MERI'S BACK--HONEST LEGAL OPINION

By Meri, Aruban Boycott Contributor

I haven't had much to say as of late but I wanted to voice my opinion on a few things.

The Dr. Phil Show is filmed in the United States and therefore any civil wrong-doing that someone may have perpetrated during the course of that show and that might have harmed the Plaintiffs (the Kalpoe's in this case), will give them legal jurisdiction.


This is quite different from the lawsuit that was attempted in NYC regarding Joran and Paulus as the accusations of various crimes happened on Aruba and NOT in the USA. There was never any personal jurisdiction here in the USA and the suit could only be heard on Aruba (which I doubt would have ever happened having viewed their judicial system and how they interpret it).


There was also the closely knit relationships among the Judges (the Court) and the parties involved. I don't think that any lawsuit would be a success on Aruba regarding this case.


As for extradition; Ramm is right. You can't extradite on a Civil matter. It is difficult enough to extradite on a criminal matter where evidence is clear; especially where treaties are in place.


That is where Ramm and I part ways.....as for his association with BFN and some of the people there, we totally disagree and I find that many of them have a strange way of showing support for Natalee and her family.


I NEVER believed for one second that Ramm had any sort of legal background or knowledge, but he is entitled to his opinions no matter how different from my own. He does come across as if he is an "expert" on certain subjects which I find amusing but harmless. He, like many of us have no actual standing in this case and all we can do are the following: offer support, help with the boycott movement; or do research so that we can impart a better understanding of the particulars involving this case and the places and people in the cast of characters.


Truth be told, other than some very good articles on various Internet sites, this boycott site, and some kind and compassionate people who have stood alongside the family, most of us have contributed nothing.


We have shown our compassion in many ways and hopefully, that has been a help to the family as they go through this long, drawn-out, exhausting process of trying to find the truth as to what happened to Natalee Holloway.


There are a few people working on some areas that may someday bring some International attention to Natalee's plight, but that hasn't happened as of yet.


As for the Kalpoe's and their lawsuit....it isn't as frivolous as it may appear at first glance. I don't believe one single word that comes from the mouths of the Kalpoes'. Joran, Paulus and the rest of the bozos on Aruba, but I DO know that Dr. Phil messed up. He made some unsubstantiated claims on his show and he has not been able to prove what he said. He based his comments on a tape that may or may not have been flawed and was most definitely edited. That alone means that the Kalpoes' may actually have reason to believe that they were Civilly injured.


Even the FBI has not supported the veracity of the Skeeter's tape and therefore we have no idea who said what to whom and what was true or edited. I doubt that the case will ever go to Court for trial and I believe that the powers that be at The Dr. Phil Show will settle this case with the Kalpoe's.


Frankly, the thought of them profiting from this situation makes me feel sick but the law is the law and Dr. Phil did damage not only to the suspects but to the entire case when he butted in. He simply did not have enough facts (no one does except for those who know the truth). Therefore, he left himself and his show open for a Civil action.


I hate to quote a television show, but it makes sense to listen to what Gil Grissam of CSI says when he states, "We always follow the evidence". In this case, most of the evidence has been lost, destroyed or never gathered.


After all this time, I still believe that Joran, the Kalpoes, some of their other associates, his father and others on Aruba know what happened to Natalee and I do NOT believe the "I left her on the beach story".


Do NOT be shocked or surprised if the Kalpoe Brother's DO profit from their lawsuit....it is not much of a stretch to picture them winning some kind of settlement since Dr. Phil was careless and since the tape that he used on his show was edited. They can be as guilty as hell and still win their suit.....it all depends on what was said, how it was said, the intent of what was said and what evidence there is to back-up their claims.


If it can be proven that Dr. Phil based his comments on an unproven video and audio tape and that the tape was not used in it's true content...therefore inflicting harm on the Plaintiffs....BINGO.


I will feel ill if the Kalpoes' are victorious but I will not be surprised.

Michelle's Opinion:

These faces don't look like those who are innocent.
If I were in deep shit I'd look pretty sad, too.