Press "Enter" to skip to content

LNC Rejects LPNM Settlement Offer with Full Text Seen Here

This article specifically treats the second LPNM settlement offer, which the LNC ExComm rejected.  A subsequent article treats certain closely related issues that may well be of interest to our readers.
We are aware of a message from LNC member Keith Thompson, issued earlier today, June 12, and sent to various LNC members and the LNC-Public email list.  According to Thompson, there were two Executive Committee meetings this week because there were two settlement offers from LP New Mexico.  (In this letter, quoted below, the “Monday” reference is to a  scheduled Federal Court hearing on the case.)  Thompson wrote:
This is an urgent matter with litigation coming up on Monday.
As you know, the initial meeting was called because there was an offer from the Libertarian Party of New Mexico, and the second because there was a substantive update to that offer.
While I didn’t want to spend my birthday evening in a meeting where I couldn’t even vote, it is a serious matter that legitimately warranted an executive committee meeting. It wasn’t just some frivolous matter.
Yes, it’s been an abnormally busy week – I do not think the solution to that is to just cancel meetings when there’s a valid need.
What were those two offers?  We are in receipt of the second offer from the Libertarian Party of New Mexico (LPNM).  That offer was rejected on a 4-4 vote by the LNC Executive Committee.  The LPNM offer reads:
Defendants propose the following settlement with the LNC in LNC v. LPNM.

1. LPNM will re-affiliate with the LNC on mutually agreeable terms to be accepted by both the LNC executive committee and the LPNM executive committee.

2. The Free New Mexico Party’s membership will be offered full membership in the LPNM with dues credited to the same level as with FNMP. For example, a lifetime member of FNMP will be credited with a lifetime membership to LPNM.

3. LNC will disaffiliate the FNMP if it is not wholly disbanded and/or merged into LPNM. The terms of combining LPNM with FNMP will be determined over the next 90 days with advice of counsel, as financial/donor impacts, bylaws and corporate impacts, and election and campaign finance law impacts must all be considered. But the agreement in spirit is for the groups to join, even if the legal mechanism for this remains uncertain at present.

4. The Chair of FNMP will be made co-Chair of LPNM as soon as legally permissible under the laws of the State of New Mexico, to hold such office until the next regularly held convention of LPNM.

5. The individual defendants will be dismissed with prejudice. The case with respect to the individuals will be stayed for up to ninety days to effectuate dismissals to relieve all parties of interim responsive pleadings and initial disclosure requirements.

6. The case with the remaining parties (LNC and LPNM) will also be stayed, including all discovery, challenges to the Libertarian Party trademark, responsive pleadings, and motions. The stipulated stay will continue until full completion of the settlement terms, including specifically the first five points, for an initial period of ninety days, with extensions as-needed by party agreement and court approval.

7. Each side to bear its own fees and costs.
—–

Be First to Comment

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *