A story sounds right until you hear the other side.
Response to Caledonian Record Articles
The harm caused by unfavorable portrayals of individuals is significantly greater in the digital age than it may have been decades ago, and requesting a publication print a correction or retraction does not do too much good once the horse is out of the barn.
This point was recently underscored by Daryl Hannah in her March 6, 2026 New York Times response to the miniseries Love Story, which depicted her in a manner inconsistent with who she is now and who she was during her relationship with JFK, Jr.
The following is an excerpt from that article:
"Jacqueline Onassis once gave me some wise advice: She told me that while tabloids, magazines and newspapers often sold ridiculous lies, they were nothing more than bird cage liner by the next day. At the time, I found great comfort and consolation in those words.
But today they no longer hold true.
In the digital age, stories do not disappear, yesterday’s news isn’t tossed out with the morning paper, and lies live online forever. They are archived, streamed, clipped, memed and resurfaced endlessly. A dramatized portrayal can become, for millions of viewers, the definitive version of a real person’s life." —Daryl Hannah
The sensational headlines and reporting used by the Caledonian Record to portray Dave as a scofflaw has caused significant harm to his business and reputation. While the motives behind the journalist’s and/or editor’s decision to target Dave in such a fantastic way remain unclear, the impact is evident: the destruction of a business Dave spent more than 40 years building through sustained daily hard physical labor. Furthermore, turning 65 this year, he lacks the time and opportunity to recover from the substantial losses resulting from this publication’s reporting.
To add to the initial negative impact on Dave's business caused by the Caledonian's decision to write and prominently publish the articles as they did, the stories were then amplified online by others (J.M., L.P., P.B. and/or her sister M.B.) who have likewise been responded to on the Social Media and BBB pages of this website. This is the exact point Ms. Hannah was making in her New York Times feature. These individuals, of course, used the reporting of the Caledonian in an effort to deflect from their own roles in creating a bad outcome for themselves. They've certainly figured out "a good offense is the best defense."
That said, click the arrow to the right of each heading below to reveal "THE REST OF THE STORY" which includes context not provided in the articles printed by the Caledonian Record.
TRUTH: Between early 2023 and early 2024, more than $150,000 was repaid toward approximately $222,000 in MCA loans through debits from Dave Reilly’s bank account, including payments made by an MCA law firm he appointed to make payments on his behalf. These ACTUAL payments Dave made to MCA lenders through their aggressive bank account debit schedules reflect a SUBSTANTIAL GOOD FAITH EFFORT to meet his financial obligations. Despite the SIGNIFICANT payments he made, the Caledonian Record used the term “STIFFING” in its headline to characterize Dave's actions toward his lenders. Such a headline is misleading.
In any case, the payments Dave made on his obligations were only possible due to the high volume of business he was doing at the time, and came from profits across a MULTITUDE of short-term projects—not from any single job. The larger projects Dave took on for the same parties now attacking him only depleted his resources, and at least one of which ultimately put him in the position where he needed to take out the first high interest loan (which then snowballed in order to keep up with the aggressive repayment schedules). (CLICK HERE and read RESPONSE #2 on the BBB page of this website to find out more about the circumstances with that customer.)
Dave's ability to continue making accelerated payments to the MCA lenders ended only after actions taken by some of the lenders MATERIALLY disrupted his business operations. The lenders sabotaged projects (and themselves) by directly contacting existing customers and intimidating them. This resulted in at least a couple of the customers cancelling projects in progress, and holding back substantial payments due for work completed at the direction of the MCA lenders. (READ about the MCA loan situation involving intimidation of a WIDOW in the response to Facebook MYTH #2 on the SOCIAL MEDIA page of this website. Her project was one that was halted due to an MCA lender's tortious interference into Dave's contract with her. Another customer that was also contacted rightly disregarded this wrongful action by an MCA lender, and Dave continued to do work for him without the customer suffering any financial repercussions as a result. This further proves that what was done to the widow was a mere SCARE TACTIC (which unfortunately worked in her case). Additionally, Dave's former bank suddenly changed its policy from immediately clearing checks deposited to taking up to ten business days to make the funds available. Subsequently, MCA automatic debits were being declined and loans defaulted.
Regarding the 2010 machine financed by Dave through Pawnee Leasing for approximately $26,000, the equipment was defective and never functioned properly. After issuing a notice of intent to repossess, Pawnee Leasing assessed the machine’s value at $10,000. They ultimately declined to repossess the equipment and instead filed suit against Dave for $55,000.
TRUTH: While Dave Reilly missed two court dates that had been scheduled months in advance, he was NOT arrested TWICE, and did NOT intentionally "SKIP" any of his court appearances.
At the time of the first missed appearance, Dave was addressing an urgent family health related matter while managing a demanding work schedule. On this first occasion, he paid a fine ONLY. There was NO arrest. Please note that "legally speaking" an arrest warrant is not the same thing as actually being arrested and incarcerated. While both involve law enforcement and court records, they represent different stages of a legal process.
The second missed appearance occurred in October 2025 while Dave was preoccupied with finalizing and filing his tax returns by the statutory deadline. This appearance—also scheduled months in advance—involved a civil financial matter that would not ordinarily result in arrest; however, the creditor’s counsel (Pawnee Leasing's lawyer) insisted on enforcement. A substantial fine was set in lieu of detention, but Dave did not have the funds immediately available, and the individual delivering payment narrowly missed the evening deadline. The fine was paid the following morning however, and Dave was promptly released. Had payment been made before the prior evening’s deadline, NO detention would have occurred. There has been no other arrest associated with this or any other proceeding, either before or since this incident.
Articles "missing context" refers to the omission of surrounding information—such as background details, setting, or intent—that is necessary to accurately understand a statement, quote, or piece of information. When context is missing, the core message can be distorted, leading to misinterpretation, oversimplification, or the creation of a false, often misleading, narrative.