Former BM Co-founder, John Law, Sues Burning Man
Burning Man Sued by former partner…
Some say that after the trial and tribulations of the 1996 Burning Man event in the Black Rock Desert that John Law got a raw deal.
The 1996 Burning Man event had seen exponential growth in population, and with that growth there had been some problems. The infrastructure was taxed and there had been injuries and a death. It was after the 1996 event that John Law, one of the founding creators of Burning Man, left the organization. What is not known is whether he left of his own accord or was ousted. And somehow blame was passed on to him for the trials that the event underwent in that pivotal year.
Some say that John Law had been scapegoated. Today I spoke with a dear friend who has been deeply involved with Burning Man since the early 1990’s, who told me that he was present when John Law had agreed to leave the organization of his own free will. However, he also pointed out that John had said something which had personally offended Larry Harvey, to the point of that a vengeful Larry found a way arrange John’s “willing” ouster within a few months of the 1996 event.
Now, after a decade has passed, and Black Rock City LLC (the corporation that hosts the Burning Man festival) is an $8-10 million per year operation, John Law has resurfaced. On January 9th, 2007 in San Francisco, Mr. Law has filed suit against his former partners.
John Law has created a blog to document his thoughts on the matters at hand. This should be fascinating…
For further reading, please visit the following sites:
- John Law’s new Blog
- Lawsuit info on the Laughing Squid website
- Burning Man article in Reason Magazine from 2000
- A PDF court document with all the details of the case
Interesting times for the Burning Man Org.
January 14th, 2007 at 11:57 am
I’m kinda surprised it took him this long. I find this comment on John’s Law’s blog to be pretty much in line with my own feelings:
So, is this the start of a correction or the beginning of the end? Interesting times indeed.
January 14th, 2007 at 1:05 pm
The plot thickens… Interesting times indeed. I have been reading the court filings. Some new documents have sprung up providing more insight into the proceedings. I will post that info to this blog soon. The timing of this legal action seems almost cosmic (if I may wax hippy for a moment). May cause a bright light to be shined into the dark corners, revealing the soft white underbelly of the realm of ownership, finance, and mutual benefit. Just who owns your self expression anyway? I thought you did….
January 14th, 2007 at 1:27 pm
I wonder if the relief being sought in the form of accounting goes in the public record? John’s filing, when considered alongside Michael’s arbitration demand, sure paints a pretty big target on the man with a hat. One thing’s for sure, Shakespeare would sure be delighted at how this is playing itself out.