Was Enzo Raimondo Gagged?

by Peter Mericka B.A., LL.B
Real Estate Lawyer
Qualified Practising Conveyancer Victoria
Director Lawyers Real Estate Pty Ltd

Enzo Raimondo, CEO of the Real Estate Institute of Victoria, recently accused me of making comments that were “deliberately mischievous and untrue”. But when called upon to nominate any such statements or to provide the evidence, Enzo disappeared from the radar. Has he been gagged by the REIV?

Allegations From Enzo Raimondo

In my previous posting I took Enzo Raimondo to task for suggesting that estate agents are “licensed to wheel and deal” in real estate transactions. It was too much for Enzo, and in an apparent fit of pique he let fly with an hysterical outburst, accusing me of regularly misinforming readers of this blog.

Enzo Goes Quiet

In response to his outburst, I asked Enzo to clarify the situation:

“Hi Enzo,

It is not good enough to simply assert that comments are “deliberately mischevous and untrue” and that I “regularly misinform readers”.  You must provide evidence for such assertions.

Tell me which statements are “mischievous and untrue” etc., and I will address them.“

Enzo did not respond. Thinking that perhaps Enzo had not read my response to his comment, I emailed him direct:

“Hi Enzo,

You have made a very serious allegation regarding my integrity by way of a comment on the AustralianRealEstateBlog.com.au insofar as you have stated that my comments regarding your  article Licensed to Wheel & Deal are “deliberately mischievous and untrue” and that I “regularly misinform readers” of the Australian Real Estate Blog.

I have challenged you to provide examples of material that is “untrue” or which constitutes “misinformation”, but you have not done so.  Please make reference to the material on which you base these comments.  Alternatively, please provide me with your written apology.

Please note that this is not a defamation issue, it is simply one of ethics.  If you have the evidence you should produce it, if you don’t you should apologise and withdraw.”

Still no response from the CEO of the Real Estate Institute of Victoria.

Was Enzo Gagged By The REIV?

When a Chief Executive Officer suddenly goes quiet after having been so vocal, one can be forgiven for wondering if someone has “had a word” with him. My final email to Enzo was as follows:

“Hi Enzo,

I note that you have not responded to my last email, and this leads me to the conclusion that you may have been “gagged” by the REIV.  If this is not the case, please confirm.

I will be writing a follow up posting on AustralianRealEstateBlog.com.au regarding your accusations, my invitation to you to support your allegations, and your inability to do so.  I will also make comment to the effect that you appear to have been gagged in order to prevent further embarrassment to the REIV brought about by your unsubstantiated allegations.

To be quite blunt Enzo, you cannot make wild allegations without being held accountable.

Please respond by midday today, failing which I will assume that you have nothing to say in response to the above.”

Here it is, five days after Enzo’s outburst, and I have received no response, no apology, no explanation.

I am satisfied that Enzo’s silence explains his position most eloquently.

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