Class Action Lawsuit worth it?

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Ruthless4christ

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I am seeing this Gentleman on multiple Gun Forums online. There was also some chatter on ar15.com that "ex post facto" does not apply here so being involved in this case would be a waste of time? hoping for some wiser minds to comment. Please see below.

Good afternoon,

I am an attorney in Western New York. Andrew Cuomo's proposed ban on 10 round magazine with no grandfather clause constitutes a ex post facto law and is therefore a prima facie violation of the Constitution. We need to get a class action suit together.

If this bill passes, I'd like any and all affected gun owners who want to challenge this law to contact me.

(This is not a business/advertising post)


I responded and this is what he sent back to me:


I have successfully represented clients in the past on Second Amendment issues in NYS Supreme Court. This case is pro-bono for all the gun owners of New York.
 
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here is another post I am seeing about the same guy.

To all New York Gun Owners! Lawyer : Jim Tresmond, Attorney in Buffalo, New York. Attorney phone is *****716.202.4301 ****

Successfully represented clients in the past on Second Amendment issues in NYS Supreme Court. This case is pro-bono for all the gun owners of New York. According to Mr. Tresmond the new ban is illegal as it is an ex-facto law taking away previously owned property and he intends to file this action in Federal Court.

We are looking for as many as possible to add to CLASS ACTION CASE:

SEND Your Name and EMAIL ADDRESS and phone number to:

psacco1@twcny.rr.com
WE ARE COLLECTING AS MANY AS POSSIBLE AS QUICKLY AS POSSIBLE!!!
 
I don't think getting involved in the case would be a waste of time, but from my non-lawyer understanding of ex post facto laws, I don't think it would count as ex post facto.

On it's surface, it seems retroactive, but there is an allotted period of time to comply with the law and it has not automatically deemed since you possessed the magazines in the past and that is now a crime(or rather will be a crime when the amnesty period elapses) that you are automatically guilty of the crime.

Hypothetically, if they could prove that you owned a magazine over seven rounds at some point before the law were enacted, and rounded all those people up and charged them with possession because they at one time before the law was in place possessed what is now an illegal item, that would be ex post facto. However making something illegal, then charging people who get caught, going forward from the time of enactment is not retroactive.

IANAL, but that's my take on it.
 
He's being mentioned in at least one of the other TWO posts on the NY law going on right now. And mentioned favorably.
 
Jim is a great guy who has successfully represented clients who have had their guns seized by the state. He's a US Navy Veteran (58-62), a well respected defense attorney in Buffalo, and a great guy.
 
I believe Sacco is amassing a list of supporters. Tresmond's email address is TresmondLaw@gmail.com

His office is being inundated with telephone calls from around the state, so it's no surprise that some people are having a hard time getting through. He's not challenging this ex-post facto as some think, it's part of a broader series of arguments against the law. People can criticize a particular point all they want, but unless they see the finalized petition, they aren't able to make an accurate assessment of the case. I am aware that several former Assistant District Attorneys have signed on to assist Tresmond.

We need all of the support we can get here in NY.
 
Glad to hear some people vouching for him. i email my info, and I will be sure to take handouts for this upcoming rally in Albany, on saturday. Hopefully I see some of you all there.
 
That's great.

Again, Mr. Tresmond wants everyone to know that although he cannot personally respond to each of the thousands of emails being sent to him, he's advocating for everyone's rights here. He's going to give his client's their day in court and ask the court to name this as a class action suit.

IMHO, it's a good strategy.
 
I'm not sure it would fall under ex post facto either. What is may fall under is the Supreme Court's ruling on banning weapons in common use.

Using my non lawyer logic, if the NY law is overturned on the basis of ex post facto, other laws such as the closing of the machine gun register in 1986 could be trumped on that basis, because they outlawed weapons that were previously legal. That would get the grabbers screaming:D.
 
Attorney's use a number of arguments, going from their strongest to weakest.

The ex post facto argument is paralleled to several cases involving registration, but it is certainly not the only argument Mr. Tresmond has in his arsenal.
 
Thanks Brian. Jim's got enough Petitioners to go to court with, so he's all set on that front. Now it's time to spread the word and wait to see his completed argument which should be ready in the next few days.
 
Just got off the phone with Jim Tresmond....

He is requesting that folks please stop calling his office. He is grateful for the support and says that he certainly understands the concern that folks have at potentially losing their civil rights but he would very much like to spend his time working on the case rather than he and his staff answering phones calls.

He says he has enough petitioners and will be filing the suit and then requesting Class-Action status. (If I'm correctly understanding the process)
 
I wish Mr. Tresmond well but don't believe the bill passed is an ex post facto law. As I understand it, the law would grandfather in ten round magazines already in a gun owner's possession but limit the owner from loading more than seven rounds in the magazine. A law violates the Ex Post Facto Clause only when it criminalizes past action. It is the future act of loading or possessing a magazine with more than ten rounds in it that is being criminalized.

The Second Amendment itself provides a better chance of success than an ex post facto claim.
 
My understanding is that they are not arguing it is an ex post facto law from that perspective, but the office does not wish to disclose its finished argument to the public until tomorrow night. Of course, that is only one argument against the law, and a good lawyer uses numerous arguments, from strongest to weakest, when trying to strike down a law. Let's let Jim present his case before we start picking it apart.
 
I signed up. I encourage any and all New Yorkers to do the same, it cant hurt any and if anything the public needs to see an overwhelming support for any and all cases against the draconian law.
 
KyJim said:
I wish Mr. Tresmond well but don't believe the bill passed is an ex post facto law. As I understand it, the law would grandfather in ten round magazines already in a gun owner's possession but limit the owner from loading more than seven rounds in the magazine.
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Either your understanding of the law is incomplete, or mine is wrong. My understanding is that magazines holding more than 7 rounds are illegal, but there is a one-year "grace" period during which owners must either dispose of them or sell them out of state. During that one-year grace period they can be used if not loaded with more than 7 rounds.

So they're not really "grandfathered" at all.
 
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