Response from Atty Kaukl to the WA A.G.

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moderator comment: The author of the AG complaint letter has requested that her name be deleted from this document.

Response from Atty Kaukl to the WA A.G.

Response of AG Dept. and Lawyer of JZ Knight

The following is a reply recieved from the office of the Attorney General's Office. The Attorney General's office only acts on multiple complaints.


Rob McKenna
ATTORNEY GENERAL OF WASHINGTON
(Tacoma Office)
November 17 . 2006
name deleted:


Re: RAMTHAS SCHOOL OF ENLIGHTENMENT
File =TAC ?257291

Dear name deleted:
As you will note in the attached copy of the response we received, Ramtha?s School Of
Enlightenment declines to make adjustment of your complaint for the reasons outlined.

We realize you may disagree with the firm's position, but our office does not have the
authority under law to force a resolution on the parties. We regret that we are unable to
Provide further assistance to you in this situation.

We do not have the authority to represent individuals as their attorney, nor may we act as a iudge or arbiter in individual disputes. You may want to contact an attorney if you wish to pursue this matter.
You may also wish to contact the Dispute Resolution Center nearest you. This
Community based , private, non-profit organization provides voluntary mediation and conciliation services which may be helpful in this situation.

We appreciate your bringing this matter to our attention. Your complaint will remain a
part of our record of this firm's business practices.

Gail Feagins
Complaint Analyst
Consumer Protection Division
(253) 593-2904

name deleted:

Jan 4th, 2007 - 4:29 PM Re: Response of AG Dept. and Lawyer of JZ Knight

This is the reply from the lawyer employed by JZK Inc.

Telephone: (253) 848458 I
Attorney General of Washington
Consumer Protection Division
ATTN: Gail Feagins
P O Box 2317
Tacoma, WA 9840I-2317

Law Offices of
DOUGLAS J. KAUKL
ATTORNEY AND COUNSELOR AT LAW
14705 Meridian E
Puyllup, Washington, 98375

Re: Complaint of name deleted:

Your File: TAC-257291

Dear Ms. Feagins:

I represent J.Z. Knight, JZK,Inc., and the Ramtha School of Enlightenment,
who have referred the referenced complaint to me for reply.
Ms. name deleted:
complaint comprises some 16 pages of single-spaced type, is largely
supported by hearsay reports regarding events at the School from persons who
have not joined in the complaint, and is so general and diffuse that identifying
the substantive basis of her actual complaint is quite difficult. However, it appears that her chief complaint is that after intermittent attendance at RSE
events from 1988 through 20O5 she has concluded that the Teachings imparted
by the School do not "work? in the sense that they have failed to improve
her life.
As a threshold matter, it is my informed opinion that Ms. Knight's School, at
which the Teachings of Ramtha are presented, is religious in nature and hence
beyond the regulatory authority of the Attorney General. Although Ms. Knight
does not represent that the School is an established religion, the body of
Teachings developed through her over the last several decades and regularly
presented at the School represent, collectively, a spiritual belief system related
to man's place in the universe and his relationship with God. As such, I believe
the advocacy of the Teachings are clearly protected by Article 1, S 1 1 of
the Washington State Constitution, which provides in relevant part:
Absolute freedom of conscience in all matters of religious sentiment,
belief and worship, shall be guaranteed to every individual,
and no one shall be molested or disturbed in person or property on
account of religion; but the liberty of conscience hereby secured

Page 1.

shall not be so construed as to excuse acts of licentiousness or
justify practices inconsistent with the peace and safety of the state.
I am enclosing a copy of the entry concerning Ramtha's School of Enlightenment
appearing in the Encyclopedia of American Religions, 2OO2l2OO3 edition.
This work is a standard reference resource found in virtually every public research
library. It is edited by J. Gordon Melton, Ph.D., an ordained Methodist
minister and director of the Institute for the Study of American Religion in
Santa Barbara, California, and a research specialist associated with the Department
of Religious Studies a the University of California. Dr. Melton is a
nationally recognized expert on American religious movements and has authored
more than 25 books, including encyclopedias, handbooks, and almanacs
on American religion. As will be seen, Dr. Melton characterizes the
Teachings a unique metaphysical system of thought:
We say that Ramtha's Teachings are metaphysical in nature because
they address the fundamental questions about human existence
and the human person, about our destiny and origins, about
the nature of good and evil, the soul, death and life, the world, and
our relationship to others...Ramtha uses the concept of the Observer
effect from quantum physics to explain his concept of consciousness
and energy. He also uses the concept of God as creator
and sovereign to describe the human person as consciousness and
energy.
In 1992, Ms. Knight's former husband brought a CR 60 motion to vacate the
property settlement agreement incorporated in the 1989 decree dissolving their
marriage. Among the grounds advanced to vacate the decree, Mr. Knight contended
that his wife, as Ramtha, used the Teachings to brainwash him, depriving
him of the volitional will to intelligently negotiate a fair division of the marital
property. In the course of an 8-week trial, in which I had the honor to represent
Ms. Knight, the Court heard testimony surprisingly analogous to many
of Ms. Ricke's contentions, and some that were even more outrageous (such as,
to criticize Ramtha is to invite having one's tongue turn black and fall off, and
that Ramtha caused reptilian creatures to emerge from Mt. Rainier to abduct
those critical of him). The principles and tenets of the Teachings were extensively
examined at this trial, as were every conceivable claim or criticism of
them that Mr. Knight and his counsel could summon. At the conclusion of the
trial, the presiding judge, the Hon. Bruce Cohoe, entered an express finding
that the Teachings of Ramtha are religious in nature, although not part of
mainstream Judeo-Christian belief. He also found that Ms. Knight did nothing
to defraud or brainwash her husband and that she had been scrupulously
honest in all of her dealings with him, rejecting all of Mr. Knight's claims for
relief. See In re Knight,75 Wn.App. 721, 880 P.2d7L (L9941 review denied,
126 Wn.2d 1011 , 892 P.2d 1089 (1995).

Page 2.


Because I have already participated in an extended judicial proceeding wherein
complaints essentially analogous to those of Ms. name deleted:
were advanced, resulting
in the finding by an experienced and respected judge that the Teachings are
essentially religious in nature, I am confident that a similar result would eventuate
in any Consumer Protection Act litigation. Moreover, since the trial of In
re Knight, objective scientific evidence has been developed that Ms. Knight's
channeling activities are not fraudulent, which I gather is also one of Ms.
Ricke's complaints. As noted in the extract from Dr. Melton's Encyclopedia" in
1996 a team of 18 scholars, including representatives of various scientific,
psychological, sociological, and religious disciplines, subjected Ms. Knight to objective testing,
including the monitoring of her autonomic nervous system while
channeling. The results were dramatic and unequivocally ruled out any possibility
of conscious fakery, schizophrenia or multiple-personality disorders.
While channeling, Ms. Knight's brain waves shifted to a state typical of the
deep-sleep state in which the lower cerebellum, the seat of the subconscious,
controls her bodily actions. This scientific conclusion merely corroborated the
opinions of many others, formed from direct observation, that Ms. Knight was
not engaging in fraud. As actress Linda Evans, who as a long-time student at
the School became a close friend of Ms. Knight, put it:

In the beginning I was totally suspicious. Being an actress and
understanding acting, I wanted to see if this "channeling" was
trickery. I wanted to know if I could be fooled so that I could protect
myself. If JZ is simply impersonating the Ramtha character,
she is the greatest actress in the world. She should be in Hollywood
where she would be at the top of the profession.

Jean-Noel Bassior, "Linda Evans and JZ Knight," Body, Mind and Spirit 50
(May/June 1992) at 45.

Without prejudice to Ms. Knight's position that her activities fall beyond the
penumbra of the Attorney General's authority, I will respond to those complaints
Ms. name deleted:
articulates sufficiently to identify. For the most part, her
criticisms parallel similar complaints advanced by others who over the years
have been ideologically opposed to the School's Teachings.

? The Teachings don't work. I have studied them from 1988 through 2005
and I can't perform any metaphysical feats. Only a few students have
been able to develop metaphysical abilities.

The Teachings are not intended, and certainly not guaranteed, to develop occult
powers. The Teachings are intended to allow the student to create an
harmonious relationship with God and the student's place in the universe, to
the end that in daily activities at school, work, or play the student will achieve

Page 3.

name deleted:



Jan 4th, 2007 - 4:33 PM Re: Response of AG Dept. and Lawyer of JZ Knight

a sense of inner fulfillment and equilibrium. While the Teachings include instructional exercises,
or disciplines, those are merely tools that some students
find helpful and others do not. For a student at the School to complain that
the disciplines "don't work" makes no more sense than for, say, a Catholic to
complain that no actual transubstantiation appears to occur during the
Eucharist, or that despite conscientious religious practice he does not feel a
state of grace.

? The "education" has completely ruined my life.

Ms.name deleted:
attributes a failed marriage, an unfavorable divorce property settlement,
and other misfortunes to Ms. Knight's School. There is an obvious logical
disconnect in logic here because it is fallacious to conclude that because B
followed A temporally, A caused B. Literally thousands of students from dozens
of countries have attended the School, and many more have purchased
educational materials from the School. And literally thousands of students
have found the experience to be enriching and fulfilling. Nothing in name deleted:

complaint begins to establish that the School is inherently injurious or that her
negative experiences were the result of its influence. Mr. Knight made essentially
this same claim to the Pierce County Superior Court and it was conclusively
rejected. Ironically, the Teachings themselves include the admonition
that we are all ultimately responsible for our own actions.

. The School has many questionable business practices.
Ms. name deleted:
enumerates these practices:
(1) Violation of arena occupancy restrictions.
It is Ms. Knight's policy to strictly comply with all governmental laws and regulations.
She has, over the years, created a cordial relationship with Thurston
County and City of Yelm officials through this cooperative policy. I am not personally aware of any violation of occupancy restrictions,
but if in fact an investigation of such a complaint is undertaken and develops a finding that such a violation occurred,
I am confident that it was not done at Ms. Knight's instigation and that she will immediately institute appropriate measures to prevent
reoccurrence of the violation. A fire code violation is hardly an unfair or deceptive trade practice which the Consumer Protection Act is concerned with.

(2) Requirement that students execute a confidentiality agreement.
The confidentiality agreement merely requests that students acknowledge that
certain materials provided them are protected by copyright and registered
trademarks. Like any other person possessing valuable intellectual property
rights, Ms. Knight is entitled to protect those rights. Far from being a

Questionable practice, this is a norm that permeates all industries that deal in intellectual property.
(3) No refund or event transfer policy.
The School's policies regarding refunds and transfers are clearly stated in all
promotional materials. Ms. Knight is entitled to set these policies in any manner
she sees fit. The student is entitled to elect not to attend if the he or she
finds the policy offensive.
(4) I want to know where all the money goes.
Ms. name deleted:
objects to the amounts of revenue generated by the events, has
heard that some employees were not paid, and that Ms. Knight owns several
businesses and numerous parcels of real property in the vicinity of her home.
She wants the Attorney General to help her discover where the money goes.
Ms. Knight's corporation is a private, closely-held corporation. As such neither
she nor it are obliged to disclose financial details of its operation. What
Ms. Knight does with her money is none of Ms.name deleted:
business. I respectfully
suggest that it is not the business of the Attorney General, either.

(5) Wine ceremonies are held. They result in drunken bacchanalia.
Children are exposed to wine and tobacco. There have been incidents of pedophile assaults. Wine ceremonies have been a part of events. Indeed, wine ceremonies form a core activity of most Christian liturgical activities. Children are not allowed to attend events without a parent or guardian. The School does not sanction providing alcohol to minors in a manner contrary to State law. This policy was thoroughly researched and is scrupulously enforced. Similarly, the School does not sanction overindulgence. Obviously inebriated persons are not admitted to, or allowed to remain at, events. Ms. Knight maintains a full-time security staff for the protection of event attendees, in the arena and elsewhere on
the grounds. The only incident of pedophilia of which I am aware involved a
former employee and an underage female student ward of the employee, and it
occurred at his private residence, not at the ranch. When Ms. Knight became
aware of the incident from another student, she directed me to inform the
Thurston County Prosecuting Attorney's office of the identity of the witness and
to advise the authorities that she would do everything in her power to assist in
prosecuting the offender. She banned the former employee from attending any
further events. As the victim of childhood abuse herself, Ms. Knight is highly
motivated to prevent any such conduct on her premises and the suggestion
that she tolerates or encourages it is irredeemably preposterous.
? Ms. Knight is a multimillionaire. Many students are destitute.
As observed above, Ms. Knight's personal wealth is not a factor subject to regulation by the Consumer Protection Act. If it were relevant, its only significance would be to illustrate that her services are evidently in high demand and that they are not generally regarded as having no value. The School does not collect or maintain any records regarding the financial condition of its students. If I had to speculate, however, given the substantial fees charged for event attendance I would expect that few are literally destitute.

? Ramtha has enormous influence over student lives. This has caused thousands to make detrimental decisions with their lives.

It is obvious that the Teachings are influential. The allegation that it has
caused thousands to make detrimental decisions is unsupported and, in reality,
just another way for Ms. name deleted:
to express her disagreement with the Teachings.
I believe I have addressed to the best of my ability each of the substantive complaints set forth by Ms. name deleted:
. Ms. Knight is sorry that she feels disappointed
by the materials and instruction provided her by the School; however, the
School, consistent with clearly-stated policy, will decline to make any refund or
other monetary payment to the complainant. If you feel that further response
is needed, please advise.

Sincerely, Douglas Kaukl.
Edit post
Subject

[blueheeler]

Legal Investigation
I don't know whether this is going to work in the USA but I can tell you what I have experienced in Australia.To sum up briefly I have had to investigate state laws myself so I can throw the law in the face of a variety of officials who are supposed to enforce that law.

There has been an ongoing warfare in this area between residents and industry. The residents and industries are on the border of two councils (counties ). A lot of the laws they operate under are laws made by the parliament of the state. Some of those laws are enforced by the state authority and some are carried out by councils ad local police. I have found that a lot of officials, in council and in the local police force have no idea of the state laws they are supposed to enforce. They will adamantly tell you they know what they are doing. So I have had to investigate the law myself. All of the laws are readily accessible on the internet.

I wouldn't trust a lawyer either. One of the local councils that has been mismanaging, or lying to the public employs a lawyer fulltime so you can't take their word for it. I have also spoken to officials who are experts in the particular state law. I have to assess if they make sense when I speak with them. Some of them sound like they have far more intelligence and knowledge of what they are talking about. I have had to threaten to get some officers in my local council investigated if they did not start properly administering state law. I had to refer them to an expert in a state department to get them convinced they were wrong.

I have found I just can't rely on most officials to tell me the truth. I have just had the wool pulled over my eyes beyond count and number sometimes by people that seem quite reasonable.

The local action group here has been at it for years and they are very poor at investigating law. They presume they will get somewhere by forcing people who are paid to do a job to do it properly. I found you can only do that when you have the written law to throw in their face and a higher authority you can take them to. I have had to talk to members of parliament (congress at state level) as well. Congress may have all sorts of archives that might be of value.
Knight's lawyer is supporting consumer fraud. There are laws in most countries for customer satisfaction and getting something of value for the money they paid. At RSE customers are manipulated into thinking that they get satisfaction, or the promise that one fine morn it comes. This is not normal consumer practice.

The customer is not right at RSE. The school is always right. Any satisfaction the customer gets at events does not last. RSE is blatant consumer fraud.