Fine Art Registry vs. Park West Gallery Lawsuit Begins its Fourth Week

Left to right: Nicolas Descharnes (French Dalí expert of Descharnes and Descharnes), Frank Hunter (Dalí graphics expert, Director of the Salvador Dalí archives in NY), Joe Barabe (materials expert of McCrone & Associates, Chicago), Sharon Day (dissatisfied Park West customer who was sold prints for half a million dollars later found to have fake signatures), Teri Franks (CEO of Fine Art Registry) at an art warehouse in New Jersey examining Sharon Day's prints. © David Phillips for Fine Art Registry.


PORT HURON, MI (OPENPRESS).- Fine Art Registry begins presentation of its case against Park West Gallery after the Michigan art gallery has spent three weeks presenting its case, claiming defamation, etc. The case is clearly a classic SLAPP (Strategic Litigation Against Public Participation) lawsuit by the world’s self-proclaimed “largest art gallery” against web-based company, Fine Art Registry, which has been outspoken in its criticism of the Michigan gallery’s sale of inauthentic and vastly overpriced art at “auctions” primarily aboard cruise ships, and has provided advocacy and other assistance to victims of Park West Gallery’s broadly questioned art and sales practices.

Park West Gallery claims that Fine Art Registry has harmed its sales and reputation by publishing reports about its art and its sales methods and by assisting individuals who were unable to obtain assistance from Park West’s customer services department. Fine Art Registry claims that Park West Gallery’s reputation was already so low before Fine Art Registry ever began any reports of its activities that its reputation could not be further damaged; that the reports have all been factual and truthful; that a Park West Gallery principal specifically gave permission for Fine Art Registry to continue to publish similar reports and help dissatisfied Park West customers; and that all reports and assistance have been provided only in the public interest.

The case (No. 2:08-CV-12274) is being heard in Federal Court in the Eastern District of Washington, Southern Division, in Port Huron, with Judge Lawrence P. Zatkoff presiding. The case began on March 15th with the plaintiff, Park West Gallery, presenting its case. It has spent three weeks doing so, including testimony from Park West Gallery CEO Albert Scaglione, Park West Gallery director Morris Shapiro, Park West executive over the Miami division of the company, Albert Molina, three French art dealers (one based in New York) appearing by deposition, an Arizona based art dealer, art appraiser and self-proclaimed Dalí expert, Bernard Ewell, two Park West customers, their client services manager and a damages expert whose cross-examination is the last part of Park West Gallery’s case presentation. They also called Fine Art Registry CEO and Publications Director as well as the owner of The Salvador Dalí Gallery as hostile witnesses.

Fine Art Registry prepares to take the stand and present its case, beginning Monday April 5th. They will present leading international Dalí experts and a renowned handwriting expert to prove that Park West Gallery has been selling fake Dalí prints as well as genuine prints with fake signatures. A number of Park West dissatisfied customers and ex-employees, auctioneers and other personnel, as well as Fine Art Registry CEO, Vice-president and Publications Director and a damages expert will testify on behalf of the Defendants and Counter-plaintiffs. Witnesses are flying in from the UK and France as well as from around the USA including Hawaii to testify on behalf of Fine Art Registry.

The case is a notable SLAPP lawsuit into which Park West Gallery has poured vast amounts of money to fund a battalion of lawyers and private “investigators”, so-called experts and others in an attempt to try to silence a small but vocal critic who has been trying to put an end to numerous abuses in the unregulated art market. The Park West Gallery lawsuit strikes heavily at First Amendment rights and the rights of the public to find out about the gallery’s practices which have been much criticized within the art industry as well as the cruise industry. This is a real, modern day version of David and Goliath.

The case is expected to last another three weeks while Fine Art Registry presents its side of the story. It will then be up to the jury to decide. Daily video updates can be found at www.fineartregstry.com.

"This is an extremely important case for art history and for free speech,” said Fine Art Registry CEO, Teri Franks. ‘We are looking forward to finally being able to reveal the ugly truth behind Park West Gallery art auction sales."

The case is open to the public and the press and anyone can come and attend the trial at the Port Huron courthouse. The court is in session Monday, Thursday and Friday from 8:30 am to 1:30 pm and on Tuesday and Wednesday from 8:30 am to 4 or 4:30 pm.