Second Demand to Far Out Magazine - Cease and Desist: Defamatory Statements Regarding Kelley Lynch in the Leonard Cohen Article

Demand to Cease and Desist: Defamatory Statements Regarding Kelley Lynch To: Tom Taylor, Editor, Far Out Magazine Subject: Immediate Retraction and Replacement of Article Regarding Kelley Lynch

I am writing to demand an immediate retraction and replacement of Far Out Magazine’s article, “How Leonard Cohen Was Robbed of His Music Career.” The article contains numerous inaccuracies, misrepresentations, and defamatory statements about me, Kelley Lynch, and perpetuates a harmful and misogynistic narrative. I have provided a revised perspective, titled “How Leonard Cohen Made Tens of Millions Using Kelley Lynch to Promote His Tour and Professional Victimhood,” that better reflects the truth. The original article’s narrative is factually incorrect, one-sided, malicious, and damages my reputation. Below is a detailed point-by-point refutation of its claims, followed by my suggested revised article for publication.

________________________________________ 1. Mischaracterization of My Role in Leonard Cohen’s Finances • Far Out Claim: "Cohen claimed that his alleged ex-lover and manager of 17 years, Kelley Lynch, had stolen more than $5 million from his assets..." • Refutation: Leonard Cohen admitted under oath that I was his personal manager, not his financial adviser, business manager, lawyer, tax lawyer, corporate lawyer, accountant, or investment adviser (despite his contradictory public statements). These roles were filled by professionals of Cohen’s choosing, including Neal Greenberg and Richard Westin. Cohen maintained full control over his finances, co-mingling personal funds with corporate and partnership accounts, and relied on a fraudulent expense ledger to support his “tax deduction” default judgment. The article fails to acknowledge these facts, misrepresenting my role and perpetuating a defamatory narrative that must be corrected immediately.

________________________________________ 2. Misrepresentation of Legal Proceedings • Far Out Claim: "She would never actually attend any court hearings to legally counter Cohen claiming that she had not been served papers..." • Refutation: I was never properly served in this case, and the default judgment was entered without my knowledge or participation. This denied me the opportunity to defend myself and present critical evidence, including documentation refuting Cohen’s claims. The article’s failure to mention this context is a glaring omission that misleads readers and unjustly harms my reputation.

________________________________________ 3. Defamatory Allegations of Theft and Misconduct • Far Out Claim: "Lynch began withdrawing funds from the company, without Cohen’s knowledge or consent...to the alleged tune of over $5m." • Refutation: These claims are baseless. Cohen’s corporate accounts and financial structures were managed by his attorneys and financial professionals. Funds Cohen claimed were misappropriated were used for corporate purposes, including his own substantial withdrawals totaling millions from numerous entities, including Traditional Holdings, LLC. Your article fails to mention Cohen’s own financial mismanagement and tax strategies, including offshore accounts, which I reported to the IRS.

________________________________________ 4. Misogynistic and Irrelevant Personal Allegations • Far Out Claim: "The proposed cause of the rift was a love affair gone awry..." • Refutation: This claim is patently false, defamatory, and misogynistic. Cohen’s gratuitous mention of a “casual sexual arrangement” is patiently false, a misogynistic narrative, irrelevant to the business, tax, and financial dispute and serves only to discredit my professional contributions. Framing this complex legal matter as a failed love affair perpetuates harmful stereotypes and distracts from the lack of evidence supporting Cohen’s claims.

________________________________________ 5. Misrepresentation of the SWAT Incident • Far Out Claim: "She claimed he had somehow called a SWAT team to her premises and had her handcuffed..." • Refutation: This statement trivializes a documented incident involving police misconduct. LAPD officers arrived at my home under false pretenses, and Cohen’s representatives were involved. The inclusion of irrelevant details, such as my attire, seeks to discredit me rather than address the facts of what occurred. Melina Abdullah, Black Lives Matter, was targeted by LAPD SWAT as well. The same lies were used: a hostage situation, possible drug usage, a relative called, and so forth. This is a pattern and practice with LAPD. In 2005, Cohen was represented by former DA Ira Reiner and they, no doubt, placed an anonymous tip to the LA District Attorney’s Office about my friendship with Phil Spector which I have also been targeted over. In fact, LAPD asked me about Phil Spector and guns when they took me hours from my home to King Drew. Odd they didn’t question me about Oliver Stone, Steven Segal, or other high profile friends and acquaintances. I never mentioned a word about Phil Spector. My son addressed what he witnessed with SWAT on May 25, 2005 and it does not comport with your false “recounting.” See Declaration: https://racketeeringact.wordpress.com/2016/04/23/56/

________________________________________ 6. Misleading Context About Cohen’s Career • Far Out Claim: "Cohen assumed he could rely on his expected royalties... However, he was soon misled into believing that his royalty income was inadequate." • Refutation: Cohen’s financial mismanagement predated my tenure as his personal manager. My role was to rebuild his career, and my work during the I’m Your Man tour, The Future, and Dear Heather helped him achieve global success. The article disregards my contributions, instead perpetuating the false narrative that I was responsible for his financial difficulties. See also Cohen’s Declaration/SDNY federal court, August 2000. https://racketeeringact.wordpress.com/2016/04/23/leonard-cohen-declaration-cak-08-2000/ Artwork - Kelley Lynch/Stranger Management Office

________________________________________ Proposed Replacement Article I have included a revised version of the article, “How Leonard Cohen Made Tens of Millions Using Kelley Lynch to Promote His Tour and Professional Victimhood,” that accurately reflects the facts. This revised article highlights my substantial contributions to Cohen’s career and addresses the truth behind the financial disputes.

________________________________________ Demand for Immediate Action Far Out Magazine must: 1. Retract the original article and remove all defamatory statements regarding me. 2. Replace the article with the revised version I have provided. 3. Issue a public apology for perpetuating false and misogynistic narratives.

________________________________________ Final Warning Should you fail to take corrective action within seven (7) days, I will pursue all legal remedies available to me. Your reckless disregard for the truth has caused irreparable harm to my reputation, and I will not hesitate to seek accountability for your actions. Sincerely, Kelley Lynch

Suggested Revision to the Article: Title: How Leonard Cohen Made Tens of Millions Using Kelley Lynch to Promote His Tour and Professional Victimhood Leonard Cohen was widely celebrated as a poet and songwriter of unmatched depth, but his career resurgence and financial legacy were not built in isolation. Behind the scenes, Kelley Lynch, Cohen’s personal manager for 17 years, played an instrumental role in rebuilding his faltering career, only to be later scapegoated for alleged financial issues that were rooted in Cohen’s own decisions.

For decades, Cohen struggled to regain his footing in the music industry after Columbia Records initially refused to release Various Positions, the album that featured “Hallelujah.” That moment marked a pivotal downturn in his career, but Lynch, with her relentless dedication, helped guide him through a resurgence that culminated in his global success during the I’m Your Man, The Future, and Dear Heather/Old Ideas tours. Cohen reaped tens of millions of dollars from this work, yet later portrayed himself as a victim of betrayal, ignoring the crucial role Lynch played in his career revival.

1. The Truth Behind the Financial Allegations Far from the popular narrative that Kelley Lynch mismanaged or stole Cohen’s funds, the reality is that Cohen maintained control over his finances and entities. Cohen admitted under oath that Lynch was his personal manager, not his financial adviser, business manager, or accountant. These roles were handled by professionals of Cohen’s choosing, including Neal Greenberg, his financial and investment adviser, and Richard Westin, his corporate and tax lawyer. Despite Cohen’s claims, court documents reveal that he co-mingled personal and corporate finances and relied on a flawed expense ledger to support his “tax deduction” narrative. The ledger, filled with meaningless numbers, demonstrated that Cohen himself controlled his finances and was the alter ego of the corporate entities he used to shield his assets. Lynch’s role was managerial, not financial, and her contributions were focused on reviving and sustaining Cohen’s career, not managing his accounts.

2. The Default Judgment: A Flawed Outcome The legal judgment against Lynch—a $7.3 million default—was entered without her participation. She was never properly served and therefore denied the opportunity to present critical evidence, including documentation that refuted Cohen’s claims. The default judgment was not an adjudication on the merits but rather a procedural outcome that allowed Cohen to perpetuate a narrative of victimhood, further damaging Lynch’s reputation.

3. Misogyny and Misrepresentation Cohen’s public statements about a “casual sexual arrangement” with Lynch, as well as the insinuation that their professional relationship soured due to personal issues, are both irrelevant and offensive. By framing the narrative around a patently false allegation related to a failed love affair, which had no bearing on Lynch’s role as personal manager, Cohen and subsequent media coverage perpetuate harmful stereotypes that seek to diminish the professional contributions of women. Artwork - Kelley and Phil Spector Discuss Leonard Cohen's "good rock 'n roll stories"

4. Cohen’s Professional Victimhood Despite claiming financial devastation, Cohen embarked on a triumphant series of tours beginning in 2008, generating tens of millions of dollars in revenue. These tours were made possible by the groundwork laid during Lynch’s tenure. Her tireless efforts to rebuild his career—including her coordination with Sony executives and international promotions—enabled Cohen to capitalize on his legacy and enjoy financial success in his later years. Ironically, Cohen used his financial disputes with Lynch as part of his public persona, crafting a narrative of betrayal and redemption that aligned with his poetic themes of heartbreak and perseverance. This narrative served not only to deflect attention from his own financial mismanagement but also to bolster his status as a tragic artist overcoming adversity.

5. The IRS and Cohen’s Financial Strategies While Cohen painted himself as the victim of financial mismanagement, he conveniently omitted his own questionable practices, including the co-mingling of funds, the use of corporate entities to shield assets, and aggressive tax strategies involving offshore accounts. Lynch, as a whistleblower, reported these issues to the IRS, which had been investigating Cohen’s finances routinely since the 1980s (including with respect to Cohen’s use of numerus social security numbers on his tax returns). Cohen’s subsequent legal and public actions against Lynch appear to have been calculated to silence her and protect his financial and tax fraud defense narrative. Artwork - Leonard Cohen literally paints himself as a Victim

6. Rewriting the Legacy The popular narrative surrounding Leonard Cohen’s business and financial disputes with Kelley Lynch is a disservice to the truth. Far from being a story of betrayal, it is a cautionary tale about the exploitation of a dedicated professional. Lynch’s contributions to Cohen’s career resurgence were pivotal, and her work helped restore his legacy, yet she was cast aside and vilified to protect Cohen’s image. Cohen himself has said his public persona was a “cover op.” The real story is not about theft or betrayal but about how Leonard Cohen leveraged Kelley Lynch’s hard work to rebuild his career and then used the resulting platform to rebrand himself as a victim of circumstances he largely created while destroying her life and the lives of her son.

Disclaimer: The article and accompanying illustrations present Kelley Lynch as a "haute couture Buddhist" hipster character in an imaginative and stylized portrayal. This depiction reflects an artistic and surreal interpretation inspired by the complex legal disputes and public narratives that followed her split from Leonard Cohen. The choice to portray Lynch adorned in jewels and sophisticated attire references Cohen's statements after their parting, where he attributed her alleged “downfall” to extravagant spending on items like jewelry, shoes, and haute couture—a narrative Lynch firmly disputes. The artistic representation, while not intended as a literal portrayal, emphasizes the intensity and multifaceted nature of her legal claims, offering a metaphorical view into the high-stakes drama of her experience. This stylized depiction serves to underscore the layers of conflict, public perception, and personal resilience inherent in her story.

His Holiness 14th Sharmapa

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