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CFF FILES MOTION AGAINST HIRAIR HOVNANIAN

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The Cafesjian Family Foundation (CFF), on behalf of the Armenian Genocide Museum and Memorial, Inc. (AGMM), filed a motion today in an ongoing lawsuit in the United States District Court for the District of Columbia. The court is being asked to enjoin the Armenian Assembly of America, Inc. (Assembly), and AGMM rogue trustees Hirair Hovnanian, Van Krikorian and Anoush Mathevosian from attempting to develop the AGMM in contravention of the organization’s charter documents and the agreements that made the undertaking possible in the first place.

“By this action, CFF seeks to protect AGMM from irreparable harm,” said CFF Vice President and CFF-designated AGMM trustee John Waters. “On November 3, 2007, the Assembly announced plans to develop a museum on part of a site owned by the AGMM. It was a baffling announcement, since the Assembly neither owns nor controls AGMM. The Assembly-announced plan would diminish the project by confining the development to a renovated bank building. According to an attorney representing the Assembly, the rogue trustees apparently intended to pay for the bank building renovation by selling off the adjoining properties in disregard of fiduciary and contractual duties. The injunction would enforce those obligations.”

“The AGMM should have a commanding presence,” said CFF Founder and President Gerard Cafesjian. “We realized early on that a renovated bank building would simply not do justice to the institution that the community deserves and that the tragedy suffered by the Armenian people warrants. We worked hard to acquire additional property so that this project could be done right.”

Unfortunately the other trustees have blocked nearly every plan that has been proposed. Assembly obdurance ultimately brought AGMM development to a standstill.

Realizing that personality clashes were deadlocking AGMM governance, Mr. Cafesjian resigned his position as Chair of the Board of Trustees in September 2003 in hopes that the project could be revived. Mr. Cafesjian removed himself from the board in order that AGMM Trustees could move the project forward without the distraction of Cafesjian’s presence.

Unfortunately, Mr. Cafesjian’s gesture did not produce the desired result. Rather than committing to an appropriate project, the dissident trustees lashed out at Mr. Cafesjian. At a meeting from which the Cafesjian representative was virtually expelled, the remaining trustees highjacked the project by delegating all board responsibility regarding AGMM development to a committee that is answerable to no one. Thereafter, a seven-year-old study, which had previously been rejected, was passed off at the L.A. Assembly gala as the new vision for AGMM. The rump group apparently intends to proceed with this plan while excluding CFF from participation in the development.

“Mr. Cafesjian has proposed a strong vision for AGMM,” said Mr. Waters. “And he has contributed property, money and other significant resources to move that vision forward. Other trustees, apparently led by Mr. Hovnanian, oppose a bold vision. If they get their way, the real estate would be dismantled, and over half the site that we worked so hard to assemble would be sold, depriving the community of a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to have the benefit of a truly remarkable project.

“Mr. Cafesjian and the Cafesjian Family Foundation are unwilling to stand by and let the AGMM’s dream be downsized and the assets squandered,” said Mr. Waters. “On behalf of those that have sacrificed so much, the Cafesjian Family Foundation will continue to fight for a proper development to commemorate the Armenian people and their suffering.”