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Inside Mike Postle’s $330million Defamation Conspiracy Lawsuit: Who He Is Suing And Why

Inside Mike Postle’s $330million Defamation Conspiracy Lawsuit: Who He Is Suing And Why

09:37
11 Oct

News that Mike Postle had launched a $330million defamation lawsuit against Veronica Brill, Daniel Negreanu, Joey Ingram and many more hit the poker world last week. Now with access to the details of the complaint, we investigate not only who Postle is suing, but exactly why…

The Postlegate scandal reached its first anniversary just a couple of weeks ago, sparked by Veronica Brill blowing the whistle on the ‘unbelievable play’ by Mike Postle in the Stones Live Poker livestreamed cash game.

That initial tweet, below, is the starting point for Postle’s defamation lawsuit, based on what his lawyers state amounts to a “conspiracy” of “venomous, baseless and defamatory statements.”

Veronica Brill

“History of wild accusations” claim Postle legal team

Brill is the first named in the massive legal action launched by Postle’s Beverly Hills lawyers, Lowe and Associates PC, and they focus on that pinned tweet by the former Stones Live player and commentator.

They describe it as “the publicly false statement that sent the internet and poker world into a frenzy” going on to claim that:

“…Defendant Brill has a history of wild accusations against multiple people over the years, none of which has ever been substantiated…”

In addition, they state:

“Brill’s YouTube channel has essentially become a place exclusively for content regarding Plaintiff cheating.”

Brill has said she wants to take on Postle and his lawsuit and the vast majority of the poker community have already rallied behind her with financial and moral support.

ESPN

Case not “solved” claim Postle lawyers

Next up in the firing line of Postle’s attorneys, believed to be working on a contingency fee basis, is ESPN, and specifically because of a Scott van Pelt segment on SportsCenter.

In the 3-minute piece focused on the emerging Postlegate scandal, Van Pelt states:

“If a guy were able to cheat his way to six-figure gains playing cards and it got solved by a bunch of poker sleuths on the internet, is that a story that would interest you? Because it did me.”

The Postle lawsuit specifically points this line out and takes issue with the “solved” aspect, claiming no such thing has occurred.

Joey Ingram

No “definitive proof”

Ingram was the first person to take a deep dive into Brill’s fears of possible cheating by Postle, but the lawsuit picks on his claims to have analysed “every single hand.”

Stating the Postle appearances total 400 hours their defamation claims rest on Ingram using such phrases as “could see the cards” and “was cheating on a livestream.” They claim Ingram, “failed to point to or produce any definitive proof that his statements were correct.”

Haralabos Voulgaris

“Has deleted all of the evidence”

Postle’s lawyers have targeted Voulgaris, a “heralded statistician and former gambler” for several now-deleted tweets regarding Postle. These include one where he claimed Postle had changed cheating methods from using his phone to using “a bone induction speaker device in his hat.”

Stating that Voulgaris “he has deleted all of the evidence”… the lawsuit adds:

“…Voulgaris even made the wild statement that Plaintiff cheated a “dying man” (Kevin Racks Roster). This false and defamatory statement was instrumental in building an angry mob against Plaintiff.”

Daniel Negreanu

“Used his multiple platforms” against Postle

The Canadian star hasn’t often been at the forefront of the very public Postlegate debate, but his fame, fortune and throwaway comments have seen him included in Postle’s $330million lawsuit.

The legal papers seen by PokerTube state Negreanu:

“Used his multiple platforms and influence to make false and defamatory statements to the public…”

This includes tweets in which Negreanu stated: “Postle was cheating” and “There is 0% chance he is innocent” as well as this one…

Upswing Poker

“Catching Mike Postle” video defamatory

The lawsuit names both Doug Polk and Ryan Fee, co-owners of the respected training site, as having defamed Postle.

Polk’s “Catching Mike Postle” video, and a tweet he sent during the Perkins/Bilzerian/Jungleman ghosting scandal are given as evidence of defamation by Postle’s legal crew.

As for Polk’s buddy Ryan Fee, he stands accused of posting “several false and defamatory statements” on his Twitter account

PokerNews

“Instrumental in causing the hate, disgust and threats of violence” aimed at Postle

Described in the lawsuit as "the number one authority in the world for poker news”, the iBus media-owned outlet are accused of republishing portions of a Brill/Ingram interview.

Postle’s lawyer’s state:

“…Pokernews’s decision to publish false facts that imply Plaintiff in fact “cheat[ed] a dying man” as referenced in Defendant Voulgaris’s now deleted tweet has been instrumental in causing the hate, disgust and threats of violence aimed at Plaintiff.”

They have also been pulled up for the title of their article: “Top 10 Stories of 2019: Mike Postle Caught Cheating on Livestream”

CrushLivePoker

CLP owner Bart Hanson, apparently contracted by Stones to commentate/play in exchange for being allowed to use video content for his training material, is described as therefore being “seen as an “insider” for Stones Hall incidents”

One of Hanson’s videos claims: “It’s obvious (Postle) can see the cards” and “Postle could basically…see the cards” which has led to his naming in the lawsuit.

As we detailed recently, Hanson incurred Postle’s wrath for picking apart some newly-analysed poker hands involving the alleged cheat.

Poker Coaching

Jonathan Little has made it into the lawsuit as co-owner of his company because of a YouTube video stating: “Mike Postle has the unique ability to know his opponents’ hole cards.”

He also stands accused by Postle’s lawyers of stating in the same video:

“Mike Postle who by now everyone knows can see his opponents’ cards thanks to some sort of technology and or help from the outside…”

PokerTube has also covered Little’s involvement in the Postelgate affair.

Solve For Why

Matt Berkey, owner of the training academy, joins his illustrious colleagues in the lawsuit on account of a video in which he apparently states:

“[Plaintiff] can see the fucking cards” and “[Postle] is cheating in plain sight.”

Postle’s lawyers claim Berkey has “continued spewing similar false and defamatory statements”, noting one in particular where the SFW Academy founder said:

“The community has done its due diligence, we’ve proven mathematically beyond any reasonable doubt that Postle is 100% cheating or 99% likely to be cheating right? Like maybe he’s a time traveler, that’s the other 1%.”

Todd Witteles

The Poker Fraud Alert radio station and website owner makes the list by virtue of stating:

“The FACTS are that Mike clearly cheated” and “Mike is cheating…” as well as “…so clearly has an accomplice communicating with him.”

Witteles, who goes by the pseudonym Dan Druff on his PFA site, has already vowed to fight the lawsuit, describing it as “frivolous.”

RIO

RIO, or RunItOnce, is the Phil Galfond-owned training site and has been included in the $330million legal challenge because of its podcast called ‘The Rake’.

The hosts, Marle Cordeiro and Jamie Kerstetter, are named together, although it’s not clear who Postle’s lawyers are specifically referring to when they offer the allegedly defamatory content:

“you don’t usually get to see crimes committed in real time on videotape…” and, “this guy cheated these people,” as well as, “slam dunk this guy’s cheating.”

That, then, is the bare meat and bones of Postle’s lawsuit, the alleged cheat looking for a massive settlement of $300million for “loss of reputation, severe stress, anxiety, and emotional stress.”

Postle’s “loss of reputation” they claim has resulted in him losing “all ability to provide financially for himself and his family because gambling institutions will not allow an alleged cheater to play at their facilities.”

Postle is also claiming $30million in punitive damages “due to Defendants negligence in publishing the false and defamatory statements as fact.”

If you missed anything connected to the case over the past year, our extensive coverage of the Postlegate scandal can be viewed below: