An attorney who claims to represent the Manufactured Housing Institute (MHI) has sent a ‘demand’ letter to MHProNews. No proof of his representation of the Arlington, VA based Monopolistic Housing Institute, otherwise known as MHI, has yet been offered, but has been requested.
The attorney’s letter has obvious errors in it. So, rather than reproduce it at this time, the Daily Business News on MHProNews will provide the following public response to said attorney, his firm, and anyone who may be connected with an attempt to avoid debate of manufactured housing industry issues through purported ongoing intimidation tactics, this most recent one delivered on the Saturday before Christmas.
Here below the next graphic image is our publisher’s latest response.
12.24.2018 A.D.
Counselor John C. Greiner at Graydon.Law,
Let me hereby restate my request that you document your claimed representation of the Arlington, VA based Manufactured Housing Institute (MHI), along with any other manufactured home (MH) industry professional relationships, such as Nathan and Mary Smith of Fort Mitchell, KY. Nathan is a partner in SSK Communities, and has or does sit on at least two MHI connected boards, their Executive Committee, and their MHI PAC.
As noted in my initial reply, Nathan and Mary Smith live in Fort Mitchell, KY. Your firm’s website states you have offices across the river in Cincinnati, OH, as well as in Fort Mitchell, KY proper.
That and other prior points in my first message to you on 12.22.2018 hereby restated, if you indeed represent MHI, let me give you a Christmas gift of more billable hours from that Arlington, VA based trade group.
We once more reject the premise of your letter as errant, baseless in law.
In addition to my previous written requests, please provide the following:
- A copy of all Manufactured Housing Institute (MHI) current and past bylaws, dating back 20 years.
- A copy of all past and present MHI staff members, dating back 20 years, including their titles, head photos, and last known contact information. Include the following: if they have separated from MHI, what was the cause of their departure? We’re monies expended by MHI to those departed members that included a non-disclosure agreement? Why was a non-disclosure agreement (NDA) needed for each of those departed MHI staff members?
- All current and past MHI members including their designated representative’s last known contact information, including title, phone numbers, and email addresses, dating back 20 years to the present.
- As you may or may not know, Clayton Homes and their affiliated lenders – Berkshire Hathaway owned firms – have been accused of racism. It is said that nothing of consequence at MHI happens without the okay of Clayton and those Berkshire brand MH lenders. There are federal investigations reportedly underway into charges of racism and other allegations. MHProNews and MHLivingNews previously asked Clayton and MHI to issue a specific written condemnation of racism, which they both declined to do. Why is that, please? Can you explain why they declined to issue a condemnation of racism in writing to the manufactured home industry’s largest and most-read trade publisher?
- Can you explain on MHI’s behalf why they seem to have an all-white staff? Why they have been disproportionately Anglo for some years?
- Are you aware that MHI and Clayton Homes has been allegedly connected with several violations of antitrust laws? Can you explain on their behalf how the evidence provided at this link isn’t a violation of antitrust laws?
- Are you aware that MHI and Clayton Homes has been tied to allegations of the misuse of the U.S. Mail? Are you and your firm aware that they have been accused of other civil and constitutional rights violations?
- Are you and your firm aware of the wide latitude that news media has in using an organization’s logo or other images under FTC fair use guidelines?
- Are you and your firm aware of the many apparent conflicts of interest between MHI, Clayton Homes, and other Berkshire Hathaway brands operating in manufactured housing – and the balance of the manufactured home industry that MHI claims to likewise represent?
- Please provide all incorporation documents, and itemized budgets, of MHI for the past 20 years.
- Please provide the minutes of all meetings between MHI staff, MHI members, Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac, the Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA), or any other parties regarding manufactured home lending of any kind in the last 20 years?
- Please provide the minutes of the meetings in bullet 11 above, and all documents, videos and other electronic records – including their power point and Las Vegas presentation – about their so-called “new class of homes.”
- Please be aware that MHI has been accused by their own past and present members of pressure, ‘strong arm tactics,’ threats, bullying, intimidation, innuendo – aimed at members, prospective members, and non members – as well as other activities which may violate state and federal laws.
This is my initial request, which will be followed by others, once you document your relationship with MHI, Nathan and Mary Smith, et al.
As we believe that this so-called trade group operates in a fashion that may violate state and/or federal RICO laws, please preserve your own records and communications, that of your firm, and have MHI preserve all documents and records, including but not limited to, electronic and encoded communications.
Finally, my time and that of our firm has value. We are widely recognized manufactured home industry experts. As this link and the videos below reminds all, we have been praised verbally and in writing by past and current MHI leadership, as well as others in manufactured housing firms of all sizes. So, all time lost to this bogus allegation of yours, and any other efforts will be the subject of any counterclaims that may arise.
Such counterclaims may or may not be limited to MHI, Berkshire Hathaway brands operating within – or influential in relationship to – manufactured housing, MHI Executive Committee members, et al, and if they are found to be operating in violation of RICO, postal, or other state/federal laws, to you and your firm.
Rephrased, we believe there is evidence that:
- MHI operates as a purported racket on behalf of others,
- that they deceive and manipulate their own members, which could be construed as deceptive trade practices or other actionable subjects.
So, if you and your firm understand these issues, and you or your firm cross any legal lines, then in addition to counterclaims for damages against MHI and any of their members supporting such a claim, we will also as needed potentially seek your/their disbarment and/or others sanctions as warranted.
Respectfully submitted,
L. A. ‘Tony’ Kovach
Managing Member
LifeStyle Factory Homes, LLC
DBA MHProNews.com, MHLivingNews.com, etc.
###
It is becoming clearer to many that MHI, the Clayton brands, 21st Mortgage Corp, Vanderbilt, and other Berkshire Hathaway brands operating in manufactured housing are unwilling to discuss/debate issues and concerns on their merits. They would rather attempt purported distraction, intimidation, undermining, and smear tactics.
If they have the mettle to truly lead for the sake of the many and not their own interests alone, then:
- let them step up to the plate and participate in a public discussion at with L. A. ‘Tony’ Kovach and others MH industry pros he selects to appear on stage at Louisville with an independent moderator and agreed upon format.
Let that discussion of their allegedly monopolistic actions of financing, capital and the marketplace – including – but not limited to recent concerns about their claimed manipulation of the GSEs and this new class of homes – be recorded on video so that the entire industry, state and federal officials, and all other interested parties can see for themselves the reality of the claims vs. MHI, Clayton et al’s responses.
If they haven’t figured it out yet, they may be Goliath, but David still has his slingshot.
Our aim here at the parent company for MHProNews is not just for 2019, or 2020, but for years beyond.
The system wasn’t rigged against independents operating in manufactured housing overnight. The GSE ‘Duty to Serve’ mandate wasn’t weaponized against home owners and professionals interests overnight either. Legal, research, publishing, federal, state, and other actions take time to address and redress the wrongs purportedly done by MHI and their string-pullers against the interests of thousands of manufactured housing companies, and millions of manufactured home owners.
Facts are #NettlesomeThings. We’re not attorneys, but we can read and research as well as some in media, and better than others.
The reality is that if MHI, Clayton, or anyone else wants litigation over news stories that have provided evidence, and uses all of the proper disclaimers, then such baseless legal action can cut both ways. We’d love to take a good look at MHI’s, Clayton’s and 21st’s books – among others in the Berkshire Hathaway orbit – how about you?
That could be as powerful as certain news tips.
That’s this afternoon’s MH “Industry News, Tips, and Views Pros Can Use,” © where “We Provide, You Decide.” © ## (News , analysis, and commentary.)
(Related Reports are further below. Third-party images and content are provided under fair use guidelines.)
NOTICE: You can join the scores who follow us on Twitter at this link. You can get our ‘read-hot’ industry-leading emailed headline news updates, at this link here.
NOTICE 2: Readers have periodically reported that they are getting a better experience when reading MHProNews on the Microsoft Edge, or Apple Safari browser than with Google’s Chrome browser. Chrome reportedly manipulates the content of a page more than the other two.
1) To sign up in seconds for our MH Industry leading emailed news updates, click here.
2) To pro-vide a News Tips and/or Commentary, click the link to the left. Please note if comments are on-or-off the record, thank you.
3) Marketing, Web, Video, Consulting, Recruiting and Training Re-sources
Related Reports:
You can click on the image/text boxes to learn more about that topic.
MHI Allies Respond, Provide Confirmation to #NettlesomeThings, Facts, and Clayton/Berkshire Exposés
