IANAL, but from my understanding of things:
FACT:
Quote:
Originally Posted by Robert Potts
Kevin will tell your shipping carrier that a snake wasn't in the box so you can get your CLAIM.
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This statement, in fact, is the most prosecutable of all, as it constitutes
mail fraud, as a false and intentional claim of unreceived goods in order to get an insurance payout is an attempt to defraud the insurance company.
FACT: There is not actually any legal "blackmail" case here, as the threat was to go tell lies about Andrew, not to reveal a truth unless compensated. All the statements they were threatening are lies, so there's no blackmail.
FACT: There is, however, a LIBEL case here -- if they were blasting lies about him all over forums, in a way that harmed his business, he could easily bring a libel charge against them. All the statements they were threatening are lies, so it's libel instead.
Andrew: a FACT for YOU. Even if they had killed the snake on delivery out of spite, there is NO POSSIBLE WAY to have made it appear in that advanced a state of decomposition within an hour or two out of the box. Their feud with you aside, given the state of the corpse, it HAD to have been dead upon receipt.