Legal Settlement Fund
Donation protected
Dear Friends and Family,
Sometimes it feels as if no good deed goes on punished.
I'm in serious need of your assistance.
I am asking for your help in funding a legal settlement related to the purchase and ultimate foreclosure of a building bought by Tushita Buddhist Center in Santa Fe in 2010. I hope you’ll read the story of my dilemma and consider contributing what you can.
In 2009/2010, the Santa Fe Kadampa community raised $108,000 to purchase and renovate a residential building to help spread Dharma in Northern New Mexico. After considering a number of properties, the NKT agreed that we should move ahead with a purchase. The real estate contract required three “guarantors” and I was asked if I would sign that contract and help the Center in this endeavor. I was, at the time, Kelsang Jorlam, and I didn’t give the request a second thought…my community needed my signature, and as I had been the bookkeeper for a number of years for the Center, I knew that we could meet the monthly expenses. In addition, I donated $13,000 to the fundraising effort.
The building was sold to us and owner-financed by the estate of the late homeowner, hereafter referred to as the seller/financer. We began to plan the renovation of the structure to meet the needs of an active Center.
Long story short, in the end, the City of Santa Fe did not approve our occupancy plan, but instead insisted that we retrofit the property as a commercial building, the cost of which was impossible for us to meet. After about 2+ years and painful deliberation, the decision was made to hand the property back to the seller/financer. The contract had indicated that if we were to default on the property, we could either be given back, OR the purchaser (Tushita Buddhist Center) could pay a settlement. The seller/financer wanted both - the property and money - and their attorney wanted to create new law that would allow that. The seller/financer initiated a law suit against the Center and the three guarantors.
Tushita Buddhist Center and the guarantors tried to settle the case but the seller/financer rejected our offers. Ultimately, Tushita Buddhist Center declared bankruptcy and the Board disbanded. The guarantors hired an attorney and tried unsuccessfully to settle.
The house was put up for sale in a foreclosure auction. The seller/financer bought it back for 69% of what they had sold it to Tushita for just two years prior.
For me, the legal fees continued until July 2014 when I could no longer meet those and other financial obligations. I was forced to file for bankruptcy.
To my great dismay, the seller/financer then motioned the court to deny me my bankruptcy. In addition to paying my bankruptcy attorney to file those papers, I now needed him to defend me against the seller/financer’s motion to dismiss, a very expensive defense; thankfully, my lawyer is accepting a monthly fee, which I will pay until my arrears have been paid in full.
Here’s where you come in: the seller/financer accepted a settlement on August 12, 2015 for $6,000.
Problem: I don’t have any more cash – this process has tapped me out and I’m in a serious bind.
If you could perhaps donate $37, or maybe even $108 to my legal settlement fund I would be extremely grateful. I understand that this may be too much for some of you, so please, if you are able, donate what you can. If you can't donate, please consider sharing this campaign.
Thank you for taking the time to read this and consider a donation. I’m very sorry that this has happened, as are all those involved in the “building project.” It’s now time to try and bring this to a close, and with your help, perhaps this will go more smoothly than the last many years of this karmic appearance has.
Humbly, and very thankfully yours,
Michael
Sometimes it feels as if no good deed goes on punished.
I'm in serious need of your assistance.
I am asking for your help in funding a legal settlement related to the purchase and ultimate foreclosure of a building bought by Tushita Buddhist Center in Santa Fe in 2010. I hope you’ll read the story of my dilemma and consider contributing what you can.
In 2009/2010, the Santa Fe Kadampa community raised $108,000 to purchase and renovate a residential building to help spread Dharma in Northern New Mexico. After considering a number of properties, the NKT agreed that we should move ahead with a purchase. The real estate contract required three “guarantors” and I was asked if I would sign that contract and help the Center in this endeavor. I was, at the time, Kelsang Jorlam, and I didn’t give the request a second thought…my community needed my signature, and as I had been the bookkeeper for a number of years for the Center, I knew that we could meet the monthly expenses. In addition, I donated $13,000 to the fundraising effort.
The building was sold to us and owner-financed by the estate of the late homeowner, hereafter referred to as the seller/financer. We began to plan the renovation of the structure to meet the needs of an active Center.
Long story short, in the end, the City of Santa Fe did not approve our occupancy plan, but instead insisted that we retrofit the property as a commercial building, the cost of which was impossible for us to meet. After about 2+ years and painful deliberation, the decision was made to hand the property back to the seller/financer. The contract had indicated that if we were to default on the property, we could either be given back, OR the purchaser (Tushita Buddhist Center) could pay a settlement. The seller/financer wanted both - the property and money - and their attorney wanted to create new law that would allow that. The seller/financer initiated a law suit against the Center and the three guarantors.
Tushita Buddhist Center and the guarantors tried to settle the case but the seller/financer rejected our offers. Ultimately, Tushita Buddhist Center declared bankruptcy and the Board disbanded. The guarantors hired an attorney and tried unsuccessfully to settle.
The house was put up for sale in a foreclosure auction. The seller/financer bought it back for 69% of what they had sold it to Tushita for just two years prior.
For me, the legal fees continued until July 2014 when I could no longer meet those and other financial obligations. I was forced to file for bankruptcy.
To my great dismay, the seller/financer then motioned the court to deny me my bankruptcy. In addition to paying my bankruptcy attorney to file those papers, I now needed him to defend me against the seller/financer’s motion to dismiss, a very expensive defense; thankfully, my lawyer is accepting a monthly fee, which I will pay until my arrears have been paid in full.
Here’s where you come in: the seller/financer accepted a settlement on August 12, 2015 for $6,000.
Problem: I don’t have any more cash – this process has tapped me out and I’m in a serious bind.
If you could perhaps donate $37, or maybe even $108 to my legal settlement fund I would be extremely grateful. I understand that this may be too much for some of you, so please, if you are able, donate what you can. If you can't donate, please consider sharing this campaign.
Thank you for taking the time to read this and consider a donation. I’m very sorry that this has happened, as are all those involved in the “building project.” It’s now time to try and bring this to a close, and with your help, perhaps this will go more smoothly than the last many years of this karmic appearance has.
Humbly, and very thankfully yours,
Michael
Organizer
Michael Stanton
Organizer
Santa Fe, NM
