Martha Stewart

[princess 1,712]

EOnline.com NOT A GOOD THING: Martha Stewart 's close friend, Mariana Pasternak, testifying that Stewart admitted that she knew ImClone founder Sam Waksal had been trying to dump his stock just days after she sold her own. Stewart claims she sold the stock for different reasons.

[princess 1,712]

Martha Prosecutors Rest Case

EOnline.com

by Joal Ryan

Feb 20, 2004, 3:45 PM PT

 

[princess 1,712]

EOnline.com THE DEFENSE RESTS: <strong>Martha Stewart 's defense attorneys rested their case Wednesday</strong> after calling just one witness to the stand, a lawyer who was with her when she first spoke to investigators about the sale of her ImClone stock. Jury deliberations are expected to begin next week.

[princess 1,712]

CNN Breaking News:-- Federal judge dismisses securities fraud charge against Martha Stewart.

[princess 1,712]

Martha's Fraud Charge Gets TossedTODD PETERSONpeople.comA federal judge on Friday handed Martha Stewart the best news she's received in some time.U.S. District Judge Miriam Goldman Cedarbaum threw out the most serious charge against the harried homemaker, securities fraud. The charge claimed Stewart deceived investors in her company by lying about the sale of her shares of ImClone Systems stock, the Associated Press reports.The decision is considered a major victory for the defense. If convicted of securities fraud, Stewart could have faced 10 years in prison.But the fraud claim had been questioned by legal experts since the start of the trial, with the judge openly referring to it as a "novel" charge.Stewart still faces four other charges, including conspiracy, obstruction of justice, and two counts of lying to investigators, stemming from her Dec. 27, 2001, sale of nearly 4,000 shares of ImClone stock, AP reports.Stewart is on trial with her former stockbroker Peter Bacanovic, who was not facing securities fraud charges. None of his charges were tossed, AP reports.Stewart's defense team rested its case Wednesday. The jury is expected to begin deliberations early next week.The ruling comes just two days after the death of a prosecution witness in the case. On Wednesday, Jeremiah Gutman, an attorney who represented the prosecution's star witness, Douglas Faneuil, collapsed on a train platform in Westchester County, N.Y. Gutman, 80, later died at a hospital.Faneuil was an assistant to Bacanovic who told investigators that his boss had ordered him to tip off Stewart about ImClone System's founder Sam Waskal's sale of shares in his own company. Prosecutors believe that information precipitated Stewart's sale of her shares of ImClone.

[princess 1,712]

people.comUNRESOLVED: Jurors in the trial of Martha Stewart, 62, completed their first day of deliberations on Wednesday without reaching a decision on whether the trendsetter lied to investigators about a suspicious stock trade. Hours after beginning deliberations, the jury of eight women and four men asked for telephone records from the day Stewart sold nearly 4,000 shares of ImClone stock. Deliberations continue into Thursday.

[princess 1,712]

CNN-- <font size="3"><strong>Martha Stewart found guilty on four counts in conspiracy and obstruction of justice trial</font></strong>.

[princess 1,712]

Martha Guilty!

EOnline.com

by Lia Haberman

Mar 5, 2004, 1:30 PM PT

 

[princess 1,712]

EOnline.com

[princess 1,712]

EOnline.com

[producerjeff 0]

Although I have nothing personal against her, I trying to find some good Martha Stewart jokes.  All I'm hearing is predictable (scented candles in cells, "it's a good thing," etc.). 

[princess 1,712]

i've seen some, I'll post next time I run across.

[princess 1,712]

<strong>Who Will Assume Domestic Diva Throne?</strong>STEPHEN M. SILVERMANpeople.comThey may not be vultures, but they are circling -- and one of them could be the next diva of domesticity, now that onetime undisputed queen of the house Martha Stewart has been convicted on charges of obstruction of justice, making false statements and conspiracy.And so, on Wednesday's front page of The New York Times are three likely candidates to assume Martha's throne. They are: Chris Casson Madden, who's authored 16 homemaking books and in May will unleash more than 17,000 products for the home at J.C. Penney; Barbara (or B.) Smith, a restaurateur who for a long time already has been called the African-American Martha Stewart; and A&E decorating-show host and author Katie Brown.The Times says that Smith and Brown have both been besieged by TV networks, investors, furniture firms and Hollywood scouts in the wake of Stewart's convictions last Friday."My phone's been ringing off the hook," says Brown. "Branding, branching out -- how can we bank on my name. Everyone's trying to second-guess what will happen next, and how to capitalize on it."Only don't kiss Martha goodbye so fast. New York's Daily News suggests that the disgraced diva could skip jail time when she's sentenced on June 17 should she be able to argue successfully that her removal from her company, Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia Inc., would end the jobs of 550 innocent people: her employees. First, however, Stewart must convince the board of directors of her company to keep her onboard. (Omnimedia's stock fell again on Tuesday, closing at $9.55, down 35 cents -- and a 32 percent drop since Friday's verdict was announced.)Meanwhile, Stewart's younger brother, Frank Kostyra is speaking out on behalf of his sister -- from whom he had been estranged for five years. Finally seeing her again on Monday, after Stewart's humiliating interview with a probation officer, a now-supportive Kostyra tells the New York Post: "I could see the horrible agony and heartache in her eyes and face ... I wanted to hug her right there in the courthouse -- and tell her how much I love her -- but it wasn't appropriate."Finally, on another relative note, gossip columnist Liz Smith has her own suggestion as to how Martha can retain control of her company, or at least keep it in the family: Use her daughter's name and call it Alexis Stewart Living.

[princess 1,712]

<strong>Martha Stewart Plans Trial Book</strong>imdb.comAmerican lifestyle guru Martha Stewart is planning to turn her recent legal troubles to her own advantage - by penning a book about her case. The 62-year-old TV star was found guilty of obstruction of justice last week and is awaiting her sentence. And details of the trial will be the main feature of her upcoming memoirs. Her spokesperson says, "Martha always planned to write her memoir." A source adds, "She has always kept detailed notes. She planned it even before the trial began, and even consulted with lawyers as to whether she could include events from the trial."

[princess 1,712]

Martha May Keep a Role in Her CompanySTEPHEN M. SILVERMANpeople.com<strong>While Martha Stewart will not learn until June 17 how she will be sentenced for her recent conviction, she may soon find out her future role in the company she founded and which bears her name, Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia Inc.</strong>The New York Times and New York Post speculate that Stewart will remain as the chief creative force at her namesake -- still picking the colors for the sheets and the like -- but will have to resign from her position on the board of directors.The Times, however, points out that should Stewart be permitted to continue as "creative director," the decision would still have to be approved to the stockholders in the company as well as her business partners, consumers and securities regulators -- and all that may be difficult to come by.Stewart, 62, is not only the founder and guiding force of her company, but her face is emblazoned on many of its offshoots (magazines and TV shows) and she is its largest shareholder. She reportedly owns 61 percent of the business, meaning she has the best interest of the company at hand -- and veto power over the board.The Post, meanwhile, adds that the company has a cash surplus, so no monies are owed and there's no immediate pressure to shove Stewart out the door, despite her perceived fall from grace after her conviction on charges of lying to investigators about a stock trade.Still, the Post does go on to say that Living Omnimedia is looking for someone to replace Stewart on its six-person board, with one possible candidate being Alexis Stewart, Martha's 38-year-old daughter, who rallied to her once-estranged mother's side during the course of the famous trial.

[princess 1,712]

MARTHA PRODUCT NAME IS MUD &nbsp;Page SixTHE writing was on the wall for Martha Stewart but try as she might, she couldn't scrub it off.Now her corporate cohorts are looking for ways to scrub her no-good name off her company's products.And it turns out, the clean-up began long before the verdict was in on the disgraced domestic diva.<strong>On Jan. 23 - just three days after her trial began - her company, Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia, filed an application to trademark the name "Everyday Living" as a magazine title, Ad Age reports today.A company spokesman told Ad Age the timing of the application "could be coincidental" and wouldn't say if "Everyday Living" was intended as a possible substitute title for "Martha Stewart Living."</strong>It is "just one of many trademark applications put forth by [Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia] for any number of ideas we have," the flack said.But now that Martha's name is mud, the company is scrambling to distance itself in any way it can from the perjured princess of perfection.Martha's syndicated newspaper columns have already dropped her name. "AskMartha" and "AskMartha Weddings" are now being called "Living" and "Weddings."CBS dumped her show "Martha Stewart Living" after a jury on March 5 convicted her of lying to federal investigators and obstructing justice.Martha already has traction with the "Everyday" name - it graces the bedlinens and knickknacks sold under her name by Kmart.Meanwhile, Ad Age reports, elbows are already flying in the scrum to replace the harpy homemaker as top banana in the domesticity dodge.Oprah Winfrey's magazine "O" is spinning off a new title, "O at Home," which is scheduled to bring out its first two issues this year.But Ad Age said a full-fledged launch could be on the way.Insiders at Omnimedia said last week that Stewart will remain on as "creative director" of the company, while offering to step down from the board of directors.The problem is, no matter how fast the company runs, it can't really get away from Martha.She still owns 61 percent of the company and has veto power over the board.With that in mind, the company may want to choose a new title for its flagship magazine that evokes Martha's brand of create-it-from-scratch homemaking but doesn't shrink from her new circumstances.Why don't they just call it "Stir"?

[princess 1,712]

CNN Breaking News:-- Martha Stewart resigns from board and as chief creative officer of company she founded.

[princess 1,712]

Alexis Stewart Not Up for Mom's JobSTEPHEN M. SILVERMANpeople.com<strong>Despite speculation that Martha Stewart's 38-year-old daughter, Alexis Stewart, might step into her mother's executive-style shoes at Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia, the younger Stewart reportedly expressed no interest in a takeover of her embattled mother's empire during a pre-recorded interview on CNN's "Larry King Live."</strong>"I'm not so goal-oriented," the New York Times reported Alexis Stewart as saying on the program, scheduled to air Wednesday night. "I'm more interested in environmental-type issues." She and her mother, says Alexis, possess "different personalities," though she was quick to add: "I'm proud to be Martha Stewart's daughter."Alexis, who for a time was reportedly estranged from her mother, says she fainted when Martha's guilty verdict was announced, according to the CNN transcripts. "Nobody really knows that," Alexis said, "but it was so horrifying and incomprehensible that I fainted. And even the people around me didn't know."Martha Stewart, 62, was convicted March 5 on four counts of lying to federal investigators about her sale of ImClone stock in December 2001. Her sentencing is scheduled for June 17. Legal experts believe Stewart will be ordered to serve from 10 to 16 months behind bars in a minimum-security prison, and on Monday this week Stewart announced her resignation as director and chief creative officer of the namesake company she founded.Martha's new title is founding editorial director, and she reportedly will retain her $1.2 million annual salary. She remains her company's largest shareholder, yet had already resigned as chairman of the board for MSO last June, in light of the criminal charges against her.During the interview, King asks Alexis, "What did you learn from your mother?" Her response: "Strength, persistence, open-mindedness."And her mother's biggest fault? "She's too, ironically, forgiving and kind and I know people don't know that, but she was incredibly generous and she gives too much, I think."

[princess 1,712]

EOnline.com WAS IT WORTH IT? <strong>Martha Stewart feeling like her life was "wasted" after being found guilty of lying about her stock sale, her daughter, Alexis Stewart, tells CNN's Larry King Live</strong> in an interview airing Wednesday.

[princess 1,712]

people.com SOUGHT: Martha Stewart, 62, who is scheduled to be sentenced June 17 after being convicted earlier this month on four charges of lying to federal investigators looking into a stock trade, <strong>has written to about 100 of her closest friends, asking them to contact Judge Miriam Cedarbaum and express their supportive opinions about Stewart's "character, my work ethic, my integrity and my probity," according to a letter signed by Stewart and posted on Web site Gawker.com on Wednesday. "I am advised by my lawyers that it is appropriate to do so, and that they believe Judge Cedarbaum will conscientiously read everything sent to her</strong>."

[princess 1,712]

Martha's NYC Penthouse Back on Market

STEPHEN M. SILVERMAN

people.com

 

Martha Stewart's plan to sell her unfinished Greenwich Village apartment in Manhattan has fallen through -- just another bit of bad news for the distressed domestic diva, reports the New York Observer.

 

Stewart, 62, who owns choice parcels of real estate along the Eastern seaboard, had placed the For Sale sign on the 3,300-sq.-ft. duplex with its Hudson River views, asking $7.2 million -- which she got, says the weekly publication. (Stewart originally paid $6 million for the space when it was still in architect Richard Meier's planning phase.)

 

But for whatever reasons, the $7.2 million deal fell through, and the high-priced pad is back on the market. The building -- at Perry Street and West Street, in the historic Village -- already has several other star tenants, though no one has moved in yet.

 

These include Nicole Kidman (though it's been reported she too wishes to unload her $8 million apartment) and fashion designer Calvin Klein, whose penthouse there reportedly is available for $19.5 million.

 

Some of the comments about the glass-encased building is that it is too exposed and does not offer the sort of privacy that celebrities demand.

 

All told, Stewart (who is due to be sentenced June 17 on convictions stemming from lying about a stock sale) owns more than 10 homes, including a 137-acre estate in Bedford, N.Y., for which she paid $14.5 million four years ago and has since invested another $25 million on renovations.

[princess 1,712]

From the aritlces I've been reading lately, sounds like she's prob do about a year in a low security prison. She will actually get jail time for this.

[princess 1,712]

Ooohh noooo!!!!!!

 

EOnline.com

 

THE NEXT MARTHA? CBS launching an as of yet untitled reality series to find the next diva of domesticity, reports Variety. Contestants will face off in a series of domestic challenges in a Connecticut-style farmhouse.

[princess 1,712]

Cindy Adams

NY Post

 

March 26, 2004 -- ASK not how or why, OK? - but I have in my hands Martha Stewart's Revocable Trust document. Signed first week in June 1997. First week in June 2004 Martha will learn her future.

 

* She provides for the Trustees "to continue and to operate" her businesses.

 

* She allows for everybody and everything to have "legal counsel." Yeah, right, believe me.

 

* Page 15 deals with "broad power" to sell property "if it becomes advisable at any time to sell any securities." She states such sale is to be in accord with "the Securities Act of 1933 or any similar Federal Law or to register or qualify any such securities for sale under state securities law."

 

* There's stuff guaranteeing exoneration from liability "except for willful default or gross negligence."

 

* Paragraph 14 cedes "general power to participate in a reorganization or merger."

 

* Paragraph 20 deals with the right "to employ accountants, auditors, investment counselors, other experts, depositories and proxies."

 

* Provided for in the 32 pages is Martha's only child, Alexis Stewart. The papers state, however: "Alexis shall have no power of appointment with respect to any insurance policy under which she is the insured."

 

* If upon Alexis' death she "has no then living lineal descendant, the Trust Property shall be distributed to The Martha Stewart Charitable Foundation."

 

* If "said Foundation shall not be in existence, the Trustees are hereby authorized to form said Foundation." Listed then is her initial Board of Directors. Also its "protectors."

 

* If Alexis has children, the deal is "separate, equal shares so as to provide one share for each child," who will then have "the power, by notice in writing, to appoint any or all of his trust to one of more of his lineal descendants."

 

In other words, the sheets and towels and gardening tools and recipes and magazines and fortunes of Martha & Company & Heirs have been protected against everything but a kid named Faneuil.

[princess 1,712]

Martha Stewart Lawyers Seek New Trial

Mar 31, 6:43 PM EST

msn.com

 

Martha Stewart requested a new trial Wednesday, saying one of the jurors who convicted her failed to disclose a checkered past that includes an arrest on assault charges.

 

Stewart's lawyers said juror Chappell Hartridge has been sued three times and has been accused of stealing money from a Little League group — but improperly left the accusations off his jury questionnaire.

 

The lawyers said Hartridge, who called Stewart's guilty verdict a victory for "the little guy," showed a clear bias against Stewart that damaged her right to a fair trial.

 

Stewart's conviction cannot stand," Stewart lawyer Robert Morvillo wrote in a filing in Manhattan federal court.

 

Marvin Smilon, a spokesman for the federal prosecutors who brought the case against the domestic entrepreneur, said: "We are reviewing the motion and will respond at the appropriate time."

 

Stewart was convicted March 5 of lying to federal investigators about her sale of 3,298 shares of ImClone Systems Inc. stock on Dec. 27, 2001, just before it plunged on a negative government report.

 

She is to be sentenced June 17. Legal experts believe she will receive a sentence of 10 to 16 months in prison for the four guilty counts — obstructing justice, conspiracy and two counts of making false statements.

 

Morvillo claimed he would have moved to strike Hartridge from the jury had Hartridge given truthful answers on his jury questionnaire — perhaps opening the way for a juror who would have found Stewart innocent.

 

Hartridge could not immediately be reached for comment on the allegations. A phone number that matches his Bronx address was listed as out of service, and a message left at an alternate number was not returned.

 

The Stewart filing said Hartridge was arrested and spent several days in jail in 1997 after the woman with whom he was living accused him of threatening to kill her and throwing her into a statue of an elephant in her apartment.

 

The woman was badly bruised but declined to press charges because she could not miss work to appear in court, the filing said.

 

Included in the Stewart court filing was an affidavit from the woman, who said Hartridge was "occasionally physically abusive" to her during the four months they lived together.

 

Hartridge "dishonestly suppressed information concerning a gender-related incident in order to be able to sit in judgment of a well-known and highly successful woman in a case alleging false statements," Morvillo wrote.

 

The juror also failed to disclose on his jury questionnaire that he had been sued three times, the Stewart filing said. The papers said civil judgments had been entered against him in each case.

 

Among many other questions, potential jurors for the Stewart trial were asked whether they had been in court before, been sued or been accused of any crime.

 

The Stewart team sought a new trial under a 1984 Supreme Court case that said convicts can seek new trials if they show that a juror lied in jury selection and that the truth would have provided a basis to remove that juror.

 

The filing also included allegations from a Bronx Little League coach — never reported to law enforcement — that Hartridge stole as much as $50,000 from the organization while he was its treasurer.

 

Hartridge was the most vocal of the 12 jurors who convicted Stewart, speaking at length to reporters outside the courthouse on March 5 and making several television appearances.

 

"Maybe it's a victory for the little guy who loses money in the markets because of these types of transactions," he told reporters on the day of the verdict.

 

Morvillo submitted a batch of news articles quoting Hartridge making similar statements. The lawyer claims they show an unfair bias that would have kept Hartridge off the jury if lawyers had known about it sooner.