 Photoglou on November 18, 2008, February 18, 2009 and March 4, 2009. Rossi obtained a Temporary Restraining Order against Photoglou on March 5, 2009, according to court documents.
The trial testimony revealed multiple death threats by Photoglou, stalking, online harassment, 911 calls, claims of suicide attempts, and posting of nude photos of Rossi. The parties filed numerous police reports, according to the evidence at trial. There were multiple claims by Photoglou that Rossi and Slade Smiley had assaulted him. The documentary evidence in trial indicated that Photoglou had also enlisted the help of many other associates and bloggers to virtually track Rossi’s every move to harass her and interfere with her career.
The trial evidence included 3 prior restraining orders against Mr. Photoglou, showing a 22-year pattern of harassing, stalking, and threatening women he knew, according to court documents.
In finding against Photoglou, the jury did not believe there was the relationship Photoglou claimed. During trial, he was repeatedly referred to as “obsessed” with Rossi, according to the trial transcripts. Attorney Gregory G. Brown said, “Photoglou testified in his deposition that he had been engaged to Rossi.” At times during the trial, Photoglou began to cry during his testimony.
“Q. And you have prior restraining orders against you from other women, correct?
Photoglou was then presented with 3 prior Restraining Orders issued against him by Orange County women, according to the evidence at trial.
The jury found Photoglou liable for Stalking. Brown said that civil stalking “typically involves a pattern of persistent conduct designed to place the victim in fear of her life, harass, torment or terrorize for no legitimate purpose.” The trial evidence also demonstrated that Photoglou had three prior restraining orders against him from women for similar conduct.
The jury found Photoglou liable for Intentional Infliction of Emotional Distress, which is conduct that is “outrageous” and intended to cause “severe emotional distress.” The evidence on this claim included the threats to kill, posting nude photos, online harassment, cyber stalking, and other wrongful conduct.
The jury found Photoglou liable for Assault, which is intentional conduct that demonstrates an unlawful intent to inflict immediate injury on the person of another. The evidence on this claim included the threats to kill to both Rossi and her significant other, Slade Smiley.
The jury found Photoglou liable for Conversion, which is the wrongful taking of the property of another. The jury was presented with evidence that Photoglou took Rossi’s $8,000 set of 4 rims & tires, camera memory card (with photos), and her personal printed photos.
The jury found Photoglou liable for Intentional Interference with Contract, which is intentional conduct designed to disrupt or interfere with Rossi’s appearance and business contracts. The conduct alleged involved sending the nude photos (that Photoglou had previously provided to the Internet websites) to companies that Rossi had business relationships with or ongoing contracts.
Finally, the jury found Photoglou liable for Intentional Interference with Prospective Economic Advantage, which is intentional conduct designed to disrupt or interfere with potential business deals that probably would have resulted in economic benefit to Rossi. This alleged conduct also involved sending the same nude photos to companies, individuals and charities that were working with Rossi. Rossi claimed that this conduct caused her to lose potential business and appearances.
After the verdict, the jurors spoke candidly about the case. They found Photoglou to lack credibility and to be very evasive while testifying. Photoglou’s giving nude photos taken from Rossi to Internet outlets particularly offended the jury.
During the punitive damage phase of the trial, which is designed to determine the wrongdoers net worth (to determine amount of punitive damages), Photoglou’s June 28, 2012 Bankruptcy Filing took center stage, according to the transcripts. Notable was the $334,000 owed to the IRS and other Governmental Entities. The total debts listed in the Bankruptcy filings (used to limit the amount of punitive damages) amounted to $902,299.80, according to the trial exhibit. The total assets listed were $25,256. Of note is the fact that Photoglou claimed he had $23,250 of photos of Rossi (this amount listed as exempt from creditors and also the amount the jury found in punitive damages against Photoglou, according to the jury verdict). On the stand, Photoglou claimed he had nothing, according to trial transcripts. His homes, boat, vehicles were all gone, according to his testimony.
The Jury, however, did not believe this testimony, noting his very expensive suits worn to trial, Bruno Magli shoes, and apparent extravagant lifestyle.
Photoglou sued Rossi for defamation. However, the jury found against him on all of his claims, according to the jury verdict. The trial evidence showed his testimony to be false and/or contradictory numerous times.
On Monday November 19, 2012, the Court held a hearing on Rossi’s request for a permanent Restraining Order (pursuant to her claim for Stalking under California Civil Code Section 1708.7). As shown by court documents, Orange County Superior Court Judge David Chaffee issued a three-year Injunction against Photoglou.
Not to contact any business with which Rossi works, with which she is contracted to work, or any business with which Rossi is in negotiations.
A GP fluke, a hillclimb winner
Author
- Mattijs Diepraam
Date
- 8W August 2000 issue
Related articles
- BRM - The long road to success, by Felix Muelas/Leif Snellman/Mattijs Diepraam/Don Capps
- Four-wheel drive - The Cosworth F1 car and the history of four-wheel-drive in racing, by Mattijs Diepraam
- Four-wheel drive in 1969 Grand Prix racing - A closer look at the '69 4WD GP contenders, by Mattijs Diepraam/Michael Ferner
Why?
We all know about the Ferguson P99 and the blob of 4WD enterprises during the 1969 season. But sandwiched between them in time there was one other all-wheel drive experiment that almost came to start a World Championship Grand Prix. It was the BRM P67, which was entered for the 1964 British GP as a third car alongside the regular RWD P261s of Graham Hill and Richie Ginther. Its driver was Dick Attwood, incidentally also making his first Championship appearance. But appear on the grid he did not. The 24th and last car on the grid, lagging just 0.2s behind Tony Maggs' Centro Sud BRM, didn't show up on Sunday when all the other 23 cars were present and accounted for.
What happened? Well, after having been a follower in the many revolutions F1 had seen during their stay in the formula, BRM this time started to look ahead to the forthcoming 3-litre regulations two years ahead of time. With the engine size about to be doubled, the Bourne works looked to drastic solutions to counter the sudden power increase. Four-wheel drive was one of the thoughts that came up. Experimenting with a P261-style monocoque, a young Mike Pilbeam fitted old-style P57 suspension and a Ferguson drive system to create a 4WD race car.
As was the case with the Tony Rolt/Claude Hill-designed Ferguson Project 99 from 1960/'61, the engine was turned through 180 degrees while the driver position was slightly offset the right to accommodate for a driveshaft running through the left-hand side of the cockpit. The torque was split in the middle, with 50 per cent going to both front and rear. Having been perfected over the years and raced in Indycars by Andy Granatelli, the system was trouble-free. But it weigh in at another 150lb, which was 15 per cent of the car's unsprung weight. With 200bhp on tap from the 1.5-litre engine it was bound to be handicapped. In any case, the idea was for the system to work for 3-litre cars.
The driving test bed was entered all the same for the 1964 British GP, Attwood driving after also having done the initial testing. To no-one's surprised it practiced well off the pace, managing a time over 7s slower than pole man Clark. Still it was just 0.2s shy of Tony Maggs in the Centro Sud P57. But to be fair, the troubled Maggs himself was over 1.5s adrift from young Peter Revson, the second-to-last man on the grid. On Sunday, BRM decided not to race the P67. After that, there was no serious thought to re-enter the car and the project lost its developmental drive, mostly due to the costs that would be needed for a complete rebuild of the car to make it light enough for the 1.5-litre formula. Then, in 1966, BRM fielding a heavily underpowered two-litre car for much of the season, the 4WD project was apparently stuck in one of Bourne's deepest drawers. Maybe that was because of JYS taking the opening Monaco GP in the 1.9-litre machine. Or perhaps their attention was unjustly diverted to their latest love baby - the megalomaniac H16 project. It seems strange that BRM actually decided to shelve an unsuccessful idea as they were perfectly willing to race many other bad ideas, such as the H16...
Much later, in 1968 in fact