From: Kelley Lynch <kelley.lynch.2010@gmail.com>
Date: Thu, Nov 20, 2014 at 2:12 PM
Subject: Re:
To: DOJ, FBI, IRS cc: Multiple Parties
Hi DOJ,
I don't know why Ray's "default judgment" custody matter was raised as an issue. He was over 18 by this time. In any event, Cohen and Kory initially went into Ray's father's office and falsely accused me of having sex with Oliver Stone and others. Clearly, they intended to stir up a custody matter. I was also falsely accused of having sex with Richard Westin to obtain the annuity obligation that was extinguished, without my knowledge, from the 2003 TH federal tax return. Please take a look at the attached documents. They would include the Schedule I am preparing re. all statements in Greenberg's Amended Complaint that I agree with. I was in contact with Boies Schiller - NOT Neal Greenberg. I've also attached the draft declarations I've now received from Clea Surkhang, Dan Meade, and Palden Ronge that will be attached to my motions. I've attached my mother's declaration that was filed in the probation retaliation matter. That declaration was signed December 24, 2013 which was two days before my mother had a stroke. She was extremely concerned about my welfare. I, as you should know, never "suggested" that Leonard Cohen was responsible for the "accident that befell" Rutger. There is no evidence to support that outrageous statement and I agree with my mother - that line of questioning and testimony is evidence of the evil individuals involved in this matter. Streeter failed to advise the jurors that I was upset with Cooley for his failure to investigate the criminal negligence in Rutger's Whole Foods matter as many young people were exposed to very dangerous circumstances that were clearly serious and willful. Leonard Cohen will say anything. He is a professional liar.
All the best,
Kelley
Streeter: All right. Did does Ms. Cohen [Lynch] have any children? The Court: Ms. Kelley – Ms. Lynch. Streeter; I’m sorry. Does Ms. Lynch have any children? Cohen: Yes, Ma’am. She has two sons. Streeter: Did she ever mention any of her children in any of the voicemail messages? Cohen: Yes, many times. She – she accused me of being indirectly responsible for her losing custody of one child. Streeter: What was that child’s name? Cohen: That child’s name was Ray Lindsey – Streeter: Does she have another child? Cohen: Yes, she has another child. Streeter: What’s that child’s name? Cohen: His name is Rutger Bennett [Penick]. Streeter: Does she ever mention Rutger – Cohen: Yes, many times she suggested I was responsible for an accident that befell him. RT 57-58
DRAFT DECLARATIONS
DECLARATION OF CLEA SURKHANG
I, Kelley
Lynch, do state and declare as follows:
1.
I am a citizen of
the United States and currently reside in Longmont, Colorado. Except as
to those matters stated on information and belief, I have personal
knowledge of the facts set forth herein and could and would testify competently
if asked to do so.
2.
I have been a close friend of
Kelley Lynch’s for over 29 years. We met
at a Buddhist seminary in
the summer of 1985.
3.
During the mid-to-late 1980s,
Kelley and I lived in New York City. We
saw each other every
week for dinners and over the weekends. Kelley had a young son at the time and they
lived together in a beautiful apartment that she kept spotless.
4.
In 1987, I
moved from New York City to Colorado.
Kelley and I remained in close touch and
visited
when we were able to do so. My husband,
Yongzin Rinpoche, is also a close friend of Kelley’s.
5.
I visited or spent time with Kelley over the years,
watched her children grow up, and know that
she is a
very caring mother. Her first love is
her children.
6.
I am aware that Kelley worked as Leonard Cohen’s personal
manager. She never once indicated
that they
were having an intimate relationship. We
frequently had girl talks and he was not someone she was ever interested in
dating. I specifically recall asking her
directly: Were you dating? Did you ever find Cohen attractive? Her answer was always “No.”
7.
I’ve watched Kelley’s boys, Rutger and Ray, throughout
their childhoods. They are both bright,
good
hearted fellows. Kelley is an amazingly
strong, kind-hearted being, that has worked her entire life to help her
children, parents, friends, and everyone who asked for her assistance. Her care for others is genuine and
profound.
8.
My husband and I visited Kelley in the late spring/early
summer of 2005. At that time, she was
approximately
5’6”, very thin, had blue eyes, and wore her hair a very dark shade of brown
and short.
9.
Since Leonard Cohen filed his lawsuit against Kelley, in
the summer of 2005, she has continually
maintained
that she was not served the summons and complaint.
10. I am quite
confident in Kelley’s integrity and the fact that she was as professional and
straightforward with her business dealings as
she has been in her friendship.
I declare
under penalty of perjury under the laws of the State of California that the
foregoing is
true and correct and that I executed this
Declaration on the 6th day of October 2014 at Longmont, Colorado.
___________________________________
Clea
Surkhang
DECLARATION OF PALDEN RONGE
I, Palden
Ronge, do state and declare as follows:
1.
I am a citizen of
the Canada and permanent resident of the United States. I currently
reside in Los
Angeles California. Except as to those matters
stated on information and belief, I have personal knowledge of the facts set
forth herein and could and would testify competently if asked to do so.
2.
My wife, Lila Rich, and I have
known Kelley for years. I personally met
her in approximately
1988. We are close family
friends and I know her sons, Rutger and Ray.
We visited each other socially on many occasions and participated in
many religious events together.
3.
Kelley was an excellent and loving
mother. She took her role as a parent
seriously and saw to it
that her sons received the best education. She ensured that their personal needs were
met in every way. Ms. Lynch was
particularly diligent in supervising her children to insulate them from the
urban youth culture of drug and alcohol abuse.
Kelley’s sons are wonderful young men.
4.
I have known Kelley to be a
well-connected, professional woman, who multi-tasked at a dizzying
pace as she managed the business affairs for Leonard Cohen. Kelley worked as Cohen’s personal manager for
many years. I met Mr. Cohen socially
with Kelley on numerous occasions. It
never once crossed my mind that they were involved in any type of intimate
dating relationship. Nor had I heard
anything to indicate that their relationship was anything but
professional. I know Kelley’s
ex-husband, Douglas Penick, the father of her younger son (Steve Lindsey), and
from 1988 through the present feel it is accurate to say that her relationship
with Leonard Cohen was a professional business relationship.
5.
I also worked with Kelley when she
and Oliver Stone sponsored a Tibetan Buddhist meditation
center for His Holiness Kusum Lingpa. His Holiness Kusum Lingpa was a highly
regarded Tibetan Buddhist master. I had
the good fortune to serve as an interpreter for this remarkable man and was
involved in translating certain religious texts. His Holiness appointed Kelley to be his chos
kyi dags mos (lineage holder) and she worked quite diligently on his
behalf. It is my personal belief that Kelley
conducts herself professionally, ethically, and honestly in all areas of her
life.
6.
I attended the January 17, 2014
hearing in this matter and had hoped to testify on Kelley’s behalf.
The opportunity to do so was not presented. I
visited Kelley throughout the summer of 2005.
His Eminence Choegon Rinpoche, a mutual friend, often accompanied
me on these visits. I distinctly recall
Kelley’s appearance in the summer of 2005.
At that time, she had bright blue eyes, very dark short hair, was
approximately 5’6”, and very thin (perhaps weighing 110 pounds). For years, she had worn her hair very light
blonde and it took me some time to grow accustomed to Kelley’s dark hair and
new look.
7.
I distinctly recall during the
summer and fall of 2005 Kelley’s frustrated attempts to address the
fact that she was not served Leonard Cohen’s lawsuit. Kelley has continuously and consistently
maintained that she was not served the summons and complaint.
CAR ACCIDENT.
I declare
under penalty of perjury under the laws of the State of California that the
foregoing is
true and correct and that I executed this
Declaration on the 6th day of October 2014 at Los Angeles
California.
___________________________________
Palden
Ronge
DECLARATION
OF DANIEL J. MEADE
I, Daniel
J. Meade, do state and declare as follows:
1.
I am a citizen of
the Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada. I was born and raised in the United
States.
Except as
to those matters stated on information and belief, I have personal
knowledge of the facts set forth herein and could and would testify competently
if asked to do so.
teacher, appointed me to the
position of Executive Director to the Philadelphia branch of Vajdrahatu
International Buddhist Organization. At
that time, I was also quite close with her first husband, Richard Dallett. In fact, when Kelley was married to Mr.
Dallett, I worked with him on numerous projects. My wife and I spent a great deal of time
socializing with Kelley and Richard Dallett.
3.
Kelley's volunteer work with Philadelphia
Dharmadhatu included serving as my personal
secretary and administrative
assistant for approximately 2-1/2 years.
I was always pleased with her professional demeanor and diligent work.
4.
Kelley Lynch and I have remained extremely close
friends to this day. I view her as one
of my
closest friends. We have stayed in close contact consistently for
over 35 years.
5.
I also
know Kelley's parents, grandparents, brother, sister, sons and second husband,
Douglas
Penick, who is a friend of
mine. Kelley has a very close
relationship with her family.
6.
In all the years I have known her I, have
appreciated her kindness and generosity towards me and
others and various
organizations and Buddhist causes. His
Holiness Kusum Lingpa appointed Kelley Lynch to be his lineage holder. Kelley and Oliver Stone sponsored a Tibetan
Buddhist center for Kusum Lingpa Rinpoche and he evidently also appreciated
certain qualities that she embodies.
7.
Kelley is a quick wit and possesses a great
sense of humor. I would like to share a
story about
her with the Court: Approximately 13 years ago, my long term lady
friend, also a friend of Kelley's, was diagnosed with terminal cancer. For the next 4 months, Kelley called me every
day to check in with about my state of mind as I was the primary care
giver. Her support during this period of
time was invaluable and greatly appreciated.
After my friend's death, Kelley generously flew me out to Los Angeles to
visit and recuperate. My son also joined
us. She took a bit of time off work to
tend to my needs. I was able to spend
time with and became intimately acquainted with her sons, Rutger and Ray. I found the home environment to be very loving,
uplifted and dignified in a particular sort of Buddhist style. Kelley was a great host and obviously a good
and decent mother. It was a very pleasant
5-6 weeks for me. But, during my stay I
witnessed a few rather unpleasant incidents:
I was well aware that Kelley worked as Leonard Cohen's personal
manager. I had been a fan of his music
and poetry since the age of 13. One day the phone rang while Kelley was in the
shower, I picked up and Leonard Cohen asked “Is Kelley there?” I responded by asking “Who are you?” He replied “I am Leonard.” I then simply said “Leonard who?” and his
response was to become angry. He then
hung up on me. I actually meant this as
a joke. Of course, I knew it was Leonard
Cohen. His voice is very recognizable. Later that morning, Mr. Cohen emailed Kelley
a very personal and vicious letter. She
read it to me and I could not believe what an abusive, humorless, and
aggressive asshole he was to her. My
little dream of the man who wrote these profound song lyrics immediately went
down the local toilet in Los Angeles at that time. I asked Kelley to give me a copy of this
letter so I could share it with the world at large and inform them about this
man's true nature. I was in disbelief at
his level of hostility particularly given the fact that he holds himself out to
the world as some sort of religious sage.
He was clearly jealous of my presence.
Kelley discreetly declined to provide me with a copy of this exceedingly
disturbing email. I do not believe she
refused to give me the letter simply to protect her position as Mr. Cohen’s
personal manager. I believe she declined
out of a sense of respect for Leonard Cohen and may have been trying to keep
his weaknesses and unconscionable conduct towards her private.
8.
The second unpleasant incident I would like to
share is as follows: One day, while
visiting Kelley
and her family, I was relaxing
by the pool. Kelley's great home care
assistant, Elena, had brought
me food. Elena was a delightful individual who took
great care of Kelley's sons and home while she was at work. Kelley was extremely busy working as Cohen’s
personal manager and also owned a greeting card company. She devoted a tremendous amount of time to
her sons, work, and charitable work.
Kelley is a tireless individual.
Elena would help with the boys when they returned from school or other
activities, assist with meal preparations, and appeared to love Kelley and the
boys. Elena’s presence in the home was
important. Kelley home-schooled her
older son and carpooled her younger soon.
There were numerous children and teenagers in her home during the
evenings and weekends. Kelley provided a
stable environment for these young people but was very careful with boundaries
and discipline. Kelley was essentially a
single mother, raising her children with the assistance of her parents, and
wanted an adult present in the household at all times. Suddenly, out of the blue, Steven Lindsey
showed up unannounced - meaning he did not call or email asking if it was an
appropriate time to drop by. Steve
Lindsey is the father of Kelley’s younger son, Ray. I suppose he felt entitled to behave in this
manner because he was Ray's genetic father and felt he could do as he liked, in
an arrogant fashion, as rich people tend to do. Douglas Penick is Rutger's
father and a close friend of mine.
Kelley was not pleased with the invasion and from what I witnessed
neither were her sons or Elena. I was
sitting by the pool, clueless as to Lindsey's arrival, when he sat down next to
me. He tried to be nice about the death
of my girlfriend. The aggression Steve
Lindsey brought into that home was, from my perspective, overwhelming and loud. After helping to calm things down inside,
Kelley came out and made a few dark jokes about death, in a Monty Python sort
of way. She was trying to help me
through my grief in her playful fashion.
Steve Lindsey became offended by Kelley and my interactions. He stormed off angry and, from what I could
hear from outside, Ray was in the house quite upset. I asked Kelley – “Does he always invade your
home unannounced?” She replied, “Yes,
whenever he wants to.” I thought “How sad
for Ray and Rutger and you.” Kelley and
her sons were very, very close.
9.
It is my personal belief that both Leonard
Cohen and Steve Lindsey were obsessed with Kelley,
were extremely possessive of
her, privately conducted themselves in a jealous and hostile manner towards her,
and became angry and vicious when she was unable to tend to them specifically.
10. In the
35 years I have known Kelley, I have never once heard that she and Cohen were
in a brief,
intimate dating
relationship. I have, on the other hand,
heard first hand that she felt Cohen’s conduct towards her was technically
sexual harassment and thoroughly unprofessional. At times, throughout the years, Kelley and I
have been involved in an intimate dating relationship and I feel absolutely
confident that had she been involved in a similar relationship with Cohen she
would have shared that information with me.
Kelley and I have a very direct and honest friendship.
11. Since 2005, when Leonard Cohen filed his lawsuit
against Kelley, she has consistently maintained
that she was not served the
lawsuit. This has been extremely
frustrating for her.
12. These
are my thoughts about what a good person Kelley Lynch is. I have no fiduciary concerns
here. She is
simply an old friend of mine and I am concerned about her welfare and the welfare of her sons.
I declare
under penalty of perjury under the laws of the State of California that the
foregoing is
true and correct and that I executed this
Declaration on the 6th day of October 2014 at Halifax, Nova Scotia,
Canada.
___________________________________
Daniel
J. Meade
JOAN LYNCH DECLARATION SUBMITTED TO COURT DECEMBER 2013 RE. PROBATION RETALIATION MATTER
DECLARATION
OF JOAN MARIE LYNCH
I, Joan Marie Lynch, do state and
declare as follows:
- I am a citizen of the United States
and a resident of the State of Texas.
Kelley Lynch is my
daughter. Except as to those matters stated on
information and belief, I have personal knowledge of the facts set forth herein
and could and would testify competently if asked to do so.
- My husband, John Lynch, and I have a
very close relationship with Kelley and her sons, Rutger
Penick and Ray Charles Lindsey. In 1992, my husband and I relocated from Philadelphia,
Pennsylvania to Los Angeles to be near Kelley and our grandsons. We were extremely involved in the upbringing
of our grandsons, saw them on a daily basis, picked them up from school, knew
their friends, attended school and sporting activities, spent a great deal of
time in their home, and enjoyed a very warm and close relationship with our
daughter and her family. We also worked with
Kelley and saw her on a daily basis.
- Until his death in April 1988, Kelley
worked as Marty Machat’s legal and personal assistant. It
was during this period of time that
Kelley became acquainted with Phil Spector and Leonard Cohen.
- For approximately 17 years, from 1988
until the fall of 2004, Kelley worked as Leonard Cohen’s
personal manager and in other
capacities. From approximately 1996
through 2001, Kelley also worked as Adam Cohen’s personal manager. Adam Cohen is a musician in his own right and
the son of Leonard From approximately 1988 until 1991, Kelley worked as an
intern/assistant to Phil Spector.
- Although Cohen has stated to the
contrary, Kelley never worked as his business manager. She
did not handle matters related to
taxation, corporations, finances, investment decisions or advice, accounting,
estate planning, or legal issues.
Leonard Cohen had a team of professional representatives handling these
matters. Those individuals included, but
were not limited to, Neal Greenberg (investor/financial advisor), Richard
Westin (tax and corporate lawyer), Arthur Indursky (transactional lawyer), Don
Friedman (transaction lawyer), Stuart Fried (transaction lawyer), Jean Ransick
(bookkeeper), Burt Goldstein (accountant), Ken Cleveland (accountant), Peter
Shukat (transaction lawyer), Jeffrey Hafer (transactional lawyer), Jonas
Herbsman (transational lawyer), Rich Feldstein (business manager), Peter Lopez
(transactional lawyer), Bud Talbot (Dean Witter), Lee Alpert (lawyer), Reeve
Chudd (estate planning lawyer), Herschel Weinberg (personal lawyer and family
friend), Greg McBowman (royalty consultant), and others.
6.
Jean Ransick, who resided in New York City,
worked as Leonard Cohen’s bookkeeper from
approximately 1988
through 1997. Thereafter, Cohen hired
his daughter’s friend, Jen Brown, to assist with his bookkeeping. Cohen never replaced Jen Brown with another
bookkeeper and additional work fell upon Kelley. At some point, Cohen asked my husband to
assist with check writing, bills, and other administrative matters.
- From approximately 1992 through the
winter of 2005, I worked as Kelley’s personal assistant and
office administrator. My daughter had two businesses: Stranger Management, a personal entertainment
management company, and Amazing Card Company, a greeting card company. My duties included general office management
tasks, supervising all employees, handling the phones, receiving mail and faxes
and distributing them, communicating with Cohen and his representatives, communicating
with Adam Cohen and his representatives, assisting Adam and Lorca Cohen with
various matters, ordering Canadian drafts for Cohen’s Montreal properties,
faxing information to Cohen and his representatives, transmitting phone
messages to Leonard Cohen, apprising Cohen and Kelley of personal and corporate
bank balances, transmitting sales figures and royalty statements to Kelley and
Cohen, receiving and shipping fedex packages, arranging for notaries,
overseeing the filing systems, and generally handling all administrative
duties. I personally oversaw the filing
system that included Kelley and Cohen’s records as well as the corporate
records.
- I worked with my daughter on a daily
basis for over 12 years and am well aware of how the office
functioned. I know Leonard Cohen and his family extremely
well. I oversaw the work of all Stranger
Management and Amazing Card Company employees.
That would include, but is not limited to, Kelly Owens, Betsy Perks,
Morgan Martin, Sarah Vienot, all greeting card company employees, and brief
temporary employees such as Julie Isenberg.
My daughter, Karen Lynch, also worked with us for a period of time until
she left to work for Billboard Magazine and/or Peter Lubin of Giant Records.
- In or around 1996, Leonard Cohen hired
my husband to oversee the construction and renovation
of his garage and commercial
building on Melrose Avenue. Jack had
been a General Contractor in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and Cohen was having
difficulties with this project. At some
point thereafter, as addressed above, Cohen asked my husband to assist him with
additional tasks. Neither my husband nor
I ever worked as Leonard Cohen’s bookkeepers.
- In or around 1996, Leonard Cohen
converted his garage into a recording studio and guest suite.
At that time, Cohen instructed me
to make arrangements to pick up boxes of older business documents and other
items (many of which Kelley brought with her when she moved her office from NY
to LA) he stored in his garage. Due to
the fact that our offices were literally overflowing with other Cohen business documents
and boxes of archival documents, it was agreed that Kelley would store these
items in her home garage. Leonard Cohen
was well aware that Kelley agreed to store these boxes in her home and he also
understood that she had a home office which she worked from on a daily basis. Given the fact that Kelley carpooled on a
daily basis, she would arrive at the office at approximately 8:30, leave the
office at 2:00 PM, pick up the children, return home, and work from her home
office. Leonard Cohen was aware of her
schedule. He also understood that she
was in charge of pizza lunch at Ray’s school on Fridays, took horseback riding
lessons twice a week, and could (and would) contact me when she was
unavailable. Leonard Cohen was not only
in touch with Kelley throughout the weekday, he frequently phoned her at home
on weekends and during the evenings. She
would begin making calls to Europe at 6 AM or so from her home. At one point, she also car pooled Lorca Cohen
and Steve Lindsey’s daughter, Jennifer. Cohen
would frequently join her for the ride.
I think it’s safe to say that Cohen and Kelley were inseparable. They routinely had lunch together. I would prepare copies of documents for
Kelley to review at lunch with Cohen.
When Kelley returned from her lunches with Cohen, I would be given
instructions on how to respond to requests from Cohen’s representatives, fans,
website hosts, record companies, etc.
Cohen was fully apprised of his business affairs, financial matters,
accounting issues, legal matters, the status of the deals he demanded,
expenditures related to his family and friends, and everything in his
life. Leonard Cohen was a shrewd businessman
who micro-managed his affairs.
- I am well aware of Kelley’s
compensation agreements with both Leonard Cohen and Adam
Cohen. I handled deposits into all
of their accounts. I was present for
conversations Leonard Cohen and Adam Cohen had with Kelley regarding her
services and compensation. Kelley’s fees
for her services as personal manager were 15% of gross income. That is the agreement she had with both
Leonard Cohen and Adam Cohen. Adam Cohen and Kelley’s agreement was written on
a small post-it note that she had on the wall in her office. This agreement always amused Adam Cohen. Leonard Cohen also compensated Kelley with
15% of all his intellectual property due to the extraordinary amount of work
she did on his behalf including with respect to music and book publishing and
marketing, publicity, assisting his fan websites, business matters related to
his artwork and lithographs, various activities related to Sasaki Roshi’s Zen
centers (including almost single-handedly organizing and arranaging Roshi’s 90th
formal birthday party that included custom designed pins, banners, a book, and
other items and serving on Rinzai Ji’s Board of Directors), his children, his
girlfriends, houses he owned worldwide, and a wide variety of assistance with
his personal and professional life.
12. For years, Leonard Cohen
did not compensate Kelley fully and properly for her services as his
personal
manager. This issue came to a head sometime
in or around 1996 when Kelley rented an office on Keniston Avenue in Los
Angeles. At that time, and I was present
for these discussions, Cohen agreed to pay Kelley 15% of his gross income and
promised that he would have an accountant review her compensation from 1988 to
ensure that she received the full 15% commission for all years she worked as
his personal manager. I also recall
taking notes of their agreement because I contacted Peter Shukat, Cohen’s
lawyer, to follow up on a draft agreement he was preparing with respect to her
services and fees for work she did as Cohen’s personal manager. I recall the draft agreement being faxed
through.
- In October 2004, Leonard Cohen unexpectedly
flew in from Montreal, Canada. He
had left Mt.
Baldy permanently sometime around
1998. In October 2004, he and Anjani
Thomas were visiting Cohen’s home in Montreal.
As I recall, Kelley (who handled many household and personal matters for
Cohen) had dropped his car off at the repair shop and he called our office to
find out where it was and asked her to join him for coffee and drop him off at
the repair shop. Cohen walked over to
our office and he and Kelley left together.
When Kelley returned she advised me that their conversation was
bizarre. I distinctly recall her telling
me that Cohen was interested in Betsy Superfon’s sex life. Superfon, a friend of Steve Lindsey’s, had
recently befriended Kelley and had a tendency to stir up problems with Lindsey. Steve Lindsey is the father of Kelley’s
younger son, Ray. Cohen was not only
interested in Superfon’s sex life but questioned Kelley about an IRS
investigation into Superfon’s phone sex line business. Cohen also evidently questioned Kelley about
a young woman by the name of Julie Isenberg.
Isenberg was the daughter of Superfon’s former business partner, Joel
Isenberg. Julie Isenberg worked for us for
approximately one week in August of 2004 and Cohen met her at that time. After Kelley returned from Starbucks, she
jokingly commented that she thought Cohen might be planning to blackmail
Superfon. Neither Kelley nor Cohen
mentioned anything having to do with financial or banking irregularities. I
find it impossible to believe that Cohen discovered irregularities in his
personal bank accounts and he personally received his bank statements, reviewed
them, asked questioned about them, had Kelley break them down into categories
of expenses for him, and obsessively paid attention to his financial affairs,
income, and bank balances. It never
occurred to me at this time that there was anything wrong in Kelley’s
professional relationship with Leonard Cohen.
- At some point not long after Cohen returned
from Montreal, he again visited our offices and
agreed to provide Kelley with an
advance. She explained to Cohen that she
had extraordinary expenses related to her greeting card company. I was present for this conversation. Cohen acknowledged that he had not delivered
an album for years, had not toured for years, and felt confident that the third
Sony deal would close and they would receive substantial income from the
lithograph deal, studio album sales, book sales, and his tour. Cohen instructed me to retrieve his checkbook
and he provided Kelley with a check. Kelley
gave me the check and asked me to send a messenger to deposit it in her City
National Bank account. As I was leaving
for the day, I set the check aside and sent the messenger the next day. At that time, we learned that the bank would not
honor the check. I have since learned
that Cohen has falsely accused Kelley attempted a last minute “raid” on his
account. This is an entirely fabricated
story. Leonard Cohen began pressuring
Kelley privately to meet with him and Richard Westin and I personally believe
this move on his part was intentional and possibly well planned. Leonard Cohen thinks things through very
carefully and is extraordinary strategic and manipulative. He is not the religious sage the news media
has presented to the world.
- On October 21, 2004, Kelley advised
me that she and Cohen would no longer be working
together. He repeatedly asked her, including in my
presence, if she would meet with him and Richard Westin, his personal tax
lawyer, who was flying in at the end of the month. Kelley refused and this issue, and corporate
matters, created serious problems between the two of them. She repeatedly advised me that Cohen asked
her to hand over certain corporate books and records. Cohen planned to meet with his tax lawyer,
Richard Westin, and asked Kelley to assist them with various corporate
matters. Kelley refused to meet with
Cohen and Westin. She ultimately decided
to give the corporate books and records to her lawyers. It was highly unusual for Leonard Cohen to
request that Richard Westin fly in from Kentucky. I assumed there were serious problems related
to the corporate structures or other matters Westin handled for Cohen.
- I am familiar with the numerous
corporate entities that Kelley has an ownership in. I frequently
handled the corporate files. These were removed from our offices by
Leonard Cohen and/or his daughter, Lorca Cohen in October 2005. The corporate records clearly prove that
Kelley has an ownership interest in Traditional Holdings, LLC and Blue Mist
Touring Company, Inc. Leonard Cohen was
fully aware of this fact and all corporate records. I was present for discussions between Kelley,
Cohen, and his representatives, with respect to these entities. I was present when Kelley and Cohen reviewed
corporate documents prepared by Richard Westin and other Cohen
representatives. I frequently followed
up with Richard Westin and others regarding their requests.
17. Leonard Cohen was well aware that he compensated Kelley with 15%
of all intellectual property
as compensation
for work she had done over the years. This
compensation was separate and distinct from her fees as Cohen’s personal
manager. Leonard Cohen personally
dictated a portion of the Blue Mist Touring Company Minutes related to this
compensation and the non-revocable assignments.
Kelley was compensated with a 15% ownership interest in Blue Mist
Touring which owned the intellectual property assets. Leonard Cohen was fully aware that Kelley,
whom he personally asked to assist him, owned 99.5% of Traditional Holdings,
LLC. Leonard Cohen was also aware that
LC Investments, LLC, a company owned entirely by Cohen, began collecting
royalties for assets owned by Blue Mist Touring Company, Inc. due to the fact
that SOCAN (performing rights association) refused to pay royalties to a
company not wholly owned by the writer, Leonard Cohen. That was their internal policy. LC Investments, LLC was created to
accommodate a bond securitization deal with CAK.
18. I specifically heard Leonard Cohen and Kelley discuss the need to
have an accounting done at
some point in
time. Cohen felt a third party
accountant could be brought in after the close of the third planned
intellectual property deal. It was my
understanding that this accounting would address commissions due Kelley for the
period she was not properly compensated as his personal manager, monies
expended by Kelley on behalf of Adam and Lorca Cohen (including a publicist and
independent record promotion for Adam Cohen), advances and/or loans Kelley or
Cohen received from the corporate entities, and that the intellectual property
itself would be valued.
- Kelley did not ask Leonard Cohen’s
lawyer to come up with a scheme for her to receive capital
gains treatment on her
commissions. Richard Westin, who
frequently spoke to me about all matters, would recommend various tax planning
schemes. As I recall, Westin always
suggested that Kelley and Leonard Cohen form companies in Nevada. This frustrated Kelley and Cohen himself
believed this to be a reckless strategy.
Kelley frequently viewed Richard Westin’s suggestions as incoherent and
inexplicably complicated. She refused his attempts to handle her commissions in
complicated manners. At one point in or
around April 2001, Westin created the Ekajati Company for Kelley. That was his plan with respect to handling
her commission as capital gains. He had
also faxed through a completely incoherent set of paperwork related to an
employer/employee pension plan that neither Kelley nor I could understand. Kelley was not compensated with shares of
Blue Mist Touring in some scheme related to capital gains. Leonard Cohen has simply decided to confuse
issues. It is my personal belief that
Leonard Cohen tends to become consumed with greed. Kelley refused to use the Ekajati Company and
refused to entertain other Westin recommended schemes. Kelley’s ownership interest in Blue Mist
Touring Company, Inc. has nothing to do with her commissions for services
rendered Cohen as his personal manager.
- Since approximately 2002, Kelley had
grown increasingly suspicious about Cohen, Neal
Greenberg, Richard Westin, and
others. This was due to conversations
she had with them, letters and emails she received, and their ongoing concerns
about tax matters. At one point, Kelley
was told that Richard Westin made the IRS nervous due to his evasiveness. Kelley informed me that perhaps the IRS would
like to drop by the office, review the paperwork related to various deals, and
explain to her if they found any irregularities or problems with the tax
planning. In particular, Richard
Westin’s emails and letters were alarming and became increasingly so. They raised issues about Internal Revenue
Service and tax matters, informed her that Neal Greenberg intended to screw her
over, and appeared to intentionally confuse issues. Neal Greenberg and Richard Westin repeatedly
raised the fact that Leonard Cohen’s level of borrowing from Traditional
Holdings, LLC was completely unacceptable.
Kelley repeatedly advised me that she felt Cohen and his representatives
had used her horrendously. In September
2004, Richard Westin wrote Kelley and Leonard Cohen that he had concerns about
Traditional Holdings, LLC and expressed concerns about a possible IRS
audit. It was at this time that Kelley informed me
that she was hiring Betsy Superfon’s accountant, Dale Burgess, and would no
longer work with Ken Cleveland.
- Leonard Cohen assured us that he intended
to repay his Traditional Holdings, LLC corporate
loans and expenses. Richard Westin frequently asked me to remind
Kelley and Leonard Cohen that his loans needed to be repaid as quickly as
possible with interest. Cohen was
finishing up his studio album; planned to deliver a new book and pursue a
lithograph deal; continuously advised us that he planned to tour; and was
pursuing a third intellectual property deal.
22. Cohen personally found Neal Greenberg’s admonishments about his
future finances absurd,
understood he
would make extremely large sums off his business plans and touring, but was
concerned about Greenberg and Westin having details about his personal
finances. Leonard Cohen was fanatical
about our confidentiality with respect to his financial matters. He personally advised me, time and time
again, that he did not want these matters discussing with anyone including his
son and daughter, Cohen also
specifically advised me not to discuss financial arrangements or corporate
matters with his family members and others.
We, of course, were absolutely confidential with this information. From
my perspective, Leonard Cohen liked to keep people divided, did not want them
interacting with one another, and only shared certain information with certain
parties. Kelley may very well have been
the only individual in his life who had access to every area of his life, knew
his family and girlfriends intimately, interacted with his friends, attended
events with him, joined him at the Zen Center frequently, travelled with him,
shopped with him, stayed at his the various homes he owned, was familiar with
the most intimate details of his life, and they were inseparably close. There is no one in this world who knows
Leonard Cohen in the manner in which Kelley does. I believe his betrayal of their friendship
came as quite a shock. The allegations
in his lawsuit, when she was finally able to review them, were startling. I was also stunned that Leonard Cohen would
begin blaming me, my husband, and younger daughter for things we had nothing
whatsoever to do with. It is my personal
opinion that Leonard Cohen has acted with malice, vengeance, and vindictiveness
towards my daughter and I am convinced that he has acted out of
desperation. He is not as self-assured
and confident as he may lead one to believe and he is obsessed with news
accounts of his life, fan websites, and anything he views as a slight. Cohen only had a handful of journalists he
would routinely relate with. One of
those is Brian Johnson of MacLean’s Magazine.
I believe Cohen understood, all too well, that he was able to manipulate
these journalists who are frequently devoted fans and want further access to
his life.
-
From approximately 1990 through 1995, our office was downstairs
from Leonard Cohen’s
apartment and his daughter lived
there while she attended high school.
Kelley treated Lorca Cohen like her own daughter. Lorca Cohen spent nearly every evening, while
in high school, with Kelley and her family.
Kelley even assisted Lorca Cohen with her homework. Kelley was extremely supportive when Adam
Cohen was in a tragic automobile accident.
She visited the hospital in Toronto and also attempted to keep Suzanne Elrod,
who resided in Paris, up-to-date on Adam’s progress. Kelley was literally part of the Cohen
family. Our families spent many holidays
together. Kelley knew everyone in
Cohen’s life. His friends would speak
with her. Journalists like Leon Weiseltier
befriended her. Many people used Kelley
in an attempt to become closer with Cohen.
24. From approximately 1995 through 2004, our offices were located one
block from Cohen’s house.
He, Lorca Cohen,
and others had keys and unfettered access to our offices. Cohen would frequently visit our office on
weekends and evenings where he would review business and personal matters. He also used the color photocopier for his
artwork projects and would leave notes or instructions for me or Kelley.
- If Kelley was unavailable when Cohen
called, he would ask me to review phone messages, faxes,
and mail. He frequently instructed me on the handling
of requests for information and other matters.
Cohen routinely asked me to review his sales figures and bank balances. Sony faxed through sales figures once a
week. One of the first things I did when
I arrived at work was to phone the automated City National Bank phone to obtain
the balances in Cohen’s personal and corporate accounts. This is information Cohen requested on a
daily basis although. Cohen was also in
possession of all banking details and the automated City National Bank number
where his personal and the corporate accounts were maintained.
26. It is imposible to believe
that Cohen would suddenly notice financial irregularities in his personal
and/or the
corporate and investment accounts as he was completely familiar with those
accounts. His personal bank statement
went to his home. He reviewed the
corporate and investments statements and would place them in his outbox for
filing when he finished reviewing them. Leonard
Cohen has come up with an entirely fabricated version of events that in no way
relates to how our office functioned; how information was conveyed to him; and
with respect to his financial and business affairs.
- Cohen was fastidious with respect to
matters related to sales figures, finances, income, and
expenses. Cohen understood that royalties were paid on
a quarterly or bi-yearly basis. He knew
precisely when royalties were received from Sony, book publishers, and others. He also knew precisely what advances were
paid and when. The lion’s share of
income came from relatively few sources and Leoanrd Cohen was well aware of
those sources and the timing of the payments.
Additionally, I would fax Cohen copies of checks we received. Leonard Cohen was also well aware of any and
all advances made to him. With respect
to the negotiations and advance for the studio album “Dear Heather,” Kelley and
others spent nearly a year negotiating the terms and conditions. Kelley had an excellent relationship with the
Sony executives and legal/business affairs division worldwide and with all of
Cohen’s representatives.
28. Difficulties would arise with Sony. At one point, executives of Sony asked to
meet with Kelley.
They expressed
concern about Leonard Cohen’s threatening behavior and letters to Don Ienner,
President of Columbia Records. Problems
arose between Cohen and Paul Burger, President of Sony International. Problems
also arose with Denise Donlon of Sony Canada.
That issue related to her position that Cohen was a Canadian roster
artist. I always suspected Cohen was
concerned about his tax and residence issues in Canada. I know that he and Kelley reviewed that
situation with Van Penick and, after doing so, Cohen and Herschel Weinberg (a
family friend and attorney) decided Cohen should forget his plans to return to
Canada and reapply for a U.S. green card.
29. Leonard Cohen personally received and reviewed all mail and
faxes. These items were placed on
his desk and we frequently faxed
him sales figures, business documents, royalty statements, financial
statements, bank statements, information from his representatives, requests
from fan based websites, and other information.
- Cohen constantly monitored the
amounts of money he provided his son, daughter, friends, and
others. He expressed frustration at the voluntary
monthly gifts he provided the mother of his children, Suzanne Elrod, and
others. I personally faxed many hostile
letters from Leonard Cohen to Adam Cohen regarding his finances. Cohen was disturbed that Adam and Lorca Cohen
could not live on $5,000 to $6,000 per month each in addition to other expenses.
- At some point during his 1993
“Future” tour, Cohen began having difficulties with his tour
manager and certain band
members. He began accusing his tour
manager of stealing from him. Kelley was
overwhelmed with work during that tour, had negotiated the merchandising deal
with Peter Lubin, was dealing with all tour personnel, Visas, insurance,
payroll (with Cohen’s accountant), offers, and so forth. I do not believe Cohen compensated her
properly for her services in connection with this tour. He had a sense of entitlement about him.
32. During the Fuiture tour,
Cohen’s accountants were on the east coast and he wanted someone in
Los Angeles who
could audit the concerts. Don Was
referred Cohen to Richard Feldstein.
Cohen personally met with Feldstein at the Wiltern Theater and hired him
to audit the concert and other tour documents.
Feldstein concluded that there were no irregularities with respect to
the tour income. It is my personal
opinion that Leonard Cohen falsely accuses people of ripping him off to deflect
attention from other issues and to break agreements he has made.
- Feldstein eventually wrote Cohen that
he felt they should meet more frequently face to face and
raised concerns about his
reluctance to pay estimated taxes.
Cohen’s response was to fire Rich Feldstein. I faxed Feldstein’s letter to Cohen and
recall this situation because the letter Cohen dictated to Kelley in response
was appalling. He fired Rich Feldstein
and, from what I recall, advised him that accounting was not a religion. I personally faxed that letter to Feldstein.
- Leonard Cohen, who had used Burt
Goldstein as his accountant prior to Marty Machat’s death,
continued working with him until
sometime around 1996. When the IRS
audited issues related to the 1996 Stranger Music gift of charitable stock,
Cohen needed an accountant in Los Angeles.
Steve Lindsey, who was Cohen’s record producer, recommended Ken Cleveland. As the outcome of the audit was successful
and Cleveland was in the Los Angeles area, Cohen decided to replace Burt
Goldstein with Ken Cleveland.
- In or around 1988, Kelley and her
husband, Douglas Penick, referred Cohen to their investment
advisor, Bud Talbot of Dean Witter
Reynolds. Bud Talbot had a long standing
relationship with the Penick family and had invested their substantial wealth
for years. I recall visting Kelley when
Leonard Cohen was in New York City. His
personal lawyer, Herschel Weinberg, and he were unraveling matters related to
certain corporate matters and off-shore accounts Cohen had prior to Marty
Machat’s death. It was at this time that
he asked her who she and Douglas used to invest their money. Kelley did not know Leonard Cohen well until
following Marty Machat’s death. She and
Cohen most definitely did not have a brief intimate relationship at this time
or throughout the years. Leonard Cohen
most definitely wanted to have such a relationship and was obsessed with my
daughter. I believe this may explain some of his vindictive behavior towards
her.
- In or around 1996, Neal Greenberg
visited the Buddhist teacher His Holiness Kusum Lingpa in
Los Angeles. Kelley, Oliver Stone, and others, sponsored a
Buddhist center, Orgyen Khachod Ling, for His Holiness. Leonard Cohen met Neal Greenberg during this
visit. He personally decided to hire
Greenberg as his financial and investment adviser. Kelley did not actually know Neal Greenberg
prior to his visiting Los Angeles. She
was acquainted with his ex-wife, Karen Greenberg, and had no idea that he was
an investor so she most certainly could not recommend him to Cohen. I am aware that Kelley and Cohen personally
phoned one of Greenberg’s other clients who confirmed that he was very
comfortable with Greenberg’s investment strategies.
- Neal Greenberg
introduced Cohen and Kelley to tax lawyer Richard Westin and others. Cohen
hired Westin who then worked as his personal
tax and corporate lawyer for years. Neal
Greenberg, Richard Westin, and other advisers, handled all estate planning, accounting,
corporate matters, tax and financial issues, investments, and/or legal work. At no time did Kelley advise Leonard Cohen
with respect to these matters. She never
prepared a legal or financial document for Leonard Cohen or the corporate
entities. He relied solely on his team
of professionals for that advice. Kelley
followed their directions, advice, and instructions. At Cohen’s request, I typed a letter wrapping
Neal Greenberg into attorney/client privilege with Cohen and Westin.
- Leonard Cohen
demanded the intellectual property deals that became the subject of his
lawsuit
against my daughter in 2005. The first deal closed in 1996; the second
deal closed in 2001; and, Kelley, together with Cohen’s representatives, was
working on the third deal when she and Cohen parted ways. She was also assisting with the delivery,
release, and marketing of the studio album “Dear Heather,” album packaging
information, a very lucrative lithograph deal, the imminent release of “Book of
Longing,” and other matters. Cohen and
Kelley also discussed his plans to tour.
- I have reviewed
Cohen’s complaint in this matter with my daughter and the entire
narrative was obviously fabricated. In April 2005, Kelley reported Cohen’s tax
fraud to IRS. I am aware of the fact
that Kelley was dealing with Agent Bill Beter of the IRS and confided in me
that, once her own taxes were paid, she planned to address the allegations of
Leonard Cohen’s tax fraud with him.
Agent Betzer called our offices and I am aware that Kelley was speaking
with him about a number of issues.
Cohen’s lawsuit is obviously retaliation given the amount of time he
spent attempting to coerce her into a settlement with him that included offers
of substantial compensation.
40. Kelley
did not receive overpayments with respect to her work as Cohen’s personal
manager. She
never worked as Cohen’s
business manager. She has an ownership
interest in Traditional Holdings, LLC, Blue Mist Touring Company, Inc., all
intellectual property, and was advised that she would be compensated with 15% ownership
interest in intellectual property and royalty income related to the “Dear
Heather” studio album. As of the fall of
summer of 2004, when we were working on the album packaging, Cohen advised us
that the “Dear Heather” publishing should be assigned to an entity known as Old
Ideas, LLC. Richard Westin informed
Kelley that he understood she was to receive a 15% ownership interest in Old
Ideas, LLC when he created the entity. I
reviewed emails Richard Westin sent regarding Old Ideas, LLC and filed them in
the Old Ideas, LLC file that Cohen eventually took from our offices.
- Leonard Cohen is the
individual who determined when these entities would be created and he is
the individual who named these entities. I was present when Cohen signed many
corporate documents, stock units, and am aware that he was fully aware and
consented to Kelley’s ownership interest.
It is my personal opinion that not only has Leonard Cohen attempted to
blame his wrongdoing on Kelley, he has also attempted to benefit by depriving
her of property she owns and monies due her.
It is my understanding that very similar problems arose for Machat &
Machat, with Cohen, after Marty Machat’s death.
I recall Steven Machat’s allegations that Machat & Machat owned 15%
of Stranger Music, Inc. but never saw any paperwork supporting this
allegation. I understand that Kelley,
when reviewing old business documents in the fall of 2004, came across evidence
that Machat & Machat had an ownership interest in Stranger Music, Inc.,
contacted Steven Machat, and provided him with this evidence. It is also my understanding that Steven
Machat advised Kelley to sue Leonard Cohen for theft. Boies Schiller advised Kelley, and I reviewed
their emails with her, that they felt Cohen was attempting to engage her in
criminal conduct and also advised her to sue Leonard Cohen for theft. They seemed quite clear that Cohen was
attempting to blame his wrongdoing on Kelley.
In fact, Boies Schiller attempted to help Kelley find legal
representation. After firing DiMascio
& Berardo, Boies Schiller sent Kelley to two different law firms in Los
Angeles. In one email I reviewed, Boies
Schiller told Kelley to explain to these lawyers that they understood it was a
tax matter, they had reviewed the
corporate records and other evidence, understood Cohen owed her millions, and
advised Kelley that she should offer them 30% of what Cohen owed her to
represent her. Boies Schiller also
advised Kelley to go wired to her meetings with Leonard Cohen and his
lawyers. I distinctly recall them
advising Kelley to contact the District Attorney’s Office. It is my personal belief that Neal
Greenberg’s lawyer, at Boies Schiller, used Kelley horrendously and may
actually have attempted to lead her to believe that he was in love with
her. I found the situation thoroughly disturbing
and know that Kelley discussed this situation at great length with Yongzin
Rinpoche. Rutger also informed me, after
Greenberg’s lawyer visited Kelley’s home, that he felt he was the enemy. His Holiness Kusum Lingpa, who was Greenberg
and his lawyer’s teacher, explained to me that these two individuals will end
up in hell for their conduct with respect to my daughter. His Holiness appointed Kelley to be his
lineage holder and wanted her to give empowerments, put his teachings into
books, and guard his teachings. His
Holiness repeatedly informed me that he believed Leonard Cohen was an asshole
who was going to hell. Every time I
spoke with His Holiness, and we were quite close, he informed me that Leonard
Cohen and Steve Lindsey are crazy or insane.
- Leonard Cohen is the
individual who controlled the work done by his representatives. That
would include the negotiations and terms of the
intellectual property deals. Cohen
demanded complex stock deals. Leonard
Cohen’s artistic endeavors did not prevent him from being fully aware of or
involved with his business affairs. It was
my understanding that he has a background in business and law. Cohen frequently accompanied Kelley to
meetings with Sony. If he knew Kelley
was attending a meeting about one of his business matters, he would begin
calling incessantly.
- I am aware of the
fact that Leonard Cohen was on conference calls regarding these deals with
Kelley, Richard Westin, Neal Greenberg, and
others. I am the individual who would frequently arrange and place the
conference calls. I would also remain on
the line for many calls and take notes for Kelley. I also frequently sat with Kelley while she
was on the phone with Cohen, his representatives, and other parties. Kelley took shorthand notes of all her
calls. Many of those notes were in files
that Cohen and his daughter removed from our offices.
- Cohen was an
aggressive micro-manager who required, at times, hourly updates on
negotiations,
deals, and other matters. At times, he drove Kelley insane with his
relentless demands and inquiries. It is
important to note that Kelley had many other responsibilities and was required
to spend countless hours, for years, working on these deals. It is impossible to explain what a personal
manager does but it is extremely time consuming and involves overseeing every
single aspect of an artist’s affairs.
Kelley actually archived Leonard Cohen’s body of work. He was
the last individual to have his watercolor notebook of artwork. I recall our searching the office well before
they parted ways. Cohen personally
confirmed for me that he recalled having this journal at his home and scanning
the artwork. He simply fabricated
information he advised the Court that Kelley had in her possession. Cohen and/or his daughter took all business
files, including the corporate, banking, and financial files, and Kelley had
her lawyers transmit the corporate books to Cohen’s lawyers. Cohen and/or his daughter took all files related
to royalty statements, business agreements, book and music publishing matters,
and the corporate entities. They also
took two tables that Leonard Cohen personally gave Kelley and she was upset
that they removed property belonging to her.
- If Leonard Cohen had
not demanded complex stock deals, Kelley would have received a much
larger commission and there would have been far
more interested parties. I personally
heard Leonard Cohen constantly demand stock deals. His representatives worked directly for him.
- I distinctly recall Greg McBowman,
Cohen’s royalty consultant who also handled audits, flying
into Los Angeles. Greg and I were quite close. He and Kelley both advised me that they did
not believe Cohen should sell the intellectual property assets. They, and others, repeatedly advised me that
the CAK bond deal was a much better deal.
Cohen personally decided not to pursue the CAK bond deal and instead
chose to do these deals with Sony.
- I was in Kelley’s office when Stuart
Bondell of Sony called to offer $8 million for the second
intellectual property deal. Kelley hung up and phoned Cohen who advised
her that he wanted to pursue the deal with Sony. Cohen was extremely concerned about dropping
the CAK deal and pursuing a deal with Sony because he wasn’t convinced Sony
would close the deal. His conditions
required Sony to make a non-refundable good faith down payment of $1
million. Sony agreed and these funds
were wired into his personal account.
Cohen’s decided not to pursue a bond securitization deal with CAK that
Kelley and his other representatives were negotiating. Kelley repeatedly advised me that she felt
the CAK deal was the better deal because CAK offered to loan or advance Cohen
approximately $5.8 million and he had the ability to retain ownership interest
in the intellectual property. CAK filed
a lawsuit against Cohen over this situation and ultimately Leonard Cohen
decided not to pay Peter Lopez, his transactional attorney in the CAK matter,
legal fees due for nearly two years of work.
Peter Lopez had nothing to do with Cohen’s decision to pursue a deal
with Sony rather than CAK. The situation
merely seemed to provide Leonard Cohen with an excuse not to pay Peter Lopeze
for services rendered.
- After the Sony deal
closed in 2001, Leonard Cohen came into our office and congratulated
Kelley
on her hard work and the successful outcome of
the negotiations. He brought flowers for
both of us and took us to lunch. At that
time, Cohen discussed his personal expenses with respect to the deal and instructed
me to type a list and direct Greenberg to pay these costs from the Traditional
Holdings, LLC account. This list of
expenses related to his personal representatives, advisers, and the settlement
he arrived at with CAK. I typed the
authorization letter, Cohen reviewed and signed it, and I personally faxed it
to Neal Greenberg. Leonard Cohen was
keenly aware of his personal transaction fees.
It is my understanding that Leonard Cohen has now taken the position
that he was unaware of his own transaction fees with respect to these
deals. He was extremely aware of the
work his representatives were doing and their fees. I personally recall retainer agreements Cohen
signed with Arthur Indursky/Grubman, Indursky firm and Greg McBowman in
connection with these deals.
- Every year when I worked for Kelley,
she received a W2 or 1099 from Leonard Cohen.
Kelley was entitled to 15% of all
gross income from all sources. It is my
understanding that Cohen refuses to provide Kelley with a 1099 for the year
2004. I also understand that Kelley has
attempted to address K-1 partnership documents she received from LC
Investments, LLC and Traditional Holdings.
She has also repeatedly asked Leonard Cohen to provide the information
in his possession needed to prepare and complete a proper accounting. I was present when Leonard Cohen and his
daughter, Lorca Cohen, personally removed business and personal records from
our offices. The banking, accounting,
financial, investment, and corporate files, royalty statements, agreements, and
other relative information were in those
files. My daughter was not present when
Cohen removed all of his property. He
had become threatening and Kelley decided to look for new office space so as
not to be near him. It is absurd that he
has now alleged that she is stalking him or wants to attend one of his
concerts. That is a fantasy on his
part. Since filing this lawsuit, Leonard
Cohen and his lawyers have refused to communicate with Kelley over extremely
legitimate matters.
- I was present when Kelley and Cohen
reviewed Richard Westin’s fax of December 4, 2000.
Leonard Cohen and Kelley were
sitting in her office when Westin’s original email was received. Cohen and Kelley, who were sitting at her
office computer, prepared an email addressing Westin’ s suggestions, asking
additional questions, and printed out a copy that I faxed to Westin and filed. I vividly recall this conversation because
Cohen was adamant that he did not want Lorca or Adam listed as beneficiaries or
involved with any of these structures or deals.
- Kelley explained to Cohen and me that
she was not completely comfortable with the
arrangement that was ultimately
recommended. That arrangement involved
Kelley owning 99.5% of Traditional Holdings, LLC and being asked to provide a
promissory note in the amount of $245,000 for her ownership interest. In my presence, she asked Cohen for an
Indemnity Agreement. Cohen instructed me
to phone Westin to advise him to prepare the Indemnity Agreement which was then
signed by both Cohen and Kelley and notarized.
I made a copy of this agreement and placed it in the Traditional Holdings,
LLC corporate file that Cohen ultimately took from our office with other
corporate records. The Annuity Agreement
was also placed in this file. Many of
the corporate documents were signed by Leonard Cohen and notarized. I believe Cohen understands that Kelley does
not have the wherewithal financially to defend herself legally. There are witnesses to everything that has
occurred and a tremendous amount of evidence.
It is also my understanding, since the spring of 2005, that Leonard
Cohen planned to use restraining orders to undermine Kelley’s credibility and
prevent her from serving as a witness against him. Steve Lindsey used similar tactics against
Kelley.
- I frequently handled
the corporate paperwork that was provided by Richard Westin, and other
Cohen representatives. I would arrange for notaries and photocopy
the documents for Cohen and Kelley.
These documents were always placed on his desk in our offices or faxed
to his home, cabin at Mt. Baldy, or wherever he was presently staying. Copies of everything was placed in the files
and corporate books. The notary, who sometimes came to the office, would explain
what Cohen or Kelley were signing.
- Richard Westin, Neal Greenberg, and
Cohen’s other advisers, continually directed Kelley on how
to handle corporate documents, what
should was be executed, who should sign, when it was necessary to have
documents notarized, if the documents should be placed in the corporate books
or files, or when to simply hold a document until further notice. We followed these instructions very
carefully.
- Kelley and I had no involvement with
Cohen’s investment, corporate, tax or accounting matters.
That would include the preparation
of his tax returns. We would simply follow
the instructions of Cohen, or Cohen’s lawyers and/or accountants, and provide
them with the documents or information they requested.
- At some point in early 2002, Sony
issued a $7 million 1099 to Cohen.
Kelley asked me to fax it
to Cohen’s accountant, Ken
Cleveland. I recall the drama that broke out among Cohen,
Greenberg, Westin, and Cleveland over this 1099. Richard Westin assured me that Sony
mistakenly issued the 1099; Cleveland was extremely upset by the penalties and
interest that would have accrued; and Cohen advised me that he phoned and spoke
to Cleveland about the situation. The
hysteria surrounding this situation alarmed Kelley.
- Another Sony 1099 in the amount of $1
million had similarly caused a tremendous amount of
drama with Cohen and his
representatives. The issues related to
IRS matters and these deals became increasingly troubling.
- On October 21, 2014, Kelley advised
me that she and Cohen’s relationship problems were
irreparable and they would no
longer work together. I recall speaking
with Stuart Fried that morning. Stuart
was Cohen’s transactional attorney.
Kelley had left a message explaining that she and Cohen were parting
ways. Earlier that morning, Stuart had
called to say Sony/ATV finally put an offer in for the third and final
intellectual property deal Cohen demanded.
Stuart Fried appeared shocked by the news and advised me that artists do
not want to pay their managers what they are owed.
- Sometime shortly after they parted
ways, Cohen and Kelley once again meet at Starbucks. Kelley
was stuck in traffic and running
late. She called to ask me to have one
of her employees meet Cohen to let him know she was on her way. My husband and I agreed to meet Kelley at her
home after the meeting. Kelley was
reluctant to meet with Cohen alone but her lawyers assured her that it was fine. At this meeting, Leonard Cohen informed
Kelley that he would give her whatever she wanted but he needed her
assistance. She refused. Cohen apparently became quite threatening and
aggressive with her. According to what
Kelley told me, he demanded that she meet him at his lawyer’s office to sign a
settlement agreement without her lawyers present. When Kelley returned, Cohen phoned and advised
her that her lawyers could accompany her to the meeting with his lawyer but
they would have to remain silent. I
answered the phone and was present throughout the conversation. Kelley informed Cohen that she would not meet
with him; had no intentions of signing a settlement agreement; demanded that he
pay her what he owed her; and advised him to stop threatening her. It was my understanding, at the time, that
Leonard Cohen demanded Kelley’s assistance and sought her testimony against his
representatives.
- During this period of time, Leonard Cohen
also repeatedly called me and my husband.
He
thanked us for our work and assured
my husband that his work had been impeccable.
However, he was upset that Kelley refused to meet with him and asked if
there was anything we could do to assist him.
Thereafter, he began threatening Kelley by falsely accusing us of placing
his money in off-shore accounts. My
husband and I never misappropriated anything from Leonard Cohen – nor did we
place his funds in off-shore accounts.
Cohen also accused my younger daughter and her husband of using his
money to start their computer business.
That is blatantly false. Kelley
did not begin harassing Leonard Cohen after they parted ways. She refused to meet with him or talk to him
due to his increasingly aggressive and threatening conduct. Leonard Cohen is the individual who began harassing
my daughter including by involving Steve Lindsey in the situation and
concocting a custody matter with him.
- At no time did I hear from Leonard
Cohen or Kelley that there was an “informant” who met
with Lorca Cohen to advise her that
Cohen could not retire. Nor did I hear
from Leonard Cohen or Kelley anything related to her allegedly supporting a “gigolo.” These accusations are ridiculous. Leonard Cohen fabricates stories for the news
media. These stories have involved Phil
Spector, Janis Joplin, Bay of Pigs, and Yom Kippur War. Leonard Cohen likes intrigue and, like his
idol Garcia Lorca, has attempted to present himself to the world as a
revolutionary, field commander, or spy.
He refers to his fans as his constituents. Having fans would be beneath Leonard
Cohen.
- I am the individual, at both Stranger
Management and Amazing Card Company, who supervised
everyone’s work. There was not one employee, apart from Kelley,
who would have been in a position to advise Leonard Cohen or his daughter that
he could not retire. No one had access
to the corporate books, records, financial and bank statements, agreements, and
so forth. And, due to the confidential
nature of a great deal of material at our offices, no one was permitted to
randomly explore and rifle through files or corporate records.
- In or around August 2004, Kelley
hired an individual to assist with her greeting card company.
Julie Isenberg was introduced to us
by Betsy Superfon. Superfon and Julie
Isenberg’s father had been partners in a phone sex line company. Julie Isenberg worked for Amazing Card
Company for approximately one week. Her
position involved packing orders as Christmas orders were shipped in August. I directly supervised Isenberg’s work and was
present at all times when she would have been in the office. I recall Isenberg spending most of her time
on the phone looking for work. She was
extremely incompetent and unprofessional.
At no time would Julie Isenberg have access to corporate books, records,
files, financial information, royalty income, or be in a position to determine
corporate ownership interests or decide that Leonard Cohen could not
retire. It is my understanding that
Julie Isenberg was the so-called “informant” who advised Lorca Cohen that her
father could not retire.
- In 2005, Betsy Superfon informed me and
Kelley that Julie Isenberg had assaulted her maid, stole
her jewelry and dog, and was last
seen stripping and doing drugs in Las Vegas.
Superfon also explained that Julie Isenberg was jealous of Kelley. Superfon also told me and Kelley that her
former partner, Julie’s father, had placed $90 million from their business in
Swiss bank accounts. I never really knew
if this was gossip or reality. I
understood that the business had been quite successful and Superfon spent money
lavishly and lived in a gorgeous house in Malibu. My husband and I visited her on numerous
occasions and spent one Christmas evening there. Betsy Superfon may very well have been
jealous of Kelley. Leonard Cohen and
Steve Lindsey constantly phoned call and she was the focus of their
attention. I know that Superfon
accompanied Kelley when she visited Esther Cohen in Florida during her
chemotherapy sessions. Kelley was quite
fond of Esther Cohen and I knew her quite well myself.
- I never heard, from Cohen or Kelley, that
he discovered she had misappropriated monies or
there were irregularities with his
City National Bank account. I am aware
that Leonard Cohen eventually went into City National Bank and falsely accused
Kelley of certain things. I worked for
years with Marie DeMirdjian, City National Bank, and would imagine that she was
simply impressed with Leonard Cohen’s performance. It is my understanding that based on gossip
and innuendo City National Bank froze and closed Kelley’s personal and business
accounts as well as Rutger’s personal account.
Kelley advised me that Leonard Cohen and his lawyer were discussing her
City National Bank accounts with Marie DeMirdjian and I suggested that she have
her lawyers address this situation in writing.
- Throughout the fall of 2004 and
winter of 2005, Cohen continued to pressure Kelley into settling
with him. At some point, he hired former District Attorney
Ira Reiner to represent him in private mediations. He wanted Kelley’s help with those
mediations. I understand that he offered
her 50% community property and confirmed that she was entitled to her 15%
commission with respect to her services as his personal manager and her 15%
ownership interest in all intellectual property. I also understand that Leonard Cohen offered
Kelley 50% community property or palimony and there were discussions about
paying her $10,000 walking around money.
- Kelley was concerned that should she
enter into any type of settlement with Cohen, although he
owed her a tremendous amount of
money, she would be engaged in an attempt to possibly cover up tax fraud. Cohen was pressuring her to testify against
Neal Greenberg, Richard Westin, and others.
Kelley also feared that he was falsely accusing her colleagues, Greg
McBowman and Stuart Fried, of committing fraud.
This profoundly disturbed her.
- At some point in or around November
2004, we moved our offices to Santa Monica, California.
Prior to that, Leonard Cohen and
his daughter made arrangements to pick up Cohen’s personal and business
property from our offices. I was present
when his property was removed and that would include, but is not limited to,
all business files, corporate business files, correspondence, bank and
investment statements, boxes of archival materials, and other materials. At no time did either Leonard or Lorca Cohen
advise me that any items were missing or had not been returned. At no time did Kelley take Leonard Cohen’s
personal or business property to her home where she also had an office. I do recall Leonard Cohen removing tables and
other property, including framed lithographs, that belonged to Kelley. She later complained that Cohen had removed
property belonging to her and corporations she had an ownership interest in.
- While this situation was unfolding,
Steve Lindsey was becoming increasingly aggressive and
abusive with my daughter and her
sons. He and his girlfriend, Dinah
Englund, were expecting a baby and Lindsey was under pressure financially and
emotionally. He has problems controlling
himself and Kelley, Rutger, and Ray frequently received the brunt of his anger. I believe Leonard Cohen understood he could
easily work Steve Lindsey up and encourage him to create a custody matter with
respect to Ray. I have watched how
Leonard Cohen treated the mother of his own children. He
demnonized her.
- It is my understanding that after
Kelley and Cohen parted ways, Steve Lindsey began meeting
with Cohen and his lawyer. I was present on numerous occasions when
Lindsey advised Kelley that it was in her best interests to settle with Leonard
Cohen. Lindsey informed us that he met
with Cohen and Robert Kory, was shown a manila file that they referred to as
evidence, and were threatening to have her jailed. I asked him what was in the manila file and
Steve acknowledged that he had not seen the actual evidence. I reminded Steve that Kelley owned 15% of all
Cohen’s intellectual property and had an ownership interest in numerous
corporate entities. I also told him that
I thought he should mind his own business.
I frequently had encounters with Steve Lindsey where I was forced to
address his utterly abusive and aggressive conduct towards my daughter and
grandsons. He was also openly hostile
with Kelley’s nephew, Gesar Mukpo, who lived with Kelley off and on for approximately
10 years. Gesar advised me that Jennifer
Lindsey wanted to move out of Kelley and Steve’s house because her father was
so abusive and Jennifer repeatedly told me horror stories about her
father. I knew all the young people in
Kelley’s life and spoke to them extensively.
Chloe Favella, a friend of Rutger’s who worked with us, could not
believe how abusive Steve Lindsey was with Kelley, Rutger, Ray, and
others.
- Steve Lindsey advised Kelley, in my
presence, that Leonard Cohen visited his office and
informed him that she had sex with
Oliver Stone and Richard Rutowski. Steve
Lindsey was livid and also told Kelley that Cohen personally informed him that
she had sex with Cohen. Kelley was not
attracted to Leonard Cohen and continuously complained about his conduct and
sexual harassment. I am familiar with Oliver
Stone and Steve Lindsey who were friends of Kelley’s. I am also my daughter’s confidante. She never had sex with either of these
individuals and it is my unshakeable belief that Leonard Cohen intended to stir
up a custody matter to pressure Kelley into cooperating with him. It is not hard to stir up problems with Steve
Lindsey. I have seen it happen
repeatedly. He is an unstable individual,
with a horrendous temper, who was consumed with jealousy with respect to my
daughter. He frequently used their son
as a weapon. It is obscene to think of
Leonard Cohen and his lawyer meeting with Steve Lindsey and lying about Kelley
and discussing her fictional sex life.
Cohen clearly understood that Lindsey is an extremely jealous man.
- These tactics were successful as, in
conjunction with a SWAT incident on May 25, 2005, Lindsey
coordinated a custody matter that
involved “evidence” submitted by Leonard Cohen, Robert Kory, and Betsy
Superfon. I have reviewed the custody
documents with Kelley and found the allegations astounding and overwhelmingly
fraudulent and false. Kelley was a
wonderful mother who took great care of her sons. It is my understanding that evidence exists that
Lindsey, Cohen, Kory, and Superfon conspired to have Kelley falsely arrested on
May 25, 2005. I personally believe that
Steve Lindsey and Leonard Cohen used the custody matter to crush my
daughter. It also clearly had to do with
money. Following the filing of the
custody matter, Kelley was advised by an LAPD Sergeant that she should make a
deal with Steve Lindsey. I was with my
daughter almost every day until my husband and I moved in the Spring of
2005. She was under a tremendous amount
of stress, attempting to salvage her greeting card company and sell her home,
but Kelley has always worked well under stress and she was very devoted to her
sons at this time and cared for them exceedingly well, as she always had. Although Cohen and Lindsey owed Kelley a
tremendous amount of money, they seemed to use the circumstances to pressure
her into making deals.
- At some point in the winter of 2005,
Kelley called to advise me that she was shocked to learn that
Betsy Superfon (without Kelley’s
awareness or permission) was attempting to negotiate with Cohen and/or Kory on
her behalf. While Betsy Superfon did not
know Cohen, she advised us that in the fall of 2004 he contacted her. She explained that she was merely attempting
to assist Kelley by speaking with Cohen and his lawyer. When Kelley asked Superfon, in my presence,
why she provided Steve Lindsey with a declaration in the custody matter, she
advised us that she did not know what she was signing. She also spoke to me directly and advised me
that she felt, if anything were true, Kelley had been too good to her sons.
- At one point, Steve Lindsey had his
father, Mort Lindsey, speak with Cohen and Robert Kory.
Mort phoned Kelley and attempted to
persuade her to enter into a settlement with Kelley. She steadfastly refused and advised Mort and
Judy Lindsey that Cohen committed criminal tax fraud. Mort Lindsey was kind enough to recommend a
number of accountants and lawyers to Kelley.
I was present when Mort phoned Kelley after speaking with Leonard Cohen
and his lawyer. I advised Mort that the
best thing he could do was to explain to his son why he should remove himself
from Kelley’s personal business affairs.
- In all the years I worked with
Kelley, Steve Lindsey had no involvement with her business or
professional affairs. They separated in 1997 and there was no
reason for him to meet with Leonard Cohen concerning Kelley. I would assume that Lindsey’s motivation
involved a financial element.
- My grandson, Rutger, advised me that
immediately following the May 25, 2005 SWAT incident,
Steve Lindsey phoned him and asked
him to go in and sign over or transfer my daughter’s house to Leonard
Cohen. Rutger’s father, Douglas Penick,
recommended that he consult an attorney about this matter and he ultimately
decided not to take Steve Lindsey’s calls.
- Steve Lindsey also called to advise
us about the SWAT incident. My
husband advised Lindsey to
pay Kelley what he owed her. Kelley had merely kept her son home from
school. She phoned me during the SWAT
incident and explained what was unfolding.
She was extremely alarmed that armed men had placed Rutger in a
compromised position and she felt his life was endangered. Kelley also advised me that no one came to her
door and/or explained what was taking place. I advised Kelley to contact an
attorney. Rutger advised me that he told
LAPD that he had just been with his mother, she was in the house alone, he had
just dropped his brother off with Cloris Leachman, and they simply disregarded
what he had to say. Rutger said that due
to Steve Lindsey’s aggressive behavior, his mother did not want him on his
property. She called Rutger and he came
home, picked up Ray, and dropped him off at the bottom of the hill. He also confirmed directly to Steve Lindsey
that this was the plan.
77. Kelley phoned me from King
Drew. I could not believe what I was
hearing. UCLA was five
minutes from her
home and LAPD took her to South Central and evidently questioned her about Phil
Spector. Kelley explained that she had
no idea how they knew she and Phil Spector were friends. I told Kelley to have the doctor pone me if
he felt the need to do so. I immediately
assumed that Steve Lindsey and Leonard Cohen were behind this incident. Rutger told me he saw and heard Steve Lindsey
lying to LAPD about his mother. Although
Rutger had been with his mother earlier, had just driven his brother down the
street, LAPD chose not to believe what he told them. I have a very difficult time understanding
that situation. I have reviewed the King
Drew file with Kelley and that is not her file.
It is a different Kelly Lynch.
The social security number, date and place of birth, and other
information did not relate to my daughter.
Evidently LAPD lied in the report because Rutger told me the female
officer asked him two questions: Are you
okay and is your mother on any medication?
Rutger informed me personally that he told them he was okay and his
mother was on heart medication. I began
to wonder if Kelley was actually the Martha Mitchell of Los Angeles without the
hat.
78. Steve Lindsey owed Kelley a tremendous amount of money and had not
repaid her for loans he
took or child expenses she advanced
on behalf of Ray and Steve’s daughter, Jennifer Lindsey. I am aware that Steve Lindsey assured Kelley
continuously that he would repay her monies loaned to him, 100% of all monies
expended on behalf of his daughter, and 50% of all monies expended on behalf of
Ray. It is my understanding that these
amounts are still outstanding. At the
time the custody matter was filed, it was my understanding that Lindsey had
financial problems.
- After Kelley and Cohen parted ways,
she repeatedly advised me that he refused to provide her
with documents in his possession
that would allow for the preparation of a proper accounting. As I have stated above, I was present when
Leonard Cohen and his daughter, Lorca Cohen, picked up all his files and other
property. As I have explained, this information
was in the property they removed from our offices. That would include records related to the
following: financial, bank, tax, royalty
statements, sales figures, agreements, and corporate documentation.
- As of the fall of 2004, Leonard Cohen
was not broke. He had received $1
million advance with
respect to the delivery of “Dear
Heather.” Cohen also planned to tour,
understood Kelley was pursuing a lucrative lithograph deal for him, intended to
submit “Book of Longing” to his publishers, and was well aware of the fact that
Kelley and his representatives were in the midst of the third intellectual
property deal he demanded.
- Leonard Cohen, as I’ve stated above,
is a shrewd businessman who oversaw every aspect of his
business affairs. He was extremely controlling with respect to
Kelley. Due to the fact that he was
travelling rather extensively, Leonard Cohen personally asked Kelley if she
would execute Powers of Attorney which would allow her to act on his behalf in
his absence. I was present for this
conversation. His lawyer prepared the
documents. Cohen was also buying houses
for his son and girlfriend and needed Kelley to assist with the closings. Kelley did not ask to be in control of
Cohen’s financial affairs and was not.
She was placed in a position, through these Powers of Attorney and bank
signature privileges, to assist Leonard Cohen.
The individual who controlled all of his personal and business affairs
was Leonard Cohen.
- I was present for numerous
conversations between Leonard Cohen and Kelley regarding his
loans from Traditional Holdings,
LLC. On at least one occasion, Leonard
Cohen personally instructed me to phone Richard Westin to advise him to obtain
all information regarding his loans/advances from Neal Greenberg. Cohen also asked me to advise Westin to
prepare any necessary promissory notes or legal documents. Neal Greenberg is the individual who invested
Cohen’s money and authorized the distributions from Traditional Holdings and he
is the individual who had this information.
I frequently informed Richard Westin, Neal Greenberg, and others, that
Kelley was not their personal assistant and they should contact whatever
representative of Cohen’s had the information they needed or wanted
conveyed.
- Cohen personally asked me to call
Richard Westin to ask him if Kelley would be responsible for
any payments with respect to her
promissory note (Traditional Holdings) after his death. Westin advised me that she would not. I, in turn, conveyed this information to
Cohen and Kelley. At no time was I aware
of a trust with respect to either Blue Mist Touring or Traditional
Holdings. I was unaware of any
discussions about a trust. I personally
believe this is something Leonard Cohen conjured up together with his
fabricated story.
- Neal Greenberg is the individual who
would have been in charge of loan schedules, profit and
loss statements, and so forth. He would have been in possession of this
information. Kelley was not responsible
for preparing and/or disseminating tax, accounting, financial, investment, or
legal documents or forms. I recall
Kelley continually complaining that she found Neal Greenberg’s statements to be
incoherent and repeatedly asked him to address things in a manner in which she and
Cohen could understand. She felt he was
intentionally obfuscating matters by intentionally complicating them. I was present numerous times when Kelley complained
to Neal Greenberg and asked him to write things in plain English that she and
Cohen could understand. Kelley was also
concerned that Greenberg provided Cohen with one statement that listed various
accounts.
- Leonard Cohen, Neal Greenberg, and
Richard Westin continually advised me and Kelley that all
disbursements and expenditures from
Traditional Holdings, LLC should be addressed as shareholder loans and required
legal documentation. That is not
something Kelley or I would have handled.
Kelley did not prepare legal documents on Cohen’s behalf. I am aware of the fact that Kelley was to
receive $20,000/year, $24,000/year, and $240,000 in distributions from
Traditional Holdings. These monies were
addressed in the corporate records and management agreement Richard Westin
prepared. Richard Westin explained to me
personally that $44,000 was being distributed so that Kelley could repay her
promissory note and $240,000 was being distributed to her yearly for potential
taxes or tax consequences. Westin also
advised me personally that Kelley should receive 100% of the profits. Kelley was unable to obtain profit and loss
statements from Neal Greenberg. I
followed up on her requests with Neal Greenberg.
- I visited Mt. Baldy on numerous
occasions with my daughter and Cohen.
In 1996, I was present
when Leonard Cohen took formal vows
to become a monk. I was frequently in
contact with Cohen when he visited Mt. Baldy.
I handled interview requests and frequently scheduled interviews. Kelley and I assisted Cohen when Armelle
Brusq was filming her documentary, in Los Angeles and Mt. Baldy, called Spring
of 1996. I personally visited Leonard
Cohen’s cabin which was outfitted with a recording unit, phone, fax, and
computer.
- Leonard Cohen was not actually in a
Buddhist retreat. It was my
understanding that Cohen’s stay
on Mt. Baldy was a working retreat
and Cohen explained to me that he was felt he was taking far too many drugs and drinking heavily and meditation helped him
with those issues.
- During his Mt. Baldy phase, from 1994
through 1998, Leonard Cohen was frequently in Los
Angeles. Joshu Sasaski Roshi had a center in Los
Angeles and would stay there. Cohen had
a home in Los Angeles. Kelley and I also
assisted two Robert the Fan, two women who released a periodic Leonard Cohen
newsletter, and his fan based website hosts.
I also handled the news clippings generated by Cohen’s press clipping
service and would keep maintain the notebooks they were stored in. I was not paid by Leonard Cohen for any of my
services while in my daughter’s employ and I did a tremendous amount of work on
his behalf. Leonard Cohen was extremely
obsessed with his news coverage, record and book sales and reviews, and
continuously provided various fan websites with materials I would mail or fedex
on his behalf.
- Towards the end of his Mt. Baldy
phase, Cohen began actively communicating with a fan website
known as the Leonard Cohen
files. He began providing that website
with materials he wanted published.
Cohen was frequently in the office reviewing his archival materials that
he would have me fax or mail to Jarkko Arjatsalo who ran that site. Leonard Cohen understands marketing and was
well aware that he needed to relate to his fans and engage in some form of
promotion with respect to the live albums and studio album he was working on at
the time. I also frequently scheduled
studio time over the years.
- I initially opened the letters Neal
Greenberg sent containing the IRS warnings. I was present
when Kelley read these letters to
Cohen, heard him advise her not to discuss his future income with Greenberg,
and heard Kelley advise Cohen that she was concerned about the IRS warnings,
Richard Westin, and the outstanding loans or advances. Cohen assured her that he intended to repay
his loans in full with interest and there was no need to be concerned. I was under the impression that Neal
Greenberg sent these letters to cover himself legally and to address serious
concerns about the Internal Revenue Service.
I found Greenberg’s conduct increasingly disturbing. He personally informed me that Leonard
Cohen’s loans were dangerous to Traditional Holdings and had to be repaid. I asked him why such complicated structures
were created. Greenberg advised me that
this is what Leonard Cohen wanted. Cohen
demanded stock deals. I repeatedly heard
Kelley, Leonard Cohen’s lawyers, Greg McBowman, Sony, and others, complain
about the stock deals he demanded.
- As I have stated above, I would sit
with Kelley while she worked and, in particular, when she was
on the phone with Cohen and
others. She would frequently ask me to
provide her with a file or documents.
This is how we worked. Cohen
would frequently come into the office and sit with me and Kelley before going
down the hall to the office she provided him.
I continually heard Leonard Cohen tell my daughter that he would
compensate her for his office and other expenses. I do not believe he ever did.
- In the fall of 2004, Kelley and Cohen
received a letter from Richard Westin advising them that
the IRS might inquire as to certain
corporate tax related matters. I was
present when Kelley phoned Cohen to discuss this letter.
- I specifically recall Kelley
discussing the Traditional Holdings, LLC management agreement with
Leonard Cohen. Richard Westin prepared this document. They reviewed the fact that she was to
receive $24,000/year, $20,000/year and $20,000/month. It was my understanding that these amounts
were being provided to Kelley for potential tax liabilities, to repay the
promissory note, and in accordance with the corporate books and records.
- I was present when Kelley and Cohen
discussed the repayment of her promissory note and the
profit and loss sharing with
respect to this entity. Leonard Cohen
understood that profits and losses would be distributed in accordance with
ownership interests. After Ken
Cleveland’s alarm over Sony’s $7 million 1099 to Cohen, Kelley asked Richard
Westin to prepare a letter explaining these corporate structures and her role
in connection with them. Westin faxed a
letter to our office and I, in turn, distributed copies to Kelley and
Cohen. I recall Kelley becoming upset
after learning of things in hindsight that had not been explained to her
previously. Richard Westin assured me
that things would smooth out with these complex matters. Kelley routinely complained that she could
not believe how many complicated corporate entities there were and had no idea
why anyone would ever create such an unnecessarily complicated scenario. By 2004, Kelley had no idea where money for
Cohen to pay his bills was to come from.
She and I repeatedly asked Cohen, Greenberg, and Westin. We had no idea what entity or account would
pay Cohen’s tax bills. I personally left
messages for all parties and frequiently never heard from Greenberg or
Westin. It was thoroughly frustrating
for both of us. If Cohen’s accountant
prepared one of the charitable trust tax returns, Kelley or I would have to call
Neal Greenberg and ask them to provide a check from the entity to pay
Cleveland. The amount of work this
caused for our office was inconceivable.
Kelley frequently expressed her frustrations with Cohen. At one point in the summer of 2004 (he had not
yet received the advance on “Dear Heather”), Cohen informed us that he was
unsatisfied with Neal Greenberg and did not plan on having him invest future
income.
- In September 2004, after receiving
the alarming letter from Richard Westin, Kelley contacted
Betsy Superfon. Superfon referred Kelley to her accountant,
Dale Burgess, and Kelley decided to fire Ken Cleveland and work with Dale
Burgess at that time. He ultimately
referred her to a law firm. At that
time, Kelley had me phone Ken Cleveland, who I spoke with directly, to advise
him that she would be working with another accountant and would no longer
require his services. Cleveland’s work
with Kelley was limited to preparing her tax returns on a yearly basis. We provided him, Cohen, and other accountants
or business managers with whatever information they requested.
- Leonard Cohen was extremely
supportive of my daughter’s work with respect to the
development of Amazing Card
Company, LLC. He advised her that he
would help her in any way possible and even offered to invest in the
company. I was present when Kelley asked
Cohen for a personal loan with respect to this company. He offered to lend her $100,000 and
instructed me to type a fax asking Neal Greenberg to make this money available
to her. I typed it and Leonard Cohen
personally signed that document. When
Kelley asked Cohen if he would like to handle this as a loan or issue her a
1099, he advised her that it was a gift.
I personally faxed this document to Neal Greenberg. There were times when Leonard Cohen was quite
generous with my daughter. I do believe
that he really loved her and he continuously advised me that he did.
- Kelley and I were confused when
checks for her would be made payable to Kelley with the
notation f/b/o Leonard Cohen. When I phoned Tim Barnett in Neal Greenberg’s
office, I was advised that this was their inter-office policy. There was ongoing confusion as to how Kelley
should sign documents. At times she was
asked to sign as the corporate owner; at other times she was advised to sign
under the Power of Attorney. Kelley
followed the instructions of Leonard Cohen, Neal Greenberg, and Richard Westin.
- Leonard Cohen had
extraordinary expenses for an individual who had not delivered a studio
album since 1993. The next studio album was delivered sometime
in or around August 2004. He had homes
to maintain in Los Angeles, Greece, and Montreal. He had a number of assistants including, but
not limited to, Betsy Perks in Los Angeles and Lee Taylor in Montreal. He had numerous legal and business
advisors. His household in Greece was cared
for by his housekeeper who was also compensated for her services. Cohen gave the mother of his children
substantial monthly gifts. He loaned
many people money. Cohen personally
bought homes for his son and girlfriend and a commercial building for his
daughter, Lorca Cohen. Cohen felt that
owning a store might help Lorca Cohen who had been going through a difficult
time. I frequently spoke to Cohen about
expenses related to his son and daughter.
Leonard Cohen also paid the mortgage on Lorca Cohen’s Melrose Avenue
property and spent quite a lot on furniture purchases from her business. I recall extraordinary amounts of money being
spent to renovate Anjani Thomas’ home and garden. He also gave extravagant gifts to
people. For example, he bought Jill
(Elton John’s manager’s assistant) a $17,000 statue from a Don Henley
charitable event and Anjani Thomas an $18,000 baby grand piano. He frequently instructed me to advise Kelley
to have checks or wires sent to various family members and friends. Leonard Cohen, as I’ve said, can be generous
and he was particularly generous with his close friends like Eric Lerner, Mort
Rosengarten, and members of the Zen community.
I thought it was very kind of him to provide the funds for his
housekeeper and a Zen monk’s children to attend private school. He gave a great deal of money to various zen
centers. Cohen personally informed me
that if he died he wanted to make sure Kelley was properly cared for. I believe this had something to do with why
he didn’t name Lorca and Adam Cohen beneficiaries in connection with the
Traditional Holdings dealings. And, I
also believe that he had a difficult time explaining this to Anjani Thomas, who
was exceedingly jealous of my daughter from what I could tell, after Kelley and
he parted ways. I have heard that Ken
Cleveland informed my daughter that he thought this situation sounded like
Enron, could not believe a court would grant Lindsey custody of their child,
and felt that Anjani Thomas had a role in what happened to Kelley. I have watched Anjani Thomas in action. She spent months convincing Cohen to remove
Kelley from his estate and health care planning instruments. I know that this caused alarm for Lorca Cohen
and Esther Cohen and spoke to both of them about Thomas. They both felt she was using Leonard Cohen
for his money and couldn’t believe how fast she was able to convince him to buy
her a house, pay for recording sessions, and so forth. I never trusted her with my daughter for a
moment. She relentlessly badmouthed
Leonard Cohen in my presence which I found disturbing given the gifts he was
bestowing upon her By the time Cohen and
Kelley parted ways, Anjani Thomas was using Kelley as her personal manager,
household assistant, gardener, and slave.
It was outrageous.
99. With
the proceeds from the sale of Stranger Music, Inc. in 1996, Leonard Cohen
donated
$500,000 to the Mt. Baldy Zen
Center. His home in Canada required
upkeep and he paid his assistant. After
Cohen was advised to close his Canadian bank accounts, I handled the ordering
of Canadian drafts. That is how Cohen
elected to handle his Canadian bills. He
helped support numerous women in his life including Jung Kim, a young woman who
became increasingly disturbed with Leonard Cohen. He advised me that Jung Kim, who visited our
offices, was accusing him of stalking her with a check. Cohen also gave Dominique Issermann a gift of
$100,000. These are gifts that he
definitely did not want brought to the attention of his children or Suzanne
Elrod. He was concerned, as he explained
to me many times, that Suzanne Elrod and his children would pressure him for
more money.
- It was my
understanding that Leonard Cohen could not live in Canada due to tax and
residence problems. I recall serious issues arising with respect
to his green card. After abandoning his
U.S. green card, he was advised (and I frequently handled these calls and
files) that Canada could view him as a resident. Cohen decided not to return to
Canada and to reapply for a U.S. green card which he finally received at some
point around 1993. It was my
understanding that Kelley’s brother-in-law, Van Penick, advised Cohen that he
could have residence and tax issues in Canada and informed him that he should
rent out his Canadian residences, give up his temple membership, and close his
bank accounts. At that time, Cohen
decided to close his Canadian bank account and instructed me to pay his
Canadian bills with drafts ordered through City National Bank. Cohen’s assistant, Lee Taylor, would fax his
Canadian bills to me and Cohen approved all payments. Cohen chose not to rent his houses or
relinquish his temple membership.
- I also handled calls and paperwork
related to Cohen’s personal legal matters.
In 2003,
problem arose for Cohen with one of
his former girlfriends, Ann Diamond. Ann
Diamond heard from a friend of Cohen’s in Montreal, Freda Gutmann, that Lorca
Cohen advised her classmates that Leonard Cohen molested her. She published this information on her website
and Leonard Cohen was extremely disturbed.
He demanded that Lorca Cohen, who had been staying in Montreal around
that time, return to Los Angeles and it was at this time that he bought the
Melrose property. Kelley contacted Van
Penick, and ultimately recommended that he advise Ann Diamond that the
situation upset Lorca Cohen tremendously.
Cohen was concerned that these allegations would find their way into the
newspapers. This situation was
ultimately resolved but I do recall Leonard Cohen began bad-mouthing Ann
Diamond and advising people, including me and Kelley, that Diamond was stalking
him. We never heard from or saw Ann
Diamond and felt Cohen went on the offensive due to the public accusations.
- It is my understanding that in June 2005,
Neal Greenberg filed a lawsuit against Leonard
Cohen and his lawyer for threatening to take or take actions
against him and his companies which were unlawful. Greenberg raised allegations relate to
bribery and intimidation of a witness.
That witness was my daughter, Kelley Lynch, and she conveyed much of
Cohen and his lawyer’s tactics to me.
The intermittently offered her generous settlements or threatened
her. Steve Lindsey often conveyed these
threats to Kelley in the presence of her sons.
I personally witnessed this on more than one occasion. I also witnessed Steve Lindsey becoming
completely aggressive and unhinged with respect to my daughter and
grandsons. I personally advised him that
I would contact the police if he continued to threaten, harass, or abuse any of
them.
- It was my understanding, from what I
witnessed and heard, that Cohen was attempting to
recover money from Neal Greenberg
and Richard Westin. Kelley repeatedly
advised me that she was concerned that Cohen planned to engage in insurance
fraud. At one point, I was present when
Kelley had a conversation with her lawyer wherein she was advised that they spoke
to Cohen’s lawyer. This lawyer, who
Kelley was introduced to by Steve Lindsey, was informed by Cohen’s lawyer that
if Kelley assisted them, Cohen would take the position that Kelley was used as
a pawn. If Kelley did not assist Cohen,
he would take the position that she orchestrated the corporate and tax mess he
has found himself in. Leonard Cohen is
the individual who controlled my daughter.
He had an entire team of representatives who worked for him
personally. Kelley did not handle
anything having to do with Cohen’s accounting, IRS matters, corporate matters,
financial planning or investments, or the preparation of legal or corporate
documents. She most certainly did not
orchestrate this nightmare.
- I personally scheduled meetings
Kelley held with City National Bank and others.
She was concerned with what she
felt were aggressive and reckless investment strategies.
- At some point in early 2005, Kelley
was contacted by Neal Greenberg’s lawyer who was a
student of His Holiness Kusum
Lingpa. I was extremely concerned that
this individual was using my daughter and cautioned her about communicating
with him. It is my personal opinion that
this individual used my daughter and pretended he was in love with her to
obtain information for his client. I was
present for one conversation Kelley had with this man. She was extremely concerned that Cohen was
attempting to engage her in what she felt might be extortion or insurance fraud. Cohen’s attempts to threaten Kelley continued
throughout the spring of 2005. Cohen
appeared to be interested in Kelley’s testimony against Neal Greenberg, Richard
Westin, and others. He made promises to
pay her the value of the intellectual property assets and commissions due her if
she would assist him in going after these individuals. She refused.
- At one point in the spring of 2005,
Betsy Superfon stopped by Kelley’s house when I was
visiting. Yongzin Rinpoche and his wife were also
present. Superfon explained to us that
Cohen felt remorseful, terrified, and had informed Superfon that Kelley was the
love of his life and she could have whatever she wanted. Kelley asked Superfon to contact Cohen’s
lawyer to ask that they fax through the deal Cohen had in mind.
- Superfon left Kelley’s house and, while
I was present, called to advise her that Cohen’s
lawyer informed her that this was
not the type of deal that could be faxed through. Kelley and Superfon concluded that the deal
must be illegal or improper. Superfon
also explained to Kelley that Cohen’s lawyer would like to have a private lunch
with the two of them to discuss the proposed deal. I advised Kelley not to attend any such
meeting although Superfon had explained that Cohen would pay Kelley what he
owed her and would give her anything.
- Leonard Cohen and Kelley never had a
brief intimate dating relationship; were never in
any type of relationship other than
a business relationship and familial type of friendship. Kelley frequently complained of Cohen’s
sexual harassment, unprofessional conduct, and indecent exposure. It is my understanding that Leonard Cohen has
registered a Colorado restraining order as a “domestic violence” order against
my daughter. Kelley and Cohen were never
in any type of domestic relationship and there was no domestic violence. It is my personal opinion that Cohen has
attempted to address Kelley’s public allegations of sexual harassment,
inappropriate conduct, and indecent exposure – including when Cohen forced her
to read business and legal documents to her while he bathed. Kelley was so disturbed by Cohen’s
inappropriate conduct towards her that she advised me that she would no longer
meet with him alone. She was extremely
upset when he looked at internet images of people defecating on one another in
front of her.
- From approximately 1995 until we
moved our offices, Kelley’s physical business address
was 1044 S. Keniston Avenue, Los
Angeles, California and her business P.O. Box address was 419 N. Larchmont
Blvd., Suite 91, Los Angeles, California.
These addresses did not belong to either Leonard Cohen or any corporate
entity. Leonard Cohen advised me and my daughter
that he intended to reimburse her for the space he used in our offices. It was my understanding that following
Cohen’s planned tour, he and Kelley intended to hire an accountant to prepare
an accounting that would address corporate ownership interests, commissions due
her for work she did as his personal manager from 1988, all loans and/or
advances each of them had received,
value of her intellectual property assets, and address any monies either
of them expended on behalf of one another.
For example, Kelley personally paid for publicists and independent
record promoters on behalf of Adam Cohen.
Leonard Cohen assured Kelley that he would reimburse her for those
expenses should Adam Cohen not be able to do so himself.
- It was always my understanding that
Leonard Cohen hired Neal Greenberg, Richard
Westin, and others, to create
companies that would reduce Cohen’s tax consequences. These individuals worked for Leonard
Cohen. They frequently attempted to use
my daughter as their personal assistant.
She found this offensive and advised them that she was not their
personal messenger boy and they should contact whomever they needed, for
whatever they needed, directly. It is
my opinion that both Neal Greenberg and Richard Westin attempted to use Kelley
to meet other wealthy people in Los Angeles.
They were interested in investing or working with Betsy Superfon, Ron
Burkle, and evidently learned that Kelley carpooled with Susan Disney. I was frequently present when Richard Westin
would phone my daughter at home. At one
point, he decided to visit Los Angeles and Yongzin Rinpoche, who was staying
with Kelley advised her to put him back on the plane because as he was a
complete “pain in the ass.” During his
visit, Richard Westin made advances towards a friend of Kelley’s who later
informed me that she felt completely used by this man.
- It was my understanding that Cohen
would form Traditional Holdings, LLC to use in
connection with the second Sony
sale. Initially, Sony began their due
diligence with Blue Mist Touring Company, Inc.
The Grubman firm and Sony were both aware that Leonard Cohen and Kelley
both had an ownership interest in Blue Mist and the intellectual property
assets. Eventually, Cohen and his
representatives were concerned about certain tax matters related to the use of
Blue Mist Touring Company, Inc. Kelley repeatedly
advised me that she felt these deals were unnecessarily complex and the
corporate and tax matters inconceivably complicated and incoherent. She grew increasingly frustrated and
suspicious. At one point, Kelley
informed me that, due to the fact she could not get answers from Cohen’s
representatives, she intended to contact the Internal Revenue Service directly
to ask them to review the corporate structures and deals. She was also alarmed and the number of IRS
inquiries in connection with Cohen related matters and entities. In fact, she advised me that she planned to
ask an IRS agent who found Richard Westin’s conduct evasive to visit our
offices and review the files for himself.
At one point, Kelley began joking that she had the FBI on speed dial. She felt they might want to profile
Cohen. Due to her genuine concerns,
Kelley had me make additional copies of all deal related documents for her to
keep at home.
- At one point, I was present for a
conversation where Richard Westin advised Kelley to
rip of Blue Mist corporate
assignments. Kelley hung up the phone
and asked me to make copies of the assignments and advised me that she felt she
was being asked to do something illegal.
She was compensated with stock in Blue Mist for services she rendered.
- It was my understanding that Blue
Mist Touring would transfer certain intellectual
property assets to Traditional
Holdings in exchange for an annuity obligation to Cohen that would begin in or
around January 2012. Traditional
Holdings would then sell the assets it received from Blue Mist to Sony.
- I never saw any formal documents
transferring, selling, and/or assigning Blue Mist
Touring’s intellectual property
assets to Traditional Holdings, LLC. I
was, however, present when Kelley spoke to Richard Westin who advised her that
he felt she should rip up the non-revocable assignments to Blue Mist Touring
Company, Inc. When Kelley hung up the
phone, she read me her shorthand notes from their conversation and advised me
that she felt she was being asked to do something illegal. Kelley asked me to make copies of the
non-revocable assignments and give her the original assignments to take
home. She was completely alarmed by this
conversation with Richard Westin.
- It is my understanding that Blue Mist
Touring Company, Inc. never transferred assets to
either LC Investments, LLC or
Traditional Holdings, LLC.
- Leonard Cohen was explicitly warned
that Kelley would have to be in control of
Traditional Holdings, LLC to avoid
allegations that he participated in self-dealing. He understood that this situation place many
burdens on Kelley, including tax burdens.
After signing the Indemnity Agreement, Leonard Cohen personally advised
me that he was grateful for Kelley’s assistance. He and I discussed the fact that regardless
of ownership interests with respect to Traditional Holdings, LLC he felt
completely comfortable because he trusted Kelley and there was an annuity obligation. At Cohen’s request, I prepared copies of all
corporate records for Cohen and placed them in a file which he took home with
him. Those documents included all
corporate records (including the Articles of Organization and Operating
Agreement); signed and notarized copies of the Annuity Agreement and Kelley’s
Indemnity Agreement; notarized copy of Kelley’s Promissory Note with
Traditional Holdings; stock units that were issued; the stock ledger; and
copies of the faxes or emails between Cohen, Kelley and Richard Westin with
respect to the proposed structure, their questions, and Westin’s additional
explanations. Cohen advised me that he
needed these documents because he planned to review them with Greenberg and
Westin.
- I was present for conversations Kelley had with Cohen,
as well as Greenberg and Westin,
where she
was advised that she would receive funds necessary to pay taxes, repay the
promissory note, and pay her a salary.
Richard Westin informed me on many occasions, and this was reflected in
numerous documents, that Kelley would receive $24,000 and $20,000 per year from
Traditional Holdings, LLC. These two
amounts, totaling $44,000, would be used to repay Kelley’s promissory
note. An additional amount of $20,000
per month (which could be paid monthly or yearly) was to be distributed to
Kelley to be used for whatever taxes she was advised to pay. Westin also explained to me that Kelley was
entitled to 100% of all profit and loss.
I was present when this issue arose again in or around March 2002
between Cohen, Kelley, Westin, and Greenberg.
Kelley informed me that Westin advised her and Cohen that the profit and
losses would be distributed in accordance with their respective ownership
interests: 99.5% to Kelley and .5% to
Leonard Cohen.
- Neal Greenberg and Richard Westin
repeatedly advised me that Kelley, as an owner of
Traditional Holdings, LLC had
authority to sign off on loans and/or distributions from this entity. I personally spoke to each of them about this
matter due to the fact that I handled the paperwork. I also reviewed this with Kelley and
Cohen.
- At Kelley’s direction, I specifically
spoke with Richard Westin and Neal Greenberg about
the need for them to document the
loans and distributions from Traditional Holdings, LLC. I was assured that Richard Westin would
prepare any and all necessary promissory notes and understood that Neal
Greenberg was the individual in possession of these details.
- Richard Westin and Neal Greenberg
both personally advised me that for tax purposes all
distributions from Traditional
Holdings, LLC should be characterized as shareholder loans and, if necessary,
they would recharacterize them. It was
my understanding that these shareholder loans would be repaid with interest
once the third Sony deal closed. I
specifically discussed this matter with Kelley and Cohen. They both understood that there would be
substantial income from the third Sony deal, sales of “Dear Heather,” the
lithograph deal Kelley was negotiating, and Cohen’s tour. Cohen repeatedly admonished Kelley and I not
to discuss his future income with Neal Greenberg and did not want him to have
information regarding his plans to tour.
He also did not want Sony pressuring him about his plans to tour.
- Kelley was continuously concerned
about the tax consequences with respect to phantom
income being shifted to her and
with respect to corporate distributions.
Richard Westin personally assured both of us, on numerous occasions,
that the corporate distributions were not taxable and he would provide Kelley
with all necessary tax documents.
- Richard Westin was extremely
concerned about Leonard Cohen’s level of borrowing
from Traditional Holdings,
LLC. He expressed concern about
potential IRS inquiries. At one point,
Westin faxed through minutes he prepared for Traditional Holdings, LLC. Those minutes addressed the fact that Cohen’s
level of borrowing was excessive and should be discouraged. All communications from Richard Westin and
others were placed on Leonard Cohen’s desk, faxed to him, and I was frequently
present when he and Kelley reviewed business and legal matters. Leonard Cohen was well aware of the fact that
his loans or advances from Traditional Holdings, LLC had to be repaid with
interest.
- Neal Greenberg also continuously
expressed concern about Leonard Cohen’s level of
borrowing from Traditional
Holdings, LLC and his other retirement accounts. Greenberg personally advised me that he
believed Cohen used these accounts as his personal piggy bank. When I conveyed this message to Cohen, he was
livid that Neal Greenberg would question how he chose to spend his money.
- In the spring of 2005, Kelley spoke
to an IRS agent about her suspicions with respect to
Cohen and numerous entities. It is my personal belief that Leonard Cohen
retaliated against Kelley for refusing to assist him and reporting allegations
of tax fraud to IRS.
- I was present when Kelley’s lawyer
advised her that Cohen intended to go on Oprah to
promote his new album and
tour. At that time, he intended to give
interviews to reporters in order to blow the whistle on Neal Greenberg and
Richard Westin.
- Cohen continued to pressure Kelley
into assisting him in going after Neal Greenberg,
Richard Westin, and other
representatives of his. It was my
understanding that Ira Reiner was brought into handle mediations between
Leonard and these parties. Kelley
refused to participate.
- I believe Cohen felt he could coerce
Kelley into serving as a witness for him.
Cohen used
the monies he owed her to pressure
her into participating in mediations with him.
Due to the fact that she refused to assist him, he withheld monies due
her.
- Leonard Cohen is the individual who
intended to capitalize on and benefit from the sale
of intellectual property. It is my personal opinion, based on
conversations with Cohen, that he used aggressive tactics to avoid paying
taxes. I also personally believe that
Leonard Cohen cannot reside in Canada due to tax and residence problems.
- I am aware of the fact that, at
various points before filing this lawsuit, Cohen offered
Kelley 50% community property and
agreed to pay her the commissions she was due and provide her with compensation
that equaled the value of the intellectual property assets she owned. Steve Lindsey advised Kelley and me that he
understood that Cohen and Kory raised the possibility of providing my husband
and myself with $2,000/month walking around money. Kelley was completely confused as to why
Cohen would offer her palimony.
- In or around January 2005, my husband
and I babysat Ray while Kelley had dinner with
her lawyers and accountant who had flown
in from San Francisco. When she returned
from this meeting she again advised us that Cohen offered her 50% community
property and would forgive any and all loans or obligations if she would assist
him in going after his representatives.
- I was present when Betsy Superfon
advised Kelley that Cohen felt that Greenberg was a
criminal. Superfon pleaded with Kelley to cooperate
with Cohen for the sake of her heart, health, and children. She promised Kelley that she could settle
this situation for her immediately and informed us that Cohen was trying to get
Kelley out of this situation. Kelley
asked Superfon to phone Cohen or his lawyer and ask them to fact through the
deal they had in mind.
- Based on what I witnessed at the
time, it was my understanding that Cohen’s conduct
with respect to my daughter grew
increasingly aggressive. One of Neal
Greenberg’s lawyers advised Kelley that Cohen planned to crush her, use
restraining orders against her, and planned to prevent her from serving as a credible
witness with respect to Cohen’s affairs.
- Cohen, who appeared to conspire with
Steve Lindsey and others, has used vicious tactics
to terrorize, silence, and
disparage Kelley. They also coordinated
a custody matter which was clearly meant to pressure Kelley into entering into
an agreement with Lindsey and Cohen.
- I was present when Child Services
visited Kelley … case worker advised us that she might
bring charges against Lindsey and
would require him to attend anger management classes. She also advised us that she felt Lindsey was
harassing Kelley and he personally had called her (the caseworker) in a
rage. Lindsey advised the case worker
that Kelley was a great mother.
- In the Spring of 2005, Kelley decided
to permit Neal Greenberg’s lawyers to review three
huge boxes of evidence. I helped Kelley review, pack, and ship the
boxes to Boies Schiller. It was my
understanding that this law firm advised Kelley that Cohen and Kory were attempting
to engage her in criminal conduct. They
advised her to contact Los Angeles District Attorney Brian Bennett and ask him
to wire her for any meetings with Cohen and/or Kory. Brian Bennett was an investigator on the Phil
Spector matter. I was familiar with him
because he visited Kelley, advised her that an anonymous tip was made to the DA
about her friendship with Phil Spector, and Kelley called me during their
meeting. She asked if I recalled any
incidents where Phil Spector held a gun on her.
My husband and I recalled no such incident.
136.
I worked with my
daughter until the Spring of 2005 when my husband and I moved to
Texas. I reviewed many documents, emails, and am
familiar with this situation. I am aware
of the fact that Leonard Cohen attempted to pressure Kelley into a deal with
her and wanted her to testify against his advisors. He used financial tactics and the custody
matter to coerce her.
137.
Kelley’s phone was
shut off in the summer of 2005. Paulette
Brandt would contact me
from time to time
to let me know how Kelley was. Paulette
and I discussed the fact that Kelley was wearing her hair very short and dark
brown. She thought Kelley looked darling. Kelley and I previously had our hair done by
Mario Lara. Obviously, as Kelley could
not afford to pay her phone bill, she was unable to hire a hair dresser or even
pay for a cab to attend a hearing had she been aware of any. I never heard of Robert Kory or Michelle Rice
in all the years I worked with Kelley and Leonard Cohen. I would assume their motives for relentlessly
targeting my daughter with Cohen are financial.
I understand that Robert Kory has now replaced Kelley as Cohen’s
manager.
138.
I understand that
Leonard Cohen has alleged that Kelley bought her home with his
money. Kelley worked for Adam Cohen as well. The year she bought her home, she made
substantial fees for deals she did with respect to Adam Cohen’s recording and
publishing. Kelley also had a retirement
account that she closed in order to purchase this house. Steve Lindsey told me that Leonard Cohen
advised him that Kelley also bought Yongzin Rinpoche’s house for him. Kelley did not buy Yongzin Rinpoche’s house
and he personally confirmed this for me.
Kelley has been victimized by this pattern of relentless lying and
intentional rumor mongering. That is
precisely how Leonard Cohen operates.
- Cohen is a shrewd manipulator and
understands the use of propaganda with the news
media. He made false, disparaging, and defamatory
remarks about my daughter that have been repeated ad nauseum in the media. It is my personal belief that Cohen, who was
in the midst of a European tour in August 2008, flew into Boulder, Colorado to
obtain a restraining order against Kelley due to the fact that she was in touch
with journalists, posted factual refutations to his slanderous statements
online, and due to the fact that in July 2008 Ann Diamond (an old friend of
Cohen’s) wrote an article she planned to present to Rolling Stone about the
situation between Cohen and Kelley.
Diamond posted this article online.
- Leonard Cohen has caused substantial
damage to my daughter. He has
created economic
hardships for her and damaged her
reputation.
- I am extremely concerned that Leonard
Cohen will retaliate against me for providing this
declaration. My daughter has been relentlessly slandered
by Leonard Cohen. It is my opinion that
he set out to undermine her credibility and destroy her reputation. I am aware that both of my daughters, grandsons, Kelley’s friends,
and others have been relentlessly targeted and harassed by strangers who
include at least one of Leonard Cohen’s fans.
Paulette Brandt has been relentlessly targeted and expressed her concern
to me when she received a telephonic death threat. Kelley has gone to LAPD,
FBI, and other law enforcement agencies with respect to these threats. I have personally advised her to document
everything for IRS, FBI, and others. I
was present in 2005 when His Holiness Kusum Lingpa advised my daughter to begin
documenting everything in emails and instructed her to copy in witnesses. I thought this was a very intelligent piece
of advice. It is my understanding that
Kelley’s emails have disturbed Leonard Cohen.
It is unfortunate that his own conduct has not. I also understand that Kelley’s prosecutor,
throughout her 2012 trial, lied relentlessly about my daughter. It is hard not to view Los Angeles as
entirely corrupt. My father was a
Magistrate, who frequently worked with the Police Chief and District Attorney
(who were frequently guests in our home), handled subpoenas and other matters,
and I have never seen or heard of anything as insane as this situation in my
entire life. And that includes judges
lying publicly about my daughter and treating her with disdain and
aggression. This is completely
unprofessional and unacceptable judicial conduct. I also understand that members of the City
Attorney’s office retaliated against my daughter. She and I reviewed many documents
together I have come to the conclusion
that I am very relieved I no longer live in Los Angeles where people have such
jaded personalities and celebrity adoration is rampant. After Kelley read me the emails where the
City Attorney of Los Angeles actively encouraged someone engaged in criminal
conduct with respect to my family to continue harassing Kelley and instructed
that individual to convey official messages from their office to her, I assured
Kelley that there is a reason why people view Los Angeles as thoroughly
corrupt. It is my personal belief that,
after lying about Kelley throughout her 2012 trial, and with the full
understanding that Kelley asked the IRS and FBI to investigate the matter, that
her prosecutor and others retaliated against my daughter. I do hope the IRS and FBI investigates this
situation thoroughly. I also happen to
believe that Kelley was targeted due to her friendship with Phil Spector and
her belief that Mr. Spector is innocent.
Paulette Brandt has also assured me that she feels Mr. Spector is
innocent and both Kelley and Paulette have constantly told me that they have
never seen Phil Spector with a gun and he has been rendered
unrecognizable. I would assume that is
one of the reasons that the District Attorney of Los Angeles joined forces with
Leonard Cohen in targeting Kelley.
Leonard Cohen’s extremely embellished gun stories about Phil Spector
probably caught the attention of the District Attorney. This might explain why, after Kelley filed a
complaint with their Major Fraud Unit, the DA’s office began threatening her
and ultimately refused to prosecute Leonard Cohen for theft. That, of course, is simply my personal
opinion. I also understand that Los
Angeles hasn’t nailed a celebrity since Fatty Arbuckle.
142.
On a final note, I
would like tos ay that I encouraged my daughter to phone the FBI
every time she was
threatened by the District Attorney or law enforcement. I understand that Yongzin Rinpoche has also
advised Kelley to report the activity with respect to the individuals targeting
her, my grandsons, younger daughter, and Paulette, to FBI and other law
enforcement agencies. It seems
self-evident that the parties that are falsely accusing Kelley of many things
are the parties with motive. I would
like to point out to this Court that I personally spoke with His Holiness Kusum
Lingpa who told me he has never experienced anything like Kelley’s SWAT
incident in Tibet. I am also aware that
His Holiness Thinley Norbu, who was asked to protect Kelley and her sons, was
concerned about her welfare. I can
understand why. I know I am. She is dealing with powerful foes, who appear
to be politically connected, may be members of law enforcement, and do not have
my daughter’s best interests at heart. I
know His Holiness Sharmapa advised Kelley, as early as 2005, that he believed
she was the victim of corrupt politicians and law enforcement. As corruption is ancient, I believe His
Holiness Sharmapa understood precisely what he was addressing with my daughter. I also understand that Sharmapa himself has
been personally slandered over this situation with my daughter. I feel she is in excellent company. Thank you for taking the time to listen to my
thoughts and experiences with respect to this situation. I will say this – any judge who gave custody
of my grandson to his father, or believes Leonard Cohen, should immediately
seek psychiatric care. It is my
understanding that Judge Vanderet was disturbed that Kelley has no faith in the
justice system. I found that deeply
disturbing as there does not appear to be a functioning justice system at LA
Superior Court. I understand that Judge
Vanderet was present when Leonard Cohen confessed to committing perjury on the
witness stand and did nothing. I think
that sums things up.
I declare under
penalty of perjury under the laws of the State of California that the foregoing
is
true and correct and that I executed this
Declaration on the 23rd day of December, 20l3 at __________________, Texas.
_______________________________________
Joan
Marie Lynch