David Rutkauskas, CEO of Beautiful Brands International (BBI), has apologized profusely to those he bullied and insulted online, and has vowed to drop the defamation and tortious interference lawsuit BBI filed against UnhappyFranchisee.Com founder Sean Kelly.
In a statement posted on his DavidRutkauskas.Com blog and linked to from his @DavidRutkauskas Twitter account, Rutkauskas wrote:
I’m Sorry
June 12, 2013
To my family, friends, followers, colleagues, and mostly to Sean Kelly, his family as well as to Jonathan Fortman and his family, Dr. Steve Greene, and Teresa Knox…I’M PROFOUNDLY SORRY!
Over the last few months I’ve not been myself. I’ve said many horrible, vulgar and hurtful things that I’m so ashamed of. I know my apology can’t undo what I’ve said and can’t overcome the shame and embarrassment that I’ve caused, but from the bottom of my heart I want the world to know that I’m sorry!
Sean, I don’t agree with you, and I certainly don’t agree with the things you’ve accused me of doing, but you didn’t deserve my attacks and verbal assaults. I’m sincerely sorry. To anyone else I have hurt by my outbursts I ask that you would forgive me. I know sorry won’t make it go away, but my hope is that being sorry places us all on the path toward healing.
Nothing can excuse my behavior. I would, however, like to explain somewhat about what led to it. The last few months have been difficult. I’ve been accused of wrongful things, and while I strongly disagree with what has been said, it has nonetheless hurt me and caused anger to build within me. At the same time I nearly lost my father. He suffered a major heart attack on March 12, 2013, that left him in a coma clinging to life. This led me to make some terrible choices. After MANY, MANY years of sobriety, I chose to drink away my pain. Obviously this was such a poor choice that caused much more pain. It resulted in approximately 6 weeks of extreme lows in my life. I did and said things I can never take back.Fortunately, with the love and help from MY family and friends I’ve found myself again, and I’m on the road to healing. Therefore I will be deactivating my twitter page, dropping my lawsuit and any claims against Sean Kelly to focus on my health and my family. I will now focus my energies on all of the wonderful partners we have, our Brands we own, and all of the fantastic franchisees of our brands around the world.
Again, I’m sincerely sorry to ALL and thank you for your support in getting better and moving forward.
Sincerely,
David
Also Read:
ZivaGate: Tulsa World Editor Fueled Twitter Attacks on Blogger
If You Like Amy’s Baking Co., You’ll LOVE This CEO.
Why DAVID RUTKAUSKAS & ROBERT SARTIN Should Sue Themselves (Part 1) by Sean Kelly
How Franchisors Should – And Shouldn’t – Respond to Internet Criticism
BEAUTIFUL BRANDS INTERNATIONAL (BBI): Behind the Hype
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ARE YOU FAMILIAR WITH THE DAVID RUTKAUSKAS & BEAUTIFUL BRANDS? SHARE A COMMENT BELOW.
Tags: David Rutkauskas, Beautiful Brands International, BBI, David Rutkauskas Twitter, Robert Sartin, attorney Robert Sartin, Barrow & Grimm PC, Unhappy Franchisee lawsuit, Sean Kelly Lawsuit, David Rutkauskas lawsuit, BBI lawsuit, Beautiful Brands lawsuit, SLAPP lawsuit, jon Fortman, Jonathan Fortman
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