Musicians guild and Notre Dame

[Gaetan Charlebois]

I was a little taken aback by the mild to nothing reactions to the lawsuit
launched by the producers of Notre Dame against the Musicians Guild for
defamation.

I guess because I've been on the receiving end of a lawsuit (which tied up
my life and guts for three years) I don't see $1 million slapsuits as mildly
as some on this list.

It seems like a fine way for big wigs with big lawyers to get others to shut
up about them...call it "defamation." Imagine if every time some of you
(particularly the editors of magazines) dared to criticize someone, you got
nailed for it in the courts. Just the price of a lawyer on retainer is
enough to put you in the poorhouse even if you win...forget the settlements.
Though I settled out of court in my case, I was finally bancrupted. My
status as a freelancer (which many of you understand) finally sank me as I
had no protection whatsoever from a union or my paper.

Coscient, the producer of Notre Dame, is, as we say here, "une grosse
boite."The Guild is, well, a guild.

Gaetan