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A few years ago I helped a widow sell her husbands radio repair shop.
It was a huge warehouse of parts, tubes, and old radios, as well as a
reproduction radio dial business.
I had worked with the owner for several years and was the most
knowledgable about what was in his warehouse and how best to dispose of
it.
I was to receive a percentage of what was sold. It took about 6 months
to dispose of the warehouse of parts, and radios. Most of the radios
were apart and had to be reassembled. I was not paid properly. and the
widow refused to show what the final auction brought in and told the
auctioneer not to divulge the information. The widow refused to sell
the dial business.
I decided to not pursue the money owed. The owner had been a very good
friend to me over the years and I decided to just let it go.
I started my own dial business and had new dials printed. I am very
familiar with the antique radio dials as I had worked with them for
years. This is not a large business and only nets a few thousand
dollars a year.
The widow sold the dial business(stock) last August. She told the new
owner that she owns all the rights to the dials and that I had stolen
the dials that I am selling.
I have never been arrested and there has never been a police report.
The new owner and I have done business in the past and owes me money for
a electrical repair job on a radio that he did not do but was paid for.
The new owner has posted on the radio discussion newsgroup, that I have
stolen the dials that I am selling and that everyone should buy from
him. He says that (according to the widow) I , and my boyfriend are
theives. He has had others post comments concerning the ownership of
the dials. He gets friends of his to post questions concerning the
dials so he can elaboarate.
As to the rights to the dials, I imagine, the original companies still
have the copyrights and trademarks to the dials as they are exact copies
of radio dials made in the 1930s, examples RCA, Zenith etc..
The widow lived in my county but has moved out of state, the new owner
of the business(stock) also lives out of state, but bought the business
in person in my county. He has also done business in my home. He does
shows in my state, and has mail order which also targets collectors in
this state.
My other business of radio cabinet restoration and my dial business has
suffered since last August, because of these allegations. Who wants to
deal with a thief?
I have proof that I had my dials printed, and I also have proof from
the new owner that he believes the widow thinks everyone wants to rip
her off.
Can I sue the new owner for Libel in my county and sue the widow for
slander in my county, perhaps this is a conspiracy to defame??
Most people that I deal with read the radio discussion group. Real or
imagined, I feel like there is a dark cloud over my head every time I
deal with someone involved with antique radios now.
Thanks Jean
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