FAQFAQ   SearchSearch  MemberlistMemberlistRegisterRegister  ProfileProfile   Log in[ Log in ]  Flint Talk RSSFlint Talk RSS

»Home »Open Chat »Political Talk  Â»Flint Journal »Political Jokes »The Bob Leonard Show  

Flint Michigan online news magazine. We have lively web forums


FlintTalk.com Forum Index > Political Talk

Topic: Kiertzner- New twist on Treetops Resort & frat

  Author    Post Post new topic Reply to topic
untanglingwebs
El Supremo

Jim Kiertzner

13 hrs ·

.

The frat party that went sideways. Treetops Resort plans to sue the University of Michigan students. The resort is in bankruptcy. But what did resort staff do? The rest of the story is here:
http://www.wxyz.com/…/tuesday-at-11-new-details-revealed-af…


TUESDAY AT 11: New details revealed after frat party causes damage at Treetops Resort


It was the wild frat party up north back in January. Countless college students tied to a UM fraternity livin’ it up – up north, caused over $400,000 in damage!


wxyz.com|By Jim Kiertzner
Post Wed May 13, 2015 7:23 pm 
 View user's profile Send private message  Reply with quote  
untanglingwebs
El Supremo

http://www.wxyz.com/news/tuesday-at-11-new-details-revealed-after-frat-party-causes-damage-at-treetops-resort
Post Wed May 13, 2015 7:24 pm 
 View user's profile Send private message  Reply with quote  
untanglingwebs
El Supremo

http://www.freep.com/story/news/local/michigan/2015/05/12/treetops-resort-filing-lawsuit-fraternity-sorority-members/27184369/
Resort to sue U-M frat members, says vandalism was intentional


By Katrease Stafford, Detroit Free Press 8:02 p.m. EDT May 12, 2015




The resort says it now believes the vandalism was in retaliation for management confronting the students earlier in the day over payment and damage on the first night.

A northern Michigan resort says it will file a lawsuit against individual University of Michigan fraternity and sorority members who caused hundreds of thousands of dollars in damage during a wild weekend party in January.

In a statement issued Tuesday, Treetops Resort said it now believes a group of the students intentionally inflicted the damage after being confronted earlier in the day by management over prepayment arrangements and problems that occurred the first night of their stay.

"Treetops' legal advisers have recently completed a review of the facts of the case, including recently released material prepared pursuant to the criminal investigation," the resort said in a statement to the Free Press. "Criminal charges were filed against three students last month. Several facts from this review now suggest that legal action beyond the criminal matter should be pursued."


More than 120 Sigma Alpha Mu fraternity members tore up the ski resort the night of Jan. 17-18, destroying ceiling tiles, exit signs, breaking furniture and doors and urinating on carpets. In total, 45 rooms were damaged.

"It now appears that the group of students may have retaliated against Treetops after the group's leadership was confronted by resort management on the morning after the groups' first night stay," the resort said.

"During that meeting, management pointed out that the student group had not completed their prepayment arrangements as is typical for larger groups, and that additional money was due. Treetops' management had also discovered significant, but non-malicious damage occurred after this first night and discussed the University of Michigan's students' behavior with their leadership."

According to the statement, Treetop's management secured verbal commitments from the group's president that the group would be more careful with respect to the resorts' property and other guests.

"The resort management's trust in the Michigan students proved ill-founded when the students caused massive damage during the second night of the groups' stay that was far in excess of what had been seen the previous day," the statement said. "According to various assessments, the damage caused on the second day was so extensive that it had to be the result of malicious and intentional conduct."

Damage on the second night of the group's stay, according to the resort, extended to almost all of the rooms being used by the group. According to Treetops, management called Michigan State Police to evict the fraternity and sorority members, less than 24 hours after receiving "promises of good behavior." Treetops has since curtailed its practices regarding renting to large student groups.

"No doubt some people will criticize our handling of the situation, I already know things we can do to avoid this kind of situation in the future," said Treetops manager Barry Owens in the statement. "But based upon the information our people had at the time, I'm proud of how our team responded."

Three University of Michigan students have been criminally charged in connection with the damages. Otsego Prosecutor Michael Rola issued 30-day misdemeanor charges against sophomores Joshua Kaplan and Zachary Levin, both 19, alleging the pair allowed minors in their supervision to drink alcohol. A third student, Matthew Vlasic, was charged with malicious destruction of property over $1,000.

According to defense attorney John Minock, who is representing two U-M fraternity members involved in the case, Treetops has already received more than $100,000 from its insurance company for damages caused during the fraternity trip. The money is likely to cover hard damages, he said, noting the new lawsuit seeks damages for harm to the resort's reputation and lost management time.

"It looks like the resort and their insurance carrier are at odds about whether there should be a lawsuit," said Minock, who had not seen the lawsuit as of late Tuesday. "The question is, can they sue somebody for more? The insurance company wants to reach a settlement with the fraternity and sorority … When Treetops steps in and says, 'We don't want $100,000, we want $400,000,' that complicates everybody's world."

Minock is defending fraternity president Kaplan, and Levin, the fraternity's event planner.

More charges could be on the way for additional U-M students, according to Rola.

"We're looking at some other manners for other individuals but until that comes to fruition, I can't comment on specifics nor can I mention any names," Rola said.

Members from the fraternity's sister sorority, Sigma Delta Tau, were also at the resort but none have been criminally charged.

Owens said in March that the resort had paid around $230,000 in out-of-pocket expenses to contractors, third parties and other entities. Owens said the resort's attorney's said other factors like management time and damage to the resort's reputation boost the amount of damage to well over $430,000.

"It is not unusual for large groups - particularly large groups of students - to accidentally break a table, or knock over a lamp," Owens said in Tuesday's statement. "That is one of the reasons why prepayment arrangements and security deposits are standard operating procedure for large groups. But we've never had to deal with anything like this before. We're prepared for problem issues, but something on this mass scale surprised us - as I think it would most resorts."

University of Michigan President Mark Schlissel in late February barred Sigma Alpha Mu from campus life for at least four years, the most severe sanction for any campus student organization.

Shlissel's statement said sanctions against the fraternity include "paying full restitution to Treetops" and "participating in restorative measures in the Gaylord community.

Sorority Sigma Delta Tau was placed on a two-year disciplinary suspension because its members "stood by at Treetops Resort and allowed others to vandalize the facility," according to the U-M sanctions.

The national Sigma Alpha Mu organization has permanently suspended the U-M chapter, noting the damage and reports that members were not fully cooperating in the investigation.

"Contributing to the decision to pursue its own legal action is the fact that to date, only three students are being charged and Treetops is not aware of the University of Michigan or the Greek organizations taking any other action against any individuals," the resort said. "Apparently, authorities have been impeded by the refusal of the students to identify those specifically involved in the vandalism further suggesting that the damage was a group effort. Treetops was initially encouraged by the apology written by the Sigma Alpha Mu officer immediately after the incident assuming all responsibility for 'getting out of hand' and committing to pay for the damages, but only a token payment has been received thus far."

Treetops management in the statement said that it "owes it to its owners, employees, guests, fellow townspeople, its insurer, and the northern Michigan hospitality industry to try to hold all of the individual responsible parties accountable."

Treetops also disclosed in the statement that it entered into "voluntary financial reorganization" last winter after efforts to re-categorize certain debts to various owners was unsuccessful.

"While the vandalism incident has been a significant setback, Treetops still expects to emerge from the reorganization process this spring," the statement said.

Free Press Staff Writer Tresa Baldas contributed.

Contact Katrease Stafford: kstafford@freepress.com or 313-223-4759. Follow her on Twitter @KatreaseS_Freep.
Post Wed May 13, 2015 7:31 pm 
 View user's profile Send private message  Reply with quote  
untanglingwebs
El Supremo

http://www.freep.com/story/news/local/michigan/2015/05/13/university-of-michigan-fraternity-treetops-resort-damage/27251617/
Treetops told security guards: Ignore frat mayhem, report says


By Tresa Baldas, Detroit Free Press 8 p.m. EDT May 13, 2015


Months before the Sigma Alpha Mu fraternity trashed the Treetops Resort during a wild winter weekend, it had already established a bad reputation at the resort — but was invited back anyway.

And when it did show up in January, a newly released police report shows, the resort's security guards did nothing to stop the mayhem -- which included frat members mooning young children and smashing light fixtures -- because management instructed them to "overlook" the bad behavior.

According to the Michigan State Police report obtained by the Free Press, the same University of Michigan fraternity that's about to be sued for $430,000 in alleged damages to the northern Michigan resort from a January weekend caused a similar ruckus the year before. The fraternity paid Treetops $11,500 for damages and for having too many guests in 2014, but the resort still welcomed the fraternity back this year, the report states.

The fraternity accepted. Chaos erupted again. But the Treetops security staff did nothing because it was instructed not to intervene in damage-causing incidents,the report said, noting: "Damage was not a concern, only the safety of their guests."

Four months after the mayhem, the Treetops incident has turned into a legal migraine for the University of Michigan fraternity as it keeps getting hit with a bigger and bigger tab.

More than 120 Sigma Alpha Mu fraternity members tore up the ski resort the night of Jan. 17-18, destroying ceiling tiles, exit signs, breaking furniture and doors and urinating on carpets, the resort has said. In total, 45 rooms were damaged.

Initially, Treetops estimated damages at $100,000. The figure has now jumped to $430,000-plus, though the resort has already received nearly $200,000 from its insurance company; and another $25,000 from the fraternity.

Treetops contends it's entitled to more, arguing the fraternity harmed its reputation and cost it lost management time.

"There are damages beyond what the insurance company has already been paid," said attorney Paul Dillon, who is representing Treetops. "There's been tremendous personal property damage. Some rooms can't get leased ... I think that certain clientele look at the resort differently than they did before."

As for why Treetops invited the fraternity back after it had caused problems before, Dillon said:

"There was never a feeling that there were any intentional acts by the group in the preceding year. Were they rambunctious and a little boisterous? Of course. And they were held responsible for that. But what took place on Saturday night (in January) was at a level that was completely different than what anyone had seen at the resort before."

As for why the security officers didn't intervene in the rowdy behavior, Dillon said the officers were faced with a "difficult balancing" act in weighing the desires of some visitors to have peace and quiet, against those who want to have a good time. He also said that the resort had never before called police to evict a group.

"Certainly, at some point, a group of guests may need to be told that their behaviors are out of line. But at the Treetops Resort .... a decision to call police to evict a group .... is not a decision that would be made by a lone security guard," Dillon said. "In hindsight, we may have been mistaken to trust this group of University of Michigan students when they gave us assurances that they had things under control. We feel that our personnel followed appropriate procedures in reaching the decisions they made."

Dillon said that he plans to file a lawsuit against the fraternity in the next week in Otsego County Circuit Court.

Attorney John Minock, who is representing two fraternity members in a criminal case, is skeptical about the lawsuit.

"The insurance company has already paid nearly $200,000 to the resort. And now they want an additional $230,000 for damage to reputation?" Minock said. "One way to look at the facts is that the resort wanted extra money for renovation."

See the aftermath of the $100,000 damage-spree at a northern Michigan ski resort and hear from local people as well as students as a police investigation continues three weeks after the Jan. 17-18 ski trips. Robert Allen Detroit Free Press

According to court records, Treetops filed for bankruptcy in 2014 and has stated in court records that it needs $12 million to refurbish the resort.

Financial issues aside, Minock contends his clients asked for additional security guards in January to prevent further damage Saturday night, but the "hotel guards did nothing."

Mooning children

According to the police report, three security officers witnessed a lot of mayhem, but could do nothing about it.

They reported seeing fraternity members mooning young children, damaging ceiling tiles and light fixtures, and throwing full beer cans at walls to make them stick in the drywall.

Officer Chester Pszczolkowski told investigators he was concerned about what he saw.

"He was upset by this behavior, but did not engage any of these subjects due to the direction he obtained from his supervisor," the report stated. Pszczolkowski said he wasn't allowed to take any photographs of the acts only the damage.

Another security officer, Mark Thomas, also expressed concern to police over not being able to do anything about the damage and rowdy behavior that went on.

"Thomas reiterated several times any other guests would have been asked to leave for the type of behavior the fraternity group was displaying," the report stated. "Thomas was upset because this group was treated differently than other patrons, even with their past history of damage, their sizable deposit insured that they would not be evicted."

Thomas, who thought the college guests "should have been ejected," also felt embarrassed when other resort patrons complained to him about the fraternity, yet "he was unable to do anything."

According to the report, the officers were instructed at the beginning of their shifts not to intervene in any rowdy behavior.

For example, when Pszczolkowski came in for work at 9:30 a.m. Saturday, his supervisor told him "there would be rowdy behavior from the fraternity guests, and he was instructed to overlook some of the behavior. The fraternity had placed a large security deposit and damage was expected during their stay. He was instructed to only focus on the safety of the guests," according to the report.

Later that day, after damage was spotted, Pszczolkowski said his supervisor told him: "not to freak out over the damages because (the resort) was going to ask the fraternity for another deposit. He was told again, the damage was not a concern, only the safety of their guests."

After the fraternity paid a larger security deposit, the security staff got the same directive: "Treetops staff wanted to ensure that guests did not get hurt. But their damage and behavior issues would be overlooked."

In a statement, Treetops General Manger Barry Owens explained why the security deposits were necessary:

"It is not unusual for large groups -- particularly large groups of students -- to accidentally break a table, or knock over a lamp. That is one of the reasons why prepayment arrangements and security deposits are standard operating procedure for large groups. But we've never had to deal with anything like this before. We're prepared for problem issues, but something on this mass scale surprised us -- as I think it would most resorts."

Ready to sue

Treetops Resort said it now believes the students intentionally inflicted the damage after being confronted earlier in the day by management over the prepayment arrangements and problems that occurred the first night of their stay.

"Treetops' legal advisers have recently completed a review of the facts of the case, including recently released material prepared pursuant to the criminal investigation," the resort said in a statement to the Free Press earlier this week announcing the pending lawsuit. "Criminal charges were filed against three students last month. Several facts from this review now suggest that legal action beyond the criminal matter should be pursued."

"It now appears that the group of students may have retaliated against Treetops after the group's leadership was confronted by resort management on the morning after the groups' first night stay," the resort said.

"During that meeting, management pointed out that the student group had not completed their prepayment arrangements as is typical for larger groups, and that additional money was due. Treetops' management had also discovered significant, but non-malicious damage occurred after this first night and discussed the University of Michigan's students' behavior with their leadership."

According to the statement, Treetop's management secured verbal commitments from the group's president that the group would be more careful with respect to the resorts' property and other guests.

"The resort management's trust in the Michigan students proved ill-founded when the students caused massive damage during the second night of the groups' stay that was far in excess of what had been seen the previous day," the statement said. "According to various assessments, the damage caused on the second day was so extensive that it had to be the result of malicious and intentional conduct."

Damage on the second night of the group's stay, according to the resort, extended to almost all of the rooms being used by the group. According to Treetops, management called Michigan State Police to evict the fraternity and sorority members, less than 24 hours after receiving "promises of good behavior." Treetops has since curtailed its practices regarding renting to large student groups.

"No doubt some people will criticize our handling of the situation, I already know things we can do to avoid this kind of situation in the future," said Treetops manager Barry Owens in the statement. "But based upon the information our people had at the time, I'm proud of how our team responded."

Three University of Michigan students have been criminally charged in connection with the incident. Otsego Prosecutor Michael Rola issued 30-day misdemeanor charges against sophomores Joshua Kaplan and Zachary Levin, both 19, alleging the pair allowed minors in their supervision to drink alcohol. A third student, Matthew Vlasic, was charged with malicious destruction of property over $1,000.

More charges could be on the way for additional U-M students, according to Rola.

"We're looking at some other manners for other individuals but until that comes to fruition, I can't comment on specifics nor can I mention any names," Rola said.

Members from the sorority, Sigma Delta Tau, were also at the resort but none have been criminally charged. Treetops security staff said they didn't see any sorority members cause any damage, and that the women were apologetic for the mayhem,according to the police report.

The national chapter of Sigma Delta Tau echoed the officer's sentiments in this statement: "Through our investigation, we have found the women were not responsible for the damage incurred at Treetops Resort. We have also been made aware of multiple reports that management and security guards of The Treetops Resort and Spa did not step in to stop any of the actions while they occurred that weekend."

Free Press Staff Writer Katrease Stafford contributed to this report.

Contact Tresa Baldas at tbaldas@freepress.com
Post Wed May 13, 2015 7:35 pm 
 View user's profile Send private message  Reply with quote  
untanglingwebs
El Supremo

Part 2 is tonight at 11 pm.
Post Wed May 13, 2015 7:38 pm 
 View user's profile Send private message  Reply with quote  
angelinareese
F L I N T O I D

Lucknow, the land of sun, rivers and sand is one of the famous tourist destinations. Hundreds of folks from all parts of the world come to Lucknow to spend some time amidst the beautiful places side surroundings. Lucknow also has a lot of resorts and is also home to beautiful churches and forts. The huge tourist inflow has led to the growth of a wide range of budget hotels and resorts in Lucknow .

Last edited by angelinareese on Fri Jun 19, 2015 3:19 am; edited 1 time in total
Post Wed Jun 03, 2015 6:13 am 
 View user's profile Send private message Visit poster's website  Reply with quote  
untanglingwebs
El Supremo

Jim Kiertzner

4 hrs ·

.

My latest project that continues without a resolution in sight for University of Michigan students, the Treetops Resort and the Otsego County Prosecutor.


New details on wild party by University of Michigan fraternity at Treetops Resort

The 7 Action News Investigators are back with stunning new photos and new witness accounts from that wild frat party up north at Treetops Resort.


wxyz.com
Post Thu Jun 04, 2015 6:50 pm 
 View user's profile Send private message  Reply with quote  
  Display posts from previous:      
Post new topic Reply to topic

Jump to:  


Last Topic | Next Topic  >

Forum Rules:
You cannot post new topics in this forum
You cannot reply to topics in this forum
You cannot edit your posts in this forum
You cannot delete your posts in this forum
You cannot vote in polls in this forum

 

Flint Michigan online news magazine. We have lively web forums

Website Copyright © 2010 Flint Talk.com
Contact Webmaster - FlintTalk.com >