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Awakend has filed a defamation lawsuit towards NewULife and founder Alexy Goldstein.
Surprisingly, Awakend’s grievance particulars allegations pertaining to BehindMLM’s editorial integrity.
Along with Awakend, the corporate’s grievance lists co-founders Rodney James and Danelle Meoli as plaintiffs.
Named defendants are:
- NewULife (NUL) – an MLM firm that induced a stir a couple of years in the past with HGH gel
Alexy Goldstein (proper) – founder and CEO of NewULife- Katherine Garfield – a high NewULife’s distributor and alleged worker
- Joe Juliano – a high NewULife distributor
- Christopher Cavedon – a high NewULife distributor
For context and as reported in BehindMLM’s Awakend evaluate, Danelle Meoli is a former NewULife distributor.
In Awakend’s grievance, Meoli is cited as “the highest three all-time earner for nearly 5 years (and) face of the corporate”. Rodney James is cited as Meoli’s “long-time enterprise accomplice”, no prior relationship with NewULife is inferred.
In March 2022 Meoli (proper) and James started planning Awakend’s launch.
This created friction between Meoli and NewULife, which types the idea for Awakend’s grievance.
When NUL found Meoli had plans to begin a brand new MLM firm with James, a dispute arose between the events.
For instance, throughout this time, Meoli and James discovered NUL had been defaming them to distributors to thwart them from launching a brand new firm and to break their fame.
The explanation NUL started this marketing campaign of defamation was as a result of a number of NUL distributors had been already contemplating leaving NUL in favor of Awakend.
Thus, NUL did every thing in its energy to persuade its distributors that Meoli and James shouldn’t be trusted by spreading false data regarding their ethics.
NewULife supposedly accused Meoli of violating the corporate’s Insurance policies and Procedures, which Meoli denies.
Finally the dispute between Meoli and NewULife was remedied by means of an August 2022 “settlement settlement”.
The settlement settlement contained a non-disparagement clause, which Awakend alleges NewULife and Goldstein have violated.
Instantly after executing the settlement settlement, NUL launched one other marketing campaign of defamation, however this time it was directed in direction of Awakend.
Particularly, NUL held each day conferences with its workers and its high distributors to strategize and focus on plans on how to ensure Awakend’s enterprise fails.
Individuals who participated in these conferences had been: Goldstein … Garfield … Juliano … (and) Cavedon.
On the conferences, Defendants would do an array of dangerous issues directed at Awakend.
First, Defendants would focus on Meoli on a relentless foundation, utilizing derogatory language referring to her as “the cunt” or “the bitch”, and determining methods to undermine her credibility within the MLM trade.
They’d additionally focus on James in a derogatory method by referring to him as “the pedophile”, “the rapist”, and/or “the prison”.
On data and perception, Defendants would contact Awakend and NUL distributors and declare that Meoli was a liar who shouldn’t be trusted as a result of she was related to James.
BehindMLM is cited in Awakend’s grievance as a “respected group that shares details about MLM corporations within the trade”.
Whereas being that, BehindMLM can be allegedly a platform NewULife used to publish “patently false” articles about Awakend and Meoli.
NUL’s CEO, Goldstein, would pay and instruct NUL’s staff, together with a person named Shawn Spainhour, to draft articles about Awakend that had been patently false.
Particularly, the articles would concern Awakend and establish its operations as an “unlawful pyramid scheme”.
They’d additionally describe Awakend’s operations as a “scummy money seize” supposed to defraud shoppers.
Moreover, the articles would characterize Meoli as a “liar” who’s to not be trusted.
Lastly, the articles declare that the method behind Awakend’s product, Zenith, is being illegally offered by Awakend as a result of Awakend doesn’t have the rights to the method.
After the articles had been drafted on the route of Goldstein, he would then instruct NUL’s high distributors … to submit the articles to an internet site referred to as “Behind MLM”.
Thereafter, when Behind MLM publishes the articles on its web site, the identical high distributors would start disseminating the articles’ URL to Awakend’s distributors with out disclosing the actual fact they had been those behind the articles’ content material.
Oh boy…
As Oz I’ll have been operating BehindMLM for fourteen years come April 2023. Throughout that point I’ve revealed 8250 articles (together with this one).
I’m the only editor, researcher and author of any content material that’s revealed on BehindMLM. Feedback left on our articles and opinions are from each myself and readers, of which there are over 150,000.
I’ve by no means republished submitted content material. Any time a supply is cited I’ll identify the supply the place doable and, such to the extent BehindMLM quotes one other supply, you’ll discover that denoted by a inexperienced field (as is the case on this article).
The situations I can’t identify a supply usually pertain to doing so doubtlessly placing my supply in danger. Some sources additionally choose to not be cited, which is ok offered that doesn’t compromise the supply materials.
I don’t know who Shawn Spainhour is and, to one of the best of my data, I’ve by no means communicated with him. The truth is to one of the best of my data, I’ve by no means communicated with anybody from NewULife company.
That stated I’ve an open e-mail inbox and reader submissions and tip offs do result in quite a few tales that wind up being revealed on BehindMLM.
With respect to Awakend and Meoli, I feel each article BehindMLM has revealed has cited supply materials.
The “scummy money seize” comment was made in our Awakend pre-launch article, revealed on August 18th, 2022.
The cited supply materials for this text was an Awakend company webinar that includes Meoli. The article cites screenshots from the webinar and offers in depth quotes as supporting proof.
The “scummy money seize” comment itself was made with respect to Awakend’s NFT gimmick.
Let’s handle the cartoon elephant JPG within the room: Whereas MLM and cryptocurrency are synonymous with securities fraud, I haven’t seen something in Awakend’s NFT providing that I’d establish as securities fraud.
However that’s to not say it isn’t a pointless scummy money seize.
Having listened to Awakend’s NFT spiel, I’m left asking “why?” Why does this must exist?
I stand by that. Awakend ramming NFTs into their MLM enterprise mannequin is/was a scummy money seize.
That assertion isn’t based mostly on a pre-written article NewULife despatched in for republication, it’s my opinion based mostly on the cited Awakend company presentation.
I can’t say for certain however I’m assuming the “Meoli is a liar” comment is directed to our “Danelle Meoli misleads Awakend distributors on “unique rights”” article, revealed October thirty first, 2022.
This text explores Meoli’s place relating to Awakend’s “unique rights” to the Trisynex method Zenith was initially marketed on.
Meoli’s place is in distinction to a comment made by a Californian Decide, who categorically acknowledged in a late 2022 submitting that the Trisynex patent dispute “stay(s) unsettled”.
The continuing authorized dispute is scheduled for trial on March twenty eighth, 2023. Pending an earlier decision or the result of the trial, Meoli representing in any other case is deceptive.
With that in thoughts, right here’s the related snippet through which I accused Meoli of mendacity:
When requested by an Awakend distributor concerning the courtroom case referenced above, Meoli flat-out lied:
I didn’t state Meoli deliberately lied. However past a lie, what else would you name the above?
There clearly is an ongoing courtroom case concerning the Trisynex patent, which ties into the referenced scientific examine and trademark.
In any occasion the cited supply materials right here isn’t a pre-written article from NewULife, its Danelle Meoli’s personal phrases.
As to Awakend being an “unlawful pyramid scheme”, I take it that is in reference to BehindMLM’s October fifth evaluate.
Shifting on to Awakend’s compensation plan, it’s sadly a typical autoship recruitment pyramid scheme.
This begins with pay-to-play:
- Awakend’s founder packs correlate potential earnings straight with how a lot is spent; and
- Awakend distributors are pressured to keep up a month-to-month order to qualify for commissions.
Pay-to-play in an MLM alternative is a robust indicator of a pyramid scheme.
Within the case of Awakend, that is signing up, having to put a month-to-month product order to qualify for commissions, after which getting paid to recruit others who do the identical.
BehindMLM revealed a observe up article on October tenth. This text cited Meoli claiming Awakend had achieved “report breaking gross sales”, whereas the corporate had but to ship a single product to a retail buyer.
As per the FTC, if nearly all of company-wide income isn’t derived from retail gross sales (gross sales to distributors are usually not retail gross sales, ref: FTC v. Vemma and FTC v. Herbalife), that MLM firm is working as a pyramid scheme.
We’ve seen the FTC go after quite a few MLM corporations since 2016. Not having sufficient retail gross sales has been a core element of every lawsuit.
Cited supply materials in our Awakend evaluate is Awakend’s personal compensation plan. Cited supply materials in our followup article was once more, Meoli’s personal phrases and an Awakend promo flier.
Might somebody from NewULife have tipped me off through e-mail? Presumably – however me taking that tip, doing additional analysis and publishing an article is just not NewULife sending in pre-written articles for republication.
Getting again to Awakend’s Grievance;
These articles can be seen by hundreds of Awakend distributors as soon as they had been revealed on Behind MLM.
The intent for sharing these articles was to create concern and confusion in Awakend’s subject of distributors, and to in the end get such distributors to disassociate themselves from Awakend and terminate their relationship with the corporate.
Throughout the context of BehindMLM’s involvement, I can’t communicate to the meat between NewULife and Awakend as a result of BehindMLM isn’t concerned. We preserve unbiased editorial integrity and all the time have.
I can also’t communicate as to why readers share our content material. Typically talking I’d assume it’s as a result of over time we’ve earned our fame as a “respected group”.
It’s fairly insulting to have Awakend scale back the arduous work that goes into operating one of many largest, if not the biggest, MLM associated publications on this planet, to “BehindMLM simply re-publishes something despatched in by anybody”.
Along with mischaracterizing BehindMLM as working with NewUlife to disparage Awakend, the corporate additionally alleges;
Defendants would conspire with third occasion “Youtubers” to make and publish movies about Awakend, which might declare the identical false data contained within the articles.
Tellingly, Awakend doesn’t present a single instance of a declare in BehindMLM’s Awakend articles that constitutes “false data”.
As to folks on YouTube utilizing BehindMLM content material to base movies round. Yeah, it’s social media. That’s going to occur. We’re a “respected group” keep in mind?
On account of this marketing campaign of defamation and interference, Awakend has misplaced a major variety of distributors as a result of they refuse to be related to Awakend based mostly on the false data revealed by Defendants.
Moreover, Meoli and James have suffered injury to their fame and credibility.
So far as BehindMLM goes, whether or not our reporting injures an MLM firm’s or particular person’s fame and credibility isn’t and has by no means been an editorial concern.
You get the info and typically based mostly on these info, editorials and opinions from somebody with over a decade researching and reporting on the MLM trade.
My obligation is to BehindMLM’s hundreds of readers. And I do my greatest to maintain them knowledgeable with essentially the most correct data obtainable.
Outdoors of that, e.g. NewULife disparaging Awakend in webinars or hiring YouTubers to make movies about them, I don’t know. I’ve no a part of it and, such as you, must see how Awakend’s lawsuit performs out for extra data.
To this point BehindMLM has not obtained any correspondence from Awakend relating to any of our revealed articles.
Throughout six causes of motion, Awakend have sued the NewULife Defendants for
- defamation per se – slander
- defamation per se – commerce libel
- tortious interference with potential financial benefit
- tortious interference with contractual relationship
- breach of written contract and
- civil conspiracy
Awakend are searching for over $10 million in damages.
Awakend’s lawsuit has been filed on the state-level in California. This implies I’ve restricted entry to data, versus our common federal lawsuit reporting.
What I can see on the case docket is Awakend’s lawsuit was filed on December twenty third. NewULife has but to reply (not shocking), and a Case Administration Convention has been scheduled for June twenty sixth, 2023.
I’ve added Awakend’s defamation lawsuit to BehindMLM’s reporting calendar. I’ll replace the place I can.
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