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PLN Readers Dissatisfied with Freedom Press
For several years PLN ran a free ad for Freedom Press, a post-conviction paralegal service based in Virginia and headed by James Gossard. After receiving a couple of complaints about their service, PLN discontinued the ad in May of 1995. We contacted Gossard and presented him with the complaints we had received. After several letter exchanges between Gossard and PLN (as well as readers who had had complained) we were satisfied that the problems had been isolated incidents which were satisfactorily resolved.
At that point Freedom Press asked us to run the free ad again. Due to space limitations, we declined. But at about that time, PLN began running paid advertisements. Freedom Press offered to pay for a small ad, which PLN then ran for the first half of 1996.
We again received complaints from PLN readers about Freedom Press, and once again discontinued the ad. After more correspondence with Gossard, we-were once again assured that the Complaints had been resolved satisfactorily. We declined, however, to continue running ads for Freedom Press unless they were willing to include a disclaimer in the ad saying that PLN does not "endorse" their service. Freedom Press initially agreed to this stipulation, but then declined to run further paid advertisements in PLN.
Since then, other readers have written to PLN with complaints about Freedom Press. Most recently, one Kansas prisoner claimed that he sent Freedom Press a $1,000 retainer and 600 pages of court transcripts and legal documents. According to this prisoner, Freedom Press failed to complete any work for him and then ceased responding to his calls and letters. He says that he then had friends on the outside try to contact Freedom Press, and "it turns out [that] Freedom Press is long gone, is on the run from the law."
Although PLN has not been able to confirm this claim [Freedom Press failed to respond to PLN's phone calls], we feel that we have a duty to alert our readers about complaints we have received in regards to Freedom Press.
"My hopes are," writes our Kansas subscriber, "that you will put the word out so that no other men are burned by this outfit."
Consider the word out.
At that point Freedom Press asked us to run the free ad again. Due to space limitations, we declined. But at about that time, PLN began running paid advertisements. Freedom Press offered to pay for a small ad, which PLN then ran for the first half of 1996.
We again received complaints from PLN readers about Freedom Press, and once again discontinued the ad. After more correspondence with Gossard, we-were once again assured that the Complaints had been resolved satisfactorily. We declined, however, to continue running ads for Freedom Press unless they were willing to include a disclaimer in the ad saying that PLN does not "endorse" their service. Freedom Press initially agreed to this stipulation, but then declined to run further paid advertisements in PLN.
Since then, other readers have written to PLN with complaints about Freedom Press. Most recently, one Kansas prisoner claimed that he sent Freedom Press a $1,000 retainer and 600 pages of court transcripts and legal documents. According to this prisoner, Freedom Press failed to complete any work for him and then ceased responding to his calls and letters. He says that he then had friends on the outside try to contact Freedom Press, and "it turns out [that] Freedom Press is long gone, is on the run from the law."
Although PLN has not been able to confirm this claim [Freedom Press failed to respond to PLN's phone calls], we feel that we have a duty to alert our readers about complaints we have received in regards to Freedom Press.
"My hopes are," writes our Kansas subscriber, "that you will put the word out so that no other men are burned by this outfit."
Consider the word out.
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