Despite all this, public concern about fairness in the Petters court process seems mild. The Minneapolis Star-Tribune, the state's largest daily, last week failed to include any comment by a creditor in its important news article in which Kelley announced a deal with the Justice Department to give it some $20 million in remaining Petters assets. Earlier, the Star-Tribune cancelled Merriner's ad campaign putting their allegations into the format of 17 brief investigative "articles."
The Star-Tribune has been in bankruptcy proceedings itself, and may not feel especially empowered to tackle local powers-that-be on that bankruptcy court and the important political figures arguably involved. But other media ranging from local bloggers to broadcasters have been less than enthusiastic, as well. All four Twin Cities TV network affiliates refused, for example, to run even a shortened version of fraud documentary as paid programming.
Nationally, however, at least some view the problem of excessive bankruptcy fees as an ongoing, major problem.The American Bankruptcy Institute published a report in July entitled, "When a Pig Becomes a Hog."
Without mincing words, the report quotes a Texas judge as saying last year: "At some time [the] Court must draw the line as to what is reasonable and what is not." The judge concluded, "When a pig becomes a hog it is slaughtered."
That's Texas talk, and perhaps abit rough for sensibilities elsewhere. But $3 billion in missing assets with only court-appointed lawyers to help you can be worse than tough talk. For some, it's grim reality.
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