To Potential Buyers and Distributors

Update as of 10-15-2018 -- The case has been dismissed by both parties.  As we have agreed to move forward, the dismissed case will remain confidential.

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Update - On April 15, 2014, I filed a lawsuit against Victor Alfieri, Bondolini Productions, Black Knight Entertainment and Daniela Carloni.  Please read "Standing Up for the Truth"

Any potential buyer or distributor interested in "Looking for Clarissa" should be aware of the following facts:

1. Victor Alfieri and Bondolini Productions do NOT have the necessary materials for a complete chain-of-title to sell or license and distribute the film. I have such materials.
2. Victor Alfieri and Bondolini Productions do not have all the contracts and releases for most of the actors who performed in "Looking for Clarissa". I have most of the contracts.
3. The amounts paid to actors stated in their signed contracts are different (substantially lower) than what Bondolini Productions and Alfieri are claiming they paid. I have the actual amounts paid to each actor.
4. There are "false" receipts for expenses that did not exist.
5. The documents that I am retaining contain clear and convincing evidence that fraud was possibly committed.
6. Victor Alfieri took $17,500 of my money that was not part of the financing agreement, concealed it and soon after used it to hire attorney Roger Muse to sue me. That is conversion (theft) and breach of contract.
7. Alfieri refuses to sign an amendment to our original agreement that will guarantee fairness and financial transparency during the sale and distribution of "Looking for Clarissa".  Please read "my requests" below.
8. It is my personal belief that Alfieri has no intention to reimburse any of my investment or any of the money that he illegally took from me to hire an attorney to sue me.
9. I still have at least one year to bring a lawsuit against Victor Alfieri, Bondolini Productions and Black Knight Entertainment for breach of contract and for conversion.
10. Any lawsuit against Bondolini Productions in reference to the film "Looking for Clarissa"will affect any possible sale or distribution of the film.

Some of the readers must be wondering why I am disclosing all this information. The reason is that by making it public it becomes more difficult for Alfieri to hide his questionable actions and his refusal to act in an honorable and respectful manner.

When attorney Manuel Saint Martin emailed me a Demand Letter, I thought that would be my opportunity to negotiate the points I wanted to include in the amendment to my original financing agreement. It would only make sense due to all these lawsuits and Alfieri's lack of integrity and honesty.

This is what I wrote to Mr. Saint Martin:

Mr. Saint Martin,

Please see email below. These are my requests. The only difference is that communication can be done through you, if you are willing to do so.

Let me remind you that Victor Alfieri breached the contract repeatedly. He took MY money and used it to hire attorney Roger Muse to sue me. I believe that is CONVERSION and clearly BREACH OF CONTRACT.  

Alfieri, has not provided proof of all expenditures. My simple requests listed below will guarantee fairness for both parties and clear communication.  Of course I do want to recover my investment. However, Alfieri has not proven to be a reliable, nor a trustworthy person.

I am willing to discuss this with you.

Adriana Trevino

1. Stipulate that my investment is $150,000. That is what I will recover as my total investment. 
2. Nobody recovers any money until I recoup my 150K. 
3. Executed investment agreements and proof of investment of 2 new investors should be provided before signing this document. 
4. After I recover my 150K, the other two investors will recover their investment accordingly - before "second position" and deferred payments are made.
5. The points received by each of us will remain as stated in my original investment agreement. 
6. A separate account will be set up to deposit all earnings from the movie (sale, distribution, etc). Not me nor Victor will have direct access to it. 
7. An independent third party, as Josh has suggested, will handle the account. 
8. I will be included in all correspondence, meetings, negotiations for sale and distribution. If I cannot be present, I will be cc'ed and informed. 
9. No decision about distribution or sale will go ahead without mutual approval -  my signature as well as Victor's signature. 
10. Communications regarding the movie will be done through Josh. 
11. This document/agreement will be signed by Victor and me. 
12. I want the document notarized and would like to be present when Victor signs as well. 

I do want the three of us (you, Victor and I) to have a meeting when we sign this document. I do want to distribute this movie and would love to get my investment back. I don't want to be Victor's enemy. We cannot be enemies. We are working towards the same goal now - to recover what we invested, right?

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I again forwarded the same email to Mr. Saint Martin because I had not gotten any response. After emaling him for the second time and not receiving an answer, I decided to call him.  Read "Advocating for Justice"  to learn how this attorney handled the situation.

If Alfieri is not willing to sign an amended or new agreement with my simple requests, he must not be planning on ever reimbursing me any portion of my investment.  And now, I have a few questions for you, the reader.

If you were in my same situation. You had invested $150,000 in a film and spent an extra $50,000 on attorneys and legal fees. You had also lost about $50,000 in business in 2011, about $100,000 in 2012, $90,000 in 2013.  Adding all of this - $440,000.....

• Would you just "write this loss off" and "move on"?
• Would you try to negotiate something fair so you could recover your investment?
• Would you share the story and details publicly to recover some of your business and reputation?
• Would you sue Victor Alfieri and Bondolini Productions again for breach of contract and for conversion "theft"?

I have written off the $440,000 this nightmare has cost me. There is no point suffering and complaining about something that happened and cannot be changed now. However it is difficult to ignore Alfieri's unethical behavior and refusal to be fair and reasonable.  I really do not want to allow him to keep all the earnings and hide them from me just because I chose to do nothing about it.  I have really tried to negotiate but Alfieri is stubborn and apparently not very smart.

I have chosen to share my story and the details. Some people judge me for exposing myself and others understand. As a result, I have slowly been recovering some of my business. Some of my work associates and friends follow my blog and have expressed how much they respect me for writing my story.

We always have control over our lives even when it feels that external forces are pushing us and making us take an undesirable path. Events happen that are certainly out of our control. We cannot control the weather or some unexpected catastrophes. Situations change. Some people are "seemingly" lucky to achieve their goals while some of us lose money, loved ones... and even hope. Does that mean that we have no control over our own lives?

It is true that we have no control over what other people do, think or want. What we can control is our own choices - the choices we make in life. We get to choose how to feel and what to do with the experience we gain. I have chosen to do my best to be heard when I speak up. I choose to speak with honesty and integrity. I choose to seek justice, balance and peace.  It has become evident to me that my inner peace and balance will be reached when I have utilized my personal resources to seek that justice that I believe will prevail while maintaining the awareness that we are all here to fulfill our personal spiritual curriculum in this school of life.

As to Justice - I am seriously considering filing a new lawsuit against Victor Alfieri and Bondolini Productions. There is only so much time a person has to file a lawsuit. When too much time has passed... it is literally too late to make any legal claims.  Time is running out. I am the only person who truly cares about this situation and who can do something about it. I will be making my decision in a week or two. I will be posting updates.

Disclaimer – As of October 15, 2018, all legal issues have been resolved. This resolution was reached during arbitration. There are no pending issues related to fraud or theft. The resolution was mutually agreeable. There will be no more posts written about this story.

Advocating for Justice

Update as of 10-15-2018 -- The case has been dismissed by both parties.  As we have agreed to move forward, the dismissed case will remain confidential.

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I recently received a letter from attorney Manuel Saint Martin on behalf of Bondolini Productions and Victor Alfieri by email. The letter demands the return of business records, contracts and anything related to the production of "Looking for Clarissa" within seven days from the date of the letter, February 7, 2014.

I promptly replied to Mr. Saint Martin's communication by email.

Mr. Saint Martin,

Please see email below. These are my requests. The only difference is that communication can be done through you, if you are willing to do so.

Let me remind you that Victor Alfieri breached the contract repeatedly. He took MY money and used it to hire attorney Roger Muse to sue me.  I believe that is CONVERSION and clearly BREACH OF CONTRACT.

Alfieri has not provided proof of all expenditures.  My simple requests listed below will guarantee fairness for both parties and clear communication.  Of course I do want to recover my investment. However, Alfieri has not proven to be a reliable, nor a trustworthy person.

I am willing to discuss this with you.

Adriana Trevino

I did not hear from Mr. Saint Martin and again, on February 11, I forwarded to him my original message while stating, "I am forwarding you this email I sent to you on Friday in case you did not receive it."

Again, I did not hear from attorney Saint Martin. So I decided to call him on the phone today. After a couple of rings, he picked up. I thought I would be talking with a reasonable person - a person with common sense that would help facilitate compliance with the agreements signed and with the proposed amendments.

I was shocked with the way Mr. Saint Martin conducted himself. It is my opinion that he was extremely rude and condescending... even sarcastic.  When I simply introduced myself and asked, "did you receive my emails?" he said, "I received nothing from you."  When I started talking about the several things I was requesting that, in my opinion, would guarantee "fairness" to both Victor and me, he interrupted and threatened to demand an immediate arbitration hearing.

Why would an attorney do this when there is room for negotiation? My original investment agreement states that there could be amendments if both parties agree in writing. I am not asking for anything out of the ordinary. Negotiation is actually suggested and sometimes "required" before any hearing is demanded.

Manuel Saint Martin said that I was in breach of contract to what I replied, "and what do you call what your client did, taking my money to use it to hire attorney Roger Muse to sue me? Isn't that breach of contract... and it is also conversion."  I believe that he did not appreciate this statement.

I also said to him that he should learn the facts of the case before making such demands and threats to me. I said, "You should learn a little more about the people you choose to represent." He quickly responded that he was simply acting as a legal representative or mediator to get those documents back.  Why would he say he is a "mediator" if the last thing he is doing is mediate. He is simply intimidating and voicing "legal" threats.

I then added, "I know Victor is not paying you. You are doing this as a favor to him." At this point, he sounded irritated and had clearly lost his patience. He immediately said, "yes, but that is not important because, I will go after you to pay for my fees."

I know he meant if Victor prevailed in the arbitration hearing, I would be responsible for his fees. But the way he yelled and threatened me was truly unjustified. Is this the way to "advocate for justice"?

After I hung up the phone with Mr. Saint Martin, I could not help but wonder...

Is he expecting to recover attorney's fees from me through this arbitration hearing because Victor is not paying him?  

Did he tell Victor about the points we can negotiate to avoid any further legal action and unnecessary expenses? 

Has he informed Victor of the consequences of losing (or not prevailing) and his liability to pay for my attorney's fees and for the costs of the arbitration?

Why didn't Saint Martin respond to my two emails? Attorneys are supposed to respond to any communication from opposing parties especially when a settlement or agreement can be reached. 

I am puzzled by Mr. Saint Martin's inexplicable refusal to discuss points to negotiate. His actions are not helping his client but preventing us from moving forward with the sale and distribution of "Looking for Clarissa."

Now I am just waiting to receive his demand for arbitration in writing via email or regular mail.  I am actually looking forward to it. I will finally have a chance to present my case to a neutral party although it would only be the business/contractual aspect of it.

Justice will prevail.

Disclaimer – As of October 15, 2018, all legal issues have been resolved. This resolution was reached during arbitration. There are no pending issues related to fraud or theft. The resolution was mutually agreeable. There will be no more posts written about this story.

Running Amok

Update as of 10-15-2018 -- The case has been dismissed by both parties.  As we have agreed to move forward, the dismissed case will remain confidential.

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Update as of February 13, 2014- Dr. Manuel Saint Martin comes to Alfieri's rescue once again, now threatening to take me to Arbitration.   Please read - Advocating for Justice.

"From the Malay meaning 'mad with uncontrollable rage'-  is a term that is used for a sudden outburst, usually aggressive or violent, and is preceded by a dissociative episode of brooding over some perceived wrong towards a person or object... 'Running amok' is used to refer to the behavior of someone who, in the grip of strong emotion, obtains a weapon and begins attacking people indiscriminately, often with multiple fatalities."

--- Wikipedia

Definition of "run amok" - go mad, go wild, turn violent, go berserk, lose control, go insane, go into a frenzy... to rush about madly, attacking everybody and everything.  "The prisoner ran amok and killed two prison officers."

--  The Free Dictionary by Farlex

"The perpetrators of 'amok,' it was believed, were as much the victims as those whom they killed or maimed. Having been entered by an evil tiger spirit named “hantu belian,” a host was powerless to resist, and would be mourned in death like any other. No stigma. No disgrace. No opprobrium. Just mourning, and the sincere prayer that it wouldn’t happen again any time soon....There is something in the claim that British civilization helped to prevent mass killings, as the British tendency to put killers on trial may well have dampened enthusiasm for murderous sprees."

-- Running Amok by Charles C. W. Cooke, National Review on Line

"Pow Meng Yap, a psychiatrist for the Hong Kong Government, wrote in 1951 that amok behavior was preceded by a period of brooding, and if the attacker was not killed in the process, it ended when the individual became exhausted and collapsed (and frequently had amnesia for the event)." 

--- Running Amok: A Modern Perspective on a Culture-Bound Syndrome by Manuel L. Saint Martin, The Primary Care Companion to the Journal of Clinical Psychiatry

The Trevino-Alfieri Story is a clear depiction of someone "running amok." In this case, that someone is Victor Alfieri, brooding over some perceived wrongdoing by others - the crew, the cast and, mainly ME.

In the grip of strong emotion, Alfieri obtained a weapon - legal action driven by media manipulation. No wonder I believed Victor had gone insane and out of control. He was simply "running amok."

Manuel Saint Martin, MD, JD
Photo from LinkedIn

His bad case of amnesia is also explained by this condition, as Dr. Saint Martin states in his article, "Running Amok: A Modern Perspective on a Culture-Bound Syndrome." This legal battle got Victor so exhausted.... making him collapse and, in this case, as a result... he suffered from amnesia.  Wow!!! I finally understand.

Manuel Saint Martin, this brilliant psychiatrist, is also an attorney who practices law in California. He is a professional witness in court cases. And now, he has become Victor Alfieri's legal counsel in the pending matter against him and Bondolini Productions.

And now I wonder...

Why did Roger Muse withdraw as Alfieri's attorney from that case???  

Hmm... has Roger read this blog? Does he now know all the facts supported by evidence that contradict Alfieri's outrageous tales?

Is Dr. Saint Martin Alfieri's treating psychiatrist??? Can he act as both his legal and "mental" counsel?  

I don't know. But I am glad Victor is getting help.

Why would Alfieri continue with this legal battle when the plaintiff was willing to dismiss the lawsuit against him and Bondolini Productions without asking for any monetary compensation?  

Ah.... I get it... He is still "running amok" and needs to act out his delusions and perceived wrongdoing by others.

"Today, amok should be viewed as one possible outcome of an individual's undiagnosed and/or untreated psychiatric condition with psychosis or severe personality pathology...To date, there is no medication that has been proven to specifically treat violent behavior, and since violence results from multiple factors, it is unlikely that any such medication will be developed in the near future."

-- Running Amok: A Modern Perspective on a Culture-Bound Syndrome by Manuel L. Saint Martin, The Primary Care Companion to the Journal of Clinical Psychiatry

I hold no resentment against Victor for what he has done to me. I understand what it must be like to feel that there is a continuous battle to fight and win. I sure hope he gets to come to the realization that whatever happened on set, back in 2011, is done. It's in the past... We should all move on.

Disclaimer – As of October 15, 2018, all legal issues have been resolved. This resolution was reached during arbitration. There are no pending issues related to fraud or theft. The resolution was mutually agreeable. There will be no more posts written about this story.