Mahalo.com Class Action – Lawsuit – Law Firm Retained
Posted by AccentuateSep 16
A law firm has been retained in consideration for a potential class-action lawsuit against Mahalo.com.Because it is a pending legal action, I can’t go into too much detail here on the blog or in email, but if you’ve ever written for, completed tasks for, answered or asked questions for, or managed pages at Mahalo.com, you might qualify as a member of the class or have information helpful to us.
To learn more, you can contact the law firm of Green Welling, LLP, and the attorney to whom I have spoken at:
Green Welling LLP
Attn: Nicole D. Reynolds
595 Market Street, Suite 2750, San Francisco, CA 94105
Tel: (415) 477-6700
Fax: (415) 477-6710
Email: ndr (at) classcounsel (dot) com
If you have any information, documentation, screen captures, emails, other communications or experiences with Mahalo.com–whether or not you still work/write for them–we would appreciate your contacting the law firm to share that information with them. You can remain anonymous under attorney/client privilege, even if you are a current contractor or employee of Mahalo.com. Even *I* won’t know who you are unless you choose to be named.
If you know people who have contracted with or were employed by Mahalo.com, please spread this information around and give it to them so they can contact the law firm directly for more information.
Thank you to everyone. We appreciate your help.
Love and stuff,
Michy
[…] This post was mentioned on Twitter by Unsent Letters and MichelleLDevon, Twin Trinity Media. Twin Trinity Media said: RT @MichelleLDevon: Mahalo.com Potential Class Action Lawsuit — Learn more here: http://bit.ly/b3aKZF You can remain anonymous. […]
Good for you for taking this on! Best of luck!
I have documentation which I will convey to the attorney. I am glad to see that there is a law firm who will pursue the class-action lawsuit against Mahalo. Because there is power in numbers, I plan on seeing if I qualify to join the suit.
I plan on seeing if I qualify to join the suit. I stopped writing for them towards the beginning of the year. What type of information does the attorney need?
They’ll probably just ask you for your experiences with the site and any specifics they might have. You will have to give your name and probably your Mahalo screen name, but you’ll be able to stay completely anonymous if you so choose. Thanks for commenting and thanks for sticking up for writers everywhere!
I will defend Mahalo even if I have to travel to US. You are pathetic…honestly…get a f***ng life…Wanna bet you won’t post this???
Then you would bet wrong. I am not ashamed of or afraid of what I’m doing. Standing up for justice and proper treatment under the law is never something to be ashamed of.
I’m not trying to hurt Mahalo. I don’t want Mahalo shut down. I don’t want anything bad to happen to Mahalo. I only want for the people who were injured by Mahalo’s illegal actions to be duly compensated for their losses and for Mahalo and all other sites that hire writers to understand that we won’t take being screwed.
It’s a long flight from Romania. If you come, have a safe trip.
Jason has a bunch of trolls and fanboys who he sicks on causes he deems appropriate for self-promotion. Don’t let them get you down Michy!
The only reason opportunistic dirtbags get away with the stuff they do is because people let them. Good on you for standing up for yourself. 🙂
Thank you, Aaron! I appreciate the show of support. It does help, but it’ll take more than this to get me down and I am not backing off! Thank you again!
I thought you might appreciate the irony on this … after TechCrunch was bought out Jason Calacanis complained about Mike taking food out of his kid’s mouth (businessinsider.com/calacanis-arrington-techcrunch-aol-2010-9).
It looks like Jason doesn’t like being treated the way he treats others!
“A Trainwreck,” “A Liability,” And “A Sociopath”….. Pot, meet Kettle? I’ve heard all those in reference to Jason too. I’ve been reading all of the blogs of you guys for quite some time, all the SEO stuff, all the back and forth. Jason certainly has quite the reputation. So the internet millionaire’s baby won’t have enough to eat, huh? Poor kid. Poor, poor kid.
The only people Mahalo injured are weak people…be advised and don’t take this as a threat…That in your post above you mentioned my location…and this is against the law. You abused your rights as an admin of this blog. With great powers,comes big responsibilities…Are you sure you can handle a blog???? You are against the TOS! The WordPress TOS and I can ask for a shutdown of this blog as we speak. And you dare…hmmm..to say…”Even *I* won’t know who you are unless you choose to be named.” You are funny…Writer!:))))
HMMM…want to change my IP????
You my friend can’t accept your own rules as an admin. And you are asking about rights? Learn to respect your own rights, before starting a thread like this.
This blog is not hosted on WordPress. I merely use a free GNU licensed WordPress backbone that anyone can use for free. I own this domain and it’s hosted on my own site. I’ve never had a blog on WordPress.
I own this blog and the domain it’s hosted on. I guess if you want to ask me to shut me down, you can try, but I know myself pretty well, and I’ve got the feeling, I’m probably not going to comply with a shut down request of myself from myself.
I didn’t give your city, but I have it if I need it for legal purposes. I think saying you’re in Romania is no different than saying I’m in the United States.
I have violated no TOS. Nice way to botch a Spiderman quote though, while trying to sound profound. Epic FAIL.
heeeeeyyy…you sound like a gamer! Are you a WoW fan? These words…EPIC FAIL are used in WoW…But…Unfortunately 15 years old kids are using them…I don’t try to shut you down…Mahalo did this before me…Let me guess.You lost your pages, and you started to delete the content. Right?:)))Even if they paid you!:))) OK…Well. Good luck with the trial, because you practically are a thief!:) Cheers!
Ohh…yeah… “Even *I* won’t know who you are unless you choose to be named.”
Start a trial because nobody will know your name, but I have the right to expose your country, city, SSN, and the name of your kid! The first kid not all of them!!! :)))) You are a joke! A bad one!:))))
I think you should get your facts straight before you say things that aren’t true. You also should talk to Jason about how you are sharing information that might damage him in a lawsuit. He might not take kindly to that. I will not be responding to anything else you say. Have a good day.
A Few Good Women…
Michy: I’ll answer the question. You want answers?
ME: I think I’m entitled.
Michy: You want answers?!
ME: I want the blog!
Michy: You can’t handle the blog! Son, we live in a world that has laws, and those laws have to be guarded by people with sense. Who’s gonna do it? You? You, Lieutenant ME?
(Comedy spoof Based on dialog from A Few Good Men)
Let’s see…. Spider Man movies, A Few Good Men… what cliche could ME possibly come up with next? Tune in next time, kids, for the next exciting episode of ESL insults…
you guys should really read more books…If you associate that phrase with Spider-Man, maybe you should read more…. You know…Books are not going to eat you or something…Really!
@admin…can you please explain this?
“You also should talk to Jason about how you are sharing information that might damage him in a lawsuit”
Just an FYI to those reading this blog and watching the comments: when I stated one could stay anonymous and even I wouldn’t know who was talking to the attorney, I meant that for those who contacted the attorney. I did not provide the same offer of anonymity to people who come to my blog and say ugly things or attack me or lie about me. I’m sure the language barrier is part of the above poster’s misunderstanding.
Hi Me,I don’t get why you are so upset about potential class action against Mahalo. In USA, it’s perfectly legitimate for anyone to sue anyone else. The court will judge whether the accusation is founded. I don’t see Mahalo winning or losing will have life altering impact for you since the page management right is revoked so that you can’t possibly gain anything else, am I right?
It might be legal to sue someone or something else, but that doesn’t make it the right thing to do. By suing them, you’re using the resources of the justice system, which could be going towards more important causes.
The attitude that people should sue and let the court figure it is sickening. It wastes people’s time. It costs everyone involved a large amount of money. In the end, it mainly benefits the lawyers, and the payoff to the lawyers encourages more of our brightest to become lawyers. I’m no fan of Jason Calacanis, but I think you all should just move on and try to make the world a better place instead of getting in a petty fight with Mahalo.
George, Mahalo.com did something that was very likely illegal. By holding them accountable for that action, we are standing up for our legal rights, standing up for fair and just treatment under the law, and ensuring that other content sites understand that this type of behavior is not going to be acceptable (precedent). This doesn’t hurt Mahalo.com or other companies, but rather, helps to make them stronger by ensuring they are operating legally, and it also helps them attract better contractors and employees, because they will be an ethical company.
On the consumer end it protects freelance writers, and improves the entire freelance landscape, because shady businesses and those who deal in shady operations, will know that people will stand up against that treatment and fight for proper treatment under the law.
Freelancers get a better freelancing landscape universally, businesses get better quality work and product, consumers get a better quality work and product, and it’s all legal and perhaps moral too.
I think that DOES make the world a better place, for everyone. I believe in what I’m doing. I believe and even KNOW I am right in doing it, and it is much bigger to me than not liking a person or his company.
The comments left by the poster who defends Mahalo are perfect examples of why Jason is in such dire need of writers now.
I see the class action as a small way to hold Jason accountable-something that so obviously needs to be done. In the mean time, I’m sure he has some regrets concerning the quality of work he’s now getting. But hey, “Me”, defend him til your last breath if it makes you feel better.
Wow! Some people really can’t handle the truth! I don’t think that “Me” knows what he/she is talking about. Hey “Me”… you do realize that Mahalo’s Terms of Service stated that “You own your content”, right? That is what the class action lawsuit is about. The fact that Mahalo said we owned our content, but stole the content from us when they decided this business model wasn’t working for them.
Good luck, any enemy of Calacanis is a friend of mine.
I am sure they have everything they need, but just in case I have screenshots or html copies of the Mahalo terms of service from 6/15 through 6/30 of this year. Not sure if that is the date range in question, but I do know there were some significant changes during that period that impacted users negatively. Just hit me up if you need them.
Thank you, Michael. I have screen captures of the old TOS, the changes, and then the ones as they are posted as of yesterday. The email of the attorney above though… if you want to send anything you have to then, that’s great. My best friend spoke with them again today, and things are still on track and moving forward nicely. We are still in the discovery and evidence collection stages, so if you do think you might have something helpful, I suggest sending it to them with Mahalo’s name in the subject. Thanks for the show of support!
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I found your blog on google and read a few of your other posts. I just added you to my Google News Reader. Keep up the good work Look forward to reading more from you in the future.
Very nice information.
Can you provide more information on this? cheers
You can find more discussion about the case here: http://accentuatewriters.com/forumdisplay.php?fid=101 and here: http://mahalotalk.lefora.com/
[…] you want to contact the attorneys, you can do so by reading this post. You can call or you can send an email. Best to you […]
[…] in a less official way, with people I know, and in a sense, for writers everywhere, such as the class action lawsuit I’m the lead for against Mahalo.com. It’s also why I now write. That is my voice. That is my […]
Great post, I’ve been after that??
Jenna
You want people to join you in a cause of which you can’t provide “much detail”? You don’t say who you are, what the potential law suit is about, what it supports, what you support, who or what people would be helping if they sent you the requested information. I know people just can’t resist a good law suit and you hang the carrot out there of “you might qualify”, but it’s pretty irresponsible and I would think ineffective to ask for documents when you don’t say – won’t say – for what purpose you are going to use them.
Joe, those who read my blog know exactly who I am. I did not write this blog for the general public, but those who were already fully aware of what transpired and those who already were aware of me.
Additionally, I do not ask anyone to send ME anything. I have specifically asked everyone who had information about their experience at Mahalo.com to contact the law firm of Green Welling, which they can find online to verify they are a legitimate law firm, call the California bar and confirm, and then contact the attorneys there to discuss the lawsuit.
Once the class is certified, all the information will be easily and publicly available, and I will share it here when that happens.
There’s nothing ineffective and irresponsible about that.
[…] Welling, LLP, is currently looking into claims that a change in the terms and conditions regarding payment and ad revenue sharing negatively […]
I am not a lawyer, nor have I consulted one for this comment, or play one on TV. That said I strongly suspect that naming your location, even if he named your city as well, is not illegal in the US. I even more strongly suspect that publicly and in writing calling someone a thief IS. It is called slander and he could sue you for it – though frankly you write like you still live in your mom’m basement. I don’t usually respond to trolls but I had to this time as I’ve noticed a pattern over the last couple years – whenever Calacanis is vilified online it seems to bring out the worst and loudest trolls. Says something, but I’ll leave what it says to everyone’s imagination – I’m sure I am not the first to notice this. Btw, so you know I am not blowing smoke, ref. Doe vs Cahill (http://courts.delaware.gov/Opinions/(pnd3wj2ypwug2i45v0hyd5zi)/Download.aspx?ID=67130)
[…] for Mahalo, then you might qualify as a member of the class action lawsuit spearheaded by Devon. [Accentuate Services Blog] Categorized under Mahalo, Michelle Devon If you liked this post, subscribe to the […]
Can you provide more information on this? take care
A group of writers/contributors led by Michelle Devon are in the process of bringing a class action suit against Mahalo for, in my opinion, unethical business practices based on Mahalo’s actions in late June and early July of 2010. During this time frame, Mahalo ceased their page management business model with less than 10 days notice, ceased the payment of residual incomes which were based on page views and ad click-thrus, and changed the TOS upon announcing the changes without notification of users.
The terms changed from stating that all writers/contributors owned their pages/contributions and could freely edit or remove those pages at any time to new terms stating that Mahalo owned all contributions and intellectual properties (IP) associated with the contributions. Approximately two days prior to the announcement of changes, Mahalo rescinded the ability of almost all users to edit or delete their pages, effectively violating contributors’ rights under the existing TOS at that time. The change in terms did not allow for any opt in period and did not allow for contributors to remove materials for which they were paid significantly below market rates. Despite public assurances that writers need only contact Mahalo to have their pages removed, several requests, made in writing, were summarily denied.
In addition, all attribution to those who created pages or contributed significantly to pages were removed. In essence, copyright has been violated and work has been stolen. While there are other issues, pending legal action precludes enumeration or expansion.
[…] might be facing a class-action lawsuit from […]
I found your blog on google and read a few of your other posts. I just added you to my Google News Reader. Keep up the good work Look forward to reading more from you in the future.
[…] to news posted on Accentuate in mid-September, and more recently on blog sites Pulse2 and The Next Web, the potential Mahalo […]
[…] to news posted on Accentuate in mid-September, and more recently on blog sites Pulse2 and The Next Web, the potential Mahalo […]
[…] to news posted on Accentuate in mid-September, and more recently on blog sites Pulse2 and The Next Web, the potential Mahalo […]
Happy to see this, Your will be the Popular in the world!! It’s about time.
– Janessa JEWETT
Thanks for your post and information ((o;
[…] Ex-Mahalo contractors filing a class action lawsuit against Jason Calacanis (accentuateservices.com) […]