Statement from Fred Harteis

[There were a lot of rumors about former IBOAI Board member Fred Harteis' alleged association with the California lawsuit against Quixtar.  He and his legal counsel have repeatedly stated that the rumors were false, but rumors persisted, so he just issued this "Statement from Fred Harteis -- The Facts" on his websites.]

    Since the various members of TEAM filed their lawsuit against Quixtar on August 9 in California, much rumor and innuendo concerning me and my family's Quixtar business has run unabated.  For my Quixtar business and the businesses of all IBOs in my group, I've made a concerted effort to stay above the banter and hostility that seems inevitable when people decide that litigation is the only way to resolve perceived wrongs.  However, my name continues to surface in this matter and conduct is being attributed to me that is simply inaccurate and false.

    To correct the record and misinformation currently situated in the public domain, the following facts are provided:

    For more than 35 years the late William Abraham and his son, Rick Abraham (for more than 20 years) have been my attorneys.  All of the Plaintiffs in the California lawsuit are and were well aware of the identity of my attorneys.  I have never at any time spoken with D.J. Poyfair or any other member of his law firm, the attorneys who represent Plaintiffs in the California lawsuit.

    During the meeting on August 9 that occurred at Alticor in Grand Rapids, Mr. Poyfair displayed a draft of the lawsuit to Quixtar in-house attorneys.  The draft did not have my name listed as a Plaintiff.  Later that day Mr. Poyfair and his co-counsel filed the lawsuit in California with my name suddenly appearing on the front page as one of the Plaintiffs. 

    At no time did I authorize Mr. Poyfair or any other attorney to include me as a Plaintiff in the lawsuit.  Again, I've never spoken with Mr. Poyfair or any other member of his law firm.  At no time did I authorize any other person, including any Plaintiff named in the lawsuit, to include me as a Plaintiff in the lawsuit.  Moreover, neither Mr. Poyfair nor any other attorney for Plaintiffs contacted my attorney, Rick Abraham, to seek his authorization to include me in the lawsuit.  Mr. Poyfair had met Mr. Abraham one or two months prior to filing the lawsuit and knew without any doubt that Mr. Abraham was my attorney. 

    Once I discovered my name was included in the lawsuit my attorney immediately contacted Mr. Poyfair and his co-counsel and demanded that I be dismissed from the action.  Mr. Poyfair contacted Mr. Abraham and admitted that he had never spoken with me at any time.   

    I understand Mr. Poyfair has on more than one occasion brazenly suggested that he has me in his "hip pocket."  Nothing could be further from the truth.  The foregoing facts should dispel any such notion.

    It has become necessary to provide these accurate facts to diffuse any further rumor or ambiguity regarding my involvement - or lack thereof - in the lawsuit filed in California.  The misinformation circulating since the suit was filed has and continues to cause damage to my Quixtar business and the businesses of many IBOs in my group, the tiresome ruminations about Christian morals and values notwithstanding. 

    To be clear, there are issues with which I am concerned that relate to the Quixtar business.  I have raised these concerns with Quixtar and will continue to engage in meaningful dialogue with the Company in a businesslike manner.  This is consistent with my practice throughout my tenure in the business.  I am and will remain a Quixtar IBO and do everything I possibly can to assist other IBOs in my group to work through these issues and prosper.

      Sincerely,

      Fred Harteis

Comments

[Peter]

Hey Fred I am so glad that you are not part of this whole team scandal. You are one of my all-time favourite speakers in the business.

[David]

Fred don't you mean you will be and and remain an AMWAY Distributor

[Utah]

All posts I saw from Team immediately clarified Fred H. not part of the lawsuit after being informed. I never saw or thought anything bad about Fred H.

[Arlene]

MR. FRED HARTIES -- I NEVER QUESTIONED YOUR FAITHFULNESS TO QUIXTAR OR INTEGRITY TO YOUR IBOS.

[ken shinn]

Fred you keep working on it and maybe you can get retail sales up to 5 % from 3.4 %-this is not competitive--it was once "I thought" the greatest business opportunity in the world. NO way for AMWAY--not with the Winters type pressuring that went down in the 90's and the negative websites--and of course the name change and last and foremost the PRICES.

[Peter]

Hmmm I guess Fred is a liar or he decided to change his mind about staying with Quixtar. Time to clean house once again. bye bye fred

[Utah]

"All posts I saw from Team immediately clarified Fred H. not part of the lawsuit after being informed. I never saw or thought anything bad about Fred H."

I still say the same thing, even if he did resign later, as reported by the pro-Amway blog, with links to Fred's site.