The Backstory
Many of you are already familiar with our quest to get payment from Ruckus Energy for land services we rendered for them back in 2022. Avi Mirman, the CEO of Ruckus Energy, has reached out to me personally to explain why things fell apart and how hard he tried to get everything back on track. He also has mentioned that he would appreciate it if I’d stop posting about him online. Yet…here we are, he still owes us money so I have no intention of granting him any favors. Oh…and he is also trying to purchase Battalion Oil Corp for $450mm.
Unpaid and Unfulfilled Promises
In late February we reached out to Ruckus’ attorneys to let them know that we were going to retain new legal counsel to pursue filing to put Ruckus into involuntary bankruptcy. That got their attention, and they quickly offered us a settlement agreement. We negotiated back and forth on terms and payment deadlines before reaching an agreement. The idea that they were offering us a settlement agreement in the hopes that they could string us along until after they closed that Battalion deal was something we really struggled with, but ultimately, if they were going to pay us most, or even some, of what they owed us, we were willing to put down the guns.
Breach of Contract…Again
The payment deadline came and went. Explanations for why they couldn’t pay us continued to sound all too familiar. They had told us the same things before. Maybe there really isn’t any money to pay us…but then I have to wonder…how was there money for Fury Resources to fund the initial escrow for the Battalion deal? Their attorneys flat out told us there was no connection between Fury and Ruckus…yet here we are, reading the most recent SEC filings detailing how Fury Resources is a wholly owned subsidiary of Ruckus Energy Holdings.
We’re Not Alone, Here’s A List of Other Creditors
Back to Battle
As we are retaining new counsel to pursue yet another breach of contract suit against Ruckus, one thing we just can’t make sense of is why they would even bother singing a settlement agreement in the first place. The entire situation seems rather absurd to be dragged out this long over $30-$40k. I repeatedly told all of their attorneys that I would start posting about this online, and they repeatedly told us that we cannot “threaten” their client like that. Well…here we are again. Google “Avi Mirman” and you’ll see some of my previous posts.
Speaking Out
Sure, I know that in this day and age we aren’t supposed to say anything bad about people on the internet because you are likely to get sued…but I’m only speaking to the truth here. None of this makes sense. There are no answers to our questions, so perhaps once we file for discovery of Ruckus’ finances we’ll have a clearer picture of why they seem incapable of paying us, yet are able (looks like that is actually not true) to fund this huge acquisition of Battalion.
The Burdens of Accountability and Responsibility
We might end up spending more money out of pocket that we’ll never get reimbursed for, but we’re standing on principle. I have really struggled with that idea, because how much is that worth to me personally? What’s it worth to us professionally? This isn’t about revenge, it’s not about ego, at the end of the day I believe in accountability and personal responsibility. Avi has told me about how this Ruckus situation wasn’t his fault, and how he’s not the bad guy that I am making him out to be. Well, the circumstances might be out of your control, but when you’re in charge, you’re accountable and responsible for making things right.
The Cost of Integrity
When one of our guys fucks up, I hold them accountable and accept that I am responsible for our guys work. Taking the heat from a client is the price we pay because our names are on the letterhead. We don’t make excuses, we own our shit and fix it. At the end of the day I take those responsibilities very seriously, because if it means we can either pay our contractors or pay ourselves, we’re going to have our guys backs and make them whole. That’s what we accept as business owners. Accountability to the client and responsibility for our guys. That seems to be a concept that too few people understand these days. Somebody has to be held accountable.
Standing Firm: Why I Can’t Back Down
I’d like to think that some people will look at this and understand where we are coming from and why I won’t…and can’t…let this go. Maybe we’re just dumb landmen after all. In 10 years I hope I’m not still posting about this, but you know what…if that’s what it takes, I will.
I’m not backing down. That’s just not how I operate.
