Saturday, November 16, 2024

DEVASTATED (Maclean's) Rebuttal: Canadian Music Icon Leonard Cohen Faces Financial Turmoil Amid LAPD SWAT Allegations, Greenberg's Esalen Tantric Sex Classes, and Claims of Tax Troubles and Betrayal

This title incorporates the key elements while highlighting the absurdity of certain allegations, setting the stage for a more critical examination of the narrative. Introduction: Misrepresentation and Hyperbole - The article sensationalizes Leonard Cohen’s financial and legal issues with exaggerated and inaccurate claims. Its reliance on allegations that lack substantiation misleads readers and distorts the facts. Let’s break down and refute the claims point by point.
1. Claim: Cohen Was “Broke” • Reality: Leonard Cohen was not “broke” due to Kelley Lynch’s alleged mismanagement. Evidence shows that Cohen himself accessed millions from his entities, including Traditional Holdings, LLC.
• Key Point: Cohen’s personal decisions, including misappropriating loans, created the financial strain. The claim that Kelley Lynch depleted his accounts is contradicted by forensic evidence and court declarations showing Cohen controlled withdrawals.
2. Claim: Missing Millions
• Reality: No evidence substantiates the claim that $8.4 million “disappeared.” Documents and forensic accounting suggest Cohen used funds for personal expenses, including properties for his family and lavish purchases.
• Key Point: Cohen falsely attributed these expenses to Lynch, including his own American Express bills and real estate transactions. Mislabeling these as theft is deceptive.
3. Claim: Cohen Was "Blindsided" by Greenberg’s Lawsuit • Reality: Neal Greenberg’s lawsuit against Cohen and Robert Kory and Cohen's lawsuit against Lynch and his tax and corporate lawyer were clearly coordinated PR. Greenberg’s communications with Cohen during the period demonstrate collaboration, and his claims served to shift blame from his own financial mismanagement.
• Key Point: Greenberg himself raised concerns about Cohen’s misuse of loans disguised as income. He warned Cohen about potential tax consequences from this behavior.
4. Claim: Kelley Lynch Refused to Open Books • Reality: Lynch consistently requested an independent audit of Cohen’s entities to clarify the financial situation. Cohen’s refusal to provide transparency and his control of accounts undermine this narrative. Furthermore, Cohen had all corporate books and records as well as all financial, accounting, and tax information - not Lynch.
• Key Point: The allegation that Lynch withheld information is contradicted by documented evidence, including Lynch’s communications with auditors and legal representatives.
5. Claim: Cohen Was a Victim of Extortion • Reality: Cohen and his attorney, Robert Kory, attempted to intimidate and coerce Kelley Lynch into cooperating with a fraudulent narrative, settle for millions, and lie about Cohen's representatives. Threats and defamatory statements against Lynch were part of a broader strategy to deflect responsibility.
• Key Point: Cohen’s own correspondence reveals his involvement in crafting this narrative, including attempts to implicate Lynch to absolve himself.
6. Claim: Cohen Was Unaware of Traditional Holdings’ Structure • Reality: Cohen was fully aware of the structure of Traditional Holdings, LLC. He approved its formation and benefitted directly from its operations, including $6.7 million in loans.
• Key Point: His claims of ignorance are implausible and contradicted by signed agreements and financial records.
7. Claim: Kelley Lynch Lived a Lavish Lifestyle at Cohen’s Expense • Reality: Lynch was compensated per her contractual agreement, and there is no evidence she misappropriated funds for personal gain. Cohen’s own spending habits depleted his assets.
• Key Point: The attempt to portray Lynch as living extravagantly is a diversion from Cohen’s financial mismanagement and tax irregularities.
8. Claim: Tax Fraud and Missing Funds • Reality: Cohen’s financial dealings raise significant tax questions. For example, he failed to report $8 million on the Traditional Holdings, LLC tax returns (possibly due to his own misappropriation of sums totaling $6.7 million that had to be repaid with interest) and used “disguised income” through loans, a potential violation of federal tax law.
• Key Point: Cohen’s narrative conveniently omits his tax liabilities and the role his own decisions played in creating financial and legal complications.
9. Claim: Lynch Sent “Erratic” Emails • Reality: Lynch’s emails to government agencies, including the IRS and FBI, were part of her effort to expose financial and legal irregularities. These communications were not “erratic” but focused on ensuring accountability.
• Key Point: Cohen’s attempts to demonize Lynch’s communications ignore the substantive issues she raised about fraud, financial and tax irregularities, and mismanagement.
10. Claim: Cohen Fired Lynch Over Financial Mismanagement • Reality: Cohen’s firing of Lynch is false but “coincided” with her refusal to participate in schemes to cover up his financial misconduct. Her so-called termination was not about mismanagement but her unwillingness to cooperate with unethical practices and retaliation.
• Key Point: Cohen’s actions were retaliatory and designed to scapegoat Lynch for his own misdeeds.
Conclusion: A Misleading Narrative The article perpetuates a narrative that distorts the facts and vilifies Kelley Lynch without evidence. Leonard Cohen’s financial troubles were largely self-inflicted, stemming from his decisions to access funds, mismanage his estate, and engage in questionable tax practices. Lynch’s attempts to seek transparency and accountability were met with retaliation and a coordinated effort to discredit her. The true story is one of obfuscation and the exploitation of public sympathy to deflect blame.
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.
Copyright © 2024 Kelley Lynch. Unauthorized reproduction, distribution, modification, or use of artwork on this site in any form is strictly prohibited without written consent. All rights reserved.

House of Lies: A Financial Circus of Shell Games, Tax Dodging, and Forged Trusts

Leonard Cohen’s House of Lies: A Financial Circus of Shell Games, Tax Dodging, and Forged Trusts Step into the shadowy underworld of Leonard Cohen’s financial dealings, a world that plays out like a sordid game of three-card monte. Shell corporations, sham entities, off-the-books accounts, and courtroom trickery form the heart of Cohen’s carefully guarded public persona. While he portrayed himself as the “tortured poet,” rising above betrayal, the truth tells a much darker story: Leonard Cohen exploited his personal manager Kelley Lynch, destroyed her reputation with the help of a compliant media, and built a house of cards held together by deceit, tax evasion, and judicial manipulation.
________________________________________ A Game of Three-Card Monte with Corporate Entities
Imagine - Magic Tricks and an Ocean of Cruelty
Leonard Cohen shuffling assets between shell companies like cards on a street corner, daring the IRS and courts to follow the queen. • Suspended Corporations: Cohen relied on defunct entities like Blue Mist Touring Co., Inc. and Traditional Holdings, LLC, some of which were unregistered in California or suspended in California and Kentucky.
• Entities That Magically Appear: Old Ideas, LLC wasn’t mentioned in Cohen’s lawsuit against Lynch.
• No Paper Trail: The court saw no corporate books, tax returns, or accountings—just Cohen’s unsubstantiated claims that Lynch had wrongfully taken money. What’s Missing Matters: The lack of documentation didn’t stop Cohen or his estate from pressing their case, relying on default judgments and media complicity to spin their narrative.
________________________________________ Cohen’s Tax Dodging Odyssey Leonard Cohen’s financial mismanagement began long before Kelley Lynch entered the picture. His decades-long history of tax avoidance reads like a masterclass in evasion:
• Offshore Accounts: In 1977, Cohen was advised to stash money offshore to dodge taxes in the U.S., Canada, and Greece. He was even warned to relinquish his U.S. green card—but he kept it, making him liable for worldwide income taxes, which he largely ignored.
• Multiple Social Security Numbers: Cohen juggled multiple Social Security numbers, a red flag for fraud.
• Entities as Personal ATMs: Cohen treated corporate and partnership entities like piggy banks, moving money around with no regard for financial transparency.
• Unfiled Returns: From 2003 onward, Cohen’s entities—including Blue Mist Touring Co., Inc. and Traditional Holdings, LLC —failed to file tax returns or provide Lynch with appropriate tax forms such as K-1s for her ownership interest. Old Ideas, LLC also failed to provide Lynch with appropriate tax forms such as K-1s. As Lynch has an ownership interest in these entities, the federal tax matters remain outstanding and egregious.
• $8 Million in Unreported Income: Cohen and his representatives, not Lynch, failed to report $8 million on one entity’s tax return.
Posthumous Tax Shenanigans: Even in death, Cohen’s financial chaos lives on (as set forth in estate/probate cases before LA Superior Court): • $58 million in unreported estate assets. • A $48 million music property sale to Hipgnosis that raises fair market value concerns, particularly since properties owned by Blue Mist Touring Co., Inc. were evidently sold without Blue Mist Touring Company, Inc. being compensated. • Allegations in estate proceedings about aggressive tax strategies and salaries paid to Cohen’s children that might not withstand scrutiny.
________________________________________ The Default Judgment Debacle: Procedural, Not Factual Cohen’s estate loves to tout the $7.3 million default judgment against Lynch as proof of wrongdoing, but here’s the truth:
• No Proper Service: Lynch was never served, which means she couldn’t present evidence or defend herself.
• Cohen’s Contradictions: Cohen himself told Maclean’s magazine that Lynch wasn’t guilty of theft. Later, he testified that Lynch had stolen “nothing”—only his “peace of mind,” a poetic quip to fuel his victimhood narrative.
• Default ≠ Exoneration: A state court judgment doesn’t absolve Cohen’s corporations or the partnerships from filing federal tax returns or meeting their obligations to Lynch, who held ownership stakes in several entities.
What the Appellate Court Said:
• The judgment relied on suspended or dissolved entities, some of which weren’t even part of the complaint although, as the court noted, the judgment has nothing to do with the entities.
• Prejudgment interest calculations exceeded the complaint’s request, leading the court to partially reverse the judgment.
• The trial court never had critical financial documentation, corporate records, or tax filings.
________________________________________ Forged Trusts and Estate Shenanigans
The plot thickens posthumously with Robert Kory, Cohen’s longtime lawyer and trustee of the family trust, stepping into the fray. Using a forged trust document, Kory has wielded control over Cohen’s estate like a puppet master.
• The Smoking Gun: In a deposition, Kory’s former attorney (who, as it turns out, was Cohen’s estate planning attorney), Reeve Chudd, admitted to physically altering Cohen’s signed trust after his death. “It was a horrible mistake,” Chudd said—a felony, no matter how you spin it.
• The Family Feud: Cohen’s adult children accuse Kory of attempting to “fleece the estate of millions.”
The Aftermath: Cohen’s estate entered into a questionable settlement over the $48 million Hipgnosis deal, raising questions about missing assets, exploitation and derivative rights, as well as fair market valuations.
________________________________________ Misogyny in the Media Machine
Let’s not mince words:
The media has played an active role in destroying Kelley Lynch’s reputation to protect Cohen’s legacy.
• The False Romance Narrative: Cohen’s gratuitous claims about a “casual sexual arrangement” with Lynch are patently false, irrelevant, misogynistic, and designed to discredit her professional contributions.
• The Victimhood Persona: Cohen weaponized his financial disputes with Lynch to craft a persona of betrayal and redemption—a convenient cover for his own financial and tax misdeeds.
• Media Compliance: Outlets like New York Times, LA Times, Rolling Stone, Guardian, and Far Out Magazine parrot Cohen’s narrative, portraying Lynch as a villain while ignoring the glaring inconsistencies in his story.
________________________________________ Cohen’s Exploitation of Lynch
While Leonard Cohen cried victim, Lynch was the driving force behind his career resurgence.
• Her work leading to and during the I’m Your Man, The Future, and Dear Heather/Old Ideas tours helped generate tens of millions of dollars.
• As Cohen’s personal manager, she earned 15% of all gross income—a standard commission in the industry.
• She had no role in his corporate, financial, accounting, or tax decisions, which were handled by Cohen and Cohen’s hand-picked professionals. The Irony: Cohen used Lynch’s efforts to rebuild his career, then destroyed her reputation to deflect attention from his own failures.
________________________________________ The True Legacy: Lies, Tax Fraud, and Exploitation
Leonard Cohen’s carefully crafted image as a tortured poet hides a darker reality:
• Decades of tax evasion and financial mismanagement.
• Shameless exploitation of Kelley Lynch’s professional contributions.
• A web of lies perpetuated by his estate to protect its financial interests.
The media’s complicity in spreading Cohen’s false narrative has allowed this deception to flourish. It’s time to shine a light on the cracks in Cohen’s legacy and demand accountability—from his estate, his lawyers, and the media that continues to peddle his lies.
This isn’t just a story about Leonard Cohen and Kelley Lynch. It’s a cautionary tale about how power, money, and a compliant media can destroy lives and rewrite history. Artwork - Leonard Cohen lunching w/ over-glorified groupie MSM journalists and biographers like Michael Posner (dishonest biographer/Times of Israel journalist ), Robert Faggen (literary professor Claremont College), David Remnick (New Yorker journalist and fake Russian expert), Ratso Sloman (over-glorified Rolling Thunder Tour journalist and liar), Mikal Gilmore (RS journalist and Cohen's source of information on "firing squads"), Alan Light (RS journalist/biographer and someone who has it out for Phil Spector as he apparently wrote "Ronnie's" book), Sylvie Simmons (biographer, rock journalist groupie), Joan Juliette Buck (over-glorified Vogue Editor/Rose of Middle East article on First Lady of Syria), Pico Iyer (Buddhist groupie journalist and fabulist), Leon Wieseltier (sex harassment agent, New Republic), Barry Wexler (failed producer and per Cohen - a stalker), Moses Znaimer (over-glorified Canadian media star and groupie) and a host of other deviant clowns who lie to advance their own careers and projects such as "Far Out Magazine" clowns.
Leonard Cohen’s legendary “good rock ’n’ roll stories” have become a cottage industry for starry-eyed journalists who suspend disbelief while recounting his wildest tales, no matter how outlandish. Among his self-spun yarns are claims of being involved in CIA reconnaissance during the Bay of Pigs, narrowly avoiding an airstrike in Cuba, and being arrested by Castro’s forces—who allegedly mistook him for a rebel paratrooper. Cohen described being interrogated at gunpoint, only to be released with hugs, a shell necklace, and the assertion that he resembled Che Guevara. He even recounted a 14-year-old Cuban military officer holding him at gunpoint at the airport, painting a picture of himself as an adventurer with a poetic soul, a man always on the brink of life and death.
The stories don’t stop there. Cohen spoke of fantasies about dying by firing squad like his idol, revolutionary poet Federico García Lorca, and recounted highly embellished accounts of Phil Spector allegedly pointing guns and crossbows at him—tales Spector himself dismissed as ridiculous. Cohen even boasted about dating actresses with relatively decent careers, framing them as epic conquests, and shamelessly wove religious imagery, revolutionary fervor, and romantic drama into his interviews. For Cohen, every anecdote was an opportunity to cultivate his mystique.
And yet, what’s truly mystifying is how these outlandish tales are swallowed whole by dazzled journalists, who eagerly regurgitate them in reverent tones. They wax poetic about Cohen’s “props”—his popsicles, religious kitsch, $2,000 bottles of wine, deli sandwiches, and Cohen’s “famous” homemade tuna or egg salad.
The mundane became transcendent when framed by Cohen’s myth-making charisma. In reality, these stories, props, and indulgences serve a singular purpose: to obfuscate the truth, elevate Cohen as an untouchable icon, and ensure that his darkest financial and legal dealings remain hidden behind the veil of his fabricated adventures.
In stark contrast to Leonard Cohen’s carefully curated image as a world-weary, tortured genius steeped in a mix of literary rebellion and exaggerated heroics, Kelley Lynch’s life and career were marked by professionalism, grounded achievements, and a focus on family and community. Lynch brought extensive experience in the entertainment industry to her role as Cohen’s personal manager, having worked for leading entertainment law firms and management companies. She didn’t just manage Cohen’s career—she helped raise his children, driving his daughter to high school daily alongside her own older son, and even served as personal manager for Adam Cohen. Far from the salacious narratives Cohen spun about her, Lynch had strong relationships over the years with the men in her life, including one of the world’s most renowned record producers, Phil Spector, and was completely uninterested in Cohen romantically. They never dated—a fact that makes Cohen’s self-serving “casual arrangement” claims even more absurd and misogynistic.
Lynch’s life extended well beyond her work with Cohen. She sponsored a Tibetan Buddhist center in Los Angeles for His Holiness Kusum Lingpa, alongside prominent figures like Oliver Stone, while raising her two sons, caring for her parents, and remaining deeply connected to her community. Unlike Cohen’s history of substance abuse, Lynch has no dark past to exploit—her life has been one of responsibility and resilience. The only shadows cast over her reputation stem from Cohen’s calculated victimhood narratives, repeated ad nauseam in the media to shield his own misconduct and deflect blame onto others, including prior managers and lawyers.
Where Cohen indulged in excess and lived in the chaos of his own creation, Lynch built a life of structure and contribution. The contrast could not be starker: while Cohen leaned on the crutch of his “tortured artist” persona to excuse financial mismanagement, substance abuse, and betrayal, Lynch worked tirelessly to raise her family, rebuild Cohen’s faltering career, and live a life of integrity—only to have her reputation unjustly destroyed in the wake of Cohen’s relentless self-mythologizing.
Furthermore, Cohen was the last of the big-time spenders, indulging in extravagant expenses that belied his carefully crafted image of financial victimhood. His spending spree included purchasing homes for his son and his girlfriend, Anjani Thomas, as well as a commercial property in Los Angeles for his daughter’s antique shop. He bought a $17,000 statue for a woman he knew relatively casually and even created a near-arboretum for Anjani Thomas (his lawyer Robert Kory's ex-wife), complete with flowering fruit trees and handmade brick pathways.
Cohen gifted Anjani Thomas a baby grand piano, paid for private schools for the children of Buddhist friends and his housekeeper’s children, and provided financial support for his adult children, amounting to thousands of dollars per month. His generosity extended to massive donations to the Mount Baldy Zen Center, sometimes reaching sums of $500,000. While generosity is commendable, such expenses are sustainable only when paired with consistent work—yet Cohen took extended breaks from touring and recording, including his retreat to Mount Baldy to detox from alcohol and prescription medications after The Future tour. Even there, his retreat was far from austere: he had a custom-renovated two-room cabin outfitted with a recording studio, computer, sound system, fax machines, and space for interviews, documentaries, and recording material for future albums.
In stark contrast, Kelley Lynch lived a relatively modest life by Hollywood standards. A serious student of Tibetan Buddhism, Lynch balanced raising her children and caring for her parents while dedicating herself to her work. Her life was focused on professional achievements and personal responsibilities, not on lavish spending or indulgent excess. Cohen’s narrative of victimhood conveniently ignores his own role in creating financial strain through unchecked spending, while unfairly targeting Lynch to cover for his own choices and to shield himself from scrutiny. This deliberate distortion not only tarnishes Lynch’s reputation but also paints a misleading picture of Cohen’s financial troubles, which were largely of his own making.
Leonard Cohen's fascination with violence, his ambivalence about his own mental health struggles, and his apparent obsession with publicity offer a revealing portrait of a man who blurred the line between reality and theatricality. Cohen, who once described depression as a form of "mental violence," revealed a dark undercurrent in his psyche. “What I mean by depression in my own case is that depression isn’t just the blues. It’s not just like I have a hangover in the weekend … the girl didn’t show up or something like that. It isn’t that. It’s not really depression, it’s a kind of mental violence which stops you from functioning properly from one moment to the next,” Cohen said. This profound description underscores not just his struggles but also his self-awareness about the turmoil within.
Cohen’s views on violence extended far beyond his personal struggles. In one of his accounts, he claimed he traveled to Cuba out of a “deep interest in violence.” He explained, “I was very interested in what it really meant for a man to carry arms and to kill other men – and how attracted I was exactly to that process.” His motivations, however, appeared less clear in other retellings. He alternately claimed he went to Cuba to “fight on both sides” during the revolution, while another version suggested he was there primarily to drink rum, consort with late-night movie operators and hookers, and, as he put it, “join the pimps, hookers, gamblers, small-time criminals, and black marketers.” The narratives consistently paint Cohen as both fascinated and amused by the chaos of war and revolution, a dichotomy that makes his accounts both compelling and deeply problematic.
Cohen’s misadventures in Havana took on a surreal tone when, dressed in khakis and carrying a hunting knife, he was apprehended by Cuban soldiers who mistook him for an American paratrooper. “They thought I was the first of an American landing team,” he recounted. After an hour and a half of interrogation, he claimed to have convinced them he was not a spy but rather a “fan of the regime.” The episode, Cohen later admitted, was “hopelessly Hollywood,” a reflection of his own self-awareness of the absurdity that often accompanied his tales.
But perhaps the most telling detail of Cohen’s time in Cuba was his reaction to the danger. The morning after witnessing anti-aircraft fire and narrowly escaping further suspicion, Cohen wrote to his Canadian publisher, Jack McClelland: “Just think how well the book would sell if I’m hit in an air-raid. What great publicity! Don’t tell me you haven’t been considering it.” This flippant remark, pairing the potential of violent death with book sales, captures Cohen’s unyielding pursuit of publicity, even in the face of life-threatening danger.
Cohen’s self-awareness and penchant for drama extended to his reflections on violence in culture. “At the very center of our culture is a crucified man, a tortured man hanging on a cross of wood. You have an image of violence at the very center of our spiritual investigation,” Cohen remarked. This connection between spirituality, violence, and his own artistic vision is key to understanding how he constructed his persona—a mix of tortured poet, reluctant rebel, and spiritual seeker.
The media, dazzled by Cohen’s poetic musings and larger-than-life anecdotes, often lapped up these stories without scrutiny, perpetuating the myth of Cohen as a complex, tortured genius. Meanwhile, his willingness to paint himself as both victim and hero cast a shadow over those who dared challenge his carefully curated narrative, most notably Kelley Lynch. Cohen’s self-aggrandizing tales were not just stories but tools of manipulation, designed to elevate his mystique while casting doubt on others. Whether it was "Hollywood hopelessness" or calculated artistry, Cohen’s tales reflect a man adept at turning chaos into poetry, even if it meant erasing the truth in the process.
Leonard Cohen’s own words reveal the carefully constructed facade that defined his public life. “My public persona is a cover-up,” Cohen once admitted, a startling confession that lays bare the contrast between his outward image and the hidden truths of his private life. “I’ll wear a mask for you,” he offered, a poetic nod to the duality that allowed him to navigate the world as both the tortured artist and the worldly sage, all while concealing the contradictions beneath. Behind the elder statesman with a bullhorn, decrying Kelley Lynch as though she were a witch practicing "dark arts," lay a man whose self-admitted secret life was filled with lies, deceit, and icy detachment. He boasted that his heart was “like ice,” suggesting a cold and calculating nature incongruous with the poetic figure he portrayed.
Cohen’s transformation was nothing short of remarkable. From being dubbed Canada’s “most pornographic writer” for Beautiful Losers, to a self-styled revolutionary mingling drugs with rebellion, to a Zen monk detoxing from alcohol and prescription meds, Cohen wore many masks. His tales of CIA reconnaissance during the Bay of Pigs, being nearly bombed in Cuba, and being arrested at gunpoint by Castro’s forces read like an elaborate spy novel—grandiose, unprovable, and designed to amplify his mystique. His highly embellished accounts of Phil Spector wielding guns and crossbows, or his fantasies about dying by firing squad like his idol García Lorca, served to cement his narrative as a man perpetually teetering on the edge of danger and artistry. Yet, as Cohen transformed into an elderly statesman with a global audience, he wielded his public platform to demonize Kelley Lynch and solidify his image as the ultimate victim. Despite his own admissions of wrongdoing—“I am the architect of my own disaster”—Cohen repeatedly blamed Lynch for financial woes rooted in his own excesses. His bullhorn became an instrument of deflection, drowning out scrutiny of his indulgent spending, questionable tax practices, and manipulative narratives with his melodramatic cries of betrayal.
And yet, Kelley Lynch, in contrast, was no shadowy figure of “dark arts” but a professional manager who rebuilt Cohen’s faltering career, raised her children, supported her family, and maintained a modest life by Hollywood standards. While Cohen spun fantastical tales and lived a life of grand gestures—lavish spending on homes, statues, private schools, and arboretums—Lynch was left to bear the brunt of his carefully orchestrated smear campaign. It is a bitter irony that Cohen, who once confessed to wearing masks and crafting cover stories, successfully rebranded himself as a tragic hero, turning Lynch into his scapegoat while the media gleefully amplified his narrative.
In the end, Leonard Cohen’s most enduring creation may not have been his poetry or music but the myth of Leonard Cohen himself. A man who admitted to living a secret life of lies and deception managed to transform his missteps into art, his flaws into profundity, and his victims into villains. The world, enamored by his props and his prose, overlooked the contradictions and complexities, buying wholesale into the mask he so carefully crafted. The real tragedy is not just the harm done to Kelley Lynch but the complicity of a media landscape too dazzled by the man’s mystique to question the truth.
Where things stand today is a testament to the ongoing manipulation and control wielded by Leonard Cohen’s estate and the Cohen Family Trust. Despite clear federal requirements, the estate and trust have steadfastly refused to provide Kelley Lynch with tax information for corporate entities in which she holds ownership interests. Nor have they filed the necessary federal tax returns for these entities—entities they themselves control. This lack of transparency and legal compliance underscores the estate’s unwillingness to address key financial and legal obligations, even as these issues remain under scrutiny.
Rather than resolving these matters responsibly, the estate and trust continue to malign Lynch publicly. Leveraging media connections, they repeatedly regurgitate the narrative Cohen so effectively constructed during his lifetime, painting Lynch as a villain in his saga of victimhood. The trust and estate have been more than willing to hit the phone lines with sensationalized stories, feeding tabloids and other outlets eager for scandal, all while failing to address the unresolved tax and legal issues at the heart of this conflict.
This pattern of deflection and blame-shifting mirrors Cohen’s own approach during his lifetime: an adeptness at controlling the narrative while leaving behind a trail of financial mismanagement and legal quagmires. As it stands, Lynch is left in the crosshairs of a media machine and a legal system that has yet to hold the estate and trust accountable for their continued noncompliance with federal tax laws. Meanwhile, Cohen’s mystique endures, buoyed by a carefully crafted legend that casts him as the tortured genius, even as the truth reveals a far more troubling picture. Artwork - Troubled Troubador Leonard Cohen hits out via MSM and Los Angeles government at Kelley Lynch and Phil Spector using his high embellished, if not downright fictional, good rock 'n roll stories in an attempt to conceal his tortured reality, financial and tax misdeeds, and dark side.
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.
Copyright © 2024 Kelley Lynch. Unauthorized reproduction, distribution, modification, or use of artwork on this site in any form is strictly prohibited without written consent. All rights reserved.
Summary of Key Issues and Allegations:
1. Cease and Desist to Far Out Magazine: Defamatory Statements: The article titled "The court case that forced Leonard Cohen back into music" contains false claims.
Mischaracterization of Lynch as Cohen’s “ex-lover.” Romanticized narratives that distort Lynch’s professional contributions and Cohen’s financial mismanagement. Demands: Retraction, public apology, and correction of inaccuracies, including financial mismanagement and lack of service in legal proceedings.
2. Federal Tax Matters: Tax Fraud Allegations: Significant issues with Cohen’s estate and related entities: Unfiled tax returns for entities like Traditional Holdings, LLC, and Blue Mist Touring Co., Inc. Refusal to provide necessary tax forms (e.g., K-1s) to Lynch for her ownership interests. $48 million in unreported intellectual property valuations. Mismanagement: Cohen misappropriated funds from partnerships and entities, while his estate perpetuates noncompliance. IRS and DOJ Involvement: Reported tax irregularities remain unresolved, prompting further legal actions.
3. Forged Trust Documents: Allegations: Leonard Cohen’s estate trustee, Robert Kory, allegedly manipulated trust documents posthumously. Admissions: Estate attorney Reeve Chudd admitted under oath to altering trust documents, constituting potential forgery.
4. Media Campaigns and Misogyny: Defamation and Retaliation: Media outlets, fueled by Cohen’s estate, portray Lynch as a villain, overshadowing her role in Cohen’s career resurgence. Fabricated Narratives: Misogynistic claims, such as a "casual sexual arrangement," are used to discredit Lynch while distracting from financial mismanagement.
5. Legal and Financial Mismanagement: Cohen’s Spending Habits: Lavish expenses (e.g., homes, statues, and donations) exacerbated financial issues. Entity Suspensions: Entities such as Traditional Holdings, LLC were mismanaged, with Cohen personally misappropriating funds.
6. Stephen Gianelli’s Role: Harassment: Gianelli allegedly acts on behalf of Cohen’s estate, engaging in a long-standing campaign to discredit Lynch. Collusion: Emails demonstrate coordination with Cohen’s attorneys, including statements suggesting financial gain from harassment.
7. Los Angeles City Attorney’s Office Involvement: Misrepresentation: Attempts to frame Lynch’s tax fraud claims as a "ruse" and discredit her further by involving unrelated individuals like Oliver Stone and Bruce Cutler.
LAPD Coordination: Alleged false reports and harassment tactics linked to Cohen’s legal team and estate representatives.
8. Leonard Cohen’s Persona and Narratives: Exaggerations and Myths: Cohen fabricated stories (e.g., CIA involvement, interactions with Phil Spector) to enhance his public persona.
Impact on Legal Cases: These fabricated narratives influenced public perception and legal proceedings. Highlights and Requested Actions: Defamation: Immediate retraction and correction of defamatory articles in Far Out Magazine and similar outlets. Tax Compliance: Full investigation into unfiled tax returns, unreported asset valuations, and withheld tax forms. Trust Forgery: Legal examination of allegations against Robert Kory for altering trust documents posthumously. Media Accountability: Address the dissemination of false narratives targeting Lynch, including collaboration with media outlets. Entity Accountability: Ensure proper filings and disclosures for suspended or unregistered entities like Traditional Holdings, LLC. Legal Redress: Federal action to resolve outstanding financial obligations, ensure compliance with federal tax laws, and investigate allegations of harassment and defamation.
This summary encapsulates the central legal and financial issues surrounding Leonard Cohen's estate, ongoing disputes, and Kelley Lynch's pursuit of justice.