Hello,
Thanks for providing this resource. Can you please fill me in on some details of attorney Michelen's defense letter program? I do not mean to waste anyone's time rehashing information which is already reasonably easy to find, but I have read the pages about the program and a lot of other content here, searched the forum, and watched the 5 part video series on youtube and I'm still unclear on important details about the program. I can't find much information about what the results are.
I understand that using the program stops Getty and associates from contacting the client. But, for how long? It's not clear to me what the ultimate goal and expected outcome of the program are.
I'll ask these questions in a general way, not in the context of a specific Getty letter, because I think this information is important for anyone considering the letter program and it would therefore be useful to get general responses that discuss the range of possible results.
1) I realize this may vary depending on the circumstances of the case, but what are ultimate goals / expected outcomes of using the program? For example:
* Bargain Getty down to accepting a lower settlement amount? How much lower (e.g. %)?
* Get Getty to dismiss their claim?
* Get Getty to go away (essentially give up, but without saying so)?
* Exhaust the 3 year period without a suit?
I see that the program includes the first letter and "a second letter at no extra cost should Getty respond to the first".
2) What generally happens after the first letter is sent? Do they generally respond? From attorney Michelen's comments in the videos, it sounds like they respond at least some of the time. Although, the videos I watched are now nearing 3 years old. Perhaps things have changed since then.
3) How much, if any, of a deterrent effect do attorney Michelen's letters have? Is it common for Getty to give up on a target once they use the defense letter program, and pursue softer targets instead? How often / under what kind of circumstances do they give up and go away as a result of the letter program? Never / once in a blue moon / sometimes / often?
I've seen people recommend using this service for the purpose of preventing Getty and associates from harassing the Getty letter recipient for the next 3 years. Ok, so the program includes up to 2 letters for the fee and obliges Getty to communicate with attorney Michelen instead of the client....
4) What happens after the 2 letters? Does Getty continue to pester attorney Michelen for the next 3 years, and if so, what happens? How far does the $195 fee for the letter program go? If it covers 2 letters, what happens next? I understand that attorney Michelen is already offering this service at a steep discount to normal fees, so I'm wondering how much back and forth with Getty he would engage in for that fee, how much back and forth they may try to engage him in, and what that would mean for the client financially. If the fee only covers 2 letters and if Getty will continue to pester attorney Michelen for the next 3 years, how much can that end up costing to have him deal with them?
I've seen a couple of posts by buddhapi, to the effect of (paraphrasing) "hire Oscar, then they will have to harass him and it will go away", but in both cases he mentions the 3 year period and I'm not clear on what happens between the initial letter from attorney Michelen and the end of the 3 years.
http://www.extortionletterinfo.com/forum/getty-images-letter-forum/2-clients-with-getty-letters/msg6349#msg6349
http://www.extortionletterinfo.com/forum/getty-images-letter-forum/think-this-letter-will-stop-their-harassment/msg6591/#msg6591
5) Is there a big advantage to having attorney Michelen's letter be the first response, as opposed to responding yourself and later using the defense letter service?
I'm sure many would really hate to reward Getty's tactics and behavior by paying them an outrageous amount they demand, but as others have said on this forum there's a concern that you may end up worse off by incurring an additional expense (like the letter program) and ending up having to pay them anyway. If the expected result is that you'll have to pay them anyway, will it yield enough of a reduction in their demand, beyond what you could get them to agree to yourself, to make it a net gain to pay for the letter program?
From what I've read here it sounds like Matthew Chan and Oscar Michelen favor quite a bit of transparency in these operations, and I was wondering if there are any statistics offered on the outcome of cases of defense letter clients? E.g. how many settle / are sued / never pay Getty anything and exhaust the 3 year period / average settlement amount (as a percentage of what Getty originally demanded), etc. I could be wrong, but I'm thinking perhaps that kind of aggregate information does not run afoul of attorney-client privilege, though it would take work to compile / maintain and publish, I know. I don't know how much confidentiality agreements related to settlements might interfere with that.
Thanks!