Facebook Badge

Wednesday, December 12, 2012

Fighting to keep the Feds from regulating deserts under the Clean Water Act


Published on Dec 6, 2012
Pacific Legal Foundation attorney Jennifer Fry visits with Peter and Frankie Smith to discuss their lawsuit against the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. PLF took on the Smith's fight after the Corps designated a dry creek bed or "arroyo" on their property a "water of the United States" subject to federal control. The Smiths caught the Corps' attention when they began to clean up the arroyo by removing dead trees and trash which the prior owner had dumped there. As a result of the Corps' actions, the Smiths cannot continue their maintenance efforts without fear of being prosecuted as "knowing violators" under the Clean Water Act. In 2006, the U.S. Supreme Court rejected an expansive definition of "waters of the United States." Nonetheless, the Corps continues to flaunt the law by asserting control over properties, like the Smiths, that are bone dry and do not meet the legal standard for the Corps to assert jurisdiction. PLF's lawsuit asks the court to review the Corps' actions and to affirm that there are meaningful limits to the agency's regulatory power.

United States v. Bormes :: Justia US Supreme Court Center

United States v. Bor
Justia.com Opinion Summary: Attorney Bormes alleged that the electronic receipt he received when paying his client’s federal-court filing fee on Pay.gov included the last four digits of his credit card number and the card’s expiration date, in willful violation of the Fair Credit Reporting Act, 15 U. S. C.1681. He sought damages and asserted juris¬diction under 1681p, and under the Little Tucker Act, which grants district courts jurisdiction for claims “against the United States, not exceeding $10,000 in amount, founded . . . upon . . . any Act of Congress,” 28 U. S. C. 1346(a)(2). The district court dismissed, holding that FCRA did not explicitly waive sovereign immunity. The Federal Circuit vacated, holding that the Little Tucker Act provided consent to suit because the underlying statute. The Supreme Court vacated and remanded. The Little Tucker Act does not waive sovereign immunity with respect to FCRA damages actions, but, with its companion statute, the Tucker Act, provides the government’s consent to suit for certain money-damages claims “premised on other sources of law,” Those general terms are displaced when a law imposing monetary liability has its own judicial remedies. Because FCRA enables claimants to pursue monetary relief in court without resort to the Tucker Act, only its own text can determine whether Congress unequivocally intended to impose the statute’s damages liability on the government.

Receive FREE Daily Opinion Summaries by Email
PDF Download PDF
Opinion (Justice Scalia) NOTE: Where it is feasible, a syllabus (headnote) will be released, as is being done in connection with this case, at the time the opinion is issued. The syllabus constitutes no part of the opinion of the Court but has been prepared by the Reporter of Decisions for the convenience of the reader. See United States v. Detroit Timber & Lumber Co., 200 U. S. 321 .
SUPREME COURT OF THE UNITED STATES
Syllabus
UNITED STATES v. BORMES
certiorari to the united states court of appeals for the federal circuit
No. 11–192. Argued October 2, 2012—Decided November 13, 2012
Respondent Bormes, an attorney, filed suit against the Federal Government, alleging that the electronic receipt he received when paying his client’s federal-court filing fee on Pay.gov included the last four digits of his credit card number and the card’s expiration date, in willful violation of the Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA), 15 U. S. C. §1681 et seq. He sought damages under §1681n and asserted jurisdiction under §1681p, as well as under the Little Tucker Act, which grants district courts “original jurisdiction, concurrent with the United States Court of Federal Claims, of . . . [a]ny. . . civil action or claim against the United States, not exceeding $10,000 in amount, founded . . . upon . . . any Act of Congress,” 28 U. S. C. §1346(a)(2). In dismissing the suit, the District Court held that FCRA did not explicitly waive the Federal Government’s sovereign immunity. Bormes appealed to the Federal Circuit, which vacated the District Court’s decision, holding that the Little Tucker Act provided the Government’s consent to suit because the underlying statute—FCRA—could fairly be interpreted as mandating a right of recovery in damages.
Held: The Little Tucker Act does not waive the Government’s sovereign immunity with respect to FCRA damages actions. Pp. 4–11.
     (a) The Little Tucker Act and its companion statute, the Tucker Act, provide the Federal Government’s consent to suit for certain money-damages claims “premised on other sources of law,” United States v. Navajo Nation, 556 U. S. 287 . The general terms of the Tucker Acts are displaced, however, when a law imposing monetary liability has its own judicial remedies. In that event, the specific remedial scheme establishes the exclusive framework for determining the scope of liability under the statute. See, e.g., Hinck v. United States, 550 U. S. 501 . Pp. 4–7.
     (b) FCRA is such a statute. Its detailed remedial scheme sets “out a carefully circumscribed, time-limited, plaintiff-specific” cause of action, and “also precisely define[s] the appropriate forum,” 550 U. S., at 507. FCRA authorizes aggrieved consumers to hold “any person” who “willfully” or “negligent[ly]” fails to comply with the Act’s requirements liable for specified damages, 15 U. S. C. §§1681n(a), 1681o; requires enforcement claims to be brought within a specified limitations period, §1681p; and provides that jurisdiction will lie “in any appropriate United States district court, without regard to the amount in controversy,” ibid. Because FCRA enables claimants to pursue monetary relief in court without resort to the Tucker Act, only its own text can determine whether Congress unequivocally intended to impose the statute’s damages liability on the Federal Government. Pp. 7–10.
626 F. 3d 574, vacated and remanded.
     Scalia, J., delivered the opinion for a unanimous Court.


Official Supreme Court caselaw is only found in the print version of the United States Reports. Justia caselaw is provided for general informational purposes only, and may not reflect current legal developments, verdicts or settlements. We make no warranties or guarantees about the accuracy, completeness, or adequacy of the information contained on this site or information linked to from this site. Please check official sources.
Subscribe Now
 
Today on Verdict
Going to the Show: The Supreme Court Will Consider Validity of Same-Sex Marriage Bans
Joanna L. Grossman
Justia columnist and Hofstra law professor Joanna Grossman comments on the two upcoming U.S. Supreme Court cases relating to same-sex marriage.
By Joanna L. Grossman
About Legal Answers
 
justiacom on twitterRT @gigaom: Facebook changes privacy policy; public search, app permissions affected http://t.co/iPTv6A9225 minutes ago on twitter
Find a Lawyer
Lawyers
near Saint Paul, Minnesota
Tim Webb
Criminal Law, Domestic Violence, DUI & DWI, Traffic Tickets, White Collar Crime
Minneapolis, MN

Browse Lawyers
Lawyers - Get Listed Now!
Get a free full directory profile listing
Keep the Law Free
 
Justia :: Company :: Terms of Service :: Privacy Policy :: Contact UsAll Law

  • - US Supreme Courtmes :: Justia US Supreme Court Center

    Monday, August 20, 2012

    Judge Rejects Facebook Settlement Over Ad Program - Commercial Law - CourtSide

    Judge Rejects Facebook Settlement Over Ad Program - Commercial Law - CourtSide

    LegalBear_StatuteAbrogateCommonLawRights

    When Does a Statute Abrogate Your Common-Law Rights?

    Posted on: March 6, 2009 by: admin
    Listen to this article. Powered by Odiogo.com
    == Summary == :en:William Blackstone, British ...
    Image via Wikipedia
    Although section 2 4 211, 1B C.R.S. (1980), expressly grants the General Assembly the right to abrogate common law remedies, “we will not lightly infer a legislative abrogation of that right absent a clear expression of intent.” Kristensen v. Jones, 195 Colo. 122, 124, 575 P.2d 854, 855 (1978) (emphasis added); see also Robinson v. Kerr, 144 Colo. 48, 52, 355 P.2d 117, 119 20 (1960) (a statute modifies the common law “only to the extent embraced in the statute, which may not be enlarged by construction, nor its application extended beyond its specific terms. Statutes are not presumed to alter the common law otherwise than the act expressly provides.”) (citations omitted); Collard v. Hohnstein, 64 Colo. 478, 479, 174 P. 596 (1918) (“To deprive plaintiff of his common law right of action it is essential that it affirmatively appear that the statutes themselves, either directly or by necessary implication, abrogate such a right.” (emphasis added)); Schuler v. Henry, 42 Colo. 367, 378, 94 P. 360, 363 (1908) (Maxwell, J., dissenting) (“the common law will not be held to be abrogated unless the language used in the statute requires it.”); see also Federal Marine Terminals, Inc. v. Burnside Shipping Co., Ltd., 394 U.S. 404, 412, 89 S. Ct. 1144, 22 L. Ed. 2d 371 (1969) (“the legislative grant of a new right does not ordinarily cut off or preclude other nonstatutory rights in the absence of clear language to that effect.”).?? Farmers Group Inc. v. Williams, 805 P.2d 419 (Colo. 1991).
    Since the legislative record is silent, we conclude that the General Assembly did not intend to abrogate those remedies.� Farmers Group Inc. v. Williams, 805 P.2d 419 (Colo. 1991).
    Farmers also claims that if the General Assembly had not intended to abrogate common law remedies, it would have specifically indicated that treble damages were not the exclusive remedy. As we have said, however, we do not look to whether the legislature specifically authorizes the continuance of preexisting common law remedies when it enacts a statute dealing with the same issue, but rather to whether, “in express terms or by clear implication, [the statute] repeals or suspends the common law right of action.” Denver & Rio Grande R. Co. v. Henderson, 10 Colo. at 2, 13 P. at 911. We fail to find that clear implication here.� Farmers Group Inc. v. Williams, 805 P.2d 419 (Colo. 1991).

    Wednesday, May 30, 2012

    SharonERegistration

    In a message dated 5/30/2012 9:53:00 A.M. Central Daylight Time, Kyle.Christopherson@courts.state.mn.us writes:
    Ms. Anderson-

    To register, send an e-mail to pmacs.enotice.registration@courts.state.mn.us with “E-notification registration” in the subject line.  In the body of the message, include the following information, in the order shown, on separate lines:
    Your name    Sharon Anderson
    Attorney registration number (if applicable)  na Social Security xxx-xx-5396
    First e-mail address Sharon4Anderson@aol.com
    Second e-mail address  Shewolfeagle@aol.com
    Postal address (including firm name, if applicable) PO Box 4384 St.Paul,MN.5104-0384
    Telephone number 651-776-5835
    For questions about the e-notification process, contact pmacs.enotice.help@courts.state.mn.us
    Subject:Appellate courts e-notification TEST message
    Date:5/30/2012 10:48:02 A.M. Central Daylight Time
    From:pmacs.enotice@courts.state.mn.us
    To:Sharon4Anderson@aol.com
    Sent from the Internet (Details)
    This is a test of the e-mail address you registered with the Minnesota appellate courts.  Notices, orders, opinions, and correspondence from the Minnesota Supreme Court, the Minnesota Court of Appeals, and the Clerk of Appellate Courts will be sent to this address.  Please add the sender of this message (shown above) to your e-mail system, so that future messages are not blocked.

    E-notification messages will include a hyperlink to the document issued by the court.  You will need Internet access, but no separate registration or password is required, and there is no charge to view documents online or print your own copies.  At any time, if you wish to view the online docket for a pending case, you may go to P-MACS (the public version of the appellate courts' case management system) at: http://macsnc.courts.state.mn.us/ctrack/publicLogin.jsp

    You are responsible for ensuring that the Clerk of Appellate Courts has current contact information for all pending cases.  To update your contact information, contact the clerk's office at pmacs.enotice.registration@courts.state.mn.us

    Please do not reply to this e-mail.  Responses will be routed to an unmonitored administrative inbox. 

    Clerk of Appellate Courts


    Monday, May 7, 2012

    Sharon_vs_CitySt.Paul_TrafficTickets











    Thursday, March 09, 2006



    Court_Computer_Committments_SECRET ORDERS






    PUBLIC NOTICE: WHERE ARE YOUR TAX DOLLARS?


    COUNTYS OF FINANCIAL RESPONSIBILITY?
    -----------------
    Forwarded Message:
























    Subj:Fwd: * * * $ecret Judgment$ - Hidden Truth * * *TCISTO-05---011101 ComputerFraud
    Date:3/9/2006 9:59:31 A.M. Central Standard Time
    From:Shewolfeagle
    To:larry.dease@courts.state.mn.us, russell.anderson@courts.state.mn.us, rca@co.ramsey.mn.us, john.harrington@ci.stpaul.mn.us, bob.fletcher@co.ramsey.mn.us, citizen.services@ci.stpaul.mn.us
    CC:eagledahn1, EagleEyeSharon, askdoj@usdoj.gov, rachel.paulose@usdoj.gov, minneapolis@fbi.gov,
    Right-click picture(s) to display picture options



    Thurs. 9Mar06

    Larry Dease Thanks for call 8Mar06 stating you would send the Computer Docket Sheet: TCIS TO-05-011101 Ticket 905191492 alleging Illegal Right Turn, at a 4 way stopsign on Case & Payne.

    I stated Thank you, it would also prove the City Attorney Judy Hanson conducted Prosecutorial Misconduct as the unlicensed cop Cyr T. Abraham aka Abrahamson wilfully failed to appear and or answer.

    All Sharons documents went unanswered, Faxed in to have disclosure, with a $5.00 fee reLegal Eagle SharonAnderson turned by Michael Upton Clerk.

    SharonMugShotWarrant Conspiracy to committ Murder,Disabilitys by Covert Court Orders in Secret Hearing must seize and desist.

    30 years ago this "Pattern" by the Courts to malign my name and reputation is pervase/fatal
    VOTE Sharon4Anderson's Legal BlogBriefs SharonAnderson'sBlogHomelessPrime SharonScarrellaAndersonUSBriefs - 1988 VA Widow's redress US Dist. Court Ann Montgomery when JR was at Brainard for 1
    HOMEGROWN/HOMETOWN:2006 MN ATTORNEY-GENERAL Legal ResearchAnalyst TelFx:651-776-5835
    MS 284.27 Quiet Title Candidate: shewolfeagle@aol.com Attorney Pro Se,ECF: P165913sa1299 2006 VOTE SHARON ANDERSON ArttorneyGeneralMN HOMEGROWN MINNESOTA GAL Castle Coalition: Hands Off My Home Campaign Institute for Justice: Property Rights Cases: New London, CT, Kelo Frank v City ST. Paul MNRICO Lawsuit 7/2007 - Watchdog News Frank v City St.Paul RICO_JURYLawsuit - Watchdog News TITLE 12 . BANKS AND BANKING - TOC Kelo v US 5thTakingEminentDomain Sharon'sBIO MS 508A Titles Registered The Constitution of the United States: Transcription Electronic Filing Cpl. James R. Anderson USMC:11028855 USCAVC Docket 03-0639 Cpl Anderson STAR Program 1058 Summit BullMN $3Billion VA Widow's redress US Dist.Crt 97-1258(Montgomery )11Order
    US Dist. Court Ann Montgomery when JR was at Brainard for 1



    -----------------
    Forwarded Message:




















    Subj:* * * $ecret Judgment$ - Hidden Truth * * *
    Date:3/8/2006 8:35:02 P.M. Central Standard Time
    From:VictoryUSA@jail4judges.org
    To:VictoryUSA@jail4judges.org
    Sent from the Internet (Details)






    J.A.I.L. News Journal
    ______________________________________________________
    Los Angeles, California March 8, 2006
    ______________________________________________________
    The Inherent Right of ALL People to Alter or Reform Their Government.
    The Right Upon Which All Other Rights Depend.
    __________________________________________________
    Mission Statement JNJ Library
    Federal J.A.I.L. FAQs What?MeWarden?
    ______________________________________________________
    http://www.southdakotajudicialaccountability.com/


    $ecret Judgment$ -

    Hidden Truth


    Your Courts, Their Secrets


    The cases your judges are hiding from you



    Seattle Times staff reporters

    March 5, 2006



    Four years ago, a lawsuit was filed in King County Superior Court, alleging that a medical device was unsafe. A woman using it wound up in a coma. You'd probably like to know: What's the device? Does anyone in my family use it? Unsafe how?


    But you can't know. You're not allowed to know. Medtronic, the multibillion-dollar company that makes the device, asked a judge to conceal the whole file from public view — and the judge said OK.


    Twelve years ago, an Eastside family sued KinderCare, one of the country's largest child-care companies, saying it was responsible for the sexual abuse of a child. You'd like to know: Who was accused of sexual abuse? How was KinderCare involved? Were police notified?


    But you can't know. That file, too, is sealed — hidden away by a court commissioner who has sealed dozens of cases, stamping his name on one secrecy order after another.


    Document after document, file after file, has been sealed — and sealed improperly — by the judges and court commissioners of King County Superior Court. A wrongful-death lawsuit against Virginia Mason Medical Center? Sealed. A lawsuit accusing a King County judge of legal malpractice? Sealed. A lawsuit blaming the state's social-services agency for the rape of a 13-year-old girl? Sealed.


    Since 1990, at least 420 civil suits have been sealed in their entirety, The Seattle Times found. That means everything — from the complaint, which says who's accused of what, to the judgment, which says how the case wound up — has been concealed, locked behind electronic passwords or number-coded keypads that restrict access to computer records and shelved files.


    These sealed records hold secrets of potential dangers in our medicine cabinets and refrigerators; of molesters in our day-care centers, schools and churches; of unethical lawyers, negligent doctors, dangerous dentists; of missteps by local and state agencies; of misconduct by publicly traded companies into which people sink their savings.


    The Washington Constitution says: "Justice in all cases shall be administered openly." To this, many King County judges have effectively added: "unless the parties don't want it to be."


    The judges have displayed an ignorance of, or indifference to, the legal requirements for sealing court records. They have routinely sealed files while 1) offering little or no explanation, 2) applying the wrong legal standard, and 3) failing to acknowledge, much less weigh, the public interest in open court proceedings.


    At least 97 percent of their sealing orders disregard rules set down by the Washington Supreme Court in the 1980s.


    The state's highest court says court records should be sealed only in rare circumstances. Its message is: Your taxes pay for the courts. You're entitled to know what goes on there. You elect the judges. You need to know how they do their job. The public cannot evaluate its court system — nor hold judges accountable — if the courthouse curtains are drawn.


    Judges and commissioners have sealed at least 46 cases where a public institution is a party. Is some public agency slipping up? Some public employee? Are taxpayer dollars at risk? Good questions all, but you can't have the answers. Local school districts, the University of Washington, the state Department of Social and Health Services — all have had files sealed.


    Judges and commissioners have sealed at least 58 cases where a fellow lawyer is a party, usually as a defendant. Leading firms, prominent lawyers, judges — all have had files about them sealed.


    The courts have sealed cases where the person being sued was a licensed professional — for example, a doctor, psychologist or counselor — who was subsequently disciplined by the state. Those lawsuits might have served as a warning, had they not been concealed from the public.


    And the courts have sealed one case after another at the request of the rich and influential, including leaders in real estate, advertising, banking, medicine, software development, the Internet, general business and sports.


    The 420 cases that we found represent but a sliver of all the sealed records in our courthouses. That number applies only to civil suits in one court: King County Superior. We excluded other types of cases, such as divorce, adoption, paternity or child-custody matters. The 420 also accounts only for cases sealed in their entirety. Many others are sealed in part. We stopped counting those at 1,000.


    Two years ago, the Washington Supreme Court wrote: "The open operation of our courts is of utmost public importance. Justice must be conducted openly to foster the public's understanding and trust in our judicial system and to give judges the check of public scrutiny. Secrecy fosters mistrust."


    The court wrote that while unanimously reversing a King County judge who had improperly sealed court records in a business lawsuit. And this was a case where the judge sealed part of the file, not the whole thing.


    The same judge, Sharon Armstrong, has sealed the entire file in at least 11 cases since 1990. A lawsuit involving a pedophile priest? Sealed. A lawsuit against Metro for hitting a pedestrian in a crosswalk? Sealed. She has also sealed two lawsuits against the state Department of Social and Health Services, and three against lawyers or law firms.


    In months to come, The Seattle Times plans to get files unsealed and questions answered. The court's leadership crafted a plan that would have opened files with minimal delay, but other judges rebelled, saying the newspaper should be required to file a formal motion in each case that was improperly sealed.


    We're going to be filing lots of motions.


    Hiding harm


    When something goes wrong — a product fails, a doctor is negligent, a company cheats its customers or investors — lawsuits often follow, generating court files crammed with evidence accumulated by each side.


    But by sealing records, judges can conceal that evidence. Many also sign sweeping protective orders that allow the parties to dictate which records the public can see. Many permit the parties to settle secretly, even in cases involving public hazards.


    Examples abound nationally of dangers hidden by such steps. Tire treads that separate. Car fuel tanks that explode. Priests who molest children. Heart valves, painkillers and birth-control devices linked to dozens or even hundreds of deaths.


    Litigation has become a system of secrecy. A defendant, accused of wrongdoing, wants records produced during a lawsuit to stay between the parties. The plaintiff goes along to pave the way for settlement. The judge signs off because it's the easy thing to do. When the case is settled, the parties sign a confidentiality agreement. You ask the plaintiff about the lawsuit, and he says he can't talk.


    One result is that patterns — with products and with people — can get obscured.


    Take the case of LaVar Riniker, a Bellevue dentist with an unusual practice. He treated some patients' backaches or hip problems by changing the shape of their jaws, state records show.


    In 1996, Riniker's lawyer wanted a malpractice lawsuit against his client sealed. The plaintiff joined in, and a judge signed off. Two months later, the lawyer wanted a second lawsuit against Riniker sealed. The plaintiff went along, and so did a court commissioner. In 1998, the lawyer showed up again — with secrecy request No. 3. But this time, a judge said no. Judge LeRoy McCullough knew the law and said sealing the whole file would be improper. He did, however, allow the settlement terms to remain confidential.


    In 2000, the state refused to renew Riniker's dental license, finding he was incompetent. By then, Riniker had been sued for malpractice at least 16 times, court records show. Most of those lawsuits involved some level of secrecy — either the whole file was sealed, or the case was resolved confidentially.


    Riniker was, of course, an individual dentist. You probably never went to him. But other sealed lawsuits have alleged malpractice at such medical institutions as Group Health, Swedish, Virginia Mason and Harborview.


    Lazy sealing practices have allowed some people to play the courts for a fool.


    Michael Cassini, a convicted con man, scammed more than $4 million from banks by pretending to be a Microsoft millionaire. One way he covered his tracks was by changing his name — and, with the help of Preston Gates & Ellis, a prestigious law firm, getting a King County judge to seal the court file.


    Seth Warshavsky became rich in the 1990s selling pornography on the Internet. He was profiled extensively — the "Bill Gates of Porn," some stories called him — but proved an elusive figure. That's because the courts kept allowing him to erase his history.


    According to King County court records and newspaper reports, Warshavsky managed to seal: one civil suit in which he was accused of overbilling thousands of customer credit cards; a second civil suit accusing him of choking his former girlfriend; and criminal files in adult and juvenile court listing such priors as theft and trying to sell a stolen laptop.


    Warshavsky couldn't be reached for comment. Some reports say he fled to Thailand several years ago.


    Secrecy triumphs


    In lawsuits filed in King County, the parties' desire for secrecy has regularly trumped the public good.


    Consider case No. 95-2-22817-8. Because a judge sealed the file, all you're supposed to know about this case is the names of the parties and that it involves a tort — a wrongful act that you can sue somebody for.


    But someone made a mistake and left this file open. Every document popped up on the courthouse computer. (The file was closed two weeks ago, after we notified the clerk's office.)


    The documents told this story:


    In 1995, a young man sued Donald Sidwell, an aerospace worker with "top secret" security clearance whose job was so sensitive that he couldn't divulge what projects he worked on.


    The plaintiff accused Sidwell of sexually abusing him when the plaintiff was a child. (The Seattle Times does not name alleged victims of sexual abuse.)


    Sidwell denied the allegations. His attorney called them "totally false" and likened them to an extortion attempt.


    Still, Sidwell agreed to settle.


    On Jan. 30, 1997, the parties filed a document saying Sidwell would pay the young man $212,000. The same day, Sidwell's lawyers asked Superior Court Judge Harriett Cody to seal the whole file.


    Here's the reason they offered:


    Sidwell worked in the "high-security aerospace defense industry." His employer was Lockheed Martin, in Southern California. (He previously worked for Boeing in Washington state, which is where the alleged abuse occurred.) His "top secret" security clearance was granted to fewer than one in 20 employees.


    Sidwell's work made him subject to close surveillance and record-checking. Discovery of this lawsuit could mean loss of his security clearance and job. Without his job, he couldn't pay the young man.


    So, out of concern "for the plaintiff's recovery and the defendant's livelihood," the file should be sealed, Sidwell's lawyers wrote.


    Judge Cody sealed the file.


    The sealing request and the judge's order make no mention of Lockheed's interest in knowing what Sidwell was accused of. Nor do they mention the interest of the federal government, which issues security clearances — and has the power to take them away. Nor do they mention the potential for blackmail created here. What would happen if the wrong people learned of Sidwell's secret?


    Sidwell kept his job. The "defendant's livelihood" was protected. Now 67, Sidwell retired about a year and a half ago.


    But as for the "plaintiff's recovery"? That didn't work out so well. Nine years after the case was settled and the file sealed, Sidwell has paid only a fraction of the $212,000, according to the young man's lawyer.


    Sidwell told The Times that he still owes about $160,000 — and hopes to pay that off by selling some land.


    He still denies the sexual abuse. He settled, he said, because his attorney fees were getting too steep. And he's convinced that if Lockheed had learned of the lawsuit and settlement, he would have been fired. (Lockheed declined comment for this story.)


    So, in the end, the only person that secrecy served was Sidwell — the man who was accused of molesting a child, the man who agreed to pay $212,000 but hasn't.


    Unlawful orders


    The Washington Supreme Court says that to seal a file, a judge must: 1) find "compelling circumstances," a demanding legal standard; 2) explain, in an order, why secrecy is needed; and 3) weigh the arguments for privacy against the public's interest in open courts.


    We were able to get the sealing orders in 383 of the 420 sealed cases. Here's what they show:


    • In 361, or 94 percent, the court failed to find "compelling circumstances." The order used the wrong legal standard — citing "good cause," a much lower threshold — or used no standard at all.


    The difference between "good cause" and "compelling circumstances" is the difference between having some reason for secrecy — for example, the defendant doesn't want to be annoyed — and having a superior reason, one so persuasive it outweighs the constitutional presumption of openness.


    In Example 1, a judge sealed a file involving a priest accused of molesting children, writing in, by hand, that "good cause" was shown.


    • In 196 cases, or 51 percent, the sealing order offered no explanation for secrecy, much less a detailed one. And we were being generous here, counting such throwaway lines as "nature of allegations" as some explanation.


    In Example 2, a court commissioner used a fill-in-the-blank form to seal a medical-malpractice lawsuit. The top line is reserved for the court's explanation. She left that line blank.


    Note how this form uses the wrong standard — good cause — and leaves little room for explanation. The court is supposed to describe, in detail, the arguments for secrecy and weigh them against the Washington Constitution — but you couldn't even fit this sentence into that space. More than 100 cases have been sealed with this form. Nineteen times, the explanation line was left blank.


    • In 373 of the orders, or 97 percent, the judges not only failed to weigh the public interest — they didn't even acknowledge there is such an interest.


    This disregard can border on the absurd. In 1998, a King County man asked to have three lawsuits sealed. Two accused him of domestic violence, the other of harassment. A different woman filed each one. Here's why he wanted secrecy: The man wanted to be a security guard — a job that can require background checks — and said these lawsuits were in his way. A commissioner sealed all three.


    As you can see, in Example 3, the sealing orders did not take into account the obvious public interest in letting licensing officials and prospective employers view these court files.


    Without question, some records can meet these sealing requirements: bank-account numbers; personal information about children; psychiatric records; legitimate trade secrets. But the state Supreme Court has told judges to seal only those documents that need sealing — or, better yet, redact account numbers or use initials for minors.


    About half of these 383 cases were sealed by court commissioners, not judges. Commissioners have many of the same powers as judges but are not elected. Commissioners sealed files mostly while in a cattle-call court called the Ex Parte Department, where orders get signed with dizzying speed.


    King County judges tend to explain widespread sealing this way: The parties agreed to it — and judges like it when the parties agree. Judges sometimes view their role narrowly: to settle disputes, not start them; to handle issues raised by the parties, not to bring ones up.


    Michael Trickey, who became presiding judge of King County Superior Court in January, said: "I think the culture, among the bar and even the bench, used to be that if an agreed order was presented, it was just signed."


    Judges' roadblock


    Judge Trickey uses the past tense when he describes such relaxed sealing practices. He says judges have become more attuned to the public's right to open records.


    After we showed the judges our findings, they began to fix some problems. The court is throwing out its old sealing forms, providing extensive training to judges and commissioners on sealing restrictions, and taking the power to seal away from substitute commissioners.


    Late last year, when we alerted the court's leadership to the hundreds of improperly sealed files, a small group of top judges came up with a plan that would have opened many, if not most, with minimal delay. These judges included Trickey; Richard Eadie, the presiding judge from 2002 until this January; and William Downing, one of the state's leading experts on open court records.


    Under their plan, the court would have notified parties that files appeared to have been sealed improperly, and that the court would be opening them unless the parties voiced objection.


    But other judges on the court objected. In January they overturned the plan, by a vote of 21-9.


    Instead, the court is requiring The Seattle Times to file a motion in every case. Feel free to file 400 motions, the court has said, a demand that imposes extraordinary expense and delay.


    The judges who voted against the leadership's plan cited General Rule 15, a rule adopted by the Washington Supreme Court in 1989. The rule says that once sealed, records shall be unsealed only upon agreement of the parties, or upon motion and "proof of compelling circumstances."


    But this is the same rule that says a file should be sealed only for compelling circumstances.


    So: The judges ignored General Rule 15 while sealing hundreds of these cases. Now, they are requiring us to follow that rule to undo something that should not have been done in the first place.


    And, if they follow the rule to its letter, they will require the newspaper to show compelling circumstances to unseal, while they sealed on far less. That would flip the presumption of open courts on its head.


    Not every judge is going along. Judges are elected individually and can handle their cases as they choose. Dean Lum, the court's chief civil judge, unsealed one lawsuit last month without requiring the newspaper to file a motion. Judge Eadie unsealed another. "I see that the judge has an individual responsibility to step forward," Eadie says. "Not everybody agrees with that view."


    In 1999, Eadie sealed a medical-malpractice lawsuit. But he recently looked at his sealing order and said: "It doesn't give any description of why, or reflect any weighing of the public interest, or any indication of why the compelling circumstances outweigh the public interest."


    So Eadie sent a letter to the attorneys in January, saying: "This should not have been done. It was inconsistent with the rules in effect at the time and is in conflict with recent case law."


    His letter said he would open the file in a month. In the meantime, he wrote, the lawyers could ask that individual documents remain sealed, provided they could show compelling circumstances.


    The lawyers made no such request — and the whole file was opened.


    But hundreds of other files remain under seal.


    We start filing motions tomorrow. We'll let you know how it goes.


    Researcher David Turim contributed to this report.

    Ken Armstrong: 206-464-3730 or karmstrong@seattletimes.com;

    Justin Mayo: 206-464-3669 or jmayo@seattletimes.com;

    Steve Miletich: 206-464-3302 or smiletich@seattletimes.com.

    Copyright © 2006 The Seattle Times Company







    J.A.I.L.- Judicial Accountability Initiative Law - http://www.jail4judges.org/
    Contribute to J.A.I.L. at P.O. Box 207, N. Hollywood, CA 91603
    See our active flash, http://www.jail4judges.org/national_001.htm
    JAIL is a unique addition to our form of gov't. heretofore unrealized.
    JAIL is powerful! JAIL is dynamic! JAIL is America's ONLY hope!
    E-Group sign on at http://groups.yahoo.com/group/jail4judges/join
    Get involved at JAIL_SALE_USA-subscribe@yahoogroups.com
    To be added or removed, write to VictoryUSA@jail4judges.org
    Your help is needed: http://www.southdakotajudicialaccountability.com/

    "..it does not require a majority to prevail, but rather an irate, tireless
    minority keen to set brush fires in people's minds.." - Samuel Adams

    "There are a thousand hacking at the branches of evil to one who is
    striking at the root." -- Henry David Thoreau <><









    Wednesday, March 08, 2006



    Constitutionality Drivers License's Laws MS171.xx






    TO: Larry Dease Court Administrator
    Second district home page 651-266-8266 2nd Jud. Dist.

    Pursuant to MS2.724

    St. Paul Police Chief John Harrington and all others:
    Saint Paul Departments and Offices as their interests appear Page -- Saint Paul Police http://www.dps.state.mn.us/

    Pursuant to the undersign's request for the docket sheet or written court order TCIS: TO-05-011101 Ticket: 905191492
    Status update to claim Default Damages or in the alternative cite Criminally under the Title 15 Commerce & Trade AntiTrust, Civil Rights violations, Election Fraud

    US CODE--TITLE 15--COMMERCE AND TRADE US CODE: Title 15,TITLE 15—COMMERCE AND TRADE

    Sec. 1692k. Civil liability


    (a) Amount of damages

    Except as otherwise provided by this section, any debt collector who
    fails to comply with any provision of this subchapter with respect to
    any person is liable to such person in an amount equal to the sum of--
    (1) any actual damage sustained by such person as a result of
    such failure;
    (2)(A) in the case of any action by an individual, such
    additional damages as the court may allow, but not exceeding $1,000;
    or
    (B) in the case of a class action, (i) such amount for each
    named plaintiff as could be recovered under subparagraph (A), and
    (ii) such amount as the court may allow for all other class members,
    without regard to a minimum individual recovery, not to exceed the
    lesser of $500,000 or 1 per centum of the net worth of the debt
    collector; and
    (3) in the case of any successful action to enforce the
    foregoing liability, the costs of the action, together with a
    reasonable attorney's fee as determined by the court. On a finding
    by the court that an action under this section was brought in bad
    faith and for the purpose of harassment, the court may award to the
    defendant attorney's fees reasonable in relation to the work
    expended and costs.

    (b) Factors considered by court

    In determining the amount of liability in any action under
    subsection (a) of this section, the court shall consider, among other
    relevant factors--
    (1) in any individual action under subsection (a)(2)(A) of this
    section, the frequency and persistence of noncompliance by the debt
    collector, the nature of such noncompliance, and the extent to which
    such noncompliance was intentional; or
    (2) in any class action under subsection (a)(2)(B) of this
    section, the frequency and persistence of noncompliance by the debt
    collector, the nature of such noncompliance, the resources of the
    debt collector, the number of persons adversely affected, and the
    extent to which the debt collector's noncompliance was intentional.

    (c) Intent

    A debt collector may not be held liable in any action brought under
    this subchapter if the debt collector shows by a preponderance of
    evidence that the violation was not intentional and resulted from a bona
    fide error notwithstanding the maintenance of procedures reasonably
    adapted to avoid any such error.

    (d) Jurisdiction

    An action to enforce any liability created by this subchapter may be
    brought in any appropriate United States district court without regard
    to the amount in controversy, or in any other court of competent
    jurisdiction, within one year from the date on which the violation
    occurs.

    (e) Advisory opinions of Commission

    No provision of this section imposing any liability shall apply to
    any act done or omitted in good faith in conformity with any advisory
    opinion of the Commission, notwithstanding that after such act or
    omission has occurred, such opinion is amended, rescinded, or determined
    by judicial or other authority to be invalid for any reason.

    (Pub. L. 90-321, title VIII, Sec. 813, as added Pub. L. 95-109, Sept.
    20, 1977, 91 Stat. 881.)

    Section Referred to in Other Sections

    This section is referred to in section 1692j of this title.
    Damages sought:WAIS Document Retrieval

    HairLosscausedby Government Stressupon WeThePeople - Buzznet Photo Sharing Com /s/ Sharon



    -----------------
    Forwarded Message:





















    Subj:Caucus Res: Transportation Funding_Constitutionality MS171.02,1RIGHT TO TRAVEL
    Date:3/8/2006 10:07:05 A.M. Central Standard Time
    From:Sharon4Anderson
    To:greened@obbligato.org, stpaul-issues@forums.e-democracy.org
    Right-click picture(s) to display picture options



    In a message dated 3/7/2006 3:42:24 P.M. Central Standard Time, greened@obbligato.org writes:

    Whereas, all Minnesotans must have the access and ability to get to where they need to go, including to jobs, schools, places of worship and civic functions;
    http://forums.e-democracy.org/stpaul/contacts/davidgreenebs

    AFFIDAVIT RESPONSE: RIGHT TO TRAVEL

    WHERE IS THE MONEY COMING FROM?SUBMITTED FOR
    EDUCATIONAL PURPOSES IN GOOD FAITH

    QUESTION: How many citizens out there have paid $150.00 for a minor Traffic Ticket when Not Guilty,??????

    In fighting this Heinous, Bizzare Obstruction of Legal Process: Apr.4th2005, got a Bogus Ticket for ALLEGED Illegal Right Turn on Case & Payne 4 way stop:
    " Fully insured, never having an accident or ticket over 30 years" Great Driving record"

    Cop: Cyr T. Abraham aka Abrahamson who I found out is Not a Licensed Peace Officer, did not show in court, Sept 2005

    then Pensioned Judge Cohen wilfully failed to issue a Written Order to suspend my License , Oct.2005, SECRET COURT TRIAL WITHOUT A JURY,

    Olmstead v. US GovLawbreaker

    answers/crosscomplaints were not addressed by the City Attorney at that time Cervantes and Judy Hanson Cohens former Court Reporter also the City Attorney concerning 14 E. Jessamine, Housing and with my Demand for Punatitive,Compensatory,Tort Damages over $75 thousand
    Sharon4Anderson's Legal BlogBriefs Scrool to the end.
    Except as provided in paragraph (b), all questions
    of fact and law, and all motions and matters submitted to a
    judge for a decision in trial and appellate matters, shall be
    disposed of and the decision filed with the court administrator
    within 90 days after such

    MS 546.27_90dayOrder
    CONSTITUTIONAL QUESTIONS:
    The undersign cannot get a Limited Drivers License, when under suspension: or a State ID constituting Cruel and Unusual Punishment 5th Amend "taking Clause" 8th Amend.

    person is not permitted to have more than one valid driver's
    license at any time. The department shall not issue to a person
    to whom a current Minnesota identification card has been issued
    a driver's license, other than a limited license, unless the
    person's Minnesota identification card has been invalidated.


    MS 171.02 DL validity

    MS 171.16 30 days suspension the commissioner shall suspend the driver's license
    of such person for 30 days for a refusal or failure to pay or
    until notified by the court that the fine or surcharge, or both
    if a fine and surcharge were not paid, has been paid
    htt
    p://www.revisor.leg.state.mn.us/stats/160.html

    YOU BE THE JUDGE: READ THE ENTIRE
    STATUTES: ALSO THE ANNOTATED
    THANKS: WITH HIGH REGARD FOR OUR COUNTRY
    IN-OUT-LAW ATTORNEY PRO SE_ IN FACT
    MS 481.02 Unauthorized practice law


    Sharon4Anderson's Legal BlogBriefsAOL Olmstead v. US GovLawbreaker Vision America:






    Legal Eagle SharonAnderson
    Thursday, March 09, 2006

    Court_Computer_Committments_SECRET ORDERS

    PUBLIC NOTICE: WHERE ARE YOUR TAX DOLLARS?
    COUNTYS OF FINANCIAL RESPONSIBILITY?-----------------Forwarded Message:
    Subj:
    Fwd: * * * $ecret Judgment$ - Hidden Truth * * *TCISTO-05---011101 ComputerFraud
    Date:
    3/9/2006 9:59:31 A.M. Central Standard Time
    From:
    Shewolfeagle
    To:
    larry.dease@courts.state.mn.us, russell.anderson@courts.state.mn.us, rca@co.ramsey.mn.us, john.harrington@ci.stpaul.mn.us, bob.fletcher@co.ramsey.mn.us, citizen.services@ci.stpaul.mn.us
    CC:
    eagledahn1, EagleEyeSharon, askdoj@usdoj.gov, rachel.paulose@usdoj.gov, minneapolis@fbi.gov,
    Right-click picture(s) to display picture options
    Thurs. 9Mar06Larry Dease Thanks for call 8Mar06 stating you would send the Computer Docket Sheet: TCIS TO-05-011101 Ticket 905191492 alleging Illegal Right Turn, at a 4 way stopsign on Case & Payne.I stated Thank you, it would also prove the City Attorney Judy Hanson conducted Prosecutorial Misconduct as the unlicensed cop Cyr T. Abraham aka Abrahamson wilfully failed to appear and or answer.All Sharons documents went unanswered, Faxed in to have disclosure, with a $5.00 fee reLegal Eagle SharonAnderson turned by Michael Upton Clerk.SharonMugShotWarrant Conspiracy to committ Murder,Disabilitys by Covert Court Orders in Secret Hearing must seize and desist.30 years ago this "Pattern" by the Courts to malign my name and reputation is pervase/fatal VOTE Sharon4Anderson's Legal BlogBriefs SharonAnderson'sBlogHomelessPrime SharonScarrellaAndersonUSBriefs - 1988 VA Widow's redress US Dist. Court Ann Montgomery when JR was at Brainard for 1 HOMEGROWN/HOMETOWN:2006 MN ATTORNEY-GENERAL Legal ResearchAnalyst TelFx:651-776-5835 MS 284.27 Quiet Title Candidate: shewolfeagle@aol.com Attorney Pro Se,ECF: P165913sa1299 2006 VOTE SHARON ANDERSON ArttorneyGeneralMN HOMEGROWN MINNESOTA GAL Castle Coalition: Hands Off My Home Campaign Institute for Justice: Property Rights Cases: New London, CT, Kelo Frank v City ST. Paul MNRICO Lawsuit 7/2007 - Watchdog News Frank v City St.Paul RICO_JURYLawsuit - Watchdog News TITLE 12 . BANKS AND BANKING - TOC Kelo v US 5thTakingEminentDomain Sharon'sBIO MS 508A Titles Registered The Constitution of the United States: Transcription Electronic Filing Cpl. James R. Anderson USMC:11028855 USCAVC Docket 03-0639 Cpl Anderson STAR Program 1058 Summit BullMN $3Billion VA Widow's redress US Dist.Crt 97-1258(Montgomery )11Order US Dist. Court Ann Montgomery when JR was at Brainard for 1
    -----------------Forwarded Message:
    Subj:
    * * * $ecret Judgment$ - Hidden Truth * * *
    Date:
    3/8/2006 8:35:02 P.M. Central Standard Time
    From:
    VictoryUSA@jail4judges.org
    To:
    VictoryUSA@jail4judges.org
    Sent from the Internet (Details)
    J.A.I.L. News Journal______________________________________________________Los Angeles, California March 8, 2006______________________________________________________The Inherent Right of ALL People to Alter or Reform Their Government.The Right Upon Which All Other Rights Depend.__________________________________________________Mission Statement JNJ LibraryFederal J.A.I.L. FAQs What?MeWarden?______________________________________________________http://www.southdakotajudicialaccountability.com/
    $ecret Judgment$ -
    Hidden Truth
    Your Courts, Their Secrets
    The cases your judges are hiding from you
    By Ken Armstrong, Justin Mayo and Steve Miletich
    Seattle Times staff reporters
    March 5, 2006
    http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2002845009_seal05m.html
    Four years ago, a lawsuit was filed in King County Superior Court, alleging that a medical device was unsafe. A woman using it wound up in a coma. You'd probably like to know: What's the device? Does anyone in my family use it? Unsafe how?
    But you can't know. You're not allowed to know. Medtronic, the multibillion-dollar company that makes the device, asked a judge to conceal the whole file from public view — and the judge said OK.
    Twelve years ago, an Eastside family sued KinderCare, one of the country's largest child-care companies, saying it was responsible for the sexual abuse of a child. You'd like to know: Who was accused of sexual abuse? How was KinderCare involved? Were police notified?
    But you can't know. That file, too, is sealed — hidden away by a court commissioner who has sealed dozens of cases, stamping his name on one secrecy order after another.
    Document after document, file after file, has been sealed — and sealed improperly — by the judges and court commissioners of King County Superior Court. A wrongful-death lawsuit against Virginia Mason Medical Center? Sealed. A lawsuit accusing a King County judge of legal malpractice? Sealed. A lawsuit blaming the state's social-services agency for the rape of a 13-year-old girl? Sealed.
    Since 1990, at least 420 civil suits have been sealed in their entirety, The Seattle Times found. That means everything — from the complaint, which says who's accused of what, to the judgment, which says how the case wound up — has been concealed, locked behind electronic passwords or number-coded keypads that restrict access to computer records and shelved files.
    These sealed records hold secrets of potential dangers in our medicine cabinets and refrigerators; of molesters in our day-care centers, schools and churches; of unethical lawyers, negligent doctors, dangerous dentists; of missteps by local and state agencies; of misconduct by publicly traded companies into which people sink their savings.
    The Washington Constitution says: "Justice in all cases shall be administered openly." To this, many King County judges have effectively added: "unless the parties don't want it to be."
    The judges have displayed an ignorance of, or indifference to, the legal requirements for sealing court records. They have routinely sealed files while 1) offering little or no explanation, 2) applying the wrong legal standard, and 3) failing to acknowledge, much less weigh, the public interest in open court proceedings.
    At least 97 percent of their sealing orders disregard rules set down by the Washington Supreme Court in the 1980s.
    The state's highest court says court records should be sealed only in rare circumstances. Its message is: Your taxes pay for the courts. You're entitled to know what goes on there. You elect the judges. You need to know how they do their job. The public cannot evaluate its court system — nor hold judges accountable — if the courthouse curtains are drawn.
    Judges and commissioners have sealed at least 46 cases where a public institution is a party. Is some public agency slipping up? Some public employee? Are taxpayer dollars at risk? Good questions all, but you can't have the answers. Local school districts, the University of Washington, the state Department of Social and Health Services — all have had files sealed.
    Judges and commissioners have sealed at least 58 cases where a fellow lawyer is a party, usually as a defendant. Leading firms, prominent lawyers, judges — all have had files about them sealed.
    The courts have sealed cases where the person being sued was a licensed professional — for example, a doctor, psychologist or counselor — who was subsequently disciplined by the state. Those lawsuits might have served as a warning, had they not been concealed from the public.
    And the courts have sealed one case after another at the request of the rich and influential, including leaders in real estate, advertising, banking, medicine, software development, the Internet, general business and sports.
    The 420 cases that we found represent but a sliver of all the sealed records in our courthouses. That number applies only to civil suits in one court: King County Superior. We excluded other types of cases, such as divorce, adoption, paternity or child-custody matters. The 420 also accounts only for cases sealed in their entirety. Many others are sealed in part. We stopped counting those at 1,000.
    Two years ago, the Washington Supreme Court wrote: "The open operation of our courts is of utmost public importance. Justice must be conducted openly to foster the public's understanding and trust in our judicial system and to give judges the check of public scrutiny. Secrecy fosters mistrust."
    The court wrote that while unanimously reversing a King County judge who had improperly sealed court records in a business lawsuit. And this was a case where the judge sealed part of the file, not the whole thing.
    The same judge, Sharon Armstrong, has sealed the entire file in at least 11 cases since 1990. A lawsuit involving a pedophile priest? Sealed. A lawsuit against Metro for hitting a pedestrian in a crosswalk? Sealed. She has also sealed two lawsuits against the state Department of Social and Health Services, and three against lawyers or law firms.
    In months to come, The Seattle Times plans to get files unsealed and questions answered. The court's leadership crafted a plan that would have opened files with minimal delay, but other judges rebelled, saying the newspaper should be required to file a formal motion in each case that was improperly sealed.
    We're going to be filing lots of motions.
    Hiding harm
    When something goes wrong — a product fails, a doctor is negligent, a company cheats its customers or investors — lawsuits often follow, generating court files crammed with evidence accumulated by each side.
    But by sealing records, judges can conceal that evidence. Many also sign sweeping protective orders that allow the parties to dictate which records the public can see. Many permit the parties to settle secretly, even in cases involving public hazards.
    Examples abound nationally of dangers hidden by such steps. Tire treads that separate. Car fuel tanks that explode. Priests who molest children. Heart valves, painkillers and birth-control devices linked to dozens or even hundreds of deaths.
    Litigation has become a system of secrecy. A defendant, accused of wrongdoing, wants records produced during a lawsuit to stay between the parties. The plaintiff goes along to pave the way for settlement. The judge signs off because it's the easy thing to do. When the case is settled, the parties sign a confidentiality agreement. You ask the plaintiff about the lawsuit, and he says he can't talk.
    One result is that patterns — with products and with people — can get obscured.
    Take the case of LaVar Riniker, a Bellevue dentist with an unusual practice. He treated some patients' backaches or hip problems by changing the shape of their jaws, state records show.
    In 1996, Riniker's lawyer wanted a malpractice lawsuit against his client sealed. The plaintiff joined in, and a judge signed off. Two months later, the lawyer wanted a second lawsuit against Riniker sealed. The plaintiff went along, and so did a court commissioner. In 1998, the lawyer showed up again — with secrecy request No. 3. But this time, a judge said no. Judge LeRoy McCullough knew the law and said sealing the whole file would be improper. He did, however, allow the settlement terms to remain confidential.
    In 2000, the state refused to renew Riniker's dental license, finding he was incompetent. By then, Riniker had been sued for malpractice at least 16 times, court records show. Most of those lawsuits involved some level of secrecy — either the whole file was sealed, or the case was resolved confidentially.
    Riniker was, of course, an individual dentist. You probably never went to him. But other sealed lawsuits have alleged malpractice at such medical institutions as Group Health, Swedish, Virginia Mason and Harborview.
    Lazy sealing practices have allowed some people to play the courts for a fool.
    Michael Cassini, a convicted con man, scammed more than $4 million from banks by pretending to be a Microsoft millionaire. One way he covered his tracks was by changing his name — and, with the help of Preston Gates & Ellis, a prestigious law firm, getting a King County judge to seal the court file.
    Seth Warshavsky became rich in the 1990s selling pornography on the Internet. He was profiled extensively — the "Bill Gates of Porn," some stories called him — but proved an elusive figure. That's because the courts kept allowing him to erase his history.
    According to King County court records and newspaper reports, Warshavsky managed to seal: one civil suit in which he was accused of overbilling thousands of customer credit cards; a second civil suit accusing him of choking his former girlfriend; and criminal files in adult and juvenile court listing such priors as theft and trying to sell a stolen laptop.
    Warshavsky couldn't be reached for comment. Some reports say he fled to Thailand several years ago.
    Secrecy triumphs
    In lawsuits filed in King County, the parties' desire for secrecy has regularly trumped the public good.
    Consider case No. 95-2-22817-8. Because a judge sealed the file, all you're supposed to know about this case is the names of the parties and that it involves a tort — a wrongful act that you can sue somebody for.
    But someone made a mistake and left this file open. Every document popped up on the courthouse computer. (The file was closed two weeks ago, after we notified the clerk's office.)
    The documents told this story:
    In 1995, a young man sued Donald Sidwell, an aerospace worker with "top secret" security clearance whose job was so sensitive that he couldn't divulge what projects he worked on.
    The plaintiff accused Sidwell of sexually abusing him when the plaintiff was a child. (The Seattle Times does not name alleged victims of sexual abuse.)
    Sidwell denied the allegations. His attorney called them "totally false" and likened them to an extortion attempt.
    Still, Sidwell agreed to settle.
    On Jan. 30, 1997, the parties filed a document saying Sidwell would pay the young man $212,000. The same day, Sidwell's lawyers asked Superior Court Judge Harriett Cody to seal the whole file.
    Here's the reason they offered:
    Sidwell worked in the "high-security aerospace defense industry." His employer was Lockheed Martin, in Southern California. (He previously worked for Boeing in Washington state, which is where the alleged abuse occurred.) His "top secret" security clearance was granted to fewer than one in 20 employees.
    Sidwell's work made him subject to close surveillance and record-checking. Discovery of this lawsuit could mean loss of his security clearance and job. Without his job, he couldn't pay the young man.
    So, out of concern "for the plaintiff's recovery and the defendant's livelihood," the file should be sealed, Sidwell's lawyers wrote.
    Judge Cody sealed the file.
    The sealing request and the judge's order make no mention of Lockheed's interest in knowing what Sidwell was accused of. Nor do they mention the interest of the federal government, which issues security clearances — and has the power to take them away. Nor do they mention the potential for blackmail created here. What would happen if the wrong people learned of Sidwell's secret?
    Sidwell kept his job. The "defendant's livelihood" was protected. Now 67, Sidwell retired about a year and a half ago.
    But as for the "plaintiff's recovery"? That didn't work out so well. Nine years after the case was settled and the file sealed, Sidwell has paid only a fraction of the $212,000, according to the young man's lawyer.
    Sidwell told The Times that he still owes about $160,000 — and hopes to pay that off by selling some land.
    He still denies the sexual abuse. He settled, he said, because his attorney fees were getting too steep. And he's convinced that if Lockheed had learned of the lawsuit and settlement, he would have been fired. (Lockheed declined comment for this story.)
    So, in the end, the only person that secrecy served was Sidwell — the man who was accused of molesting a child, the man who agreed to pay $212,000 but hasn't.
    Unlawful orders
    The Washington Supreme Court says that to seal a file, a judge must: 1) find "compelling circumstances," a demanding legal standard; 2) explain, in an order, why secrecy is needed; and 3) weigh the arguments for privacy against the public's interest in open courts.
    We were able to get the sealing orders in 383 of the 420 sealed cases. Here's what they show:
    • In 361, or 94 percent, the court failed to find "compelling circumstances." The order used the wrong legal standard — citing "good cause," a much lower threshold — or used no standard at all.
    The difference between "good cause" and "compelling circumstances" is the difference between having some reason for secrecy — for example, the defendant doesn't want to be annoyed — and having a superior reason, one so persuasive it outweighs the constitutional presumption of openness.
    In Example 1, a judge sealed a file involving a priest accused of molesting children, writing in, by hand, that "good cause" was shown.
    • In 196 cases, or 51 percent, the sealing order offered no explanation for secrecy, much less a detailed one. And we were being generous here, counting such throwaway lines as "nature of allegations" as some explanation.
    In Example 2, a court commissioner used a fill-in-the-blank form to seal a medical-malpractice lawsuit. The top line is reserved for the court's explanation. She left that line blank.
    Note how this form uses the wrong standard — good cause — and leaves little room for explanation. The court is supposed to describe, in detail, the arguments for secrecy and weigh them against the Washington Constitution — but you couldn't even fit this sentence into that space. More than 100 cases have been sealed with this form. Nineteen times, the explanation line was left blank.
    • In 373 of the orders, or 97 percent, the judges not only failed to weigh the public interest — they didn't even acknowledge there is such an interest.
    This disregard can border on the absurd. In 1998, a King County man asked to have three lawsuits sealed. Two accused him of domestic violence, the other of harassment. A different woman filed each one. Here's why he wanted secrecy: The man wanted to be a security guard — a job that can require background checks — and said these lawsuits were in his way. A commissioner sealed all three.
    As you can see, in Example 3, the sealing orders did not take into account the obvious public interest in letting licensing officials and prospective employers view these court files.
    Without question, some records can meet these sealing requirements: bank-account numbers; personal information about children; psychiatric records; legitimate trade secrets. But the state Supreme Court has told judges to seal only those documents that need sealing — or, better yet, redact account numbers or use initials for minors.
    About half of these 383 cases were sealed by court commissioners, not judges. Commissioners have many of the same powers as judges but are not elected. Commissioners sealed files mostly while in a cattle-call court called the Ex Parte Department, where orders get signed with dizzying speed.
    King County judges tend to explain widespread sealing this way: The parties agreed to it — and judges like it when the parties agree. Judges sometimes view their role narrowly: to settle disputes, not start them; to handle issues raised by the parties, not to bring ones up.
    Michael Trickey, who became presiding judge of King County Superior Court in January, said: "I think the culture, among the bar and even the bench, used to be that if an agreed order was presented, it was just signed."
    Judges' roadblock
    Judge Trickey uses the past tense when he describes such relaxed sealing practices. He says judges have become more attuned to the public's right to open records.
    After we showed the judges our findings, they began to fix some problems. The court is throwing out its old sealing forms, providing extensive training to judges and commissioners on sealing restrictions, and taking the power to seal away from substitute commissioners.
    Late last year, when we alerted the court's leadership to the hundreds of improperly sealed files, a small group of top judges came up with a plan that would have opened many, if not most, with minimal delay. These judges included Trickey; Richard Eadie, the presiding judge from 2002 until this January; and William Downing, one of the state's leading experts on open court records.
    Under their plan, the court would have notified parties that files appeared to have been sealed improperly, and that the court would be opening them unless the parties voiced objection.
    But other judges on the court objected. In January they overturned the plan, by a vote of 21-9.
    Instead, the court is requiring The Seattle Times to file a motion in every case. Feel free to file 400 motions, the court has said, a demand that imposes extraordinary expense and delay.
    The judges who voted against the leadership's plan cited General Rule 15, a rule adopted by the Washington Supreme Court in 1989. The rule says that once sealed, records shall be unsealed only upon agreement of the parties, or upon motion and "proof of compelling circumstances."
    But this is the same rule that says a file should be sealed only for compelling circumstances.
    So: The judges ignored General Rule 15 while sealing hundreds of these cases. Now, they are requiring us to follow that rule to undo something that should not have been done in the first place.
    And, if they follow the rule to its letter, they will require the newspaper to show compelling circumstances to unseal, while they sealed on far less. That would flip the presumption of open courts on its head.
    Not every judge is going along. Judges are elected individually and can handle their cases as they choose. Dean Lum, the court's chief civil judge, unsealed one lawsuit last month without requiring the newspaper to file a motion. Judge Eadie unsealed another. "I see that the judge has an individual responsibility to step forward," Eadie says. "Not everybody agrees with that view."
    In 1999, Eadie sealed a medical-malpractice lawsuit. But he recently looked at his sealing order and said: "It doesn't give any description of why, or reflect any weighing of the public interest, or any indication of why the compelling circumstances outweigh the public interest."
    So Eadie sent a letter to the attorneys in January, saying: "This should not have been done. It was inconsistent with the rules in effect at the time and is in conflict with recent case law."
    His letter said he would open the file in a month. In the meantime, he wrote, the lawyers could ask that individual documents remain sealed, provided they could show compelling circumstances.
    The lawyers made no such request — and the whole file was opened.
    But hundreds of other files remain under seal.
    We start filing motions tomorrow. We'll let you know how it goes.
    Researcher David Turim contributed to this report.
    Ken Armstrong: 206-464-3730 or karmstrong@seattletimes.com;
    Justin Mayo: 206-464-3669 or jmayo@seattletimes.com;
    Steve Miletich: 206-464-3302 or smiletich@seattletimes.com.
    Copyright © 2006 The Seattle Times Company
    J.A.I.L.- Judicial Accountability Initiative Law - http://www.jail4judges.org/Contribute to J.A.I.L. at P.O. Box 207, N. Hollywood, CA 91603See our active flash, http://www.jail4judges.org/national_001.htmJAIL is a unique addition to our form of gov't. heretofore unrealized.JAIL is powerful! JAIL is dynamic! JAIL is America's ONLY hope!E-Group sign on at http://groups.yahoo.com/group/jail4judges/joinGet involved at JAIL_SALE_USA-subscribe@yahoogroups.comTo be added or removed, write to VictoryUSA@jail4judges.orgYour help is needed: http://www.southdakotajudicialaccountability.com/"..it does not require a majority to prevail, but rather an irate, tirelessminority keen to set brush fires in people's minds.." - Samuel Adams"There are a thousand hacking at the branches of evil to one who isstriking at the root." -- Henry David Thoreau <><
    posted by EagleEyeSharon at 1:55 PM 2 comments
    Wednesday, March 08, 2006

    Constitutionality Drivers License's Laws MS171.xx
    TO: Larry Dease Court Administrator Second district home page 651-266-8266 2nd Jud. Dist.
    Pursuant to MS2.724St. Paul Police Chief John Harrington and all others:Saint Paul Departments and Offices as their interests appear Page -- Saint Paul Police http://www.dps.state.mn.us/ Pursuant to the undersign's request for the docket sheet or written court order TCIS: TO-05-011101 Ticket: 905191492Status update to claim Default Damages or in the alternative cite Criminally under the Title 15 Commerce & Trade AntiTrust, Civil Rights violations, Election FraudUS CODE--TITLE 15--COMMERCE AND TRADE US CODE: Title 15,TITLE 15—COMMERCE AND TRADESec. 1692k. Civil liability(a) Amount of damagesExcept as otherwise provided by this section, any debt collector whofails to comply with any provision of this subchapter with respect toany person is liable to such person in an amount equal to the sum of--(1) any actual damage sustained by such person as a result ofsuch failure;(2)(A) in the case of any action by an individual, suchadditional damages as the court may allow, but not exceeding $1,000;or(B) in the case of a class action, (i) such amount for eachnamed plaintiff as could be recovered under subparagraph (A), and(ii) such amount as the court may allow for all other class members,without regard to a minimum individual recovery, not to exceed thelesser of $500,000 or 1 per centum of the net worth of the debtcollector; and(3) in the case of any successful action to enforce theforegoing liability, the costs of the action, together with areasonable attorney's fee as determined by the court. On a findingby the court that an action under this section was brought in badfaith and for the purpose of harassment, the court may award to thedefendant attorney's fees reasonable in relation to the workexpended and costs.(b) Factors considered by courtIn determining the amount of liability in any action undersubsection (a) of this section, the court shall consider, among otherrelevant factors--(1) in any individual action under subsection (a)(2)(A) of thissection, the frequency and persistence of noncompliance by the debtcollector, the nature of such noncompliance, and the extent to whichsuch noncompliance was intentional; or(2) in any class action under subsection (a)(2)(B) of thissection, the frequency and persistence of noncompliance by the debtcollector, the nature of such noncompliance, the resources of thedebt collector, the number of persons adversely affected, and theextent to which the debt collector's noncompliance was intentional.(c) IntentA debt collector may not be held liable in any action brought underthis subchapter if the debt collector shows by a preponderance ofevidence that the violation was not intentional and resulted from a bonafide error notwithstanding the maintenance of procedures reasonablyadapted to avoid any such error.(d) JurisdictionAn action to enforce any liability created by this subchapter may bebrought in any appropriate United States district court without regardto the amount in controversy, or in any other court of competentjurisdiction, within one year from the date on which the violationoccurs.(e) Advisory opinions of CommissionNo provision of this section imposing any liability shall apply toany act done or omitted in good faith in conformity with any advisoryopinion of the Commission, notwithstanding that after such act oromission has occurred, such opinion is amended, rescinded, or determinedby judicial or other authority to be invalid for any reason.(Pub. L. 90-321, title VIII, Sec. 813, as added Pub. L. 95-109, Sept.20, 1977, 91 Stat. 881.)Section Referred to in Other SectionsThis section is referred to in section 1692j of this title.Damages sought:WAIS Document Retrieval HairLosscausedby Government Stressupon WeThePeople - Buzznet Photo Sharing Com /s/ Sharon -----------------Forwarded Message:
    Subj:
    Caucus Res: Transportation Funding_Constitutionality MS171.02,1RIGHT TO TRAVEL
    Date:
    3/8/2006 10:07:05 A.M. Central Standard Time
    From:
    Sharon4Anderson
    To:
    greened@obbligato.org, stpaul-issues@forums.e-democracy.org
    Right-click picture(s) to display picture options
    In a message dated 3/7/2006 3:42:24 P.M. Central Standard Time, greened@obbligato.org writes:
    Whereas, all Minnesotans must have the access and ability to get to where they need to go, including to jobs, schools, places of worship and civic functions;http://forums.e-democracy.org/stpaul/contacts/davidgreenebsAFFIDAVIT RESPONSE: RIGHT TO TRAVELWHERE IS THE MONEY COMING FROM?SUBMITTED FOREDUCATIONAL PURPOSES IN GOOD FAITHQUESTION: How many citizens out there have paid $150.00 for a minor Traffic Ticket when Not Guilty,??????In fighting this Heinous, Bizzare Obstruction of Legal Process: Apr.4th2005, got a Bogus Ticket for ALLEGED Illegal Right Turn on Case & Payne 4 way stop:" Fully insured, never having an accident or ticket over 30 years" Great Driving record"Cop: Cyr T. Abraham aka Abrahamson who I found out is Not a Licensed Peace Officer, did not show in court, Sept 2005then Pensioned Judge Cohen wilfully failed to issue a Written Order to suspend my License , Oct.2005, SECRET COURT TRIAL WITHOUT A JURY,Olmstead v. US GovLawbreaker answers/crosscomplaints were not addressed by the City Attorney at that time Cervantes and Judy Hanson Cohens former Court Reporter also the City Attorney concerning 14 E. Jessamine, Housing and with my Demand for Punatitive,Compensatory,Tort Damages over $75 thousandSharon4Anderson's Legal BlogBriefs Scrool to the end.Except as provided in paragraph (b), all questionsof fact and law, and all motions and matters submitted to ajudge for a decision in trial and appellate matters, shall bedisposed of and the decision filed with the court administratorwithin 90 days after such MS 546.27_90dayOrder CONSTITUTIONAL QUESTIONS:The undersign cannot get a Limited Drivers License, when under suspension: or a State ID constituting Cruel and Unusual Punishment 5th Amend "taking Clause" 8th Amend.person is not permitted to have more than one valid driver'slicense at any time. The department shall not issue to a personto whom a current Minnesota identification card has been issueda driver's license, other than a limited license, unless theperson's Minnesota identification card has been invalidated.
    MS 171.02 DL validity MS 171.16 30 days suspension the commissioner shall suspend the driver's licenseof such person for 30 days for a refusal or failure to pay oruntil notified by the court that the fine or surcharge, or bothif a fine and surcharge were not paid, has been paid http://www.revisor.leg.state.mn.us/stats/160.html YOU BE THE JUDGE: READ THE ENTIRESTATUTES: ALSO THE ANNOTATED THANKS: WITH HIGH REGARD FOR OUR COUNTRYIN-OUT-LAW ATTORNEY PRO SE_ IN FACTMS 481.02 Unauthorized practice law Sharon4Anderson's Legal BlogBriefsAOL Olmstead v. US GovLawbreaker Vision America:
    posted by EagleEyeSharon at 12:00 PM 1 comments
    Previous Posts
    Court_Computer_Committments_SECRET ORDERS
    Constitutionality Drivers License's Laws MS171.xx
    Archives
    March 2006
    About Me
    Name:
    Location: St. Paul, Minnesota, United States
    Do a google: Tells it all

    This is a paragraph of text that could go in the sidebar.
    -->