Help us Stop Pacifica from filing another expensive lawsuit!
Tell the Pacifica National Board (PNB) TODAY to stop wasting our listener donations on expensive lawsuits. Please send them an email TODAY, in time for the next PNB meeting this Thursday, May 21.

Fill in your information on this page, then click on the red "Start Writing" link and you can add a personal message to the sample email on the next page, if you wish, about:

• why you donate to Pacifica.
• Why you care about the survival of Pacifica.
• Be passionate, but also high road.

Sincerely,

Donald Goldmacher, KPFA-Berkeley Local Station Board
Evelia Jones, KPFK-Los Angeles Local Station Board
Kiyana Williams, KPFK-Los Angeles Local Station Board
Susan da Silva, KPFA-Berkeley Local Station Board
Teresa Allen, KPFT-Houston Local Station Board

More Details:

The last big lawsuit cost Pacifica $3.2 million dollars (2018). To pay the settlement, Pacifica had to take out a loan using Pacifica’s three remaining buildings as collateral (we own the buildings at KPFA-Berkeley, KPFK-LA and KPFT-Houston; we rent at WBAI-NYC and WPFW-DC). If the $3.2 million dollars is not paid back by April 2021 (yes, that’s 11 months from now), we lose our three buildings. If Pacifica loses these last assets, it affects all five stations because Pacifica will no longer have a financial cushion available to help protect our five stations from the next challenge.

The Pacifica National Board (PNB) still doesn’t have a plan on how to pay back the $3.2 million dollar loan from the last big lawsuit, or even the quarterly interest payments on that loan, so that our buildings will be protected.

Instead, the PNB is considering filing yet another expensive lawsuit on a different subject, this time against John Vernile (former interim Executive Director of Pacifica), Bill Crosier (former PNB member from KPFT-Houston), and another former PNB member from KPFT-Houston, who were involved with the WBAI layoffs last October.* Think of that. Pacifica wants to sue a former staffer and two listener-volunteers. Why? To get the assets those people don’t have? To try to take their homes if they own one? For more information about WBAI’s precarious finances, see excerpts below of a Los Angeles Times article from February 7, 2020.*

Lawsuits should only be used when absolutely necessary. John Vernile and the PNB members were acting in good faith to do what they believed was necessary to stabilize Pacifica's finances, and do have a good case. When Pacifica loses the lawsuit, Pacifica is out not only all of our legal fees, but we may have to pay the defense’s legal expenses as well.

The PNB voted May 7 to get the Pacifica attorney to “explore the feasibility” of a lawsuit, and “report back to the PNB within a week as to the plans for the litigation including an estimate of initial costs.” Next PNB meeting is Thursday, May 21.

All of the money Pacifica spends comes from us, the listeners who donate. We support Pacifica financially so Pacifica can produce programs that we can’t hear anywhere else and to support the broader progressive community. We must focus on repaying the $3.2 million loan rather than gambling on an expensive lawsuit that will lose money.

Win or lose, this lawsuit will cost at least $100,000, money which Pacifica will have to start shelling out immediately.

In addition, if Pacifica thinks that it has been difficult to find competent radio professionals to work for us since it is well known that we have incredibly rapid turnover in our Executive Director position, think how difficult it will become to find someone when potential applicants know that they might not only be fired, but also sued by Pacifica if they misstep in some way while doing the best job they can?

You can reach us at PacificaOrganizing@gmail.com