A Timeline of the Gallegly Center's Development (Late 2021)
November 2021
Gallegly Files Lawsuit Against CLU
The Galleglys continue efforts to create and control the public narrative before they file the lawsuit.
The Galleglys’ PR teams send press releases to local media announcing that Gallegly has filed a complaint with the Ventura County Superior Court. This catches CLU (the defendants) off guard since the press had the legal details before the complaint or summons were even posted by the court.
Galleglys’ lawsuit against the institution (CLU), then-current president (Lori Varlotta) and past president (Chris Kimball) is posted on the Ventura County Court website. These three are specifically named defendants. All defendants first learned of filing via the media inquiries.
The fundamental, first cause of action, is declaratory relief against CLU for violating conditions of his gift, which he contends created a "Charitable Trust."
Intensified Media Campaign & CLU's Response
The Galleglys expand their volunteer force beyond James Lacey. The volunteers have grown to include elected official, Kevin McNamee and Amgen VIP, David Shechter. Along with James Lacey and Elton and Janice Gallegly, this group becomes known as the "Gallegly Associates." They join forces to generate a letter-writing campaign that attributes political and partisan motivations to the new president and her actions.
Notable tactics:
Galleglys and Associates create letter templates and ghost write letters and op eds for others to sign and submit for publication.
Op-eds and letters to the editor are recycled by Gallegly and Associates and submitted to multiple media outlets to amplify and solidify the false narrative they have created.
Gallegly and Associates cherry-picked comments from CLU officials and share them with the press to suggest ideological bias and make misleading claims.
Gallegly and Associates contact conservative media personalities at the national level to see if they will cover claims such as these: President Varlotta harbors and acts upon a disdain for conservative viewpoints; She personally dismantled the Gallegly Center out of ideological animus; Her administration promotes "wokeness" over patriotism and civics.
A narrative, singling out Varlotta, has been spun; it describes her being a part of a movement meant to purge conservatism and destroy the legacy of a "Great American."
Discovery reveals many of the letters that were ghostwritten and edited by the Galleglys contained inaccurate and distorted allegations... allegations that neither Elton or Janice would later support under sworn testimony.
Despite the publication of letters that distort the truth, CLU takes a less-is-more media approach. Confident that the facts are squarely on CLU’s side, CLU attorneys advise university officials to fight this in the legal system, not the court of public opinion.
By December, Varlotta is barraged with requests to speak with the press. After consultation with Board, attorneys, and leadership team, she agrees to hold her first and only press conference and to write one op-ed in an effort to surface facts that have not made it into the press.