Josip Heit denied injunction against Singaporean financial blog
Josip Heit has failed to obtain an injunction against a Singaporean financial blog.
As alleged by Heit, the unnamed blog citing Lydian World as a Ponzi scheme was “a serious violation of his personal rights”.
The Hamburg Regional Court Heit filed in initially sided with Heit (right). Upon learning of the ruling however, the blog obtained local representation and filed an objection.
As reported by BTC Echo on January 8th, the Singaporean blog was represented by the Riemenschneider Media Law Firm.
The court accepted the objection, in which it was argued referring to Lydian World as a Ponzi scheme was “a permissible expression of opinion and not a statement of fact.”
The “Ponzi Scheme” was therefore a permissible expression of opinion and not a statement of fact. There was also a sufficient factual basis for this opinion, according to the presentation by lawyer Riemenschneider in the oral hearing.
The court expressly deviated from its previous legal opinion.
Upon failing to obtain an injunction, Heit withdrew his application.
The case is similar to legal action Heit filed against BehindMLM in the same Hamburg court. Unlike the Singaporean blog however, BehindMLM had no knowledge of proceedings until after the fact.
Heit then took his Hamburg ruling and filed a subpoena petition in the New York Supreme Court. The initially granted petition was overturned on appeal, primarily due to Heit’s inability to provide supporting evidence.
The New York Appellate Court rejected New York Supreme Court’s reliance on the Hamburg proceedings owing to their ex-parte nature and lack of supporting evidence.
While we know Heit’s injunction application was filed by long-time Heit collaborators Irle Moser, when the application was filed is unclear.
If it was anytime after early 2023 however, the application was likely filed in bad faith.
In early 2023 Canadian provinces began issuing GSPartners and parent company Gold Standard Corporation (GSB) fraud warnings.
- Quebec’s Autorite des Marches Financiers cited GSPartners and fifty-two associated websites in a March 9th, 2023 securities fraud warning
- the Alberta Securities Commission added GSPartners’ GSTrade platform and G999 Ponzi coin to its Investment Caution List on March 15th, 2023
- the Alberta Securities Commission added GSPartners to its Investment Caution List on May 19th, 2023
- the British Columbia Securities Commission issued a GSPartners securities fraud warning on May 30th, 2023
- Saskatchewan’s Financial and Consumers Affairs Authority issued a GSPartners investor alert on June 1st, 2023
- the Ontario Securities Commission issued a GSPartners and Swiss Valorem Bank securities fraud warning on July 25th, 2023
Led by the North American Securities Administrators Association, by early 2024 GSPartners, GSB and Heit had received over a dozen regulatory fraud warnings across North America.
- BehindMLM confirmed ongoing CFTC and SEC investigations into GSPartners and Heit on November 2nd, 2023
- the Texas State Securities Board issued a GSPartners and Josip Heit securities fraud cease and desist on November 16th, 2023
- Washington’s Department of Financial Institutions issued a GSPartners and Josip Heit fraud warning on November 16th, 2023
- the Alabama Securities Commission issued a GSPartners securities fraud cease and desist on November 16th, 2023
- California’s Department of Financial Protection and Innovation issued a GSPartners securities fraud desist and refrain order on November 16th, 2023
- Kentucky’s Department of Financial Institutions sued GSPartners and Josip Heit for securities fraud on November 16th, 2023
- Wisconsin’s Department of Financial Institutions issued a GSPartners “global fraud scheme” warning on November 16th, 2023
- New Hampshire issued a GSPartners “fraud and deception” cease and desist order on November 16th, 2023
- the Arizona Corporation Commission issued a GSPartners and Josip Heit securities fraud cease and desist order on November 16th, 2023
- Florida’s Office of Financial Regulation issued a GSPartners and Josip Heit “unlawful activities” cease and desist order on November 17th, 2023
- the Arkansas Securities Department issued a GSPartners securities fraud cease and desist order on November 22nd, 2023
- Mississippi’s Secretary of State issued a GSPartners securities fraud cease and desist order on December 6th, 2023
- Georgia’s Commissioner of Securities fined GSPartners and Josip Heit $500,000 for securities fraud violations on January 22nd, 2024
- Massachusetts’ Attorney General’s Office issued a GSPartners “crypto scam” warning in early March 2024
Specific language used by North American regulators to refer to GSB’s GSPartners investment scheme include:
- “fraud, deception and the concealment of operational information”
- “fraud, deceit, and the blockfolios”
- “fraud, deceit, and the use of internal tokens”
- “fraud and the concealment of the use of principal”
- “fraud, deception, and the market protection system”
- “fraud, deception, and the performance of prior offerings”
- “fraud, deception, and the LYS staking pools”
- “fraud and deception and G999 coin”
- “Respondents are engaging in fraud in connection with the offer for the sale of securities”
Upon consideration of the above, Heit claiming a Singaporean financial blog referring to Lydian World as a Ponzi constitutes a violation of his personal rights seems disingenuous.
Heit entered into a settlement with North American regulators in September 2024. GSB victims were initially told a claim portal would go live in early November but there has been no communication since.
Three months on the status of the reached GSB settlement, which hinges on Heit providing AlixPartners with investor details and refunding GSB victims, is unclear.
Heit meanwhile continues to defraud consumers through GSPro+ and DAO1.
I see it’s not BTC Echo’s first run-in with them
btc-echo.de/news/tv-star-sophia-thomalla-verliert-prozess-gegen-btc-echo-139880/
I went looking on the Riemenschneider Media Law Firm’s website to see if they’d talked about the decision. Wanted to verify the name of the Singaporean blog.
They hadn’t published anything about it but I did notice BTC Echo was a client. Thought maybe I’d misread the Singaporean blog part so went back and checked and it’s definitely a third-party respondent.
BTC Echo is a German website so while they have had a run-in with Thomalla over her ties to GSPartners, in this case they don’t appear to be the respondents.
This is also pure speculation on my part but in wondering why Heit targeted a seemingly random blog in Singapore, I believe this might tie into Auratus Gold being fronted by Terry Lee and the use of Singaporean shell companies.
A Singapore publication raising awareness of GSB’s fraud locally might have caused issues with local financial institutions.
Pure speculation on my part but it fits. The plan was probably to get a German judge to sign off on another Heit “I didn’t do it!” affidavit and then take that to a Singapore court. Repeat shenanigans of what Heit tried with BMLM.
You’re a bloody legend you really are doing a fantastic job and the communities proud of you and your website. Would you believe Shavez Anwar is trying to take down my DDos Attack At the moment these guys hate the publicity however I have a fantastic website host
I know some of the top promotors here in South Africa had a couple of trips to Singapore to build there teams.
I couldn’t verify which ones because most of them locked there social media accounts since the media started reporting on them, when that captain guy got arrested.
Correct, I meant their first run-in reporting on GSB and their shenanigans – including themselves being targeted that time.
Regarding the Singaporean blog – it’s Seedly, it’s like a user-reviews and forum site in Singapore for anything and everything, mobile providers, energy providers, financial services etc.
Not the first time GSB target forums with takedowns, it happens all over.