May 18, 2006
That's nice
HealthSouth says U.S. won't seek charges
Considering that all the people involved in the fraud are gone now, I don't see what prosecuting the company would have accomplished.
Posted by Mac Thomason at 08:32 AM | Comments (0)
May 11, 2006
Rules of evidence fun
Okay, so here's the situation... The HealthSouth fraud is both the core of the relationship between Scrushy and Martin and the best way to discredit Martin. But the defense doesn't want Scrushy's role in the fraud talked about, because even though he was found innocent everyone knows he did it. So they have to tiptoe around the situation and make sure they don't ask any questions where the answer is "Mr. Scrushy told me to".
Posted by Mac Thomason at 12:30 PM | Comments (0)
April 16, 2006
Why not?
al.com: NewsFlash - Scrushy: Ministry to feed African children, offer mortgages
I mean, it seems a little haphazard, but if that's what the jury wants to hear, that's what Scrushy will do. Mortgages and feeding the hungry of Africa it is.
Posted by Mac Thomason at 04:19 PM | Comments (0)
April 13, 2006
Bummer
Court says Scrushy can't delay repayment
Gosh, Dick, I hope you have the funds. If not, maybe you can start another company and have the CFOs commit massive fraud in which somehow you're the prime beneficiary without ever knowing. Not that that would ever happen.
Posted by Mac Thomason at 08:20 AM | Comments (1)
April 06, 2006
There are two ways of looking at it
Scrushy airing his talk show in Montgomery
One way is to say that this is obviously yet another attempt to pollute the jury pool. The other way is to note that it airs at 5:30 AM and nobody actually watches it.
Posted by Mac Thomason at 09:49 AM | Comments (0)
March 11, 2006
Dick shakes it
Scrushy gift 'shaken down,' statement says
Actually, this is a fairly reasonable interpretation of the events. Scrushy claims that the bribe he paid was in the nature of a shakedown, which sure sounds like Siegelman.
Posted by Mac Thomason at 01:11 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
March 10, 2006
Is this a joke?
Apparently, no.
A new Web site, scrushy-ministries.com, details Scrushy's new role as a pastor, televangelist and head of Kingdom Builders International, an organization seeking to pool the resources of nondenominational Christian churches.Scrushy and wife Leslie, the daughter of a Methodist minister, were recently ordained pastors and ministers of Grace and Purpose Church, according to the site. That church service is televised on the WOTM cable channel owned by Scrushy's son-in-law, Michael Plaia.
(Full disclosure: I went to high school with Mike Plaia.)
This is in addition to their morning half hour show, which is still on the air. He's sort of a discount Pat Robertson without (yet) claiming the magic powers. And there's the "documentary" which "tells the story of the role their religion played in the former HealthSouth Corp. CEO's acquittal of fraud and conspiracy charges." It would be embarrassing if he got convicted of the Montgomery charges.
Never mind that, he's going to the Bahamas! Seriously, he got permission to attend a "pastors' leadership meeting" in Nassau. And he's building churches in Africa, because there aren't any churches that need building here I guess. Except for his planned Bible college in McCalla. (Full disclosure: my family is from McCalla and this pisses me off.)
Posted by Mac Thomason at 10:53 AM | Comments (10) | TrackBack
February 24, 2006
Insured fraud
HealthSouth to pay out $445 million
Actually, $230 million will come from their insurance. The other $215 million comes from "securities", whatever that means. And they'll pay 25 percent of whatever they get from their lawsuits against Scrushy, their auditors, and their investment bank.
Posted by Mac Thomason at 07:16 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
February 22, 2006
They've learned their lesson
Most who pleaded guilty are paying price
That lesson? "Cooperate with the Federal government, and you will get punished. Deny everything, and you'll get off with most of your ill-gotten earnings intact."
Posted by Mac Thomason at 09:26 AM | Comments (2) | TrackBack
February 15, 2006
They're mean
Scrushy claims U.S. trickery in plea
He says that the prosecutors didn't tell him that they had a sealed indictment when they talked to him about the Montgomery grand jury. I'm sure they didn't. That's why it's a sealed indictment.
Posted by Mac Thomason at 09:12 AM | Comments (1) | TrackBack
February 08, 2006
Everybody must get sued
Lawsuit links HealthSouth fraud to UBS
UBS, a Wall Street firm, is being sued by "shareholders" over allegations that investment bankers there knew about and concealed the fraud at HealthSouth. I can't figure out if these are shareholders at UBS or at HealthSouth.
Posted by Mac Thomason at 09:13 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
Oh, poor baby
Lawyers say Scrushy faces ruin over ruling
Little Dickie's lawyers say that he can't afford to pay back nearly $50 million in "performance bonuses" ruled unjust enrichment by a judge last month. Let the record show that:
1. The Feds value the Scrush's estate at "no less than" $287 million, and
2. There is absolutely no way to dispute that the bonuses were unearned, even if everything Scrushy says about the fraud is true.
Posted by Mac Thomason at 08:26 AM | Comments (1) | TrackBack
February 07, 2006
Hannity, Colmes, & Scrushy
Scrushy says CEOs can be deceived by underlings
What a loathsome combination.
At any event, sure you can be fooled. But constantly, over a period of several years, about the fundamentals of a business which you founded? It seems unlikely.
The Scrush compared his plight to being a wife whose husband is cheating on her. I could make any number of sneering comments here but will demur.
Posted by Mac Thomason at 03:48 PM | Comments (1) | TrackBack
February 05, 2006
The fall of the CFO Mafia
Owens will give up fraud assets
Bill Owens will give up $2.5 million in assets, including his home, which is pretty much all he has. Meanwhile, Richard Scrushy is still living high on the hog.
Now, the Scrush claims that he's completely innocent of the fraud and it was all the fault of his five different CFOs. Let's say that that's true. Why should he benefit from the fraud? By his own testimony, he's got lots of money only because of the hard work of the CFO Mafia. To me, it's only fair that he give up the profits from the fraud to the people responsible.
Posted by Mac Thomason at 12:29 PM | Comments (1) | TrackBack
January 26, 2006
Dickie S speaks
Scrushy claims too few black jurors in capital
"Yo, homes, it's Dickie S, speakin' to you from the BHM. The Man, he's holdin' me down, you dig? My man Artie, he's lookin' at the jury pool in Montgomery, and the pop is 30 percent the bruthas, but the juries is 80 to 90 percent pale. Yo, that ain't fair!"
Posted by Mac Thomason at 09:24 AM | Comments (2) | TrackBack
January 25, 2006
Again
Scrushy disputes testimony of ex-CFO
I mean, what is he going to say? "Yep, I definitely threatened to fire my company's investment bankers if they didn't make a $250,000 bribe/donation to the governor's lottery fund." That would be a problem for his defense.
Posted by Mac Thomason at 07:59 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
January 24, 2006
This didn't come up before?
Witness: Scrushy made threat over donation
Today's allegation from the grand jury... Mike Martin of the CFO Mafia says that Scrushy threatened to fire HealthSouth's investment bankers in 1999 if they didn't raise money for the lottery campaign. Which, you may recall, utterly failed. Anyway, Martin apparently actually delivered the threat, in keeping with Scrushy's plausible deniability strategy.
Posted by Mac Thomason at 10:32 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
January 20, 2006
He's Presidential
Minister: Scrushy paid to build black support
I mean, if the White House paid people to write and say good things about them in the media, and the Pentagon paid people to write good things about them in Iraqi papers, why can't Richard Scrushy? So that's apparently what he did. A minister says that the Scrush promised to pay him $5000 a month for "public relations work" including having an associate write favorable articles about him in the Birmingham Times, the local black newspaper.
What's more, the minister claims that Scrushy backed out of paying him after the fraud trial! I have to admit, that would be pretty low. Scrushy claims that the man is a "shyster" and is lying, and that all his payments to the church were legitimate "donations".
Posted by Mac Thomason at 09:17 AM | Comments (1) | TrackBack
January 07, 2006
The treadmill
Talks open over HealthSouth's U.S. 280 facility
The former "digital hospital" is still unfinished, its future owner still undecided. HealthSouth has spent $200 million on the thing and it just sits there. They have reached a modified agreement on a hospital on selling a Southside to UAB.
Posted by Mac Thomason at 12:40 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
January 04, 2006
Dick's very bad day
nbc13.com - News - SEC Files New Charges Against Scrushy
al.com: NewsFlash - Judge orders Scrushy to repay $47M in HealthSouth bonuses
al.com: NewsFlash - Federal magistrate refuses to step down from Siegelman case
The charges are civil charges, from what I can tell; he would have to pay fines but wouldn't be risking jail. These replace charges that a judge dismissed back in November.
Scrushy will appeal the ruling on repaying the company bonuses. I don't see how he has much of a case. By his own admission there was huge fraud going on during his reign. The only dispute is whether he knew about it. Even if he didn't, that just means he was incompetent and the company was still being run badly.
It's unclear why the Scrushy and Siegelman teams asked the judge to step down. They had previously asked for his recusal because his wife had taught the children of a man Siegelman allegedly sought bribes from.
Posted by Mac Thomason at 01:47 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
December 22, 2005
Whine whine whine
Scrushy sues Paul Finebaum, Birmingham newspaper
Not that I have any problem with people suing Finebaum, but this is pathetic. He's suing for defamation because Finebaum (and separately, the Birmingham News) said that he started going to a black church in an attempt to influence the jury pool. Also, suing is Leslie Scrushy, because Finebaum called her "plastic", "a gold digger", "a fake", "a phony", and "an airhead". What is this, high school?
I also agree with suing Scott Stantis, but suing the News because Stantis drew a "cartoon" (I honestly don't think he's a good enough artist for those things to be called cartoons -- scribbles, maybe) depicting Santa bringing him coal for Christmas is pathetic.
Posted by Mac Thomason at 11:53 AM | Comments (3) | TrackBack
You're mean
Scrushy wants trial separate from Siegelman's
How do you think this makes Don feel? You're acting like he's so much more guilty than you that you don't want to be associated with him. After all the corruption you shared, this is how you treat him? For shame.
Posted by Mac Thomason at 09:08 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
December 16, 2005
Lawyerorama
Scrushy sues, says contract broken
This should be fun. HealthSouth fired Scrushy in March of 2003, what with the fraud and the indictment and the collapse of the stock price. So he's suing "for more than $70 million", though that doesn't actually mean much. (Juries don't have to pay any attention to that figure.) I particularly like how part of his claim is that he lost his medical and dental coverage.
Posted by Mac Thomason at 08:06 AM | Comments (1) | TrackBack
December 14, 2005
They got lucky
HealthSouth earns more than expected
They were actually expecting a shortfall but an old debt they were writing off came in for them:
The $38 million came from the repayment of money loaned to MeadowBrook Healthcare LLC, a company formed by former finance chief Mike Martin. HealthSouth loaned MeadowBrook $45 million so it could purchase four hospitals from HealthSouth. MeadowBrook was recently purchased, allowing it to repay HealthSouth.Martin was among 16 former HealthSouth executives to be convicted in the $2.64 billion accounting fraud at the company.
See, they were meaning to pay it back! Just give them a little time!
Posted by Mac Thomason at 09:38 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
December 10, 2005
We've all learned our lesson
Owens sentenced to 5 years in prison
If you're part of a conspiracy to commit massive fraud, and the government approaches you to cooperate and even wear a wire to tape incriminating conversations with the leader of the fraud, you should probably say no. It won't do you any good and they won't get the leader.
The judge called Scrushy's acquittal "a travesty", by the way.
Posted by Mac Thomason at 03:07 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
December 06, 2005
Now he quits
Scrushy quits HealthSouth board
They couldn't kick him off because he was a major stockholder, but they'd stopped listening to him and did their best to isolate him. For instance, they wouldn't tell him when the board was meeting. Finally, he's going away.
Posted by Mac Thomason at 08:17 AM | Comments (1) | TrackBack
November 30, 2005
Let's be civil
I think this is the civil suit the SEC brought against Scrushy, not criminal charges. To be honest, though, I'm not sure, because the story isn't very clear. Anyway, there are still four charges in place, plus his criminal involvement with the Siegelman mess in Montgomery.
Posted by Mac Thomason at 10:00 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
November 19, 2005
The booby prize
Former HealthSouth exec is first convicted by jury
Hey, Scrushy got away, but they did convict Hannibal "Sonny" Crumpler. Scrushy commented: "I don't see how a jury could find the words of confessed felons and liars to be credible against the word of an honest man." Yeah, it helps when they don't have to go against quite so many lawyers.
Posted by Mac Thomason at 01:54 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
November 16, 2005
I can see why
Scrushy may seek separate trial from Siegelman
I mean, you wouldn't want to ruin your image by associating with these guys.
Posted by Mac Thomason at 03:35 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
November 08, 2005
Well, as long as someone goes to jail
Ex-HealthSouth exec faces up to 30 years
Bill Owens was the head of the CFO Mafia, according to Richard Scrushy. Scrushy, of course, was acquitted, which doesn't mean that what he said was true. Owens wore a wire to get tape of Scrushy admitting to blatant fraud speaking completely out of context and like the other CFOs cooperated with the prosecution. You'd think that that would keep him from serving 30 years in jail. You'd think.
Posted by Mac Thomason at 09:05 AM | Comments (1) | TrackBack
October 31, 2005
Borrrrrring
HealthSouth ex-exec's trial to be low-key
Who care about Hannibal "Sonny" Crumpler? Get back to Scrushy II! Though two of the many Scrushy attorneys are representing Crumpler.
Posted by Mac Thomason at 09:35 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
October 28, 2005
That's always fun
Our Dick says that he's going to file misconduct claims against the prosecutors for lying to him. It seems that they didn't tell him about the sealed indictment while trying to secure his cooperation in the larger Siegelman picture. The lawyers also claim that the prosecutors offered him a deal where no charges would be brought if he testified against Siegelman.
Posted by Mac Thomason at 08:37 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
October 26, 2005
My worlds collide
al.com: NewsFlash - Former Alabama governor ...
Story still developing, but it looks like the Montgomery grand jury has indicted both Don Siegelman and Richard Scrushy on racketeering charges.
UPDATE: Here's the DOJ press release:
U.S. Newswire : Releases : "Former Alabama Governor Don Siegelman, Others Indicted..."
30 counts. Defendants in addition to Siegelman and Scrushy are two former Siegelman aides, Michael Hamrick (his chief of staff) and Gary Roberts (the former DOT director). Scrushy was actually named in a sealed indictment in May, during his last trial.
Posted by Mac Thomason at 06:03 PM | Comments (2) | TrackBack
October 25, 2005
That seems... odd
HealthSouth whistleblower Smith gets OK to start prison during appeal
Weston "No, Not The Guy From 1984" Smith is going to start serving his prison time even though he's appealing his sentence. Smith got 27 months in prison while the other four members of the CFO mafia got five months, three months, seven days, and probation. Given that Smith alerted the government of the fraud, it doesn't seem fair.
Posted by Mac Thomason at 09:14 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
October 04, 2005
Richard & Me
Unfortunately, this won't be a muckraking documentary. Instead:
A Hollywood company that specializes in films with family and religious themes plans to make a documentary on the life of HealthSouth Corp. founder Richard Scrushy and his fraud trial.Gener8Xion Entertainment Inc. said the documentary will focus on the role Scrushy's religion played in his acquittal on criminal charges in June.
Because what's more Christian than making millions of dollars in shady dealings, then getting away with it? Isn't that what Jesus was all about?
The filmmakers claim they're neutral. Of course, they paid Scrushy for his participation, but I'm sure they'll stay neutral.
Posted by Mac Thomason at 09:17 AM | Comments (2) | TrackBack
September 30, 2005
I have to hand it to him
Attorney: Grand jury no threat to Scrushy
Donald Watkins was right about his client not getting convicted for the HealthSouth malfeasance, I suppose that I should give him the benefit of the doubt here. But what else is he going to say?
Posted by Mac Thomason at 08:46 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
September 29, 2005
If at first you don't succeed ^2
Scrushy activities in capital reviewed
So the federal prosecutors who are going after Don Siegelman are also going after Richard Scrushy. It stems from Siegelman appointments to the state Certificate of Need Board, which decides if hospitals can expand. Roughly speaking, it's as if California authorities now tried to get O.J. Simpson and Robert Blake on the same charges.
Posted by Mac Thomason at 09:58 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
September 25, 2005
You know...
HealthSouth says it won't fall into default
HealthSouth also said that it was incredibly profitable, and look how that wound up. Okay, that's not fair, we don't know that the current management are liars.
Posted by Mac Thomason at 12:24 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
September 23, 2005
That'll teach them
Richard Scrushy gets off. Most of the other members of the CFO Mafia get probation with maybe a few weeks in jail, at most a few months of house arrest. Weston Smith, who helped expose the fraud, gets 27 months in prison. Apparently, we're trying to discourage people from coming forward.
Posted by Mac Thomason at 08:13 AM | Comments (1) | TrackBack
September 21, 2005
A whole week
Ex-CFO to serve week in prison
Michael Martin doesn't have to worry. His CFO Mafia ties will protect him.
Posted by Mac Thomason at 10:25 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
September 16, 2005
Richard Scrushy: The Motion Picture
Scrushy movie in negotiations, his lawyers say
Oh, why not?
"We have met with directors and actors well known to the American public," Watkins said. "It is a David vs. Goliath story, and a tale of seemingly divergent personalities coming together to win the battle nobody said could be won."
It's a real feel-good story, it is. Americans love an underdog, especially when he has hundreds of millions of dollars, a plane, and a trophy wife.
Supposedly, Watkins and Scrushy have met with a group that includes an executive producer of Ray and Sitcom Producer/Friend of Bill/Not A Relative Harry Thomason. (The story spells it "Thomasson". I hate people who spell it that way, but Harry spells it right.)
Watkins wants Denzel Washington to play him, but may be joking. I suggest Sherman Hemsley. I am not allowed to make suggestions on who should play U.S. Attorney Alice Martin.
Posted by Mac Thomason at 09:08 AM | Comments (1) | TrackBack
August 26, 2005
Beamed out
Ex-CFO sentenced to prison and fined
CFO Mafioso Aaron Beam was sentenced to three whole months in prison and fined a whopping $285,000. Of course, that's three months in prison and $285,000 in fines more than Richard Scrushy. Beam still blames Scrushy; Donald Watkins is still serving as Scrushy's mouthpiece and blaming the CFOs.
Posted by Mac Thomason at 08:58 AM | Comments (1) | TrackBack
July 22, 2005
Life goes on
HealthSouth's still a company, still trying to stay alive. $33 million from UAB for the Southside facility will help. It's a natural fit; UAB has been expanding, bloblike, in that direction anyway.
Musical beds: For this to work, UAB needs to get approval from the state to transfer the license for the beds from the old Fairfield hospital HealthSouth shut down to this one. They need this because the beds from this one are being transferred to the erstwhile "digital hospital" on 280.
Posted by Mac Thomason at 07:22 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
July 10, 2005
Oh, dear
It turns out that the Scrushy defense team put together a long memo detailing their case... in September 2003. And gave it to the prosecution. Which didn't utilize it. I know I'm not supposed to make this analogy, but it reminds me of Mein Kampf.
Posted by Mac Thomason at 12:01 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
July 09, 2005
Well, it worked against OJ
Scrushy Trial II: The Civil Trial should start soon. I don't know, it seems like that if confuse-and-obfuscate worked before it probably will again. Maybe the jury won't be so dumb this time, though.
Posted by Mac Thomason at 12:22 PM | Comments (5) | TrackBack
July 03, 2005
Oh, shut up
al.com: NewsFlash - Prosecutor: HealthSouth probe continues despite Scrushy acquittal
Alice Martin, big loser:
But Martin rejected the idea that Scrushy's acquittal meant the whole investigation was a failure."Overall it's been an incredible success with 15 guilty pleas," she said. "Sometimes that last domino doesn't fall."
It's a failure. You can keep investigating all you want, but the big fish got away and you don't get another shot at him. That spells L-O-S-E-R.
Posted by Mac Thomason at 01:28 AM | Comments (1) | TrackBack
July 01, 2005
Now I have a headache
Two from jury divided in views of Scrushy case
The juror who was removed for health reasons, which turn out to be severe migraines, says that he indeed was one of two holdouts for conviction. One of the other jurors says this:
Cooper found it plausible that Scrushy never detected the fraud that also escaped the attention of auditors and board members."I truly do not believe he is a stupid man. I truly believe he was misinformed," he said.
Gosh, I think you're stupid and misinformed.
Posted by Mac Thomason at 08:19 AM | Comments (1) | TrackBack
June 30, 2005
See how this works?
al.com: NewsFlash - Ebbers to forfeit assets in settlement
Richard Scrushy, meanwhile, has lots of money and can buy and sell any of us.
Posted by Mac Thomason at 09:47 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
Poor widdle judgie
Judge defends way trial conducted
Karen Bowdre says that she is "hurt" by criticism of her handling of the Scrushy trial. Jesus. Toughen up, woman! You're a federal judge!
I don't blame her for the acquittal. You know who I blame. Judge Bowdre wasn't the one who went with the "bore the jury to tears" prosecution strategy. It sounds like the geniuses behind that are blaming Bowdre for their loss, just like they blamed the judge in the Siegelman fiasco. Maybe they're "activist judges".
Posted by Mac Thomason at 08:17 AM | Comments (2) | TrackBack
June 29, 2005
Meanwhile
UAB begins regulatory moves to buy HealthSouth hospital
The company Scrushy founded is still trying to survive. They need state approval to transfer some bed licenses to UAB which would allow for the sale of one of their hospitals to the university.
Posted by Mac Thomason at 09:46 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
Above the law
Scrushy's security men briefly in custody
So, two of Scrushy's goons were circling the Federal courthouse in the obligatory white SUV, one of them brandishing a shotgun. The U.S. Marshals are a little sensitive to this kind of thing and detained them. You're supposed to notify the authorities if you're going to bring private security to a courthouse, and I can't imagine why Richard Scrushy would think he's above the law.
Posted by Mac Thomason at 09:07 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
Scrushyrama
I count six directly Scrushy-related stories on the Birmingham News website today. Plus one on an unrelated HealthSouth matter. I may link to some of them later.
Posted by Mac Thomason at 08:34 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
June 28, 2005
Dear President Bush...
It is time that you asked Alice Martin to step down. First, she humiliated herself and the Federal government by rushing ahead and badly mishandling the Siegelman case. Now she has totally botched the Richard Scrushy trial, failing to get any convictions at all while corrupt executives all over the country have been found guilty. Her one significant victory was the Eric Rudolph matter, but Rudolph's guilt was never in doubt; his attorneys were openly maneuvering to avoid the death penalty.
If Ms. Martin is not willing to step aside, you owe it to the people of Alabama and the United States to fire her for incompetence.
Posted by Mac Thomason at 12:57 PM | Comments (3) | TrackBack
Unbelievable
Scrushy found not guilty on all counts
Words fail me.
This isn't over, though. Scrushy will probably file a civil suit to get back in control of the company. I have to think Alice Martin is going to be asked to resign as federal prosecutor; between this and the Siegelman fiasco, she's looking pretty awful.
Posted by Mac Thomason at 12:11 PM | Comments (12) | TrackBack
We have a verdict
Verdict reached but not yet released in Scrushy trial
If they really started over from scratch last week, this is kind of quick. Expected at 11:30. Let's see what happens.
Posted by Mac Thomason at 10:39 AM | Comments (2) | TrackBack
Thanks for the timely reports
HealthSouth posts first report since'03
Hey, guess what! It turns out that HealthSouth mistated its profits by hundreds of millions of dollars! I know! I mean, it's like something that would get the CEO put on trial.
There is some fun information here. For instance:
HealthSouth in 1997 paid $1 million into Andrews-HealthSouth Racing LLC to form the company that backed the 2000 America's Cup yacht racing bid of Dr. Jim Andrews, a prominent orthopedic surgeon and a friend of Scrushy's. His practice was affiliated with HealthSouth until this year."It's unclear how our money was used," the HealthSouth SEC filing said.
But HealthSouth went on to spend more money on yacht races, the SEC filing said.
In 1998 and 1999, HealthSouth advanced $4.3 million to an entity called the Aloha Racing Foundation, which owned the two yachts entered in the 2000 America's Cup.
Liens on the yachts backed the cash advance, and HealthSouth agreed to supply management and payroll services to the racing team. The yachts didn't win, and the foundation went bankrupt. HealthSouth said it has recouped $800,000 from Aloha.
"Aloha" has many meanings, of course. I didn't know one was "kiss your investment goodbye".
The company also announced that it has settled the suit brought against it by Jason Hervey.
Posted by Mac Thomason at 08:09 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
June 27, 2005
No hurry
al.com: NewsFlash - Jurors resume Scrushy deliberations at noon
Why wait until noon? I can only guess that the judge has court business this morning. Still, it's not like they can't be shuffled into the jury room and ignored.
Posted by Mac Thomason at 09:07 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
June 23, 2005
"Crack of dawn"?
al.com: NewsFlash - Revamped Scrushy jury returns to work on expanded schedule
7:30 is hardly the crack of dawn. Still, they're finally working a full day. Hopefully the old guy they jettisoned was part of the problem and this thing will end soon.
Posted by Mac Thomason at 09:58 AM | Comments (1) | TrackBack
June 22, 2005
Pure speculation
al.com: NewsFlash - Judge meets privately with lawyers in Scrushy trial
Item the first: "Will you people please reach a plea on this damned thing?"
When that doesn't work, Item the second will probably be about the jury, perhaps the juror or jurors who keep getting sick. I am guessing that the defense would be against anyone leaving the jury at this stage.
UPDATE: Sure enough, the sick juror has been replaced. No word on if the defense objected, but I'd think that with them apparently on their way to a mistrial they wouldn't want anything to change. Bowdre then "recharged" the jury, praising its efforts.
Posted by Mac Thomason at 10:38 AM | Comments (1) | TrackBack
Next: I Want To Be A Scrushy
TV review: I Want to Be a Hilton
"I Want To Be a Hilton" supplies further evidence of the decline and fall of Western Civilization... Executive producers: Paul Buccieri, Danny Salles, Jason Hervey, Rick Hilton...
Nice to see that Scrushy's former sidekick landed on his feet. Or the Hilton's family's feet. Or whatever part of Paris' anatomy is germane here. (Thanks to Susan.)
Posted by Mac Thomason at 10:28 AM | Comments (2) | TrackBack
June 21, 2005
I am getting tired of this
al.com: NewsFlash - Scrushy jury gets another day off due to ill juror
Please, this bunch has enough problems without taking four days off in a row. Again.
Scrushy's father died in Selma yesterday. My regrets to all the members of the family not currently on trial.
Posted by Mac Thomason at 10:56 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
June 20, 2005
As opposed to all those expected emergencies
al.com: NewsFlash - Scrushy jury gets day off due to 'unexpected emergency'
Please. These guys get more time off than Darko Milicic.
Posted by Mac Thomason at 09:48 AM | Comments (4) | TrackBack
June 16, 2005
Tough it out, man
al.com: NewsFlash - Scrushy deliberations delayed by ill juror
I bet this is the same guy who keeps getting sick. They've already replaced one juror for illness.
Posted by Mac Thomason at 10:54 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
June 12, 2005
I see
al.com: NewsFlash - Hometown jury could hold key for Scrushy in fraud trial
Apparently, they think that a Birmingham jury is extra dumb and will let Scrushy go because he gave money to charity in exchange for getting his name slapped on everything.
Posted by Mac Thomason at 01:49 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
June 09, 2005
ChutzpahSouth denied
al.com: NewsFlash - Attorney General: HealthSouth not due tax refund
"Troy King" may not be much of an Attorney General, but even he has some common sense. If you overpaid your taxes as part of a massive criminal conspiracy, don't expect a refund.
Posted by Mac Thomason at 03:52 PM | Comments (1) | TrackBack
For good behavior?
al.com: NewsFlash - Scrushy jury gets time off after 12 days without verdict
Headline almost makes it sound like they've been working 12 days straight. Ha! They've worked 12 days since May 19. Short days at that. Now: four day weekend!
Posted by Mac Thomason at 10:08 AM | Comments (1) |