Wednesday, November 23, 2016

State Auditor Files Response to Vexatious Litigation by Commission on Judicial Performance Director Victoria Henley

California Commission on Judicial Performance Chief Counsel Victoria B. Henley - Federal Criminal Law - United States Code - United States Department of Justice - US Attorney Northern District of California - US Attorney Central District of California - US Attorney Eastern District of California - US Attorney Southern District of California - US Department of Justice Civil Rights Division - The United States Department of Justice - Attorney General of the United States - California Supreme Court Justice Tani Cantil-Sakauye, Justice Ming Chin, Justice Kathryn Werdegar, Justice Carol Corrigan, Justice Mariano Cuellar, Justice Leondra Kruger, Justice Goodwin Liu Supreme Court of California – US Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit Judge Sidney Runyan Thomas, Judge Steven Reinhardt, Judge Alex Kozinski, Judge William Fletcher, Judge Richard Paez, Judge Marsha Berzon, Judge Consuelo Maria Callahan, Judge Carlos Bea, Judge Michelle Friedland, Judge Alfred Goodwin, Judge John Noonan 9th Circuit Court of Appeals – California Commission on Judicial Performance Victoria Henley Director – California Judicial Council
Commission on Judicial Performance
Director and Chief Counsel Victoria Henley
From the Daily Journal
Attorneys for the California State Auditor submitted a response Monday to a writ filed last month by the Commission on Judicial Performance challenging the auditor's jurisdiction.
The CJP sued Auditor Elaine M. Howle in San Francisco Superior Court in October, seeking to limit the scope of an audit ordered by the Legislature in August. The CJP is the state agency that investigates and disciplines judges charged with misconduct...
Myron Moskovitz, who represents Howle, said the CJP's arguments seek to sidestop decades of well-established law around the auditor's office and its functions.
"After they see the answer, if they still want to go to trial we will," said Moskovitz, legal director of the Moskovitz Appellate Team in Piedmont. "I don't know why they would want to. I don't think they have much of a case...
"This is the first time anyone has ever complained about their right to audit a public agency that gets public money and is supposed to serve the public," explained Moskovitz. "I don't know what they are afraid of."  
CJP Director/Chief Counsel Victoria Henley is paid $194,000 per year by California taxpayers. 

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Thursday, October 27, 2016

6th District Justice Conrad Rushing Issues Sham Order for Divorce Lawyer Garrett Dailey: Indigent Pro Per Denied Right To Appeal

Justice Conrad Rushing
In an unsettling example of judge and attorney misconduct, indigent, self-represented Santa Clara County family court victim Catherine Raffa attempted to appeal a trial court order declaring her a vexatious litigant. Raffa successfully filed the appeal, # H043207, in the 6th District Court of Appeal in San Jose.

Earlier this year, the opposing attorney, veteran family law lawyer Garrett Dailey, filed a motion to dismiss the appeal because, he claimed, Raffa was a vexatious litigant and required to get permission "from the presiding justice permitting the appeal to proceed."

But a litigant appealing a vexatious litigant order issued by a trial court doesn't need permission to appeal the order. If they lose the appeal, thereafter they need permission from a presiding judge to file anything in any court. They don't need permission to appeal the initial VL order, according to both case law and statutory law, CCP § 904.1(a)(6).

Tuesday, October 18, 2016

Free Speech Experts Discredit Controversial Attorney Keri Evilsizor in High Conflict Divorce Case

California Supreme Court Tani Cantil-Sakauye - Justice Ming Chin - Justice Goodwin Liu - Justice Leondra Kruger - Justice Carol Corrigan - Justice Kathryn Werdegar - 1st District Court of Appeal San Francisco Justice Jim Humes, Justice J. Anthony Kline, Justice William R. McGuiness, Justice Ignazio Ruvolo, Justice Barbara J.R. Jones First District Appellate Court California - Center for Judicial Excellence - Socioeconomic Justice Institute - Attorney Keri Evilsizor - John Evilsizor - Judge Bruce Mills Contra Costa County Superior Court Judge Steven Austin - Judge Edward Weil Contra Costa County - Joe Sweeney - Court Reform LLC - Commission on Judicial Performance Victoria Henley Director CJP California

From the East Bay Times: 
MARTINEZ — In a decision First Amendment experts have dubbed “outrageous,” a Contra Costa Superior Court judge jailed a San Ramon man for writing about his divorce on the internet — even though his writings were based on material publicly available in court files.
The judge, Bruce C. Mills, insisted in his decision that “matters that are put into court pleadings and brought up in oral argument before the court do not become public thereby” — a position that lawyers say fundamentally misunderstands the nature of court records.
Joseph Sweeney, a judicial reform advocate, served 13 days in County Jail in August after Mills’ ruling, which found that Sweeney’s web postings had violated another judge’s restraining order not to disclose the contents of his ex-wife’s cellphone or computer. The postings described Sweeney’s realizations about her medical history and contact with others that led to the collapse of the marriage.
Read the full article at the East Bay Times.

Monday, October 3, 2016

Parental Alienation Controversy: Stepmother of Audrie Pott Allegedly Berated by Judge in Michael Lazarin Paternity Action

Documents leaked to the media reveal stepmother of Audrie Pott allegedly berated by judge in Michael Lazarin paternity case. Parental alienation advocates assert that this is part of the untold story from the Audrie & Daisy Netflix documentary. 

Friday, September 9, 2016

Judge Aaron Persky Coworkers Embroiled in New Santa Clara County Superior Court Scandal

The State Bar of California has disciplined attorney Nat Hales in
connection with a family court dispute. 
BREAKING NEWS: Four Santa Clara County judges have been implicated in a new scandal involving providing preferential treatment to a local attorney, and collusion to cover up misconduct by the same lawyer. 

The judges, James Towery, Mary Ann Grilli, Mark Pierce and Vincent Chiarello, were all notified of alleged misconduct by attorney and court appointed "referee" Nat Edward Hales during the course of proceedings in a high conflict family court case. 

Wednesday, August 17, 2016

Damning Report Cataloging Career Spanning Misconduct by Judge Bruce C. Mills Leaked by Whistleblower Group


Judge Bruce C. Mills
A report cataloging serial acts of misconduct spanning more than 10 years by Judge Bruce C. Mills has been leaked to the public by a court watchdog and whistleblower group.

The 51-page dossier collected both public and "secret" discipline prosecutions against the judge by the Commission on Judicial Performance, the state agency responsible for judge oversight and accountability. The report is embedded at the end of this post.

The report reveals that in addition to two well known public disciplinary actions taken against the veteran Contra Costa County jurist, Mills was also found guilty in three additional incidents where the type of discipline and name of the offender were "private" and not revealed to the public.

The group identified Mills as the offending judge in the secret proceedings by reverse engineering details from the public disciplinary actions and cross referencing the information with old CJP annual reports. The acts of public and private misconduct occurred in 2001, 2006, 2008, 2011 and 2013.

Judge Bruce Clayton Mills was appointed to the bench by Governor Pete Wilson in July, 1995. Mills worked as a Contra Costa County prosecutor from 1985-95, and was in private practice from 1984-87. The judge is a 1984 graduate of Lewis & Clark Law School in Portland, Oregon
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Thursday, July 21, 2016

Attorney Brad Baugh Whistleblower Leak: Olivier Garbe Winnov Founder Divorce Case Past Due Attorney Fee Invoice

Attorney Brad Baugh Whistleblower Leak: Olivier Garbe Winnov Inc - Attorney Garrett Dailey SBN 76180 Oakland – Divorce Lawyer Bradford Oliver Baugh SBN 68661 – Baugh & Amini 1550 The Alameda Suite 155, San Jose CA, Family Law Attorney Bradford Baugh Santa Clara County Superior Court Judge Mary Ann Grilli – Judge James Towery – 6th District Court of Appeal San Jose – Marriage of Dong & Garbe, Diana Dong and Olivier Garbe
San Jose divorce attorney Brad Baugh.
The past due attorney fee invoice embedded at the bottom of this post is from the high-conflict Silicon Valley divorce case between Winnov Inc Founder Olivier Garbe and Diana Dong. The case is being heard by controversial Santa Clara County Family Court Judge Mary Ann Grilli.   

San Jose divorce attorney Brad Baugh represents Garbe in the trial court, and prominent appellate attorney Garrett C. Dailey represents Garbe on appeal. Dong has been represented by a string of attorneys or been self-represented due to denials of motions requesting attorney fee funds.  

Baugh is connected to a number of high-profile, high-conflict Santa Clara County divorce cases, including Richard and Laura Beauchesne, Janet and Kyle Bowers, Susan and Robert Bassi, and Evan and Violet Brooks. 

Court watchdogs allege that court records show Baugh deliberately generates conflict between divorcing couples who have substantial assets and income, unnecessarily drags cases out for years, and in the process churns exorbitant legal fees.  Whistleblowers also assert that Baugh fails to disclose conflicts of interest with Santa Clara County Superior Court judges, referees, special masters, judge pro tems, and child custody evaluators, who Baugh has had personal, social, or professional relationships with for more than 20 years. 

Court case file statistical sampling and anecdotal evidence suggest that Baugh obtains favorable outcomes for his clients at a statistically improbable level. Whistleblowers attribute the attorneys unusual success to alleged unethical conduct, serial moral turpitude misconduct, bad faith litigation tactics, and corruption within his network of judges and associates. 

Wednesday, April 27, 2016

Sacramento Superior Court Corruption: Local Court Reform Group Logs 700 Followers on Facebook

Judge Kevin Culhane, Judge James Mize, Robert C Hight, James M Mize, Matthew J Gary, Peter J McBrien, David De Alba, Laurie M Earl, Jerilyn L Borack, Tami R Bogert, Thadd A Blizzard, Stephen Acquisto, Steven M Gevercer, Bunmi Awoniyi, James P Scott P Harmon, Sacramento Superior Court, Sacramento County, Tani G Cantil Sakauye, Sacramento County District Attorney Anne Marie Schubert DA

A Sacramento County court reform group has announced that they have just surpassed 700 followers on Facebook. The Sacramento Family Court Corruption group posts information about incidents of judge and attorney misconduct, and an alleged Kids for Cash-style racketeering enterprise they contend operates in the family court system.

The court reform advocates also engage in direct action campaigns to raise awareness and compel enforcement of state judicial ethics laws. In the most recent action, the group published and mailed a letter to Sacramento County Presiding Judge Kevin Culhane demanding that he enforce the state Code of Judicial Ethics against Judge Matthew Gary

Gary reportedly is involved in an improper, personal relationship with his court clerk, Christina Arcuri. Under state law, a judge is not permitted to engage in a consensual relationship with a court employee under his supervision.

The group has compiled and posted on Facebook dozens of examples of what they contend is corruption throughout the court.   
"We continue to gain Facebook followers because every week a new victim of court corruption is created in Sacramento Family Court," said Susan Ferris, a group administrator. "At some point, oversight agencies who have ignored this for so long won't be able to ignore the sheer volume of victims." 
The group says they have been frustrated by inaction and indifference by the state Commission on Judicial Performance, responsible for oversight and accountability of judges in California, the State Bar, responsible for attorneys, and local, state and federal law enforcement agencies. 


Sacramento County District Attorney Anne Marie Schubert has refused to enforce perjury, obstruction of justicechild abduction, court document counterfeiting, false arrest, and other laws, the group charges. 
"Our local DA has made clear she would rather be a judge. To be elected a judge you need the endorsement of other judges and prominent attorneys, and Schubert is not enforcing these laws because they implicate several local judges, along with attorneys who have aided and abetted client misconduct, including criminal child abductions," Ferris explained.
"This is all about politics and ambition. There are so many unprosecuted crimes that Schubert has all but issued a decree that local judges and attorneys are immune from criminal prosecution. This preferential treatment for the legal community should ensure her election or appointment as a judge," Ferris added. 
The 2014 documentary film Divorce Court cataloged corruption in family courts throughout the United States, and designated the Sacramento County system as one of the worst in the nation. 

Related links:

Thursday, April 21, 2016

Santa Clara County Judge Mary Ann Grilli Controversy: Socioeconomic, Pro Per Bias Alleged by Family Court Whistleblowers

Commission on Judicial Performance Victoria B. Henley Director CJP - California Supreme Court Judge Tani G Cantil Sakauye - Judge Erica Yew Santa Clara County Superior Court - Hon. Erica Yew Commission on Judicial Performance - Judicial Council of California =udge Mary Ann Grilli Santa Clara County Superior Court - Hon. Mary Ann S. Grilli Santa Clara Family Court - Judge Rise Jones Pichon Santa Clara County Superior Court Hon. Rise Jones Pichon Santa Clara Superior Court Presiding Judge
Santa Clara County Superior Court whistleblowers allege that many wealthy judges convey explicit socioeconomic and pro per bias against indigent, disabled and financially disadvantaged litigants. 

A Santa Clara County government whistleblower has leaked the Statement of Economic Interests financial disclosure data for controversial family law Judge Mary Ann Grilli. The records reveal that Grilli enjoys a net worth substantially above seven figures. The 30-page document, embedded at the end of this article, shows a well diversified portfolio of stocks, bonds, and mutual funds, as well as an IRA and a revocable trust. 

Indigent, disabled and financially disadvantaged "pro per" litigants who can't afford counsel report that Grilli routinely exhibits socioeconomic and pro per bias, and favoritism towards lawyers. Court dockets and records from cases reviewed by the Family Court Accountability Coalition indicate that Grilli also often disregards "level-playing field" laws that mandate both parties in a divorce be represented by counsel where community property and assets are sufficient.

Wednesday, March 30, 2016

Appellate Justice Cole Blease Cover Up: Dismisses Appeal Documenting Serial Misconduct by Trial Court Judge

Sacramento County Superior Court Judge Matthew J. Gary has, again, escaped accountability for serial misconduct against self-represented litigants who can't afford to hire an attorney. Last week, 3rd District Court of Appeal Justice Coleman Blease dismissed an appeal documenting criminal conduct by Gary. Gary is one of the most incompetent and corrupt judges in California.

Supreme Court of California Justice Tani G. Cantil-Sakauye, Justice Goodwin Liu, Justice Marvin R. Baxter, Justice Ming W. Chin, Justice Kathryn M. Werdegar, Justice Joyce L. Kennard, Justice Carol A. Corrigan, Justice Mariano-Florentino Cuellar,  Justice Leondra Kruger  California Supreme Court -  California Commission on Judicial Performance Director Victoria B. Henley Chief Council - CJP Chairperson Anthony P. Capozzi, Vice-Chairperson Justice Ignazio J. Ruvolo, California 3rd District Court of Appeal – Sacramento Justice Vance W. Raye – Justice Jonathan K. Renner - Justice Coleman A. Blease – Justice Ronald B. Robie – Justice William J. Murray Jr. – Justice George W. Nicolson – Justice M. Kathleen Butz – Justice Elena J. Duarte – Justice Harry E. Hull Jr. – Justice Louis R. Mauro – Justice Andrea Lynn Hoch – Justice Jonathan K. Renner Third District Court of Appeal California Judge Coleman Blease
Justice Cole Blease has a storied history of helping conceal and cover up misconduct
by trial court judges and attorneys. Blease has repeatedly violated California
Code of Judicial Ethics canons 3D(1) and (2), which require all judges to
report attorney and judge misconduct.

The order issued by Blease is embedded at the bottom of this post. Additional documents from the case are curated at the Justice Cole Blease Controversy Scribd collection.

Tuesday, March 29, 2016

Former Sacramento Family Court Judge Tani Cantil-Sakauye Blamed for Statewide Court Corruption Problems



California court watchdog groups charge that the leadership of the state Judicial Council bears primary responsibility for a string of court scandals compiled in this video from the California Courts News YouTube Channel. An ABC News 10 investigation into misuse of the California Highway Patrol by the chief justice as a taxi and shopping service is included. 

Indifference and incompetence by Judicial Council Chair Tani Cantil-Sakauye and senior management at the agency has resulted in an epidemic of court corruption in California, including a Los Angeles County court clerk accused of stealing $6,000 from people filing name changes, a case fixing scheme uncovered by the FBI in Orange County, and a massive, statewide traffic courts scandal

Thursday, January 28, 2016

Whistleblower Leak: Appeal Attorney Garrett Dailey Employment Agreement with Winnov Inc Founder Olivier Garbe - $650 Per Hour

Employment agreement for prominent appeal attorney Garrett Dailey, of Elkins v. Superior Court. Dailey bills at $650 per hour, according to this agreement with Olivier Garbe. Garbe is the founder of Winnov Inc., in Silicon Valley. 

The agreement is for representation in an appeal in a contentious divorce case, Marriage of Dong & Garbe, case number 608-FL-000101, Santa Clara County Superior Court. Controversial Judge Mary Ann Grilli is the trial court judge, and attorney Bradford Baugh represents Garbe in the trial court.