Slashdot Mirror

← Back to Stories (view on slashdot.org)

Novak Loses petswarehouse.com, Files For Bankruptcy

Posted by timothy on from the barking-and-yowling dept.

An anonymous reader writes "Remember Robert Novak, the person who has filed several frivolous lawsuits in order to silence people who criticize his business. Well, Robert Novak has lost his domain (see here)in a countersuit filed against him, and has just filed for bankruptcy ."

21 of 303 comments (clear)

  1. I have one word for him... by greg987123 · · Score: 5, Funny

    Mwuhahahahahahahahah!

    1. Re:I have one word for him... by Blkdeath · · Score: 4, Funny
      And as a follow-up;

      Petswarehouse.com sucks!

      Come sue me, biznatch!

      --
      BD Phone Home!

      Shameless plug. Like you weren't expecting it.

  2. Heh by Cipster · · Score: 5, Funny

    Karma's a bitch huh?

    1. Re:Heh by critter_hunter · · Score: 5, Insightful

      I'm under the impression that this isn't the first time he files for bankruptcy. I'm also under the impression that he doesn't care about his business, and that he'll find a way to sue some more people next week

      What I'd like to know is: does he manage to profit from it? I'm not very knowledgeable of bankruptcy law, but is there a way he could be trading money for a bad credit history, in a way? Because if he manages and cares to do it again and again, he's probably not losing everything every time. Or maybe he's just hoping he'll get lucky?

      --
      Karma: Could be worse (could be raining)
    2. Re:Heh by darthwader · · Score: 5, Interesting

      What I'd like to know is: does he manage to profit from it?

      It's actually not that hard. All you do is not own anything. Make sure that all your assets are actually owned by someone you trust (your SO, spouse, sibling, etc.). Then, you declare bankruptcy, and let the courts take everything you own (which is nothing).

      Also, you live hand-to-mouth. When the money is rolling in, you buy expensive cars, live well, and lavish gifts on all people who are close to you. You don't save it, 'cause you know that the courts are going to take away your savings later. When the money stops rolling in, then you depend on your friends, SO, siblings for a while, as you dream up a new scam (business).

      Basically, once you've accepted the fact that you aren't going to have good credit, then there is no fear of declaring bankruptcy.

      For a certain kind of businessman, declaring bankruptcy is sort of like a fisherman deciding "All the fish here have been harvested, so it's time to pull up anchor and go somewhere else." In their minds, there's nothing immoral or embarrassing about it, it's just how they put food on the table.
      --
      I hate it when I make a joke and I get modded "+5 insightful". Mod the stupid comments "funny", not "insightful", pleas
    3. Re:Heh by Wavicle · · Score: 4, Informative

      Keep in mind that it isn't he whose filed for bankruptcy, it's his company.

      From the web site:

      On June 2, 3003 Robert Novak d/b/ Pets Warehouse and d/b/a petswarehouse.com filed for bankruptcy in the E.D.N.Y.

      He is his company.

      His personal credit won't be harmed, only the corporation's would.

      I suspect his personal credit will be greatly harmed.

      --
      Education is a better safeguard of liberty than a standing army.
      Edward Everett (1794 - 1865)
  3. Live by the Lawsuit... by netsharc · · Score: 5, Funny

    die by the lawsuit.

    When will this happen to the RIAA?

    --
    What time is it/will be over there? Check with my iPhone app!
    1. Re:Live by the Lawsuit... by fidget42 · · Score: 4, Insightful
      When will this happen to the RIAA?
      It may happen rather soon to SCO.
      --
      The dogcow says "Moof!"
    2. Re:Live by the Lawsuit... by The+Tyro · · Score: 4, Insightful

      This is the kind of maddening garbage that makes people sound the trumpet for tort reform... and rightfully so.

      I'd like to see some kind of penalty for filing frivolous/nuisance/totally-without-merit suits, preferably a monetary penalty (jail time might be going just a wee bit too far... though it would be very satisfying).

      This should really go for all types of torts, including medical malpractice (disclaimer: I am a physician). I have multiple colleagues who have been sued, and NOT ONE of these suits had real merit, or were for any sort of egregious breach in the standard of care. How do I know? I've looked at the charts and thought "I wouldn't have done anything different." I could never testify against any of these physicians, because what they did was objectively medically reasonable. Now, they all won their cases, but some were very close... frighteningly close.

      You always play the odds in medicine... and sometimes you lose. Every surgical procedure has a certain complication rate, no matter what you do. Every disease has a certain mortality rate, no matter what you do. The medical reality is that "sh*t happens," and it inevitably happens to a certain percentage of patients. It sucks to be in that small percentage, but attorneys and "hired gun" expert witnesses attempt to pin it on the doctor. The scariest thing of all is that you can lose everything you've ever worked for, just because "sh*t happens."

      Tort reform is a good thing... trick is, you have to do it while not taking away the poor man's keys to the court room. Even so, if the poor man files a nonsense suit, he should find himself even poorer.

      Seems fair to me...

      --
      Even if a man chops off your hand with a sword, you still have two nice, sharp bones to stick in his eyes.
    3. Re:Live by the Lawsuit... by The+Tyro · · Score: 5, Informative

      I'm truly sorry, but I cannot live up to that ideal, much as I would like to.

      I've made mistakes when treating patients... I've even watched treatments that I've prescribed kill patients (look up the complication rate for thrombolytic treatment for strokes, you'll see what I mean). I then had to face their family, and explain to them that the medicine they were gambling on to cure their relative's stroke had, in fact, caused her death. Bad outcome? Yes. Do you think I should be sued?

      I would like nothing more than to be right all the time. Sometimes I just don't have the information I need (I work in the ER, and often have to go on little to NO information), and the patient suffers as a result. When a guy having a heart attack lies to me about his cocaine use, some of the drugs I'd normally use to treat his heart attack can harm, even kill him. What am I supposed to do? An attorney can go to court and argue that if I'd waited for his medical records to arrive, I would have seen the drug abuse in his old chart... but I have to treat RIGHT NOW, or I run the risk of breaching the 30 minute door-to-drug standard of care, and I can get sued for THAT. Hard choices.

      I don't mind being between the devil and the deep blue sea... I signed up for that. What I cannot do is be perfect, or always have a perfect outcome.

      The good news is this: most people understand... which is part of the reason that doctors prevail in 80-90% of all malpractice suits. Juries often "get it," despite the depredations of the personal injury bar.

      --
      Even if a man chops off your hand with a sword, you still have two nice, sharp bones to stick in his eyes.
  4. And the doctor by PirateDave+-) · · Score: 4, Insightful
    Gets a tast of his own medicine, one could say.

    Do we see here proof that unethical corporate practices (sueing everyone) will eventually be the destruction of your business? I for one hope so.

  5. Learn from this one kids... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 4, Funny

    Ya see what happens to your business when you don't have a cute sock-puppet character on your side? Oh, wait... nevermind. They didn't make it either...

  6. Am we finally allowed... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Interesting
    Am we finally allowed to talk about the horrible rate of dead animal deliveries from this place?

    Seriously. This was one of the more common reasons he would sue. People would order fish, aquarium plants, rodents, etc. and they would arrive dead, not marked for paid-for weekend delivery, sent at slower than safe shipping speeds, not packaged to protect from temperature and normal handling, or even not delivered to the carrier the same day they were packaged!!!

  7. Re:All I can say is... by Roosey · · Score: 5, Funny

    I don't think we've heard the last of Mr. Novak somehow.

    We certainly haven't unless we can get him to stop showing up on Crossfire every other night.

  8. marketplace confusion... by spazoid12 · · Score: 5, Informative

    "Petswarehouse.com" has long been a source of confusion in the marketplace. For many years a company known as "Pet Warehouse" (not "Petswarehouse") has been a trusted source of supplies for fish enthusiasts. Long before the .com retailer thing, Pet Warehouse was, IMHO, the best of the mail order catalogs. They were eventually bought out by "Doctors Foster and Smith" (www.drsfostersmith.com), but the good Drs continue to print the "Pet Warehouse" name on their catalogs because it's a well respected name. They even continue to operate via the same old tollfree number. I've been out of the hobby for years, but hopefully they're still good.

    It's been a nuisance that Novak and his pathetic activities has brought confusion via a similar name. Good riddance.

  9. Ahhh... by techturtle · · Score: 4, Insightful

    From the link:

    Novak 3 involves a lawsuit against Novak as the result of a defamatory message that was posted claiming a Bar Complaint was pending on November 2001 against John Benn. A judgment has been rendered against Novak in that case.

    So he's going off suing people because they are (I assume rightfully) complaining about his poor business practices in a public forum. Then he publicly defamates a LAWYER'S character and loses the whole business!!! What an ultra maroon! It's big time poetic justice that Mr. Benn will get his $50,000 settlement from the obliteration of the brand.

    --
    If you don't have something nice to sig, then don't sig anything at all.
  10. To quote nelson by Loosewire · · Score: 5, Funny

    HA HA

    --
    Slashdot - The one stop shop for procrastination
  11. just another tool of legal abuse by frovingslosh · · Score: 5, Interesting
    and has just filed for bankruptcy

    Don't think for a minute that this means this guy is broke. He's likely just using the bankruptcy laws to shield himself from paying his obligation. The guy apparently abuses the legal system to sue everyone he can to make a buck, then when a law suit catches up with him he does this to not pay on the judgement against him. Pretty typical.

    --
    I'm an American. I love this country and the freedoms that we used to have.
  12. Novak moved to a new domain. by Gendou · · Score: 4, Informative

    I've been following this story from the start, and it's been fascinating. Pets Warehouse is still up and operating. Novak switched over to a new domain shortly after the turnover of the domain was ordered, so he's managed to avoid any downtime despite losing his old domain. It's now located at Pets-Warehouse.com (Novak just added a dash). Maybe it'll soon be gone too, but Novak has been through a couple of bankruptcies already. I hope he's learned a lesson, at least.

  13. uh oh! by scovetta · · Score: 4, Interesting

    Pets Warehouse.com
    1550 Sunrise Hwy, Copiague, NY 11726
    Phone: (631) 789-5400

    I called, they're still open. The lady was kind of rude on the phone though. Anybody up for a class-action?

    --
    Wer mit Ungeheuern kämpft, mag zusehn, dass er nicht dabei zum Ungeheuer wird. --Nietzsche
  14. Def: Barratry by Remik · · Score: 4, Informative

    barÂraÂtry

    1. The offense of persistently instigating lawsuits, typically groundless ones.

    2. An unlawful breach of duty on the part of a ship's master or crew resulting in injury to the ship's owner.

    3. Sale or purchase of positions in church or state.

    What he's doing is illegal, he should be fined into oblivion or sent up the river to be married to some guy named Bubba.

    And, while we're at it, let's get the RIAA up on charges too.

    -R