# Detroit Bankruptcy Trial: Fruitcake day **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [June 25, 2014, 5:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/detroit-bankruptcy-trial-fruitcake-day/691627 "2014-06-25T17:32:38Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 18\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![wolfman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/a8b319/32.png) [@wolfman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wolfman)\ **Post date:** [June 25, 2014, 5:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/detroit-bankruptcy-trial-fruitcake-day/691627/1 "2014-06-25T17:32:38Z")
Well the big Detroit bankruptcy deal is is largely signed off by the major players, with a few odds and ends to be approved or voted on. Not M or P at all in general, but the whole thing is in front of the Judge, going through the minor player’s claims first, starting with the crazy people. [http://www.clickondetroit.com/money/live-10-am-live-updates-from-bankruptcy-hearing/26652860](http://www.clickondetroit.com/money/live-10-am-live-updates-from-bankruptcy-hearing/26652860) > [@](#): > > The third claim the city objected to is a handwritten claim by one Albert O’Rourke. He asked the bankruptcy judge for $1 trillion from the city because he allegedly had stored nuclear secrets along with documents from the Kennedy Administration claiming they were lost in the city’s demolition or foreclosure on a home with these documents. > [@](#): > > She arose to the bench wearing olive green shorts, sandals and a pro-union t-shirt first of all… > Judge Rhodes listened patiently for some time but decided to ask some questions. He wanted to know why her $450 million claim was filed late. She said they were related. He wanted to know how she came up with the $450 million number. she said “I was trying to put a value on my life.” She went on to say “I would be happy with whatever you could grant.” She continued speaking and the judge was trying to move the case along. He told her there was not sufficient evidence for her claims… > Judge Rhodes told her “that’s all we can do here today.” Darrah said “That’s not enough”. Judge Rhodes invited her to take her seat. ---
**Author:** ![Diceman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/22d042/32.png) [@Diceman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Diceman)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2014, 4:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/detroit-bankruptcy-trial-fruitcake-day/691627/2 "2014-06-26T16:30:01Z")
> [@](#): > > She arose to the bench wearing olive green shorts, sandals and a pro-union t-shirt first of all… Something tells me the unions were not happy to have her support. If I was the judge, I think I’d actually look forward to the wingnuts. It would be a nice break from the normal routine. ---
**Author:** ![Shodan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9f8e36/32.png) [@Shodan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shodan)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2014, 5:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/detroit-bankruptcy-trial-fruitcake-day/691627/3 "2014-06-26T17:05:37Z")
What makes you think wingnuts aren’t routine? We’re talking about Detroit here. Regards, Shodan ---
**Author:** ![wolfman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/a8b319/32.png) [@wolfman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wolfman)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2014, 12:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/detroit-bankruptcy-trial-fruitcake-day/691627/4 "2014-09-02T12:03:29Z")
And the sideshow of freaks is long since over. The Main event starts today, and it’s gonna be one hell of an interesting show. Judge Rhodes will become one of the most powerful men in the country over the next few weeks, providing a new template for how messes on the 18-20 billion dollar scale get fixed. ---
**Author:** ![Diceman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/22d042/32.png) [@Diceman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Diceman)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2014, 8:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/detroit-bankruptcy-trial-fruitcake-day/691627/5 "2014-09-02T20:32:32Z")
It seems like the only people who are seriously unhappy are the major bondholders, who lent billions of dollars to Detroit, despite knowing damn well that they wouldn’t be able to pay it back. Feh. I have no sympathy for them. I hope the judge approves the plan so we can get this mess over with. ---
**Author:** ![Xema](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/x/9de053/32.png) [@Xema](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Xema)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2014, 11:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/detroit-bankruptcy-trial-fruitcake-day/691627/6 "2014-09-02T23:05:25Z")
> [@Diceman](#): > > I have no sympathy for them. “You fucked up: you trusted us.” ---
**Author:** ![Rick\_Kitchen](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rick_kitchen/32/522_2.png) [@Rick\_Kitchen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rick_Kitchen)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2014, 11:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/detroit-bankruptcy-trial-fruitcake-day/691627/7 "2014-09-02T23:44:26Z")
Just so long as the people of Detroit actually start getting their water back. ---
**Author:** ![Diceman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/22d042/32.png) [@Diceman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Diceman)\ **Post date:** [September 3, 2014, 11:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/detroit-bankruptcy-trial-fruitcake-day/691627/8 "2014-09-03T11:57:44Z")
> [@Xema](#): > > “You fucked up: you trusted us.” Do you remember the idiots who used to run the place? It was screamingly obvious they were incompetant, and that Detroit going broke was a question of “when” not “if”. To my mind, any bondholder who bought a Detroit bond in the last decade or two was basically dabbling in penny stocks. ---
**Author:** ![dba\_Fred](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/c37758/32.png) [@dba\_Fred](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dba_Fred)\ **Post date:** [September 3, 2014, 1:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/detroit-bankruptcy-trial-fruitcake-day/691627/9 "2014-09-03T13:56:24Z")
So they’re doing the [Detroit Breakdown, I said the Motor City Shakedown.](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZKNANo2BgBs) Will the J. Geils Band get a royalty payment? ---
**Author:** ![wolfman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/a8b319/32.png) [@wolfman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wolfman)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2014, 10:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/detroit-bankruptcy-trial-fruitcake-day/691627/10 "2014-11-07T22:33:57Z")
Well the bankruptcy deal was approved by the Federal judge today. Not a huge surprise, he was letting people know when he was unhappy during the negotiations and trial. So it was just an official seal of approval, but a major event regardless. So Detroit will be exiting Bankruptcy in a matter of weeks, and the whole thing was accomplished with far less gnashing of teeth(at least publicly) that I had expected. So with finances the most independently reviewed and approved in a hundred years(and hopefully continuing over-site by big daddy Fed on whatever goes on) and the investments of Gilbert and Illitch and others, there may be reason for real optimism for the Future of the city. Of course there is no on-off switch for the crime and blight that cover vast portions of the city, That will take a long dedicated effort, concentrated in small areas at any one time to fix, and a lot of innocent people who got screwed by a deteriorating city, with unsaleable houses will die of old age(or crime) before the wave reaches far enough to help them, even at best projections. ---
**Author:** ![wolfman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/a8b319/32.png) [@wolfman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wolfman)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2014, 10:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/detroit-bankruptcy-trial-fruitcake-day/691627/11 "2014-11-07T22:37:35Z")
Ohh yeah, and the fruitcakes continued to object and bitch till the bitter end, but the Judge never did see things quite the same way they did 😉 ---
**Author:** ![DinoR](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dinor/32/2821_2.png) [@DinoR](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DinoR)\ **Post date:** [November 8, 2014, 1:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/detroit-bankruptcy-trial-fruitcake-day/691627/12 "2014-11-08T01:18:35Z")
> [@wolfman](#): > > the fruitcakes continued to object and bitch They should have run for mayor before the bankruptcy if they wanted to cash in. ---
**Author:** ![jz78817](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jz78817/32/1028_2.png) [@jz78817](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jz78817)\ **Post date:** [November 8, 2014, 2:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/detroit-bankruptcy-trial-fruitcake-day/691627/13 "2014-11-08T02:13:38Z")
I wonder if the rash of multi-plot fires this evening was related to this. ---
**Author:** ![friedo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/8edcca/32.png) [@friedo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/friedo)\ **Post date:** [November 8, 2014, 2:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/detroit-bankruptcy-trial-fruitcake-day/691627/14 "2014-11-08T02:59:46Z")
That bankruptcy proceeded a lot faster than I thought it would. ---
**Author:** ![What\_the](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/f4b2a3/32.png) [@What\_the](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/What_the)\ **Post date:** [November 8, 2014, 2:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/detroit-bankruptcy-trial-fruitcake-day/691627/15 "2014-11-08T14:42:32Z")
> [@jz78817](#): > > I wonder if the rash of multi-plot fires this evening was related to this. … reminded me that I didn’t hear much about Devil’s Night this year. ---
**Author:** ![Shodan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9f8e36/32.png) [@Shodan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shodan)\ **Post date:** [November 8, 2014, 2:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/detroit-bankruptcy-trial-fruitcake-day/691627/16 "2014-11-08T14:46:12Z")
> [@What\_the](#): > > … reminded me that I didn’t hear much about Devil’s Night this year. I think under the terms of the bankruptcy agreement, rioting and arson are re-classified as “civic improvements”. Regards, Shodan ---
**Author:** ![jz78817](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jz78817/32/1028_2.png) [@jz78817](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jz78817)\ **Post date:** [November 8, 2014, 6:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/detroit-bankruptcy-trial-fruitcake-day/691627/17 "2014-11-08T18:00:10Z")
> [@friedo](#): > > That bankruptcy proceeded a lot faster than I thought it would. there weren’t too many options for bondholders to consider since it was clear Detroit had no money to pay them back and they weren’t going to be given the DIA. ---
**Author:** ![Diceman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/22d042/32.png) [@Diceman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Diceman)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2014, 2:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/detroit-bankruptcy-trial-fruitcake-day/691627/18 "2014-11-10T14:29:16Z")
> [@jz78817](#): > > I wonder if the rash of multi-plot fires this evening was related to this. Last I heard, they said this was a gas explosion. Someone was seen running from the house, with his clothes on fire, just before the exposion. Speculation is that it was a scrapper. In which case, I say too bad he didn’t get blasted across the street, like that poor homeowner in Royal Oak did a year or two ago. ETA: I’ve read that Tyree Guyton, the guy behind the Heidelburg Project, thinks that the fires at his houses are being set by someone who’s hoping to buy up the land. Make of that what you will. I’ve always assumed that it was one of the local residents who thinks the houses are eyesores.