I finally got a copy of the anonymous letter at the heart of former Broward Mayor Ken Keechl's lawsuit against a Jacaranda Golf Club resident in Plantation. You may remember the story: Dean Upton was one of many residents who says the golf course retaliated against him for opposing a condo development on the course.

People say Jacaranda employees cut their irrigation pipes, installed surveillance cameras outside their homes, put in plantings to block their golf course view, filled their pools with fertilizer, etc.  

Someone wrote an anonymous letter to the golf course owner complaining about two employees. Keechl is representing them in a lawsuit against Upton who they claim wrote the letter. Upton says he didn't write the letter and says the lawsuit is baseless and meant solely to shut him up. You read the letter and tell me if this case should be taking up the time and resources of Broward County and Judge Eileen O'Connor's courtroom: 

Mr. Jim McGlothlin

Bristol, Va. 

Mr. McGlothlin, 

This letter is to enlighten you of the distasteful actions being conducted by your leaders Brent Bender and Kevin Fipps. As a writer for a major newspaper, I find it difficult to believe that these two so-called "leaders" can do so much damage to a business. After traveling to Georgia and playing golf at the Harbor Club, and your other courses in NC and Virginia, I found these courses to have a great relationship with the surrounding communities including the City Hall. This is true with over 100 courses throughout the country that I have observed. 

The course in South Florida is operated by very ruthless and uneducated people. The community surounding the course, is constantly calling help from outsiders to help tame the employees. they are throwing debris on neighbors property, cursing them, urinating in the plantings that are not groomed -- causing rats, snakes, etc. The Health Department, the Environmental Agency, and the Plantation Code Department have been on your course many times for these actions. 

Hundreds of golfers would rather spend their money at other courses in the city than to play on yours due to the unethical conduct of Brender and Fipps. Homeowners are selling their homes at a substantial reduced price due to the ruthlessness steming from your staff. The views have been blocked by plantings that are not groomed--thus causing an ugly sight for the homeowners. 

From all observations to help you to protect your investment, a suggestion to fire Brender and Fipps and start cleaning the course's property surrounding neighbord. FIRE THESE TWO THUGS...

Okay, first, the claims made in the letter are the same as have been made by many residents. There's a huge conflict going on here. In other words a lot of it, if you believe the residents, appears to be true. As for the more personal stuff, "thugs," etc., wouldn't that fall under the umbrella of opinion? It's funny how everyone talks about American freedoms but too often there's silence when they come under attack in the courtroom.