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Dear Jose:
I am writing to you because of your relationship with Scott Oliver and others. Even if you do not presently represent Mr. Oliver in a strict legal sense, you and he have a close personal and/or business relationship, and it seems fitting that I direct these remarks primarily to you, and, through you, to your associates.
It has become very obvious that your associates have been manipulating Internet forums, and positioning listings, for the purpose of defaming individuals associated with Paragon Properties and disparaging the company. Although there may be some small economic benefit to you and/or your associates, it seems as if there is something more sinister and malicious behind these activities.
Not only have neutral or positive postings submitted to these various forums been consistently rejected or deleted, or access to post denied to the company or to one of its U.S. attorneys, but searching the Web via Google and Yahoo have returned priority postings of negative information, ranging from old and recycled adverse comments and links, but also to false, even knowingly false, statements, whose primary purpose can only be to harm Paragon Properties. (For example, Mr. Tashman does not own or run Paragon Properties; Paragon Properties does not run boiler rooms; and its people are not scumbags.) This is by no means about the freedom to post and share information in an open forum, or about legitimate business competition; it is about the ugliest imaginable censorship, misuse of the truth, intentional interference with business relationships, and unfair competition.
Current information about Paragon Properties and its projects, including photos, are readily available at http://www.buycostaricanland.com/corporate, and http://www.paragonpropertiesofcr.com These sites will show that Paragon Properties owns eleven (11) subdivisions free and clear, and is actively engaged in construction homes on them. In addition, there is a standing (and previously extended) offer to doubters and haters to visit these projects. There is no good reason for Scott Oliver and/or others to directly or indirectly defame and disparage when the opportunity exists to actually see and experience the truth on the ground.
In the same vein, it appears that Mr. Oliver has a habit of referring to unnamed companies that he faults for bad practices. He no doubt does this because he is under the impression that doing so enables him to do his damage while escaping responsibility/liability for the impact of his references. However, he cannot escape from the consequences of what he does by this technique. For example, his derogatory references to television advertisers clearly refers to Paragon Properties because Paragon Properties is the only developer that markets by way of television. Since Mr. Oliver now intends to report on developments in Costa Rica, it bears pointing out that if he so much as infers that Paragon Properties developments lack merit because other developments lack merit, his report will be treated as a violation of both civil and criminal law. The same is true of any inference of lack of merit in a Paragon Properties development he has not visited.
Paragon Properties has expended millions of dollars to obtain its land, subdivide it, secure government approvals, install roads, provide for water and electric service, and otherwise prepare the land for construction. Single family homes, guardhouses and going up everywhere. In fact, many lots have already been titled to purchasers; other transfers are imminent.
All this expenditure of time, money and effort is simply too much of an investment not to protect. In court, and it will be a simple matter to demonstrate that Paragon Properties is a major and legitimate developer in Costa Rica, deserving of a good reputation in Costa Rica and beyond. How anyone would dismiss what has been done, as if it had not been done, is sheer madness.
Perhaps if Paragon Properties took good care of their clients, didn’t use the high pressure sales tactics, and stuck to the time tables and finished a project before touting how great they are they would not have to spend so much time defending themselves. There is nothing sinister or malicous going on. Fix your reputation, don’t attack the messenger. All you do is validate most of what is said.
This letter is from the Paragon attorneys and as such, we will be responding to this letter AFTER our attorneys have looked at this.
Scott Oliver
Founder – WeLoveCostaRica.comJose is a dear friend of mine and a trusted business associate but, he has nothing to do with the running of this website so I, Scott Oliver will reply to your email.
I, Scott Oliver am a Wall Street trained and qualified investment advisor with over 20 years experience in helping my clients with securities and sophisticated hedge fund investments.
Never in my career has there been a complaint filed by any client against me. Never in my career have I, Scott Oliver had any problems of any kind with any banking or financial services authority in the UK, in the USA, the Cayman Islands, in Costa Rica or anywhere else in the world.
With 20 years of professional investment experience and, as the author of Costa Rica’s Guide To Making Money Offshore, some people consider me, Scott Oliver an expert international investment advisor.
As the author of the current #1 best selling book on Costa Rica real estate and the founder of WeLoveCostaRica.com, some people consider Scott Oliver to be an authority on Costa Rica real estate. We have always stressed that dozens of experts helped create that book so the credit should go to a small group of people and not just to me, Scott Oliver.
As you will see from the written testimonials about this book on Amazon.com at many of these people are established, real estate professionals in Costa Rica.
As a recognized source for information about international investments and Costa Rica real estate, I, Scott Oliver am often asked to comment on real estate in Costa Rica and where time permits, I try to help and educate my investment clients and the VIP Members of this website.
As you will clearly see from the WeLoveCostaRica.com discussion forum, I have commented on dozens of different real estate projects in Costa Rica. The most recent one on 10th March 2005 at
It should be stressed that I, Scott Oliver have not, do not and never will manipulate any forums or “positioning listings” and to the best of my recollection, I can not remember ever posting anything about Paragon or any of the people involved with Paragon in the other forums listed below or, in any forum other than WeLoveCostaRica.com
I, Scott Oliver do not have “associates” that manipulate forums. In fact, I do not even know some of the other people that were cc’d on the same email that was received from your attorneys Michael J. Fingar and Lic. Alejandro Montero.
I, Scott Oliver have no control whatsoever of what is posted on, or deleted from the Paragon forums on the other websites listed below to whom you have also sent this letter:
Until yesterday, I, Scott Oliver have not looked at those forums and what may be “very obvious” to you has nothing to do with me “disparaging” Paragon or any other company that is not my goal.
As a recognized expert in Costa Rica real estate, there is nothing “sinister and malicious” about educating people in the process of buying Costa Rica real estate which is the goal of both my book ‘How To Buy Costa Rica Real Estate Without Losing Your Camisa and the WeLoveCostaRica.com website.
To the best of my recollection, I Scott Oliver have never “rejected or deleted” any “neutral or positive postings” about Paragon or anyone associated with Paragon and, as you well know, the 20th May 2005 letter posted by username ‘grandpa,’ the Chairman of Paragon – Bill Gale remains on the website at
My response to your Chairman’s letter also remains at
After Bill Gale posted this letter at the forum became more active.
I have also posted photographs of one of the Paragon projects and the letter from attorney Michael J. Fingar on the website at
If there were postings made by other Paragon employees in the forum, we can only assume that they remain on the site.
It should also be noted that out of the hundreds of Paragon postings on the WeLoveCostaRica.com discussion forums, I, Scott Oliver have only posted comments on about 17 occasions during a period of over 12 months since the forum has been active, which would be in line for the moderator of a very active discussion forum.
I, Scott Oliver can also assure you that I cannot remember ever personally denying access to any Paragon employee. Automatic access denial does happen when someone logs on using the same username and password at the same time from different computers but, this is a standard security feature of most subscription websites.
I, Scott Oliver would never knowingly post “nowingly false” statements about anyone or anything on this website. However, the WeLoveCostaRica.com discussion forum is hosted in the USA, not in Costa Rica and it is up and running 24 hours per day and it’s physically impossible to monitor 24/7. I do, however, exercise to the best extent possible, my duties as moderator.
If you can please show us which statements you feel are “knowingly false” please email me with the specific location of those comments and if required, we will delete them immediately.
I, Scott Oliver have never stated that Tashman owns Paragon or made any demeaning comments about people at Paragon. However, if you can show us where this has been clearly stated about Paragon by Scott Oliver, these comments will also be deleted immediately.
I, Scott Oliver can not recall ever stating that Paragon is not “a major and legitimate developer in Costa Rica.” However, if you can show us where this has been clearly stated by Scott Oliver, these comments will also be deleted immediately.
It is “very obvious” to me, Scott Oliver that my reference to “television advertisers” does not specifically refer to Paragon Properties because as anyone who is familiar with me knows: A: I do not watch television and B: Since I live in Costa Rica and not the USA, I have not seen television in the USA for more than a decade.
In a recent article entitled “Recommended Real Estate Projects in Costa Rica” at I, Scott Oliver did refer to “Emails, direct mail and extensive television advertising…” However, this description could include a thousand different companies that use “emails, direct mail and extensive television advertising” to help sell their real estate. This could include hundreds of different companies that send CDs or DVDs to watch on television to try and sell their real estate. There was no mention or inference of your company’s name.
I, Scott Oliver appreciate your “standing offer” to visit your projects but, I will be focusing my time and effort on proven developers with significant real estate development experience in Costa Rica who have already completed successful projects.
I, Scott Oliver would like to assure you that I do not wish to offend, disparage or defame you or anyone else and will make every effort to try and ensure that this does not occur.
If there is anything that we can do to help you in the future, please do not hesitate to contact me.
Best wishes.
Scott Oliver – Founder
WeLoveCostaRica.comAttorney Montero:
It was not until today that I read this note you addressed to me, posted on this forum.
I do not usually have time to browse through discussion fora on the Web, not even this one. It was a mere coincidence that I had time and interest to do so today (Saturday morning).
I answer now, due to respect for the public who read the forum.
As you are very well aware of, when partners of Paragon Properties decided to set foot in Costa Rica, they contacted my legal offices, and in fact I was their legal advisor for a few months.
I resigned that position, very early in the process.
The reasons behind my decision are covered by the attorney-client priviledged information, or “secreto profesional” as we say in Spanish. Since then, I have adhered to ethics of my profession and -even more- to my personal ethics, and I will continue to do so.
Ever since I sent my written resignation to Paragon owners, I have not had any contact whatsowever with them, nor with anybody related to that company, neither have I had any interest in following the development of the work of such business. I am too busy for that.
José Rafael Fernández
Attorney
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