2009 affidavit regarding a 1985 court-orderedpsychological evaluation of Carol Spizzirri, who was diagnosed as a"paranoid schizophrenic, pathological liar, and chronic child abuser":http://jumbofiles.com/fp83qrged9w3

2) September 18, 2009 affidavit regarding two shoplifting chargesagainst Carol Spizzirri (then Carol J. Pratt) from 1979 and 1981. Shepleaded guilty to both charges: http://jumbofiles.com/wx6yg804mzl3

Finally, as Chuck Goudie reported, the Save A Life Foundation haspromoted itself and fundraised based on false claims about the deathof my daughter, Christina Pratt, for whom I still grieve. You shouldbe aware that she was the victim of physical and mental abuse by her


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mother, resulting in Chrissy filing this May 4, 1992 protective orderagainst her mother and taking shelter at the home of a neighbor namedLaura Haibeck, a social worker who works with young people:http://jumbofiles.com/tuldlrz1hhml

Here's Laura's contact information:http://www.waukeganschools.org/whs/academics/support

As you probably know, five months later Chrissy died in the caraccident. A year after that, Carol Spizzirri twisted the facts of herdeath and used those lies to start and promote the Save A LifeFoundation. If the Tribune is interested in reporting those facts,feel free to contact me anytime.

Thank you for taking the time to review this information. If you haveany questions, please don't hesitate to contact me.

I would appreciate it if you would confirm receipt of this e-mail.

Sincerely,

Gordon T. PrattMilwaukee, WI(707)667-1746

Gordy Pratt <[email protected]> Sat, Oct 3, 2009 at 11:52 AMTo: [email protected]

Ms. Black:

Please provide me with your editor's name.

I look forward to your prompt reply.

Gordon T. PrattMilwaukee, WI(707)667-1746

[Quoted text hidden]

Black, Lisa <[email protected]> Sat, Oct 3, 2009 at 2:20 PMTo: [email protected]: "Hernon, Peter J." <[email protected]>

My immediate supervisor is Peter Hernon.

Is there a problem I can help you with?

Lisa Black--------------------------Lisa BlackChicago Tribune[Quoted text hidden]

Gordy Pratt <[email protected]> Tue, Oct 13, 2009 at 10:50 AM


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To: "Black, Lisa" <[email protected]>Cc: [email protected], [email protected]

Lisa BlackChicago Tribune

Dear Ms. Black:

Re: your October 11, 2009 article, Save-A-Life Foundation in Limbo, I would appreciate your answers to thefollowing questions.

Per your story's headline, you reported that the Save-A-Life Foundation (SALF) is "in hibernation until the economyimproves" and has "suspend(ed) operations," information you attributed to SALF founder/president Carol Spizzirri.

However, according to the IL Secretary of State's Department of Business Services, the Save-A-Life Foundationfiled for voluntary dissolution on September 17, 2009, thereby ceasing operations in your state. The Secretary ofState's website freely provides that information. Here's a screenshot: http://jumbofiles.com/onxwsttgxp9v Here's acopy of the Articles of Dissolution, signed and dated by Spizzirri on August 21, 2009: http://jumbofiles.com/rppazbl2v2g9

1) When you wrote your article, were you aware that the corporation had been dissolved?

From your article:

A University of Chicago doctor later examined the medical records from the 1992 crash near Waukegan.Despite a county coroner's report to the contrary, he said Christina Spizzirri might not have died had shereceived basic first aid for control of hemorrhage.

2) What's the doctor's name? On what date did you interview her/him to obtain or confirm the information youreported? Approximately when and in what capacity did this doctor examine the medical records of my late daughterChristina Pratt (whose last name you reported incorrectly)?

Thank you for your attention to my inquiry and I would appreciate receiving your answers in the next few days. If yourequire more time, please advise.

Sincerely,

Gordon T. PrattPO Box 18121Milwaukee, WI 53218

Ph/FAX: (707)667-1746e-mail: [email protected]

cc:

Peter Hernon, EditorJenna Lasich, Coordinator/Reader Help Desk[Quoted text hidden]

Black, Lisa <[email protected]> Tue, Oct 13, 2009 at 10:59 AMTo: Gordy Pratt <[email protected]>

Dear Mr. Pratt,


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If your ex-wife wants to describe the foundation as in hibernation, that is her right. Yes, I know about thedissolution, but that doesn’t stop her from applying to restart the organization again, if that is what shechooses to do. I think you already have the answer to your second question, but yes, I have written andoral verification of Dr. Lance Becker’s conclusions. You can look that up yourself.

We are going to publish a correction concerning your daughter’s legal name. I am sorry, it appears that shealso used the name Spizzirri for other purposes, but if it is important to you, I have no problem clarifyingher name.

If you have any further problems, I suggest that you talk to my editor, Peter Hernon. He is aware of yourconcerns.

Lisa Black

Chicago Tribune

From: Gordy Pratt [mailto:[email protected]]Sent: Tuesday, October 13, 2009 9:50 AMTo: Black, LisaCc: Hernon, Peter J.; Lasich, Jenna[Quoted text hidden]


Gordy Pratt <[email protected]> Tue, Oct 13, 2009 at 11:56 AMTo: "Black, Lisa" <[email protected]>Cc: [email protected], [email protected]

Lisa BlackChicago Tribune

Dear Ms. Black:

Thank you for your prompt reply to my previous e-mail. You wrote:

>I think you already have the answer to your second question, but yes, I have written and oral >verification of Dr.Lance Becker’s conclusions. You can look that up yourself.

I've never read anything by Dr. Becker, have never communicated with him, and you have never discussed this orany other matter with me, therefore it's unclear how you arrived at your conclusion. Also I have no idea whatdocuments or report by Dr. Becker you're referring to. Since you reported the information, I presume it's on therecord, so would you please send me copies? If not, what types of documents are they, what are the dates of thedocuments, and where may I look them up as you suggested?

Also, you failed to answer my questions. Would you please check your notes and advise on what date you contactedDr. Becker to verify the information you reported and in what capacity did he examine my daughter's medicalrecords?


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>it appears that (your daughter) also used the name Spizzirri for other purposes

I am unaware of my late daughter ever using the name "Christina Spizzirri." For example, in the May 4, 1992restraining order she filed against her mother* (to which you alluded in your article, albeit obliquely), she identifiedherself as Christina J. Pratt. Therefore, please explain how you arrived at your conclusion.

Thank you again for your prompt response and I look forward to receiving your answers to the above questions.

Sincerely,

Gordon T. PrattPO Box 18121Milwaukee, WI 53218

Ph/FAX: (707)667-1746e-mail: [email protected]

* http://jumbofiles.com/f60bz9vgra6h

cc:

Peter Hernon, EditorJenna Lasich, Coordinator/Reader Help Desk


Black, Lisa <[email protected]> Tue, Oct 13, 2009 at 12:59 PMTo: Gordy Pratt <[email protected]>

Mr. Pratt,

My editors have instructed me to move on to other assignments. I am finished answering your questions.

Thank you.

Lisa Black

Chicago Tribune

From: Gordy Pratt [mailto:[email protected]]Sent: Tuesday, October 13, 2009 10:56 AMTo: Black, LisaCc: Lasich, Jenna; Hernon, Peter J.[Quoted text hidden]


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