Right-Wing "News" Blog Doubles Down on False Freddie Gray Allegations

There it is folks, right smack at the top of the ATS front page. An already debunked allegation from the dimwit/dimwits behind far right "news" blog, thefourthestate.co. I'm not a journalist and I don't pretend to be — and neither should this bunch. What I am however, is something of a (fairly serious) amateur genealogist, experienced with pouring over tabular data on government websites and using bits of information and context clues to prove identities and relationships.

When a link to a new post from these clowns showed up on page twenty-something or another of the thread and I read it only to find that instead of retracting, they doubled down with more "proof," I decided to spend an hour or so doing my own research and I quickly debunked the new story. It seemed a waste of my efforts to have the post lost on page twenty-whatever so I'm reposting it here.

While I hate to send anyone their way and generate additional ad revenue, here's the link to the story.

Basically, Freddie Gray was involved in a lawsuit, with another party, against a taxi company in 2007 that carried into 2008, a suit in which he sought damages for unknown actions. Because a taxi company is involved, it is reasonable to assume that the case involved some form of car accident.

The civil suit made its way through court, and the parties could not reach any agreement, so they elected to go to trial. At this point, the case transitioned from Baltimore County District Court to Circuit Court.

First off, they have the dates wrong. Here are the two records in question and the details:

Date: 10/16/2006 Case Id: 010100353062006

The individual "Gray, Freddie" (no middle initial, no "Jr" and no DOB) has an address of 3601 Dudley Ave, Baltimore, MD 21213. This Freddie Gray is a second plaintiff, along with Rosella Eddington (same address) against Terrance Gainey who has a 3rd party suit against Taxi Management Inc. This Freddie Gray and Rosella Eddington are suing for it looks like $10,000 each in damages. On 05/17/2007, a motion was filed by the defense requesting a jury trial. The motion was granted and a week later it was sent from the Baltimore City District Court to the Baltimore City Circuit Court (not County).

Why is the discrepancy in the filing date particularly important? On 10/16/2006, the Freddie C. Gray, Jr, who died following injuries presumably sustained in police custody and was born AUG 16 1989, was only 17 years old. Adding to the list of things I'm not, I'm also not a lawyer but it seems to me that as a minor, the custodial parent would have been the likely plaintiff. On to the next record:

Date: 05/22/2007 Case Id: 24C07003765

First, here's fourthestate's not-so-astute synopsis:

There is no apparent judgement entered in the case file; there is no apparent verdict; there is no apparent outcome of a jury or judge decision. The case file simply says that the case was concluded; it was “settled and satisfied.”

What the notes from the record actually say:

07/15/08 Jury selected and sworn on voir dire. Glynn, J. (Open Proceeding)
07/15/08 Case concluded; Order filed. Glynn, J. (Open Proceeding)
10/03/08 Order of Satisfaction Paid, Settled and Satisfied

Where the ambiguity? An order was filed and less than 3 months later, the damages were paid. Given the lack of corroborating details (middle initial, title, DOB), I naturally wondered if perhaps they had the wrong Freddie Gray and so I looked through every available record on the court records site for "Freddie Gray" and none of the records with a DOB for the Freddie C. Gray, Jr had the 3601 Dudley Ave address.

Here's a few case records that CAN be tied to the Freddie Gray by the known DOB along with the street addresses (all in Baltimore):

08/24/2007 Case Id: 0B01903531 - address is 1532 N Carey St
09/20/2007 Case Id: 107263059 - address is 414 E Lorraine Avenue
05/09/2012 Case Id: 112130002 - address is 414 E Lorraine Avenue

Guess what 17 year-old wasn't living at 3601 Dudley Ave in 2008 when the case against the taxi company was concluded (and years later)? So who was the Freddie Gray residing with Rosella Eddington at 3601 Dudley Ave in 2006-2007 (and later)? Here's a record that ties it all together:

Date: 10/05/2008 Case Id: 4B01970658

The defendant in this case is one Freddie C. Gray, b. FEB 08 1959 and residing at 3601 Dudley Ave. If I'm not mistaken, this is the father of the Freddie C. Gray, Jr., b. AUG 16 1989.

I doubt this post will reach as many people as the fourthestate.co garbage and it likely won't be picked up and repeated by dozens of right-wing sites eager to invalidate the Baltimore protesters at any cost (or even find its way to the ATS front page), but hopefully it puts this particular nonsense to bed on ATS.

It's all a game



watch what happens and grab your popcorn and coke.



Let's watch the world crumble.

a reply to: theantediluvian

You are absolutely right.

This time it's pretty clear, we are being played. S&F.

American people die from police "investigations" every single day.

They have their money seized under "suspicion" everyday.

White or black, PC or not.

It never benefits us, only them.

Racial divide is a clever attempt to pit a bunch of people with the same problems against each other.

a reply to: theantediluvian

And all you read in those threads is how people need to hold of on jumping to judgment and preconceived notions cause "information" like this can come up.

50 flags later and it is a bs story that people gobbled up.

a reply to: theantediluvian

Nice work...S&F!


I've seen posts saying Freddy was a thug and drug dealer.While that may be the case,it might also help to look at where he lived.Maybe drug dealing was his only income.

I am not saying it was right...but maybe it was his only option.

Good job man.. Posting for future reference..
Just saying dont be surprised if particular people do not put this front page because there is no agenda behind it..

a reply to: theantediluvian

Apparently he got a divorce at age 5 too!

www.snopes.com...

a reply to: theantediluvian

Kudos and S&F.

As the OP of the other thread, I'd like to point out that I did not claim the validity of the original story which is reflected in the fact I posed the thread title in question form and I have not edited that title.

Also the only edit I did to the OP was mere seconds after posting and before anyone had replied. It was to add this:

originally posted by: 8675309jenny
thefourthestate.co...


It's at least interesting considering there is no video or pictures of the guy being beat down. If this turns out to be true, the guy should have at least been seeing after himself and not getting into trouble with police just a week after major surgery.

I was pretty pissed when they never backed up their claims with their promised 6PM update. Unfortunately I probably helped them sell some of those T-shirts.

ANd I'll tell you honestly the very first thing I said to my wife when I heard the Freddie Gray story on TV last week was exactly this: "When are these freakin cops going to learn?" Anyone who doesn't believe that can go wade through my post history and see me condemn bad police in the Posse Comitatus forum.

As I see it this newsblog/whatever gets to conveniently hide behind the fact that HIPAA will block the release of medical records that could prove their claims to be lies.

a reply to: theantediluvian

You got that right, in that you are not a journalist. In your "through" research efforts you failed to fully inform us of Freddie's long and varied rap sheet which no doubt you have access to but have totally ignored in that it definitely proves that he was not an upright citizen.

a reply to: theantediluvian

Just live on CNN today, the court papers were acquired by an independent investigative reporter, the whole thing of Gray been involved in any car accidents or law sues HAVE BEEN DEBUNKED.

Gray didn't have any spinal injuries before his arrest

Fair play to both the OP for debunking...
& the OP of the original for staying reserved.

Have to admit, as soon as I saw BIN jump on the story my BS o meter went through the roof.




It would seem, that being a drug dealer no longer demonises the victims nowadays...
Victimless crimes and all that...
Personal choice and all that...


So they have to jump on other BS to turn people against the victims of police brutality.



Looks like the Stockholm Syndrome has only affected the far right so far...

Others are not buying the police's nonsense anymore.




S&F.

originally posted by: Aliensun
a reply to: theantediluvian

You got that right, in that you are not a journalist. In your "through" research efforts you failed to fully inform us of Freddie's long and varied rap sheet which no doubt you have access to but have totally ignored in that it definitely proves that he was not an upright citizen.

Still doesn't mean he deserved to be murdered. Also, innocent until proven guilty in a court of law...something his killers denied him. Also, because someone had a rap sheet does not make them an evil bad man. MLK, Ghandi and that Jesus fella all had records, too....

originally posted by: marg6043
a reply to: theantediluvian

Just live on CNN today, the court papers were acquired by an independent investigative reporter, the whole thing of Gray been involved in any car accidents or law sues HAVE BEEN DEBUNKED.

Gray didn't have any spinal injuries before his arrest

Nothing has been DEBUNKED..... Everything as of now is inconclusive.

I don't know if you realize how personal medical records work, but they are PRIVATE and will not be released. Court records are meaningless concerning car accidents. I have been injured in about 5 car accidents and guess what, there is no court case for any one of them. There is no magic system that detects and reports every car crash.

But again I'm not claiming he WAS injured prior to arrest, it's simply unsubstantiated and inconclusive.

Considering his previous lawsuits though, I would say that HAD he been in an accident that injured him, there probably WOULD have been litigation.

Going a bit off topic for a moment here also, it's really sad that the PeachTree funding company was buying out his $108,000 settlement for only $18,000. Just another example of the disadvantaed being fleeced by the financial world.....

a reply to: theantediluvian

Many of your links are 404'd

Hmmm.

Multiple deconstruction underway.

a reply to: Ironhawke

There you go again saying that he was "murdered." At this stage, you have no proof.

a reply to: 8675309jenny
First off, you did nothing wrong in posting that thread. It lead to the truth and I know that is what you are interested in. Kudos to you, dude.

I was pretty pissed when they never backed up their claims with their promised 6PM update. Unfortunately I probably helped them sell some of those T-shirts.

I am pretty sure that this was the only goal at that site. I looked at the site and had to wipe the T-shirt ad 3 times in a minute.

a reply to: 8675309jenny

A lawyer can get those records as well as a the police.

They are private unit a court says I need to see them.

a reply to: theantediluvian

i can't believe so many people buy the bs the state puts out to save face. they really are feeling the heat. when will somebody actually stop these fascist scum, or at least get a group of people together to do SOMETHING besides playing their game. i know only cowards, people who haven't been targeted, and most of all people who can't even walk and chew gum at the same time. but i am down.

a reply to: Aliensun

Who was saying he was an upright citizen?
This is just about a lie getting spread about him and trying to use it to vindicate the cops.

He has the rap sheet so stick to that, no need to make things up about him.