good luck with that. The judge in the last case who entered a default judgement against Lamaze had also ordered Good Samaritan to produce any and all records related to any activity since 2019, ergo, there must have been records to produce.
The truth will come out. I’m not saying I know what the truth is, but the court isn’t going to let him write his own narrative when he has been present and avoiding depositions in the state of Florida within the last year.
There is a good podcast called “Scamanda” about how a mother of 2 spent years blogging about her cancer journey - which was all fake! She made an art of begging for donations and scanning free trips and services. Sad thing is that it’s so hard to prosecute.
I have been to medical school, and the whole story is undeniably BS. Certain parts could potentially have a grain of truth to them, but the whole “my kidney” thing?! Medicine does not currently have the technology to replace kidney function with a minimally-invasive computer-controlled “chip”. If we did, someone should’ve probably let the millions of people living on dialysis know …
(Also … he keeps referring to his “kidney”, singular. Was he born with a single kidney, or had to have one removed at some point? Because the vast majority of humans have 2 of them)
He claims he’s trying to protect his doctors by submitting forged letters from physicians who never treated him?
If his doctors are truly doing all this revolutionary-medical-miracle stuff to cure his totally real GBM-with-laryngeal-mets, what do they need to be protected from? The droves of other patients that will come seeking similar miracle for themselves?
or the loss of their licenses for administering medical treatment outside of established guidelines…or completely fictional treatment, such as a nonexistent artificial kidney. I can’t speak to foreign law but it is against the law in the States to practice medicine without a license or beyond the scope of your license.
That’s kind of a horse-world-hero thing, isn’t it? One would never, ever question a famous rider! If a famous rider says it, it’s got to be true.
It’s almost as if it is some kind of moral error to check up on the backstory. I’ll bet the writers, editors and publications are not having any hindsight moments. That they have been and will continue to do the same sloppy fact-checking with other famous riders. That may be how famous riders stay famous, given that yes, some are not shining lights of honesty and straight dealing.
No one else can “embarrass them.” People embarrass themselves with their own behavior.
Part of the grift is to move the medical history to the other side of the ocean from the courts and reporters. Even more plausible since he does live & ride there at least part of the year.
It is harder for Canadians and Americans to fact-check a European medical history. Plus, we can speculate that maybe they have more advanced treatment over there, so how do we dispute what he is saying. Plus, he also used some descriptions that sound like some of the process in Europe is holistic and not strictly in medical facilities, making it possibly more inaccessible for verification. And, possibly a language barrier for a reporter/publication.
Whenever something or someone that is part of a Big Story is being said to be located somewhere that is hard to access and verify, my red flags go up. It is a classic move for catfishing, love-connection frauds, fake-medical-fundraising, and other cons. Keeping verification beyond easy reach. (In the U.S. HIPPA is invaluable to medical grifters.)
Classic. Framing it dramatically, and dressing it up so that there is no way all this wonderfulness could possibly happen within reach of ready verification.
And he’s doing it in such heroic fashion, so self-sacrificing for his sport, so dedicated to his sport goals – also classic grift elements.
There are dozens of high-profile stories of big personalities with lots of charm pulling off schemes like this for profit, even just for a good living. Not necessarily famous people. Just in their own small pond. I can think of a few off the bat.
[I also thought of ‘Scamanda’ – A lot of EL’s quotes sound like her. And his way of going about things in the biggest way possible, the most attention-seeking, the most self-excusing. Just “the most”, whatever it is, good or bad.]
I knew someone who ‘had cancer’ and was missing work, etc. & so on doing as little possible in life while earning a good income … until she was called on to produce documentation. Then the subject of cancer was dropped and it became all about her depression and mental struggles. The bottom line is that she was malingering while using work benefits for time off, and scamming money out of the people around her, including close family. She finally malingered herself out of her good gov’t job with generous benefits. She was also lying about making mortgage payments and she and her husband lost their house to foreclosure. He was in shock. But last I heard, still with her.
EL may be seen by the public as a fallen hero, but to me he is just another classic grifter. He has a talent and has used that in his grift. He’s made himself high-profile and has been able to tap into piles of money for his high-end lifestyle, wherever / whoever the money comes from.
As far as his claims of throat problems and hoarseness related to his “cancer”, it is far more probable that it is this…
"People who snort cocaine may experience nosebleeds and frequent runny noses. Snorting cocaine can damage a person’s sense of smell. Furthermore, it can cause damage to the structure of the nose, which can range from minor septal perforation (a hole in the wall between the nostrils) to more severe damage which may lead to collapse of the entire nose.
A sore throat from cocaine can occur from snorting, as it can cause hoarseness and difficulty swallowing. In extreme cases, like one examined in the New England Journal of Medicine , cocaine can perforate the roof of the mouth, effectively connecting the mouth and nasal cavity and complicating everyday tasks like eating."
As far as cocaine use, it’s known to produce feelings of grandiosity and invincibility in some young men who use it, and it’s quite possible that for a period of time, it would give the user an edge in a high speed high risk sport like show jumping. If someone fails two drug tests for Olympic qualification it’s pretty obvious they have been using drugs all the time because you wouldn’t “accidentally” make that mistake twice.
I’ve never been around cocaine but I recall reading about it in the 1980s when it was the middle/upper class drug of choice and prevalent in fields like stock brokers. It could make young men bolder and bolder, until it led to psychosis and physical collapse.
I’ve also heard that locally, cocaine entered use in our Canadian city in the 197Os through our second tier TB racetrack, it was being used on the horses and then by the track staff. I don’t know if that was really how it arrived, but cocaine and horses do have some links.
My memory might be failing me but I could have sworn in 2000 he was popped for ephedrine. A retest (that he requested) popped him again for cocaine.
Either way, he then admitted to using “diet supplements” for the previous five years, possibly proving that keeping his mouth shut does not seem to be a new problem for him.
Of course you were, Eric. It was all for the greater good.
/s <== (for those who hadn’t yet picked up on this slightly newer SM symbol for ‘sarcasm’, as sometimes sarcasm is lost on the internet, without tone of voice and all that
This I actually believe. Let’s not worry about his health, as miserable as it probably truly is for reasons other than those he’s given. And let the courts take care of his sorry ass.
Probably also true statements. In a different context and for different reasons than he has given the courts, his lawyer and the public.
He’ll think of some new move to dodge a trial. Or he’ll just flee into the wind.
He’s been doing this medical con for at least a decade, so from his point of view, why should his ability to dodge consequences change now. He’ll think of something. Or some enabler will step in.
Just another day in the life for EL.
He will find them. They will find him.
Something else he has been doing all of his life.
I wouldn’t be surprised if private suspicions have already reduced his client list and income stream. But not fully canceled it.
Further reductions obviously coming, and in his mind this will all be the fault of persecutors who have no sympathy for a great horseman with cancer. In his mind.
The guy has been surviving on grift for a very long time, probably his whole life. It helps that he’s also a great rider so he has a genuine talent to exploit.
I’m sure he’s faced more private exposures and lived through them. He has straight-armed lawsuits while continuing to deal in property and even buy a yacht. He’s not kidding when he says he’ll be enjoying life while other principals worry and scurry over all of this.
This exposure may seem like the end of the world, but it isn’t for him. He’ll just continue to find enablers and ways to manage life, even prosper. He’s had the practice to continue to make it happen for himself.
The only real danger to his comfort is if he manages to cross over into something criminal that could land him in jail / prison. But if that hasn’t yet happened, probably he won’t go down that trail.
The challenging background/tough childhoods is NOT very common on the Jumper scene at the elite levels. I cannot find any quick results on google right now but his childhood was extremely abusive. Absolutely no money what so ever. He did not marry money either.
Can you please tell me a few other riders that have accomplished as much as Eric who had such a background?
In no way am I standing up for the deviousness or fraud that has been perpetrated.
The feelings of invincibility aren’t limited to young men. I did cocaine exactly once, as a young woman, and felt like I could ride a 5 star with the best of them. I liked it so much that I NEVER did it again.
Someone above explained it’s probably a francophone thing. Which makes sense to me. I work with 50% francophones and plural is hard. Which is fine bc french is hard for me
Yes I remember it well……Spruce banned him, just like anyone else would be, from competing there! Then the FEI stepped in and told them basically if they didn’t allow him back on their grounds, they’d lose their World Cup standing! It was awful and many of us were angry and still are! When he competed after that, people would not clap and would boo and turn their backs! Our barn was told “ officially we can’t approve of what you do but there’s a reserved section for you”! Signs were made that we took, an en mass we all stood and turned our backs when he came in. I have never clapped for him since!