Diving into a drained pool

The civil case against Billy Lane and Dodge has been settled out of court through mediation. The mother of Melbourne Beach resident Gerald Morelock had filed a wrongful death suit against Billy Lane and Dodge back in October of 2006. The suit was filed after her son was killed while riding his Yamaha motor scooter on State road A1A after being hit head on by celebrity custom motorcycle builder Billy Lane. Witnesses say that Lane was speeding while attempting to pass 3 vehicles in a no passing zone clearly marked by double yellow lines on the highway.

Billy Lane was driving a 2006 Dodge pick up loaned to him by the DaimlerChrysler when he hit Morelock head on killing him instantly. After the second meeting behind closed doors and hours of talks between attorneys, Billy Lane and the family of Gerald Morelock, the case was settled on last Monday. The news of the settlement was released late Thursday and the first story of the settlement can be found on my blog at www.mikeodom.name. Later in the day other forms of media began to break the story including in one of the local newspapers, Florida Today. The story in Florida Today read:

DaimlerChrysler, chopper builder Billy Lane and the family of a Sebastian Inlet park ranger killed in a Labor Day accident that police say was caused by drunk-driving have reached a confidential settlement, the deceased man’s family said today.“We would like to personally show our gratitude and heart-filled thanks to all of the people throughout the nation that have showed us their support, love and caring,” Byron Morelock, brother of Gerald Morelock, said in a statement signed by the family.“My family may not have made it through these hard times if it wasn't for your caring and sympathy,” he said. The settlement came 10 months after Morelock's mother sued Lane, 37, and DaimlerChrysler -- which provided Lane with the Dodge pickup truck he was driving -- over the fatal crash in which police said Lane crossed a double-yellow line and hit Gerald Morelock's mini-Yamaha motorcycle. The suit alleged Lane, who police say had a blood-alcohol level of .192 the night of the accident, and DaimlerChrysler, which the family said used Lane's fame to advertise its vehicles despite prior driving citations on Lane's record, were liable for auto negligence. Byron Morelock said it took about 10 hours of “grueling” debate Monday before an agreement was reached. No details of the agreement were made public. Lane still faces a criminal trial in which he could be sentenced to a maximum 15 years in prison if convicted of DUI manslaughter. A trial date has not been set.

Floriday Today breaking news forums quickly beagn to fill up with comments. The news also began to spread across the internet in forums and other blogs and the hateful comments and ignorance of what happened began to spread all over again as it did nearly a year ago. It never ceases to amaze me how many people will jump in on a story like this and make comments that show they have no clue what they are talking about. People go off on a hate rampage on both sides making comments that hurt those who were involved. Throughout this whole ordeal I have seen so many things said about the issue when the person speaking really had no knowledge of the entire story. Rumors being posted as though it were news or from some type of inside information source. Opinions based on hearsay and some of the same rumors. The whole thing just has gotten out of hand and it is not over yet with Lane still facing the DUI Manslaughter charges.

I try to ignore all of the hate that has flowed in and out of all the comments on blogs and forums from bothe sides. The one place were comments really show their ignorance is when they lash out about Dodge being included in the suit. To me these people are as likely to jump into a drained pool for lack of checking to see if there is water there first!

So with the civil action closed, I am hoping to see something positive come from this.

Billy Lane's Lead Attorney Steps Down

Two motions were heard today in the criminal trial for DUI Manslaughter case against motorcycle builder Billy Lane. Judge Allawas granted the motion to withdraw filed by Lane's lead attorney, Kepler Funk without explanation from the firm. Gregory Eisenmenger, new attorney for Billy Lane stated before the court that Mr. Lane had no problem with the substitution of counsel.

Attorney Keith Szachacz told Florida Today reporter, Keyonna Summers that there was a conflict of interest but his firms duties to Billy Lane would not allow him to disclose the nature of the conflict. Mr. Szachacz also felt it was in his better interest not to speak to this reporter and declined any questions from me.

Although Gregory Eisenmenger has been co-counsel for Lane for 2 months, he is requesting that the State answer his motion to compel discovery and deliver all documents from the case to his office. Mr. Eisenmenger stated that it is protocol in his office when taking over a case to do their own discovery setting aside the file of his predecessor and starting a new. Mr. Eisenmenger also said he has a expert witness looking at the FHP traffic homicide report that has requested measurements that do not appear on the report. He further remarked that his expert could not continue without the measurements. State Attorney Tom Brown said that he would contact the FHP about the measurements.

More updates and information on the criminal case against Billy Lane will be available as they come out on the MNO Blog. The civil trial against Billy Lane and Dodge appears to be moving along toward the target date set in August.

Someone Is Going to Win a Harley at NADA

@utoRevenue invites dealers to 'Come on and Take a Free Ride' in a Harley Motorcycle giveaway contest
LEE, Mass., Jan. 30 /PRNewswire/ -- @utoRevenue(TM) (http://www.autorevenue.com/), the leading permission-based marketing company in the automotive industry, along with Dealerskins, Dealer Specialties and XI Group, is giving away a 2007 Harley-Davidson Yellow Pearl Softail Motorcycle as part of the "Come on and Take a Free Ride" promotion at NADA 2007 in Las Vegas.
This will be the first year that the automotive industry's four Dominion Enterprises' companies - @utoRevenue, Dealerskins, Dealer Specialties and XI Group - exhibit together, according to John M. Miller, General Manager of @utoRevenue. "Our Harley giveaway plus our 90 x 50 ft. Dominion Enterprises exhibit (#1645) will draw a great deal of attention and give our four companies an excellent opportunity to showcase our dealership services and the synergies we offer," he said.
"To be eligible to win the Harley Softail, which is valued at $21,500, contest participants must visit three of our companies in the exhibit area and receive a sales presentation," said Miller. "Once they complete the presentations and complete their entry form, they will be entered in the contest to win this amazing new Harley."
The "Come on and Take a Free Ride" giveaway is open to all NADA-registered dealership owners, general managers and fixed ops personnel. The winning entry will be chosen in a random drawing 2 p.m. Monday, February 5 at exhibit, #1645. The winner must be present at the time of the drawing. The Dominion group of companies will continue to select entries until a winner is in attendance at the drawing.
NADA exhibitor registrants, employees and families of employees of any contractor of NADA, and employees and families of employees of Dominion Enterprises and its affiliates are all ineligible to participate in the Harley giveaway. Also ineligible are any incomplete entries received after the drawing or entries where valid dealership employment at the time of the drawing cannot be confirmed.
About Dominion Enterprises
@utoRevenue, Dealerskins, Dealer Specialties and XI Group are Dominion Enterprises companies. Since its founding in 1991 as Trader Publishing Company through its evolution into one of the nation's premier media companies, Dominion Enterprises has been a leader in providing resources, information, and web services in the automotive, real estate, apartment, specialty vehicle, employment, and travel industries. Dominion Enterprises is based in Norfolk, Va.; @utoRevenue is in Lee, Mass.; Dealerskins in Nashville, Tenn.; Dealer Specialties in Monroe, Ohio; and XI Group in Baltimore, Md.
For more information, contact Aleisha Gibbons, agibbons@autorevenue.com, 866.628.6245 or Diane N. Bates, dbates@batescommunications.com, 678.438.3674.
This release was issued through eReleases(TM). For more information, visit http://www.ereleases.com/.
Source: @utoRevenue(TM)

Playing the market for motorcycle blogs

I recently joined BlogShares and I have been playing with the game. I found it very interesting, really. The concept is a fantasy stock market game that is played with blogs, where shares can be traded for play money. From the site:
BlogShares is a fantasy stock market where weblogs are the companies. Players invest fictional dollars on shares in blogs. Blogs are valued by their incoming links and add value to other blogs by linking to them. Prices can go up or down based on trading and the underlying value of the blog.
Upon first inspection, the game looks pretty complicated but there is of course a help page and forum. When I first signed in, my blog at www.mikeodom.name was worth $1,000.00. I believe this is the starting point for all new blogs in the game until they are indexed and when buying and selling begin. I started the day with $53,ooo.oo went as low a $963.00 and ended out the day with over a million dollars in money.

I found out that the chips you can receive for participating in the game were valued at 10 million +, so I cashed one in to fuel my buying. I am buying stocks mainly in Motorcycle Blogs and trying to learn how to work with artifacts and ideas. This game can be kind of complicated at first, but as you learn, you will have more fun and make more money. The great thing is that while having fun, the game teaches you the value of links. I highly suggest taking a look at BlogShares and joining in the game. Click here to visit BlogShares now.