Somehow this didn't get published when it was supposed to be. Better late than never.
As has been said in the comments here, apparently former KOIN ND Jeff Alan has some internet secrets of his own that might cast his lawsuit against KOIN in a rather interesting light. NewsBlues.com is reporting that Alan is indeed the man behind the BDSM-oriented HouseOfSirJ.com website. You will recall that one of his lawsuit's allegations is that he was forced to hire reporter Kacey Montoya, who was once a racy swimsuit model, and that he objected to her former career as "inappropriate."
The site is now down as a result of NewsBlues poking into this, and its domain registration is behind a privacy screen, but I saw both the site and the registration information personally before they went down; it was registered to a Beaverton address. I wasn't able to confirm that it was *the* Jeff Alan; I just don't have the resources or time to run down stuff much, guys, which is why I didn't run with this. With permission from NewsBlues (thanks for letting me reprint, guys):
Since 2005, the longtime news director has owned and maintained a website that specializes in all things BDSM. The "House of Sir J" promotes the philosophy of risk-aware consensual kink. "House of Sir J is dedicated to helping those who wish to safely get into the Lifestyle."
The website also sells custom-made floggers, collars, and leashes "for those with distinctive tastes." Most of the floggers range in price from $125-$150, including the "Mean Joe Green" that is "hand crafted with loving care."
Collars and "slave bands" cost $6-$12 per inch and "involve between 30 and 50 hours of heartfelt labor." Custom lettering is available. They "can be worn 24/7 and will be noticed. Each band is a true work of art."...
NewsBlues contacted Alan on Friday to confirm his ownership of the "House of Sir J" website. What followed was a furious exchange of emails, including several from his attorney, that eventually resulted in the following statement:
"As much as I would like to comment on the House of Sir J web site, I am reluctant due to the ongoing litigation in Oregon. What I will say is that it was part of a five year informational and protection project. When this is all said and done I will be happy to share with you and your readers what it was all about. I am sure you will find it not only interesting but find the work fascinating as well."...
David Wohl is a trial attorney in Palm Springs who picks up extra coin (and, presumably, clients) as a "news reporter and legal analyst" for KPSP-2-CBS. Wohl also represents Kacey Montoya and is a regular contributor to Fox News Channel's legal segment "Kelly's Court."
Wohl is beating the drums for a retaliatory lawsuit against Jeff Alan. He thinks his client was "defamed" by Alan's lawsuit against KOIN because Alan implied that Montoya's previous modeling was pornographic in nature.
Wohl even contacted Fox News Channel's Megan Kelly and pitched the story, which resulted in a six-minute "Kelly's Court" segment on Friday that essentially told Wohl to forget about suing Alan, because Montoya had suffered no damages and wasn't harmed in any way. "She doesn't have a case at all," declared Kimberly Guilfoyle, who admitted, "Haven't we all been there with a few bikini photos here and there?"
Former prosecutor Jonna Spilbor thinks the revelations about Alan's "House of Sir J" website will essentially sink his case against KOIN. "He can't claim in his lawsuit (he) was forced to hire a sexual deviant, while he's standing there in a dog collar and nipple clamps," said Spilbor. For the record, the "House of Sir J" had neither dog collars nor nipple clamps, but we get her point.
Late Monday, Jeff Alan's attorney issued a news release claiming the "House of Sir J" website was "formed for the purpose of research and development of a book and subsequent television program. The web site is informational in nature. It never contained any illicit or pornographic material and pages containing items for sale were for display purposes only." He noted that the project will include "many other groups on the fringes of society who feel they must live an underground existence."
"The attacks on Mr. Alan in various blogs and other media," he continued, "are unfounded and not based in fact."
"Display purposes only?" "[I]nformational and protection project?" uh, what do that mean?
Guys, you know, you cannot make this stuff up. You just can't. I had a really, really hard time believing it when this started surfacing, and I'm still sorta blinking in astonishment. But then, I haven't stopped blinking in astonishment since Alan filed his lawsuit.
I don't get it. If Jeff Alan runs that site in his free time, and has whatever appetite for BDSM, the only relevant point would be whether it intrudes on his professionalism in the office. If he wasn't walking the halls in ass-less chaps or keeping employees in line with a cat 'o nine tails, and if he did whatever a news director does according to his job description and the requirements of his supervisors, whatever he does in his free time is his own business. Isn't it?
Regarding the glass house . . .it was probably cheesy for him to take a swing at Montoya in his lawsuit against KOIN. But digging out her past as a swimsuit model was obviously intended to imply something about New Vision's eagerness to hire a hottie, rather than someone with real news background. It had nothing to do with the morality of swimsuit modeling or skankiness or whatever.