Need Serious Help Setting Up a Store for a Defense Fund

Hello Fellow Warriors,

I'm looking for a few people to help me with a project I'd like to get launched and running in the next week.

Here's the story.

Last year I promoted the Kimkins Diet. After a big promotion that went off in Womans World magazine, the site went from 2,000 to 40,000 members in a months time.

The founder of this diet Heidi Diaz (aka Kimmer) had been very private up to this point. Some problems with the diet and the founder surfaced, and it was found out that Heidi Diaz was not the woman in the pictures used to sell the diet, and that Heidi Diaz despite her initial claims of losing 198 lbs in 11 months was actually obese.

I have been involved as an activist - spreading the news of the fraud - and I am a member of a class action lawsuit.

In the past few weeks my name was put on a SLAPP suit filed by Heidi Diaz and Kimkins. Her suit lists some people and 100 "does," to be named as she aquires names of people to add to her frivolous lawsuit. Her lawsuit is an intimidation tactic against us, and very likely will be tossed in the future.

While our lawyer John Tiedt has been gracious enough not to charge us for his time, there are things (responses) that need to be filed with the courts. There are filing fees that will need to be addressed, period.

Right now, those fees are looking like roughly $300 per person named.

We have a trust put in place by our lawyer, but some people have expressed concern over sending money that seems to go into a black hole.

I have a solution - a way for people to not only contribute and feel good about doing so, but to also let them get a little something in return.

I am in the process of trying to put together an online store. The store will be featuring items that the anti Kimkins movement will be interested in purchasing. Profits from items will be sent to the trust for the defense fund.

At some time, those filing fees will be returned when the case is found in our favor, and I would like to continue to leave those funds available to others to use in future litigations and other online lawsuits.

I have ideas for merchandise, and plans to see what is involved in getting an account with printfection or something similar.

I'm looking for advice or ideas on the best way to set up this store - things I may need to be careful of - as well as some minor technical assistance to set up a proper payment processor.

I need your help. Please if you could raise questions here that I need to consider, concerns, problems, etc. And if you are in any way able to help me get this off the ground and can donate an hour of assistance please let me know.

What do I have so far? I purchased a domain, but may change it. I have hosting space, and know how to get a basic blog up in seconds.

I am looking for some digital download items (patterns on making sock puppets) to include as well as t-shirts, etc to sell.

My funds are extremely limited in setting this up. I have spent so much time on this problem for the past year that my own business makes enough just to pay it's monthly cost of running. So, if you have a software or something I should be using and can donate the use of it for just this fund raising site, I greatly appreciate it.

What I have never done is accept direct payment for items - set up a shopping cart - or allocated profits to go to another source.. I need a good solution for tracking information and automating as much as possible.

I need serious help with a plan for this. I'm just not sure on the best way to set all this up.

Should anyone want to just contribute directly to the defense fund, I have the information for that here as well - and trust me, some of those gals and guys involved will really appreciate even five dollars.

This particular lawsuit goes way beyond just fraud. The diet plan of Kimkins has caused PHYSICAL issues for some of these folks, and was a recipe for eating disorders. Heidi Diaz is an extremely dangerous individual online. She has lied not only to me, but about me in court depositions.

Please let me know your thoughts, and here is the direct donation information for anyone in a good mood today. Here is an excerpt from my friend "Prudentia."

"A response has been received by John Tiedt, the attorney representing the plaintiff's class action against Heidi Diaz, from her attorney, Bert Cottle, in reference to the status of the cross-complaint (the SLAPP suit) filed by Heidi Diaz.

First, this is a direct statement from John, which he has asked me to share with you all:

"The cross complaint filed by Bert Cottle was designed to intimidate the plaintiff's witnesses. We intend to file a motion to strike and seek monetary sanctions against Ms. Diaz and Mr. Cottle."

In addition to the above, I have talked to John and we are setting up a defense fund to help defray the filing fees and costs that will now begin to accumulate in this matter. If you are interested in contributing to this fund, you may do the following:


Checks or money orders: Make payable to Tiedt & Hurd Trust Account

Mail to: Tiedt & Hurd Trust Account
c/o Barb Lewis, The Witness Intimidation Fund
980 Montecito Drive, Suite 209
Corona, CA 92879

Credit or Debit Card: call Barb Lewis at 951-549-9400"

Thank you to who ever is still reading here and for hearing me out.

Jill Carpenter