Commonwealth ex rel. Terry v. Virginia Telemarketing, Inc.

15 Va. Cir. 489
CourtFairfax County Circuit Court
DecidedApril 26, 1989
DocketCase No. (Chancery) 97,125
StatusPublished
Cited by2 cases

This text of 15 Va. Cir. 489 (Commonwealth ex rel. Terry v. Virginia Telemarketing, Inc.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Fairfax County Circuit Court primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Commonwealth ex rel. Terry v. Virginia Telemarketing, Inc., 15 Va. Cir. 489 (Va. Super. Ct. 1989).

Opinion

By JUDGE RICHARD J. JAMBORSKY

I carefully considered the testimony and exhibits produced at the ore tenus hearings on November 30 and December 1, 1988. In addition, I reviewed the file and pleadings.

I conclude that the Commonwealth is basically entitled to the relief sought in the Amended Bill of Complaint. The Court’s Findings of Fact and Conclusions of Law more precisely set forth the Court’s position. I propose to enter a Final Order on May 8, 1989, a draft of which is enclosed.

The law is not a static institution. One of its strengths is its ability to adapt to changing conditions. Fraud is fraud, whether committed one on one in 18th Century England, or one on thousands in 20th Century Fairfax County, utilizing telemarketing techniques. Counsel for the Commonwealth has presented a sound, thoughtful legal solution for the problems created by defendants, and I accept it.

May 9, 1989

Findings of Fact and Conclusions of Law

This Court makes the following Findings of Fact and Conclusions of Law based on clear, cogent, and convincing evidence presented at the ore tenus hearing of November 30 and December 1, 1988.

1. In connection with the solicitation of contributions, Virginia Telemarketing, Inc. ("VTI") led donors to believe that their contributions would send handicapped children and other less fortunate people to see a circus, a magic show, or a country music concert in 1984, 1985, and 1986 in Fairfax and other Northern Virginia areas.

2. VTI worked with a sponsoring civic group like the Chantilly Jaycees or Springfield Kiwanis which rented its name and reputation out to VTI in return for what amounted to 10 to 15% of the total donations received.

3. VTI assigned a project number or numbers to each sponsor for each entertainment event. Some events had two sponsors and thus two project numbers. The projects at issue in this case are summarized in the attached Table No. 1.

4. VTI solicitors would telephone prospective donors. The telephone pitch typically included some representation like this one found in Exhibit 44 (Chantilly Jaycees script): "A $30 donation will send six children to see the show . . . ." Thirty dollars for six children amounts to $5 per child. In fact, VTI did not send a handicapped child to the show for every $5 given.

5. For the September 21, 1985, Chantilly Jaycees show, VTI took in $66,162 from the public. At $5 per child, that is enough to send 13,232 children to the show. VTI gave 500 passes to the Jaycees to distribute. The auditorium for this show seated 630. This excess collection was no mistake. VTI did this again and again in 1984, 1985, and into 1986 in Virginia. In May, 1984, VTI signed an Assurance of Discontinuance in New York State to limit similar practices. Exhibit 60. Although VTI’s former office manager testified that she thought the script may have been changed after an August 13, 1985, phone call from the Office of Consumer Affairs, VTI offered no copy or text of any new script as evidence at trial. [491]*491Ms. Wieland had no personal knowledge of what the solicitors said on the phone, other than the Exhibit 44 script. Even if the script were changed on August 13, 1985, Exhibit 86 shows that VTI collected at least $52,000 before the alleged change.

6. VTI and its president and owner, Robert J. Duchano, knew they would never be able to send 13,232 children to the Chantilly Jaycees show. Mr. Duchano testified that the problem was that there were just not enough handicapped children in Northern Virginia (Duchano deposition-I at 52)1; it was always difficult to get enough people to attend to make the performance look like a success; he was so desperate to get audiences to show up that he would admit any number of people on one pass. Id. at 52, 76. And despite these efforts, he has admitted he rarely had more than a hundred handicapped attend any event. Id. at 81-82.

7. For the eight shows covered by the Amended Bill of Complaint, VTI collected over $750,000 in charitable donations on representations that donors were helping to send the handicapped and less fortunate to the circus, a magic show, or a concert.

8. Mr. Duchano could not find enough less fortunate or even handicapped to fill the seats. He simply solicited until he ran out of time as the performance date arrived, or until he had called all the phone numbers in the sponsoring civic group’s area. He never stopped soliciting because he had raised enough money. Supra cite to Duchano deposition-I at 70; Duchano deposition-II at 125-26.

9. For the Manassas Jaycees circus on August 22, 1984, VTI used three different scripts. Exhibit 15. One said, in part, "[T]he standard donation is $20 to help four kids see the circus." The other two stated, "$25 pledge enables five kids to see the circus. $20 pledge . . . four kids . . ." and so on for $15 and $10.

10. For this Manassas Jaycees August 22, 1984, circus, VTI collected $35,049.50. Exhibit 17. At the represented rate of $5 per child, this amount should have sent 7,009 [492]*492children. Instead, VTI estimates it distributed only 3,000 tickets.

11. For the Handicaps Unlimited magic show originally scheduled for July 13, 1985, VTI used only one script. Exhibit 38. It said, in part, "The standard donation is only $25, This (sic) would sponsor five to see the show fl

12. For this Handicaps Unlimited magic show, VTI collected $46,066.46. Exhibit 40. At the represented rate of $25 for five members of Handicaps Unlimited to see the show, this amount should have sent 9,213 members or other "needy people." Instead, VTI estimates it distributed 400 tickets, which admitted only 800 to the performance.

13. For the joint concert of the Springfield Kiwanis and Bailey’s Crossroads Kiwanis on April 14, 1984, VTI used scripts which permitted the solicitors to tell donors, if asked, that twenty dollars would sponsor four children; $15, three; and $10, two. Exhibits 11 and 88. In other words, every five dollars would sponsor another child.

14. For this joint April 14, 1984, concert, VTI collected $105,211.70. Exhibits 12 and 34. At five dollars per child, this amount should have sent 21,042 children. VTI accounted for only 453 tickets distributed for the Bailey’s Crossroads Kiwanis, and 255 for the Springfield Kiwanis. Exhibits 12 and 90.

15. For the Springfield Kiwanis show on March 24, 1985, VTI used two scripts, one of which stated, in part, "Our standard donation this year is only $25 and this would enable five kids to see the show." Exhibit 32. The other indicated, in answer to questions, that fifteen dollars sent three children and ten dollars, two. Mr. Duchano admitted this was the script. Duchano deposition-II at 38-40.

16. For this March 24, 1985, show, VTI collected $64,489.05. Exhibit 35. At five dollars per child, this amount should have sent 12,818 children. Instead, VTI estimated it distributed only 850 tickets, and only 500 people attended.

17. There was no relationship whatsoever among the amount of money collected, the number of tickets distributed, or the number attending the show for any of the projects described in the Amended Bill of Complaint. For example, in its Project No. 44, VTI collected $134,126.86 for a [493]*493December 10, 1984, concert for the Falls Church Police Association, but only 650, at most, attended. Exhibit 29.

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15 Va. Cir. 489, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/commonwealth-ex-rel-terry-v-virginia-telemarketing-inc-vaccfairfax-1989.