Winklevii Promise To Appeal To Supreme Court

from the and-the-court-will-laugh dept

Tue, May 17th 2011 4:07am — Mike Masnick

Well, that didn't take long at all. We noted that the tone deaf Winklevoss twins would probably appeal their latest legal "loss," which "only" entitles them to the $160 million or so from their original settlement with Facebook and Mark Zuckerberg. Even while I said I expected them to appeal since they'd already gone this far, there was still a little voice in the back of my head saying they couldn't possibly think that the Supreme Court could see a Constitutional issue to consider in their case. And yet... hours later, the Winklevii lawyer has announced plans to appeal to the Supreme Court. And I will announce plans to not laugh out loud when the Supreme Court turns them down.

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Filed Under: appeal, ideas, supreme court, winklevoss
Companies: connectu, facebook

17 Comments

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Not an Electronic Rodent (profile), 17 May 2011 @ 4:29am

Appropriate quote....
"I used to be into sado-masochistic bestial necrophilia..... then I found out I was flogging a dead horse."
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Anonymous Coward, 17 May 2011 @ 4:43am

I think I get what they're doing.

They figured that the 160 million are already in the bag (Zuckerberg is willing to negotiate and just pay them to shut up), so they have absolutely nothing to lose (other than lawyer fees, which are pocket change compared with what they can win). So now they are just on a fishing expedition, to see if any court will give them EVEN MORE money or to see if they can make Zuckerberg settle for a bit more.
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Chronno S. Trigger (profile), 17 May 2011 @ 4:54am

Re:
I would laugh my ass off if the Supreme Court canceled the settlement agreement just because they wasted the court's time. I don't know if it's possible, but in this case it should be. Looking at their Wikipedia article, they're like something from a really bad reality TV show.
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Anonymous Coward, 17 May 2011 @ 5:03am

Re:
lawyer's fees may be pocket change, but it's probably still a hefty amount of the 160 million they'll win (which their lawyers are probably already getting a portion of).
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E. Zachary Knight (profile), 17 May 2011 @ 5:04am

I recently watched the movie "The Social Network" In this movie, the Winklevoss twins were portrayed as petty cry babies who held a vendetta against Zuckerberg for beating them at their own game. At the time, I was thinking that no person could be that petty in real life.

Thanks for living up to your caricatures, Winklevii.
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E. Zachary Knight (profile), 17 May 2011 @ 5:06am

Re: Re:
The Fees are probably in the realm of 10-20% in this case with a set floor in case of a loss. But still $16-36 million is a good deal for any lawyer.
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Anonymous Coward, 17 May 2011 @ 5:25am

Re: Re:
Boo hoo. They will only get 100 million instead of 160 million for NOT implementing an idea. That so sad :(

You know what makes me feel really sorry for them? 100 million is just about 100x more (being optimistic?) than what I'll make in my whole life, working hard every single day. They should get 10000x more, because, otherwise, it just isn't fair.
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Anonymous Coward, 17 May 2011 @ 5:33am

Re: Appropriate quote....
unless you are the dead horse.. you got the quote wrong.
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Not an Electronic Rodent (profile), 17 May 2011 @ 5:44am

Re: Re: Appropriate quote....
Keh? That a grammar objection or do you *not* think Winlevii are "flogging a dead horse" in pursuing this?
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B. Nicholson (profile), 17 May 2011 @ 5:45am

To get anything at all, they must have them dead to rights
Being just a couple of guys demonstrating absolute proof of their contention is how they finally got anything at all. Their complaint seeks redress of their unconscionable injury due to loathsome misbehavior on the part of the billionaire's vast negotiation team who felt no obligation to be forthcoming and never saw themselves as having a fiduciary duty to the real co-owners of the company. I do hope that the twins finally get a fair shake.
I have a similar problem with another website, (www.pheromones.com) but there will be no justice for me.
That's my handprint in Borne Identity, and notes in my handwriting appear in E.T., Close Encounters, K-PAX, Good Will Hunting, Dead Poets Society and Back to the Future. I invented "The Force", "The Jedi", and "The Pirate Code". Inception, Avatar, Titanic, Forrest Gump, Phantom Menace--all were my creations, but all I got was a pack of microcassette tapes and $1.00 for my cave sax solo in Dead Poets Society in return for signing a piece of paper I couldn't have a copy of. There is absolutely no justice in America, unless the twins can be vindicated and properly and promptly paid.
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FuzzyDuck, 17 May 2011 @ 5:51am

Question
Since the 160 million was a settlement, I assume that implied them not continuing to litigate. Don't they forfeit the settlement by appealing?
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NullOp, 17 May 2011 @ 5:57am

No surprise
The Winklevii are turning out to be a couple of greedy little rich kids, no? No doubt they would say "It's a matter of principle...". Yeah, right!
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Tom Landry (profile), 17 May 2011 @ 7:18am

They're spoiled millionaires who grew up in a privileged sheltered life, 160 million isn't enough. What's wrong with you Mike?
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The eejit (profile), 17 May 2011 @ 7:48am

Re:
A clear sense of priorites, right?
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Difster, 17 May 2011 @ 1:41pm

I think the Supreme Court should fine them $159.9 million for filing a useless lawsuit.
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Anonymous Coward, 17 May 2011 @ 1:56pm

Re: To get anything at all, they must have them dead to rights
wtf? You...but...if...wtf?
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B. Nicholson (profile), 17 May 2011 @ 7:13pm

Facebook lawsuit
And one of the tactics of large vested interest is the use of publicists and others to generate spin for their version of events, casting scorn on the honest people seeking redress. Doubtless the vehemence of some of these comments arises from those with vested special interests of that sort. Treble damages are for people who employ such practices.
I think the twins should take control of the company, break the grasping, lying interloper and drive him out. Perhaps then we will at last have an honest discourse. This din of thieves appears in need of such a remedy.
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