Exclusive: Haredi Former Lakewood Mayor Sues Haredi Whistleblower Blogger(s) For Defamation

The Lakewood View and Hershel Hershkowitz are sued for defamation by Steven Langert, who allegedly profited from one of Eliyahu Weinstein's scams.

Steven Langert is haredi. He used to be mayor of Lakewood and he's now on the Lakewood Township Committee.

Langert allegedly received a portion of the proceeds of one of Elilayhu Weinstein’s scams.

The Lakewood View reported this, citing court documents in the Weinstein case.

Like a good haredi poodle closely linked to Rabbi Malkiel Kotler, Rabbi Matisyahu Salamon, and other Lakewood yeshiva honchos, Langert sued the View – and the haredi dissident(s) who run it.

The purpose of the suit – besides harassing Hershkowitz – seems to be to out anonymous bloggers.

Here are Langert's court filings against The Lakewood View, Hershel Hershkowitz, etc.:

Download Langert v Lakewood View

Download Langert v Lakewood View Order To Show Cause

Here's the Lakewood View post that Langert is suing over as a PDF file:

Download Committeeman Steven Langert implicated in Eliyahou Weinstein Investment fraud | The Lakewood View

Comments

[Video killed the radio star]

This will go nowhere. Chaim Berlin & Agudah (by proxy) tried suing dozens of Charedi blogs to learn commenter identities. They put their stooge Michael Hersh from the Jamaican kidnapping up to it as the plaintiff. Free speech groups filed friendly briefs and the case was tossed.

[Shmarya]

Posted by: Video killed the radio star | June 28, 2012 at 10:24 PM

It wasn't that simple.

[Lakewood Guy]

R Malkiel Kotler and R Salomon don't like Steve either. he is not fun unzere.

[Just Saying...]

Are not frum Yiddin supposed to go to Beis Din to resolve their disputes?!

[Video killed the radio star]

It may not have been simple until the verdict.

Mordechai Tendler also fell flat on his face when he sued a few Blogs. And he was also hit with the Federal SLAPP law and ordered to pay the defendants legal costs.

[LangertAtTheBorgataTooMuch]

If you do an internet search of Steven Langert, you will find out he is serious poker player. That is a highly un-yeshivish activity. I do not think that will help his reputation in Lakewood.

http://borgatafallpokeropen2011.blogspot.com/2011/11/from-elected-to-ejected.html

[LangertAtTheBorgataTooMuch]

Incidentally, there was an article in the Asbury Park Press dated May 13, 2008 titled “16 fugitives arrested in sweep by county sheriff's officers” which indicates that Langert’s lawyer, Reuel Topas was arrested for failure to pay child support.

I hope Topas does not so me, as apparently he never learned in law school that truth is an absolute defense to defamation.

[Asher Lipner, Ph.D.]

I actually thought that the View went pretty easy on Langert. His corruption and that of most Lakewood politicians, make Chicago politicians seem like the Chofetz Chaim.

The tactic, used by abusive people like Mordechai Tendler, Michael Hirsh, Efraim Bryks, etc. are not about truth or justice. They are acts of bullying and intimidation. No different than the thugs who burnt down Rivka Finkelstien's house to scare her from talking about her son Shua H"YD, being molested. It is the same reason that in Williamsburg they made a public fundraiser for a known child molester: to stop other victims from feeling free to come forward and make the victim who was brave enough to tell the truth, think twice. When that didn't work, they tried to bully and threaten the victim's boyfriend. Then they offered a bribe. now they will be doing time in the slammer for witness intimidation and bribery. In Williamsburg, people do not consider these to be crimes. And of course, how could we forget Abba Hershkowitz and Simcha Bunim Cohen, who published a letter from the heilige Roshei Yeshiva begging the tzibur to pony up for legal defense for alleged molester Yossie Kolko, despite the fact that their very own Beis Din had damning evidence of Kolko's guilt based on a forensic psychological report, and gave a heter to the victim's family to go to the police. "You should do what you have to do" said Reb Mattisyahu......(But then we will run you out of town and raise money for your son's molester).

Langert may not be a yeshiva boy, but he gives a whole new meaning to "I learned in Lakewood".

Hershel, please hang tough. Your friends have your back. Tell us what we can do and we will be there. Hashem should give you good health and you and your amazing Eishes Chayil Rachel should have nothing but simchas and nachas from the kids. You are setting a heroic example for them to learn from about Emes, and Yashrus and compassion for the abused and bullied. I am proud to be...

Your bff,

Asher

PS, does this mean you need the money you lent me back now?

[Yerachmiel Lopin]

Kol Hakavod to Hershel Hershkowitz. When the great Brittish historian was given some honor he said it did not compare to his greatest honor: being on the Nazi list of the 1st ten people to arrest when they invaded Brittan. I am not making Nazi analogies. Just saying the quality of a man is shown by those he successfully threatens.

By the way there is another defense in defamation suits: the plaintiff's reputation is so poor that the added insult (even if not proven true) could do little to further damage the plaintiff's reputation.

For starters we should start asking why there was no hazmana to a beit din.

We in the blogosphere should start piling on true facts and plausible opinions about your nemesis, the menuval Langert.

I wonder if you can defend yourself by claiming that no one in Lakewood reads trayf blogs on the unfiltered internet. If nothing else it will force Langert to say, "not so."

[Video killed the radio star]

Dr Lipner, I read something about you taking on Bryks. Did he come after you for it?

[Video killed the radio star]

To be historically accurate, the Nazis did invade & occupy a small part of England. Most of the population were willing collaborators who were more than happy to help round up the handful of Jews to be deported to death camps.

[to topaz]

This lawyer is a total idiot. He is not advancing his client’s interests by writing such a strident letter. If he wrote a letter simply demanding that the article be taken down, he would have had a much better chance of getting something than by demanding that this site write a retraction preapproved by Langert’s lawyer.

The threat of a lawsuit is a lot of bluster. If Langert filed suit, there is a very good chance that he and his legal counsel would be sanctioned for filing a frivolous action. Truth is a defense to a defamation suit. The post accurately characterizes the court documents. If someone accurately characterizes the contents of court documents, they cannot be sued for defamation even if the allegations contained in the court documents turn out to be false. Below is a link to an article about a recent New Jersey Supreme Court case on the matter as well as a link to the actual court ruling.

http://www.northjersey.com/news/NJ_Supreme_Court_overturns_The_Record_libel_ruling.html?page=all

http://www.leagle.com/xmlResult.aspx?xmldoc=in%20njco%2020100511273.xml&docbase=cslwar3-2007-curr

I am sure that Langert’s lawyer is reading the comments on this site. Having been made aware of the remarkably similar case Salzano V. N.J. Media Group Inc. 201 N.J. 500 (2010), I hope he will not want to risk sanctions under R. 1:4-8 by filing a frivolous suit.

[Jeff]

Are not frum Yiddin supposed to go to Beis Din to resolve their disputes?!

Posted by: Just Saying... | June 28, 2012 at 10:43 PM

That only applies in cases of child rape. Adults caught with their hands in the rugelach jar are free to make as public a chillul hashem as they wish.

Jeez, this poskening business is easy. I don't know why it takes them so many years of study to prepare for it.

[Barry]

Exclusive: Haredi Former Lakewood Mayor Sues Haredi Whistleblower Blogger(s) For Defamation

Its haredi suing haredi - who should we root for?

[Darth Zeidah]

"Video killed the radio star" #1 wrote that "This will go nowhere. Chaim Berlin & Agudah (by proxy) tried suing dozens of Charedi blogs to learn commenter identities".

How different things are in Europe, specifically under the law in England & Wales. (There is a different legal system in Scotland.)

During the British Airways' cabin crew dispute a couple of years ago, dozens of militant striking crew libelled a BA captain on a union-run website.

The English courts not only upheld the captain's claim for punitive damages but also ordered the union to hand over the crew members' identifying details.

The union pleaded that this was technically "impossible", but the judge overrode that, saying that all forensic methods should be used.

I know that Lakewood NJ is nowhere near London UK, but it is more than possible that the "John Does" could and will be uncovered.

[Darth Zeidah]

We in the blogosphere should start piling on true facts and plausible opinions about your nemesis, the menuval Langert.

And who is to judge how reliable these "true facts" may (or may not) be?

You immediately disqualified yourself by using the epithet "menuval".

[Hay]

New Jersey Superior Court Quashed Subpoena Seeking Identities of Anonymous Blog and Anonymous Posters critical of Real Estate Developer in Lakewood Township, New Jersey in Online Defamation Case,Somerset Development, LLC et al. v. “Cleaner Lakewood” John Doe et al., Docket No. OCN-C-119-10

http://www.ravin.com/news.html#Cleaner

[Darth Zeidah]

"To be historically accurate, the Nazis did invade & occupy a small part of England. Most of the population were willing collaborators who were more than happy to help round up the handful of Jews to be deported to death camps."

I really take the strongest possible exception to that scurrilous statement. Here are some “historically accurate” facts:

1. No part of "England" - small or large - was ever invaded or occupied by the Nazis. Forget what you might have seen in sensationalist chap TV movies or pulp fiction; it never happened.

2. The Channel Islands, a Crown Dependency 14 miles off the coast of Normandy, France, were demilitarized by the British Army in 1940 because they were indefensible, and the larger proportion of their population were evacuated to mainland England, 100 miles away.

3. Seven (7) Jews still remaining in the Islands were rounded up by the Nazi occupiers. Several more (my parents among them) were sheltered by local Gentiles, two of whom were rewarded by Yad VaShem as "Righteous Gentiles".

4. My locus standi in this unworthy and discreditable libel by "Video killed the radio star" stems from the fact that my parents lived (and baruch Hashem) continue to live in Jersey, Channel Islands, as do I and my family.

Think twice, and get your facts right, before you next decide to open your anus instead of your mouth, "Video killed the radio star"!

[Video killed the radio star]

Darth, what I wrote is from published literature on the matter. Sorry if Channel Islands are only a dependency. And do you deny what's stated there that local government officials handed the 7 Jews over to the Nazis?

[tanglewood ln]

Meir lichenstein who is now on the lkwd twp and was caught with and eishes eish is trying to silence yudel shain from published the story just to let you know Meir is the sonlaw of stern from hasc

[fakewood]

When things get tough for politicians, there follows an attempt to manage the message by placing limits on freedom of speech.

[zur]

R. Yona. According to R. Yona if what you say is true then it is not loshon hara. you can look at his books and see that the only times when lashon hara for truth is forbidden is when it can cause damage outside of what the law of the Torah would require.

[Question to Langert]

mr langert why don't you answer on oath the following questions

did you have any connection dealings with eli weinstein (yes or no question) and if you didn't why dont you sue your partner that said you got money from eli weinstein

do you gamble, if you do (which we all know) what do you consider AN Addicted gambler to be since the entire universe considered "AN Addicted gambler" someone who gambles $303,000 at Borgata.

18 STEVEN LANGERT (LAKEWOOD, NJ): 303,000 see link here:

http://borgatawpo2010.blogspot.com/2010/01/event-1-350-50-deep-stack-nlh-day-2.html

[zonah at luarelwood]

Meir lichenstein works at Lexington tower in only female office his wife Sara works across street in yeshiva ktana to keep tab on him

[WoolSilkCotton, rock star and sports superstar]

++Darth Zeidah | June 29, 2012 at 06:02 AM++

Thank you for that posting.

[Video killed the radio star]

Good morning Silky, I was thinking about you last night while watching a rerun of Hogan's Heroes. I remembered you when Sgt Schultz came on

[butch epstein]

Reb malkiel told Meir to resigned before all the shmootz comes out.

[Darth Zeidah]

"And do you deny what's stated there that local government officials handed the 7 Jews over to the Nazis?"

Let's have another look at your original message - in its entirety:

"To be historically accurate, the Nazis did invade & occupy a small part of England. Most of the population were willing collaborators who were more than happy to help round up the handful of Jews to be deported to death camps.

Posted by: Video killed the radio star | June 29, 2012 at 12:12 AM

In your second bite of the cherry you wrote:

"Darth, what I wrote is from published literature on the matter. Sorry if Channel Islands are only a dependency. And do you deny what's stated there that local government officials handed the 7 Jews over to the Nazis?"

What is stated where? You offered not a single source to back up your very specious claim.

Go away to your local library and check your information. Come back when you can furnish a text, an author, a publisher and year of publication.

Until then ...

And, after further consultation with my parents, I stand by my earlier assertion regarding locals allegedly handing over Jews to the Nazi authorities.

[Navoch]

Who is this jerk "Video killed the radio star", and what does what did or did not happen in the English Channel Islands have to do with a lawsuit in Lakewood?

[WoolSilkCotton, rock star and sports superstar]

Navoch, he is a particularly vicious malignant troll who originally went by the moniker Archie Bunker. Now he changes his name on every thread. His goal is just to agitate everyone and derail any discussion. He is addicted to this website.

Shmarya allows him to remain, despite numerous 'warnings', because he helps drive up the number of postings, which is apparently good business for FM to attract advertisers.

Since Shmarya will do nothing to remove him, it may be best to just ignore him, even though it's tempting to respond, but you will find yourself getting tangled up in useless back-and-forth arguments that go nowhere.

[Eli, what me messiah?]

Video did not kill the radio star. It just attracted idiots who didn't care about music in the first place.
And it was a lousy song, too.

[The Lakewood Scoop]

The Lakewood township is a well known cesspool of corruption, Miller, Lichtenstein, Langert, Shenkalevsky, CEO of BMG Kotler, chief Lawson, and it won't end anytime soon.

[David]

If any of these alegations were true it would make no sense to bring more attention to them by filing a lawsuit. I believe its fine to scrutinize the way elected officials govern however when self serving self proclaimed 'whistleblowers' bend facts to suite their goals and cross the line they should be held accountable. Why is his blog any different than news sites that double check their sources before printing a story? The publics comments cant be controlled but what about the articles? Btw no one mentioned that it is well known that harold hershkovits , using inside information, purchased a property and then flipped it to the township to be used as a parking lot profiting 80k at the expense of the taxpayers.

[Just Saying...]

Whomever you are that is bashmutzing Meir.

It is irrelevant if what you are saying is true. He may are not be guilty of whatever you are lobbing.

But you are certainly guilty of Retzicha. You better think before whatever you post.

Mevayish Bi'rabim is worse than Arayos.

Just ask Yehudah and Tamar.

Don't tell the heavenly court that you were not warned....

[One who can read]

"If any of these alegations were true it would make no sense to bring more attention to them by filing a lawsuit"

The article merley says that Langerts partner claimed he gave Steve Langert $25,000 for helping Eli Wienstein scam some one. Do you deny that the POST TESTIMONEY says that?

[Barry]

The definitive history of the Channel Islands occupation as it related to its few Jewish and part Jewish inhabitants is David Fraser's 'The Jews of the Channel Islands and the rule of law 1940-1945 - Quite Contrary to the Principles of British Justice'.

The few chapters on Google Books make for disturbing reading.

A British intelligence report from August 1945 states:

"When the Germans proposed to put their anti-Jewish measures into force, no protest whatsoever was raised by any of the Guernsey States officials and they hastened to give the Germans every assistance. By contrast , when it was proposed to take steps against the Freemasons, of which there are many in Guernsey, the Bailiff made considerable protests and did everything possible to protect the Masons"

Of course to state that "Most of the population were willing collaborators who were more than happy to help round up the handful of Jews to be deported to death camps" is a terrible exaggeration.

There was a failure of leadership by government and police officials and sections of the church during the occupation like that in France and like France these failures were swept under the carpet for many years; some of these officials even being knighted after liberation and having streets named in their honor.

[14 st.]

So Meir is alleged doing geylu arayos and u are concern about loshon hora shame on you BTW Meir when he was a bochur in yeshiva was caught let him get help stop chasing ladies!!

[Jeff]

Don't tell the heavenly court that you were not warned....

Posted by: Just Saying... | June 29, 2012 at 09:40 AM

Yes, you've done your job like a good, obedient, brainwashed little frummie. I'm sure Hashem will give you an extra cookie when you get to Gan Eden.

[the lakewood view]

Ask Meir lichenstein why he called ocean county proscuter office to try silent the acuser its ain't going help every dog has its day.

[to lakewood hocker]

What's worse. Mevayish berabim,falsifying papers to get sec.8 and food stampsmesira,geeluy arayos,intimidating witnessess,,or letting rapist and molesters go free?or does lakewood have its own tayrah and laws?

[jancsibacsi]

The whole toireh is a mind game like all other things in life,bs is bs no matter where you goits all the fabrication of the imagination.

[Vasse sheech]

Hey Jan! Let's hear you talk about the BS of the Piltdown man and your monkey grandfather.

[WoolSilkCotton, rock star and sports superstar]

Ok, Bunker has returned with his newest name, so it's time to shut it down. Anyone engaging him is only wasting his or her time and energy.

[daas torah]

Meir by seating at rav sorozkin chumash shier does not make you kosher you might not according to toras moishe live with your wife unless you are like bill Clinton with monca lewinski did u have sex no I never pentrated?

[jancsibacsi]

Vasse sheech-KISH MIH VI DE YIDDEN HOBEN GERIET

[Vasse sheech]

What's GERIET?

[izk]

Hershkovits is a known lunatic. his lying rantings on his blog have hurt many people. he should be taken to task for his actions.

[internet at citifield]

Why is soloman covering for Meir lichenstein only Mrs s. You threaten to throw out of town but for your own cronies you don't say nohting!!

[jancsibacsi]

Vasse sheech-The yiddin hoben rested- geriet offen tohes kenst kishen mir dort

[just saying]

LakeWOOD, TangleWOOD... forget James Taylor this weekend and opt for Video Killed the Radio Star a'la Take this Waltz. And maybe the Lakewooders can learn a thing or two about tangling with their neighbors... and then we can all sing Hallelujah.

[izk]

The article headline was ' langert implicated in weinstein ponzi scheme" all he did was sell him a piece of property. what weinstein or his partner for that matter did after closing was not his responsibility. hershkowitz is a master of twisting facts to suite his agenda. ask him about the menorah video. sarcastic, immature, condescending, behavior by a bitter petty man.

[ah-pee-chorus]

someone who gambles $303,000 at Borgata.

18 STEVEN LANGERT (LAKEWOOD, NJ): 303,000 see link here:

http://borgatawpo2010.blogspot.com/2010/01/event-1-350-50-deep-stack-nlh-day-2.html

Posted by: Question to Langert

youre misinterpreting the data. the tournament had a $350 buy in with a total of $547,000 from 1563 players. there appears to be about 30,000,000 in chips which means that the starting $350 got you 20,000 in chips. if a player had 303,000 in chips, it means he has increased his opening stack by a product of 15. even if one were permitted to cash out mid-tournament, which cant be done, the dollar value of his chips would be about $5,000 .

in any case, implying that he was gambling any amount greater than the $350 buy-in is simply false. he could not have lost more than that amount.
there seems to be no shortage of legitimate gripes against him, so lets be fair and stick to facts.

[ah-pee-chorus]

for the record, he appears to have busted out without cashing in that event.

http://www.cardplayer.com/poker-tournaments/2923-2010-borgata-winter-open/253493/results

[David]

Exactly correct on the poker 300k nonsense. Just another example of hershkoshitz twisting the facts to attack his enemies.

[Joe]

"The article headline was ' langert implicated in weinstein ponzi scheme" all he did was sell him a piece of property. what weinstein or his partner for that matter did after closing was not his responsibility. hershkowitz is a master of twisting facts to suite his agenda. ask him about the menorah video. sarcastic, immature, condescending, behavior by a bitter petty man."

You seem not to be able to read. He DID not sell Wienstein a property. His partner colluded with Winestein to DEFRAUD some one. And then split the loot with Langert. Read the deposition.

[TheXNail]

Fred: some helpful advice on "credibility" -- when people go from one article to the next on a blog shaking their fists at the blogger and posting virtually identical statements borne out of transparently hyperbolic umbrage, it tends to undermine their credibility.

[david]

hey JOE. did u read the ENTIRE deposition or just the parts that hershels blog put up? if not check out page 159 lines 6-10. there you will see that EFES HOLDINGS (ie langert and pollock) received 50k for flipping the contract to weinstein. No crime in that. The real question is whether pollack schemed to defraud the investor who purchased the property from weinstein based on a lease that purported the property was empty.

[ultra haredi lite]

Is this yudel polack?

[david]

what you all seem to forget is that steve saved the taxpayers millions of dollars over his term in office when others before him did not have the courage to take on those challenges. his personal life choices does not affect his ability to govern well. to those who post that he uses public funds for gambling.... we all know that is absurd. it is quite apparent that hershel and his sites administrators have crossed the line and that is the point steve is trying to make.

[Lady in waiting]

Good luck to Harold. Steven is not going to win this suit. He is only making himself look worse tying up the courts on this ridiculous lawsuit. He can certainly dish it out I and bully anyone he wants (I know, I was one of them), but he can't take it himself. Group, little boy Steve. Harold is more of a gentleman than you could ever hope to be. Are you just embarrassed ubecause Harold had the guts to make public what most of us already knew?

[david]

hey 'lady'. langert put hereschel in his place when he started getting out of hand on the downtown commission. using his appointment as a platform to further his own greedy motives. were you the one that was denied an absurd variance request and now badmouth out of revenge? probably so.

[yehuda fulda]

of course lawsuits trying to find peoples identities wont go anywhere no one wants the public to know what porn sites people go to...unless itd illegal as far as these lakewood politicians go most politicians r corrupt and the ones in lakewood r as dirty as an old prostitutes snatch