FINALLY the full, complete and ONLY Sykes Record on appeal

Yesterday, GJS was sooo nice to rush the Record on Appeal back to the court of appeals, so we ran right over at 5 pm and picked it up.  By 10 pm it was fully scanned in and I was starting to load it up.

CLICK HERE FOR FULL RECORD ON APPEAL

I am still working on the upload but expect to have it done in an hour!  I love it.  This is a wonderful, wonderful record that fully supports the continuing assertions on this blog that 1) Mary Sykes was never served with a Summons and Petition for Guardianship; 2) the two elderly sisters were not served in accordance with the Illinois Probate Act; 3) the court had no jurisdiction for 3 years plus under the Illinois Probate Act, Sodini, Seinfeld and Tiffany case law; 5) there are more affidavits that I did not know about regarding the gold coins and who had seen them and when; 6) GAL Stern and Plenary Guardian Atty were not telling the ARDC tribunal the truth when they asserted: a) jurisdiction was looked at many times and denied as lacking in the probate court; PS assertions he wrote and submitted an appellate brief previously on jurisdiction (he did not, the case was dismissed for formatting grounds-section 341 compliance p 2149 and 1801; 7) there is a subpoena to Gloria, but absolutely no Motion for a Special Process Server, Appointment of  a Special Process Server BUT curiously enough an “Affidavit of Special Process Server” p 1604 without an “Order Appointing”.  Even the recitation by the special process servicer is not typical and it does not recite “appointed by court order on X date.”

My questions is, rather than going after KDD and myself and just conclusorily saying “we’re lying” in order “gain an advantage” in a case where we have not filed an appearance (which was not disq’d), BUT PS and AS lie on the record, when is the ARDC going to stop all of this, actually LOOK at the court record and actually CALL the miscreants–CF, PS, AS, et al. onto their carpet and order them to stop it with the lies.

I mean, I run a blog.  But even I publish the pleadings, documents, declarations and evidence.  For some reason, for a very long, long, period of time a very large portion of the Sykes file disappears and the ARDC tells KDD and I we are lying.  Now the entire file appears for the ROA, and guess what?  We were not.

The problem isn’t the fact that there are lies flying all around the Sykes case which smells and looks like a dung heap, the real problem is, why the ARDC chooses to only pursue KDD and myself when all Ken did was ask people to write letters to law enforcement, and all I do is blog and publish and ask questions.

Now the lies are over.  The ROA I will finish publishing in a few minutes.  KDD’s hearing transcript has been published and NOTHING, absolutely NOTHING the star ARDC witnesses said was even close to the truth.  It was a pack of twisted, obstructed and carefully laid out misrepresentations used only to “get rid” of Ken.  The ARDC is still on the “get rid” of Ken warpath and they are heavy onto mine.  It is clear, that this is a CYA operation that isn’t going well.  Ken and I are still hollering for justice.  The ROA and transcripts speak for themselves loud and clear.

But I have not stood in front of a Probate court and lied to the court.

I write blog posts, I publish what I can get of the record and statements of the parties involved.  I do not appear before the court and tell the judge in Sykes anything.  I have, on a very limited basis and thru this blog, challenged the attys involved to be honest, forthright and truthful, but I have never, never told them to lie, cheat and steal.

The rest of the ROA will be up soon, let me know if you experience any problems with any of the links.

I will also run a contest to see who can spot the most lies and ridiculous statements from any of the miscreants.  So far, about a dozen people have written or called me about the testimony in KDD’s transcript being laughable and if they get the time, they intend to make a table.

So, for a $25 gift card, your choice (Starbucks, Chili’s, Walmart, whatever), send me your best submissions for lists and tables of lies, twists, ridiculous statements (ie, AS claiming on the stand that Ken talks to Gloria gives her more ideas and that creates a lot more work for him that takes him away from his “work and family”.  Ha!  work that takes you away from your work.  AS gets paid by the hour.  If he doesn’t like a case he can quit or resign.  There are TONS of attys out of work right now, so his statement is quite lame. –that is but one example and I digress).

Winners will be declared in about a month from now when submissions dwindle.

Send me your best stuff

Finally. After months and months and months and months and months and months–KDD’S hearing transcipt

Here it is.  777 pages of flotsam, jetsam, pond scum, lying, fabricating, twisting, evading, misleading, malfeasance, misfeasance, nonfeasance.  You name it, this Tribunal accepted it, embraced it and then gave it a fine stamp of approval.

Four year suspension, for what?  Attempting to investigate a case where relatives and family were screaming there was nefariousness involved, threatened with disbarment for merely investigating a serious case of elder abuse and exploitation, ignoring court records that clearly showed there was no jursidiction–no summons on Mary the abused senior, no service on her elderly sisters.  Deprived of her human and civil rights, falsely imprisoned–you name it, this case has it.

KDD’s amazing hearing transcript.

 

What a show.

 

Pleas for an article for the Reader and other Chicago Papers to support cleaning up this mess!

 

Subject: Fw: Re: Query regarding Chicago Reader?
Date: May 9, 2013 11:35 AM

see below.  can you submit a story on how KDD and my first amendment rights have been trampled upon by the ARDC?  I have done nothing but blog.

Ken did nothing but try to investigate the Sykes case and from the very beginning he was told by the GAL’s to “drop his investigation” or he would “be disbarred”.  After going through the files, he quickly determined there was no service upon Mary, or the elderly sisters which is required to take jurisdiction.

When I, as an honest, ethical atty appeared before Judge Connors and attempted to file an appearance on behalf of the younger daughter, Gloria Sykes, I was threatened with disbarment for simply notarizing a document (attys notarize documents all the time), and filing an appearance, not once by her, but multiple times.

Threats, I have found, always seem to be coupled with picking a scab that is covering a wound oozing with pus.  Little did I know that this scab I was picking cover up a serious systemic infection.  I did not know at the time the Illinois Probate Court system was in active septicemia and complaints of wrongful activity, lack of jurisdiction, by the attys and courts were apparently common place.

KDD was found guilty of “misconduct” in 1) conducting the investigation to determine the court was acting wrongfully without jurisdiction for 3+ years (the matter is up on appeal right now) and 2) he encouraged people to write their congressional representatives and law enforcement and the atty general to DO IT’S JOB and investigate and make arrests.  What did he get for that?  The THREE (severaly educationally challenged) on the tribunal recommended he be suspended for 4 years!!!  For what?  So he can devote FULL TIME blogging about corruption in Illinois Courts and cleaning it up?  That’s what I would do.

These three educationally challenged persons must have skipped 6th grade and the constitutional law portion of grade school.  Two are supposed to be attorneys and they must have gone to the same law school where the Michigan Judge went who jailed an atty for instructing his client not to answer an incriminating question during a sentencing hearing where his sentence would have increased.  We have the fifth amendment, we have the first amendment.  Why is this now suddenly a secret in the legal profession–esp. when CYA operations are afoot.

The ARDC’s official position is 1) attorneys must NOT investigate cases operating without jurisdiction which unconstitutionally deprive parties of their human and civil rights; and 2) attorneys must NOT report or even encourage people to report this wrongful activity which results in false imprisonment, theft, embezzlement, conversion, — to the FBI and local law enforcement; 3) attorneys must not use the word CORRUPT (there, I’ve said it–again)…..

If there is ANY tactic for CYA — the ARDC will employ it against honest, ethical attorneys doing their jobs and enforcing their oath of office to “uphold and protect the Illinois and US Constitutions”.

I think the ARDC gets their CYA with their office equipment–the copiers and computers and servers.
They need a new source for office equipment.

Yesterday, Gloria was in court.  Now if you know anything about how this septicemia continues, the probate judges will set these embarrassing cases last on the call or at 2 pm in the afternoon when no other attorneys or smart litigants are around.  There’s a reason.  Apparently, a lawyer actually stopped Gloria in the hallway or court and said to her, “so you’re the famous Sykes case.  I am pleased to meet you.”

This was an older attorney.

The ARDC and probate court is closely watching this blog — and so are other attorneys.

We need and deserve a Reader article, we need to get on Huffington and we need to spread on the internet.

As baby boomers age and are placed in homes against their will, as their homes are sold and they are drugged in nursing homes (this is illegal, btw) so they don’t escape and don’t tell, these issues will take over Illinois Probate Court like Greylord II.  The public needs to know and deserves to know, the tactics, the underhandedness, the tie ins, the cronyism, nepotism, the dangers in nursing homes of being placed there and murdered.

The question is, where is the attorney general, where is the FBI.

Probate court needs TWO AGENTS on the 18th floor, all by itself chasing down assets and thefts.

love,

mom

From KDD today — never seen anything like it! And it just keeps on going down the wrong path.

In my fifty years in the practice of law I have never seen anything like it.    First, the Court has no jurisdiction as the protections of 755 ILCS 5/11a – 10 were never afforded to Mary.    The Supreme Court of Illinois and the appellate court have both ruled that compliance is jurisdictional.   2) the court process has been used illegally to separate Mary from her liberty and property rights and in particular to enter Mary’s safety deposit box and remove and no inventory a million dollars in gold coins.  3) the guardian ad litem and the court have attempted to silence all who dissent and flaunt the law with impunity.

 
If the Fed would read the evidence deposition of Judge Connors after reading the Statutory scheme of the legislature for protecting Mary Sykes and others similarly situated Greylord 2 prosecutions would commence the next day.    The corruption that was witnessed in Greylord is minor to what is happening today to senior citizens!     
 
Congratulation on a job well done in fending off the miscreants today.  Indeed you do need an audience!     People should mark the date and show up to watch the show.     Keep the car running – if Stuart finds a full courtroom there will be another continuance by this judge who operates without jurisdiction in the Sykes case.     The travesty of justice is obscene in Sykes and continues without abatement.    What is most disturbing is the fact that the statute of limitations is running as to civil prosecution of the plenary guardian for the collection of the now million dollars in income taxes, penalties and interest that is owed the United States of America and the IRS is nowhere to be found.   I thought that the State of Illinois and the United States of America need money.     Collecting the funds  (1,000k dollars) not inventoried from the Sykes estate may be of some value.  
 
 
 
Ken Ditkowsky

Cooper’s Corner’s Tonight–Live at 7 pm for one full hour

Tonight I will be on Cooper’s Corners Live talking about my favorite topic–corruption in Illinois, corruption in the Probate Court–and making all this end through blogging for justice, blogging to improve ethics, morals and standards for attorneys.

 

Attys Sharon Opryszek, Jessica Haspel, Melissa Smart and Jerome Larkin–you are all invited.  Just show up at the Highland Park Police Station by 6:30 pm and ask for Bev or Ken Cooper and they will be most pleased to put you on the air tonight.

You are all invited to watch.  When the disk is done it will be posted on Facebook/Vimeo soon.

 

 

Hot off the Presses–Gloria’s Appellate Brief

And she did an excellent job for a pro se litigant!

You go, Gloria.

While not required, in addition to Gloria making it clear the elderly sisters were not served, the petition was deficient, it is clear from the ROA that there were no prior Motions to Dismiss for Lack of Jurisdiction presented, heard or filed, and most important, Mary was never served and three handwritten requests for an attorney were either denied or ignored by the court.

Appellate Brief of Gloria Sykes

EXCELLENT JOB!

ARDC Teleconference Notes May 7, 2013–the ARDC twilight zone!

Today was interesting but little changed.  The low lights are, everyone is still very, very confused by all the bad connections at a singular call in.  We still haven’t figured out who “Jessica Walters” is.  She’s supposed to be an attorney, kind of the assistant of Chair Sung Yul Lee, but it turns out, I can’t find her under “lawyer search” at http://www.iardc.org nor is she in the current version of Sullivans, the main Chicago atty directory published by the Daily Law Bulletin nor can you Google her.

Continuing on with this theme, the entire room started spinning, my TV set suddenly fizzed completely out and I found my self in—-THE ARDC TWILIGHT ZONE…

ARDC Teleconference Notes May 7, 2013–the ARDC twilight zone!

Chair Lee (CL)
First he will go over ruling on pending motions,
then housekeeping matters for next pre-status hearing and order

Re: Motion to Dismiss by Respondent, Motion to Dismiss is denied, tribunal refused to give findings of fact or conclusions of law (always ask for this, a court should give well founded reasoning, if it does not–great grounds for appeal, but if you do not ask, it might get waived).

CL asked if Respondent wanted to adopt or redraft KDD’s pleadings.

Respondent asserted that KDD’s pleading had already been fully discussed except for 2 matters, one regarding witnesses (253 witness disclosures) and the alleged defects in the Answer to the Complaint.

CL asked about discovery and a motion to strike by KDD, asked if JMD would adopt this motion to strike and amend her answer.

It was decided that CL would grant 21 days for JMD to amend her answer.  CL suggests that JMD either adopt the motion to strike and amend her answer or make a fresh answer.

JMD asserted the answer was sufficient but is willing to amend pursuant to the demands of Sharon and Melissa to make them happy.

CL stated that Respondent could not confer with Sharon and Melissa regarding the drafting of the Answer (okay, why is that?)

CL then got upset and reminded JMD to give him time for CL to finish his little speeches, and JMD asserted that teleconferences are technologically limited and they inherently create VOIP and 4G time lags and everyone has to be patient because we are limited by the transmission of digital technology.  Analog to digital creates inherent lags and not in the nanosecond category, like we would all like.

JMD agreed to amend Answer, and Motion to Strike was continued 21 days.

SO went on about their Motion to Strike KDD’s Request to Admit (RFA) and JMD asserted that for better or worse, they were already answered, so the point was moot.  CL went on and on about this a bit but in the end he ruled they were not Stricken because they were already answered.  Of course, JMD could not resist chuckling, what, were they asking to strike their own RFA’s?  That would be a first.

CL stated it did not have jurisdiction to make determination re: copyright infringment claim but it took judicial notice of the copyright infringement claim.

Respondent asserted that Administrator should have received a Cease and Desist letter, but CL refused to take judicial notice of that or rule on any copyright matters other than there was a copyright infringement claim.  CL just wasn’t interested and there wasn’t much to do with that anyway.

Tribunal denied Respondent the use of email for communications with Administrator and seemed to allege that use of email was akin to ex parte communications.  Regardless, he made it sound like a crime to use email and his tone implied he really wanted either the Ill. Sup. Ct. To make it one or at least the Ill. State Legislature.  Right.  5 year olds use email on their cell phones and set it up for their parents.

CL asked Respondent to acknowledge that Tribunal could not conduct its own investigation by reading Respondent’s blog.  Okay, whatever that means and however that is important here.  I don’t get it or why they were asking that.  Clear as mud if you ask me.  I think it was akin to I can’t read your blog.  SO will do that for me and read the parts she wants, and I’ll ignore the rest.  That’s right, Judge Stuart did that (told Gloria she could not look at her videos which were on a blog and on Gloria’s disk).  But then later when Gloria was asserting her mother was competent and knew what she wanted and where to live and with whom, the Judge Stuart said “why didn’t you show me that before?”  Been there, done that.  No T shirt, just went home bewildered.

CL said that he would not send or answer any emails from JMD.  He asserted no other court allowed email communications; JMD asserted that her experience the judges in the ND of Illinois do, they email the attorneys all the time, and attys are required to answer and it moves the cases along.  CL was not interested in any facts outside his scope.

Then CL repeatedly asked JMD if she would abide by the rules and JMD had to state several times that she always had done this and she had no problems doing it.  Another waste of time.

JMD asserted that the creation of illinois.ardc@gmail.com could be very helpful to move the case along to share documents and emails, but CL would have none of that.

After long discussions about emails and such (about a half hour), everyone moved on to the fact:

1) 21 days to respond to the ARDC requests for documents would be granted;
2) JMD had 21 days to amend her answer and while she was not to consult with SO and MS on all of this, or email them, if there were continuing problems with her Answer, CL would let JMD know.  JMD responded she was only trying to move things along.  I don’t give much hope for this process, KDD did an outstanding job of reciting the facts of Sykes and the facts of First Amendment rights.  How will I do better and what exactly are SO and MS looking for and why don’t they just answer my complaint if it’s so important to them?
3) CL was going to set up a hearing schedule (great, now I know when to resurrect those MTD”s like the Phoenix rising from the ashes)
4) JMD would have 21 days to make documents asked for from the ARDC available for inspection and copying.  (Can’t I just direct them to the blog?  Do I have to download the blog again?  Also I have stacks and stacks of Gloria emails–do SO and MS really want all those.  I would file them under CS like in American Pie, but…..)

Sooooo many questions.  Soooo many bad connections and strange assertions during these hearings.  Help, I think I know what it’s like to step in a 1950’s TV with … duh dud duh…

I won’t adjust my set.  It’s the ARDC TWILIGHT ZONE!

Falling down the Rabbit Hole, where does this land of bizarro end?

Dear Readers:
As you know, KDD recently received his adverse decision from the “the Tribunal” of the ARDC and while I don’t have a copy yet, it would appear that they have disciplined him for 1) attempting to investigate a case–Sykes, which was and continues to run without jurisdiction.  Running without jurisdiction is a clear violation of constitutional rights and a serious matter than no atty should engage in or cover up–the ARDC says Ken and I are lying about this, but my appellate brief is up at the Court of Appeals right now; 2) asking judicial officials, our congressional representatives and law enforcement to investigate this violation of constitutional rights–a clear pattern in probate (Sykes, Wyman, Bedin, etc.)–is also an ethical violation.
This is despite the fact a poll on this website is overwhelmningly in favor of reporting corruption to the authorities by attorneys.  This is all in direct derrogation to the Himmel case where attorneys were told by the Ill. Sup. Ct to report corruption to the ARDC and in fact it is a mandate.
This is Ken’s response to that decision:
Illinois by its legislative enactment in 755 ILCS 5/11a – 1 et seq. has enacted a comprehensive program for protecting the liberty and property interests of senior citizens such as Mary Sykes. The respondent as an attorney not only has a duty to respect the legislative mandates but the morale and Constitutional considerations that are pro-actively required. The panel in making its findings totally ignores the criterion enunciated by the Supreme Court of Illinois, to wit:
Subject matter jurisdiction is the power of the court to hear and determine the particular matter presented to it. (Faris v. Faris (1966), 35 Ill.2d 305, 309, 220 N.E.2d 210.) Jurisdiction to hear and adjudicate disability and guardianship matters is expressly conferred upon the circuit court by **807 ***642 section 11a–3 of the Act. That section states, in pertinent part:
“Adjudication of disability—Power to appoint guardian. (a) upon the filing of a petition by a reputable person or by the alleged disabled person himself or on its own motion, the court may adjudge a person to be a disabled person and may appoint [a guardian of his person, estate or both].” Ill.Rev.Stat.1989, ch. 110½, par. 11a–3.
*13 67 The court acquires jurisdiction over the allegedly disabled person by personal service upon him of a copy of the petition and summons not less than 14 days before the hearing. (Ill.Rev.Stat.1989, ch. 110½, par. 11a–10(e); see McCormick v. Blaine (1931), 345 Ill. 461, 178 N.E. 195.) It is also a jurisdictional requirement that the petitioner give notice of the time and place of the hearing by mail or in person to the nearest living relatives of the allegedly disabled person not less than 14 days before the hearing. Ill.Rev.Stat.1989, ch. 110½, par. 11a–10(f); see In re Guardianship of Sodini (1988), 172 Ill.App.3d 1055, 123 Ill.Dec. 67, 527 N.E.2d 530. In re Estate of Steinfeld, 158 Ill. 2d 1, 12-13, 630 N.E.2d 801, 806-07 (1994)
The record is devoid of one scintilla of proof that at any time was the required 14 day notice given to the nearest relatives of Mary Sykes. In point of fact Judge Connor’s evidence deposition clearly indicates the lack of such a requirement in her Court[1].
The Administrator is acknowledged by the hearing panel to have a severe burden of proof, i.e. clear and convincing evidence. It is disingenuous for any entity supported by taxpayer dollars to except that a lawyer be silent concerning the most corrupt act that a Court can engage in, to wit: act without jurisdiction in regard to matters in which a citizen (especially a senior citizen) is deprived of her liberty and property rights.
The record in the Sykes, the first four volumes of which are now on the internet, reveals that a no time were the nearest relatives of Mary Sykes provided the 14 days’ notice that was required for the Circuit Court to obtain jurisdiction and at no time were the protections to which Mary Sykes entitled by 755 ILCS 5/11a – 1 et seq. provided to her. On page 18 the hearing panel admitted:
“Mary’s sisters were not named in the petition or given formal notice of the petition.”
The foregoing admission is a fatal admission that not only renders the decision herein inappropriate but suggests wrongdoing on the part of the panel. The Judicial System must respect its own rules and regulations and attorneys are bound to call attention to pejorative events such as Courts acting without jurisdiction. The criterion was set out by the Supreme Court to wit:
It is also a jurisdictional requirement that the petitioner give notice of the time and place of the hearing by mail or in person to the nearest living relatives of the allegedly disabled person not less than 14 days before the hearing. Ill.Rev.Stat.1989, ch. 110½, par. 11a–10(f); see In re Guardianship of Sodini (1988), 172 Ill.App.3d 1055, 123 Ill.Dec. 67, 527 N.E.2d 530. In re Estate of Steinfeld, 158 Ill. 2d 1, 12-13, 630 N.E.2d 801, 806-07 (1994)
Discussion
The mission of the ARDC is recited as follows:
“The mission of the ARDC is to promote and protect the integrity of the legal profession, at the direction of the Supreme Court, through attorney registration, education, investigation, prosecution and remedial action. As an administrative agency of the Supreme Court of Illinois, the ARDC assists the Court in regulating the legal profession through attorney registration, education, investigation, prosecution and remedial action.

Through our annual registration process, we compile a list of lawyers authorized to practice law. We provide ready access to that list so that the public, the profession and courts may access lawyers’ credentials and contact information.

We educate lawyers through seminars and publications to help them serve their clients effectively and professionally within the bounds of the rules of conduct adopted by the Court. We provide guidance to lawyers and to the public on ethics issues through our confidential Ethics Inquiry telephone service.

The ARDC handles discipline matters fairly and promptly, balancing the rights of the lawyers involved and the protection of the public, the courts and the legal profession. Grievances are investigated confidentially. Disciplinary prosecutions are adjudicated publicly and result in recommendations to the Court for disposition. Our boards consist of independent, diverse groups of volunteer lawyers and non-lawyers who make recommendations in disciplinary matters.

We advocate for restitution and other remedial action in disciplinary matters. We seek to provide reimbursements through our Client Protection Program to those whose funds have been taken dishonestly by Illinois lawyers who have been disciplined.

The proceedings herein were patently unfair and in appropriate.
1)    The respondent was entitled to adjudication as to whether or not the complaint herein met the pleading standards.  
a.    It is axiomatic that a respondent in such a proceeding as this is entitled to have specific allegation made as to what, if any, of the facts are that are or were in violation of some ethical criterion. No matter how the facts and pleadings are tortured the letter to Dr. Patel does not in words and phrases make any statement that is untrue or in any way states to him anything that is untrue. In fact the letter is clear in pointing out that respondent is conducting an investigation. The Rules of Court, and in particular FRCP 11 and Rule 137 both point out that the Court expects an attorney to attempt to make certain that his/her claim is not frivolous.   There was no evidence by the Administrator.    Only the Administrator and the panel draw the conclusion. that Dr. Patel or anyone else was misled by the letter.    As the Standard is ‘clear and convincing evidence any adverse finding as to Count 1 has to be reversed.
b.      Count 2 suggests that the plaintiff does not have right to complain concerning:
                                  i.       The Court lacked jurisdiction  The affidavit of Gloria Sykes and Scott Evans were placed of record. Subsequently, the ARDC received affidavits of the two siblings of Mary Sykes denying that they had not been served with notice.
                                ii.      Mary Sykes was being abused and her liberty was denied her. The affidavit of Mr. Scott Evans and the record in the Circuit Court of Cook County are clear in pointing out Mary Sykes requested of Gloria Sykes that she find me to represent her and Farenga, Stern, Schmiedel and Troepe had kept Mary isolated from her younger daughter and two siblings. (Isolation of a senior citizen is abuse. If the ARDC had not shopped the e-mails they would have noted that the discussions which they find objectionable connote that Ms. Bakken pointed out to Farenga that Ms. Troepe had indeed neglected Mary Sykes (and admitted the same)[3] and as a result Mary lost 10% of her body weight.
                       iii.       Mary Sykes safety deposit box was entered by the plenary guardian and a large sum of money (over a million dollars in gold coins) was removed. The panel points out that Ms. Farenga testified that neither she nor Adam Stern was present when the ‘gold coins’ were removed from the safety deposit box[4].   It is respectfully suggested that the in a fair proceeding the Administrator has to detail the facts upon which the claim is based. In particular – what facts connote that the averment made was not truthful.
2)     The Administrator was not required to meet the standard of proof for clear and convincing evidence.     The burden of proof was on the Administrator. This means that the administrator was required to produce evidence to substantiate his claim. The statute enacted by the legislature is very specific. It required NOTIFICATION. The panel suggests that Mary’s siblings had knowledge. There was no testimony from either sibling that she was notified so that she could have knowledge and there was no testimony that anyone had specifically notified the two siblings of the hearing to declare Mary Sykes incompetent.  This evidence because of the clear and convincing standard had to specific. A naked denial is not evidence, except as to CYA.
a.      Neither of the sisters of Mary Sykes was called as a witness to testify. Even Gloria Sykes was not called to testify. However, of record is the fact that Gloria Sykes has filed an uncontested affidavit that can only be interpreted as averring that these proceedings were promulgated to silence a ‘loud mouth attorney’ who was calling for an investigation and exercising his First Amendment Rights.
b.     In discovery the Administrator refused to disclose what if any statements that respondent had made that were untrue and admitted to having no evidence as to critical factual scenarios.
3)    That Administrator and panel acted in a discriminatory manner toward the respondent, but ignored the actions of the two guardian ad litem and the attorney for the plenary guardian. . The mission statement of the ARDC has the word: “promote and protect the integrity of the legal profession,” As the panel remarked, Illinois has been embarrassed by 15 judges and a number of attorneys going to jail in the Greylord scandal. The respondent urges this review panel to read the clear words of 755 ILCS 5/11a – 10(f). Then examine Judge Connor’s deposition and recall that she has been administrating the act for a decade (TR 8 ). As Judge, Judge Connors is required to not only know the law but the cases that interpret it. Sodini and Steinfeld were published and known to the legal profession since prior to 1994. On page 90 of her evidence deposition Judge Connors respondent to the question by Ms. Black?
Q Is it your testimony that the individuals who would have been required to get the Sodini notices were present in Court?
Judge Connors: “I believe so. Again. I’d like to read that section again because I think at the end of that section it says “ as the Court directs”
So let’s say you have got a family with somebody that has 13 brother and sisters and 30o blah, blah, Blah, but they have kids. So I want to make sure that the spouse and the children are notified. Those are the first two that have to be notified.
Of course you want to notify everybody else, but those are the ones that would have the closest interest to the person. So when I saw this case, are the children notified? Yes, they are. Is there a spouse? No, the spouse is deceased. Okay.
Maybe I didn’t inquire about the sisters, I don’t know. But eventually the sisters found out about it. So I assumed that the appropriate people were notified when I made the appointment as to her adjudication.
If I’m — if there is a motion that comes forward relative to someone who should be included and, against, that’s the court’s decision I think as the Court says should be notified, I could vacate my finding, have the sisters notified, go through the who thing against. We would come to same result. But again, I don’t specifically recall who was notified on the date of the adjudication because this adjudication took a while because there were objections from the daughter.
So I wish I had it in front of me, but I don’t recall specifically if the sister can in and submitted themselves to the jurisdiction of the court or if they were notified formally at one time.”
Indeed, the Court record gives no indication that there were the appropriate jurisdictional notifications! The panel’s assumption that the sister’s (and/or Gloria Sykes) had 14 days prior notice of the statute is unfounded and contrary to the evidence. As this fact is the lodestone event in this ARDC prosecution of the respondent serious error has occurred herein[1].    Key phrases from the Judge’s statement on pages 90 and 91 of her deposition are reiterated herein and examined,  to wit:
1. “ as the Court directs” Section 10f is jurisdictional – there is no discretion. Either the statute is complied with or there is no jurisdiction. Sodini makes that fact abundantly clear. Lawyers and Judges are presumed to know the law! It is extremely corrupt and inappropriate for a judge to administer the law and no know the cases and the statutes in which he/she is required to interpret to protect the liberty and property rights of citizens.
2. “But eventually the sisters found out about it.” Indeed! Jurisdiction requires not eventually they finding out about the loss their sister’s liberty and property rights! The statute requires that 14 days prior notice be afforded. This is a due process matter. Assuming that Mary Sykes was seriously disabled notice to her would be a nullity and therefore effective notice had to be given to someone having an interest in her welfare. Just knowing ex-post facto is unacceptable and our Supreme Court has as stated supra made a determination. The mission of the ARDC is to promote and protect the integrity of the legal profession” It is respectfully suggested that the integrity of the legal profession is not being promoted when jurisdiction is so cavalierly treated. In fact Canon 8.4 is being violated by this prosecution.
3. “I assumed that the appropriate people were notified when I made the appointment as to her adjudication” The standard for the determination and the appointment of a guardian for an alleged disabled person is “clear and convincing.” The panel points out that there was no testimony taken, thus the basic criterion of Article 1 of the Illinois Constitution is admitted as not being applicable to Mary Sykes.
4. “if there is a motion that comes forward relative to someone who should be included and, against, that’s the court’s decision I think as the Court says should be notified, I could vacate my finding, have the sisters notified, go through the who thing against. We would come to same result” Respondent did raise the issue and raised it in the successful appeal of the sanction order entered by this Judge who knew or should have known that she had no jurisdiction over the respondent when she determined he was subject to sanction. The last ½ dozen words of the quote are respectfully submitted to an admission of the corruption that is the subject matter of the complaint. The fact that one or dozen judges violate the law and appoint ‘judicial officials’ without proper jurisdiction does not make it right and does not obviate or vitiate the impropriety.
The quoted answer of Judge Connors was the evidence offered by the Administrator as his re-direct along with another question that it is respectfully suggested illustrates the ‘bias’ that exists in this prosecution. This panel has before it the statement of the Supreme Court’s In re Estate of Steinfeld, 158 Ill. 2d 1, 12-13, 630 N.E.2d 801, 806-07 (1994) and the criterion that is admitted by the testimony elected by the Administrator as being ignored[2]
The Presiding Judge is not alone in the irregularities admitted by Judge that obviates any claim that any of the statements made by respondent are false.    The  hearing panel glossed over the fact that  even though required by 5/11 a – 8 all the persons entitled to notice were not listed on the petition as well as the very person who was named in a Petition by Mary Sykes for an order of protection was appointed her guardian.   Rationalizing further, the panel ignores the Supreme Court and the Appellate Court rulings based upon Sodini and further glosses over the fact that the Administrator failed to meet his burden of proof in that he presented no evidence that the two siblings and Gloria Sykes were provided the required timely, prior 14 days’ notice of the hearing.
Of course the Administrator failed to present the Common Law Record in the Sykes case and any evidence of any affidavits of service, returns of service etc.     This deficiency was rationalized by the ‘naked’ statement that the two siblings knew of the proceedings!    Naturally neither sibling nor Gloria Sykes was called as a witness.     Clairvoyance is not recognized as competent evidence even when presented by “judicial officials” Cynthia Farenga and Adam Stern.
The irregularities that occurred in the Sykes matter are legend and too numerous to discuss herein even though claimed by the Administrator to be ‘lied’ made recklessly by the respondent.    The common law record, even though ignored by the Administrator and the  hearing panel refuses any suggestion of inaccuracy in any of the e-mails or other communicates made by the respondent pursuant to his First Amendment Rights.
 As an example the Sykes record of August 31, 2009 (more than 30 days after the filing of the petition) revealed (TR 44, 45,46, 47) that the transcript of that hearing had the Judge engage in the following repartee with the attorney for the petitioner:
“**** Is there going to be a CCP 21ll here, a doctor’s report”
“Mr. Waller” I don’t know. My client can advise me, but I think the doctor is balking at doing it for some reason. I think he’s been instructed —
The court: Well maybe they can bring her to see another doctor then.”
The statement “Well maybe they can bring her to see another doctor” is not one of the sterling examples of judicial behavior.     It should be noted that Judge Connors on page 47 of her deposition admitted that the standard of proof was ‘clear and convincing” and did not deny that this quoted section was her statement!   Disturbingly the Judge then volunteered that
“if Mrs. Sykes asked for a hearing there would have been all kinds of other evidence.” TR 49.
How would the trier of fact know what if anything the persons that Mary Sykes requested an order of protection concerning would present as evidence?   It is most telling that the transcript of proceedings then reveals that Mr. Stern recommended certain doctors.
On page 50 of her deposition, the Judge was asked:
Q. Do you recall her saying the words and phrases to the effect that “how can this be happening to me?” ****
A. She may well have. A lot of senior take that attitude.*****
A fair reading to the e-mails and complaints to law enforcement by a trier of fact, and a reading of the Government Accounting Office Report that details dozens of similar scenarios such as Sykes (in the same package in which the Connor’s deposition is found) suggests that the United States Government Accounting Offices Report to Congress was consistent with the unusual events that took place in the Sykes and citizens were addressing the same in the manner protected by Article 1 to the Illinois Constitution and the First, Fifth and Fourteenth Amendments to the United States Constitution.
4)   The Administrator in these proceedings was not required to either specify what if any statements, if any, of the respondent were untrue, or prove that a statement was untrue.    The Panel in spite of overwhelming evidence of misconduct on the part of the “judicial officials” in derogation of the vested and protected rights of Mary Sykes made the  naked assertion the total lack of  proof was sufficient for the panel to claim that respondent made a reckless and untrue statement that obviated not only his rights under the First Amendment, but should result in a 4 year suspension from the Practice of Law.
    The burden of proof required of the Administrator is clear and convincing.    In discovery the respondent requested that there be a disclosure of what statements that he made were untrue.   There was no such disclosure.  The Administrator’s answers were evasive and totally unresponsive.   Similarly it is respectfully submitted the Administrator made no such offer of proof and the panel required none it is assume by the panel that charges substantiated by the Common Law Record of the Sykes case and the statements from Judge Connor’s deposition cited supra that by ‘clear and convincing ‘ lack of evidence the assertion is proven.
Disingenuously that sanction imposed on a soon to be 77 year old attorney who has resided before the bar for more than 50 years is a sanction far in excess of that imposed against an attorney who ‘stole’ his clients’ money.     The absurdity of the sanction is not only chilling but outrageous.     The lesson from the sanction and the report of the hearing panel drives home the distrust of legal profession and the lesson that if a lawyer ‘breaks the Code of Silence’ to disclose the fact that ‘judicial officials’ appointed by a Court lacking jurisdiction are engaged in conduct that appears to have denied a senior citizen of her liberty, property, human and civil rights he is to struck down.    The United States of America in it prosecution of Greylord Judges and lawyers attempted to suggest to the legal profession and in particular the regulators of the judicial profession that such was unacceptable.
Reiterating the context of this matter, it is very clear from the record in the Sykes case and Judge Connor’s deposition that there was no jurisdiction obtained by the Court and the presiding Judge literally allowed Mary Sykes to be railroaded into a guardianship.     In her evidence deposition the presiding Judge virtually admitted that all the statutory requirements of the Statute were ignored.      The panel and the administrator cannot point to a single document in the Common Law Record to substantiate the Sodini notices were actually served as jurisdictionally required, and at the hearing not one witness could be called to testify that he/she had orally informed the two siblings and/or Mary Sykes of the date, time, and place of the hearing and/or served a copy of the petition on any of the three ladies.
 As the Judge and the attorneys are presumed to know the law the failure to provide the prior 14 days’ notice  referred to in Sodini and the statute must be deemed ‘intentional acts.’      As Mary Sykes’ liberty was taken from her the panel cannot assert that any statement of misconduct concerning the activities of the Court (acting without jurisdiction) is lawful.    Thus respondent’s statements have not been proven false by even a scintilla of evidence.   It therefore follows that respondent’s statement are truthful and there is no reckless untruthful statements upon which to give cover to the willful violation of the respondent’s First Amendment Rights[3].
The call for an investigation and the appeals to law enforcement are protected activities.   The attempt to prevent those activities is unconscionable and exemplifies either an attempt at denying respondent his ‘civil rights’ under color of statute 42 USCA 1983, and worse.   The panel’s statement of facts admits that the ‘gold coins’ were not inventoried.   Ms. Farenga’s testimony admits that she and Stern had no knowledge as to what was taken from the Safety deposit box and thus, the Administrator failed to provide scintilla of evidence that the assertion that a million dollars in gold coins were removed from the safety deposit box and not inventoried.    The administrator could have called Gloria Sykes and Aunt Jo Bakken to testify, but chose not to do so.
The responses of the Administrator to discovery are illustrative of the ‘double standard’ and the deficiency of proof.   The failure to call witness is illustrative of the disrespect for the law that is prevalent in the panel’s ruling, the administrator’s case in chief and the admitted disregard of the Jurisdictional Statutory protections that the legislature decreed that disabled persons are entitled.
5)    Torture of the Canons of Ethics to obviate the First Amendment to the United States Constitution is unethical and a violation of the Canons.
The torture of the Canons of Ethics to silence a targeted attorney who complains as to particular subject matter while a new phenomenon in the United States has become more and more common as illustrated by this panel’s report.   How can the  canons of ethics are violated by a cry by an attorney for an investigation of what appears of record in the Sykes case as a miscarriage of Justice.    Even a pre-teen required to pass his/her Constitution test (in Illinois) has to know that the First Amendment protection fundamentally extends to even attorney’s rights to petition the government.
The instant attempt to subvert the First Amendment by the Administrator and the panel is unprecedented.     It is respectfully submitted to be most egregious and placed the entire legal system into disrepute.    How can seasoned licensed attorneys being paid with tax-payer money not be cognizant of the very Constitutional principles that pre-teens know as a condition precedent to their entry in High School!
Recently  the Virginia Supreme Court in an opinion dated February 28, 2013 rejected an attempt to silence a blog. A copy of the decision is attached hereto and made part hereof as exhibit 1.
the United States Supreme Court cases of Aschcroft v American Civil Liberties Union 535 US 564, Brownv Entm’t Merchants Ass’n 131 S. Ct 2729,United States v Alvarez 132 S.Ct. 2537 and New York Times vs. Sullivan 376 U.S. 254 clearly set forth the mandate of the First Amendment that as a citizen the respondent can speak out candidly on any subject at any time without censorship. In particular, it is respectfully suggested that the panel and the administrator are acting to place the legal profession in disrepute by demonstrating their lack of respect for the First Amendment and Article 1 of the Illinois Constitution.
6) The Administrator, the legal profession, the Judicial officials appointed by a Court lacking jurisdiction and Panel are all under a duty to uphold the Constitution of both the United States of America and the State of Illinois.
The evidence deposition examination of Judge Connors is clear in pointing out a corruption in the Probate Division of the Circuit Court. Corruption does not have to involve bribe taking! It is a form of corruption to deny a senior citizen of her liberty and property rights!     Indeed, the Administrator’s answers to discovery are a repudiation of the concept of ‘fair play and honesty that is demanded of lawyers.     The panel’s report, the administrators failure to plead and prove by clear and convincing evidence  that any of the statements made by the respondent was untrue is reprehensible and worthy of the Greylord scenario.     The failure of the panel to call key witnesses such as Gloria Sykes, Jo Bakken,  Kathy Bakken, Scott Evans, and Mary Sykes is indicative of ‘corruption!’
The Failure of the Administrator to provide a speck of evidence that Gloria Sykes, and Mary’s two siblings were given the required 14 days prior notice is telling.    Now the first four volumes of the Sykes transcript are on-line and this panel can examine them.    They will find no affidavit of service, no return of service, and nothing to indicate any waiver of service.    What the review panel will find is instead Judge Connor telling the applicant for guardian to go out and find a doctor who will certify Mary incompetent; a failure to prove Mary incompetent by clear and convincing evidence; two guardian ad litem appointed in small estate – according to inventory; and numerous anomalies of jurisprudence that are believed by most of the public to be foreign to the United States of America.
6)   The respondent has been denied Equal Protection of the Law and the proceedings conducted are patently violative of the written policy of the State of Illinois encoded as 735 ILCS 110/5 and et seq.
The respondent has been practicing law for half a century.   As a practicing lawyer respondent recognizes a duty to act in a moral and ethical manner.    What this means is demonstrating a daily respect for American democracy, the Judeo/Christian ethic and the Constitution of both the State of Illinois and the United States of America.   Thus, as the panel recognizes the respondent has no pecuniary interest in the Sykes case of any of the similar cases that he has demanded be investigated by law enforcement.    Indeed,  the only fund that counsel received was an initial retainer of $1000.00.    Why then has respondent been so adamant?     Conscience!      A human being who believes in America and its principles cannot and will not remain silent when a fellow human being is openly and notoriously deprived of her liberty, her property, her civil rights and humans – as has been Mary Sykes!
As a human being respondent is not repentant for ‘standing up’ for the liberty and property rights of Mary Sykes and people similarly situated.    To do less would be amoral and denigrate what so many citizens of the United States of America have sacrificed.      The fact that the Administrator, the judicial officials appointed by a Court lacking jurisdiction, and others can ignore their human responsibilities the respondent can and will not, but vows to continue whether suspended for four years or disbarred to continue to do his sworn duty as an American.

[1] The hearing panel in their analysis of the facts presented does not appear concerned that there are a number of jurisdictional lapses that are highlighted. The first and most important is the fact that the Administrator failed to provide any evidence that the Circuit Court that created the “judicial officials” ever acquired jurisdiction. As indicated by the Sodini case referred to in Steinfeld it is apparent that without the required 14 day notices all that was transpiring in the Circuit Court was without jurisdiction. Thus, respondent was prosecuted for complaining that the Circuit Court “judicial officials had taken Mary Sykes’ liberty and property without either due process or jurisdiction.
2] I have not used the words allegedly because the affidavits filed with the pleadings are clear in verifying the averments. The ARDC and its administrator have the same criterion to meet as do private litigants. In particular an investigation must be conducted to determine if the averments are credible. An examination of the Common Law record would reveal on day one that jurisdictional issues were ignored. There is no return of service of the petition on the nearest relatives and no affidavit of service oral or otherwise. It should be noted that the hearing panel is silent as to how, when, or in what manner the two siblings who were required to be notified and were not received the knowledge that they were not called to testify concerning.
[3] The fact that there are two guardian ad litem in an estate of the size disclosed by the inventory herein is a ‘red flag’ and the fact that they were retained for three years is almost obscene. The panel makes mention of the fact, but fails to suggest a credible reason that would justify the estate paying three sets of attorney fees plus the fees of the plenary guardian.
[4] The panel concludes that that it was unjustified for counsel to complain. Ms. J Bakken in open court (probate) described the container in which the coins were kept and Ms. Gloria Sykes disclosed in paragraph 5 the coins and how she and her mother came to have them. Gloria Sykes was not called as a witness, nor was Mrs. J. Bakken by the administrator.


[1] It is respectfully suggested that without the Sodini  Notices being served the proceedings before Judge Connors were nullities as the Court lacked jurisdiction.    This is not a sporting event in which critical errors are just part of game.    Not only is the respondent’s reputation being sullied, but the liberty interest of real senior citizens is being taken from them.
The statement quoted supra from pages 90 and 91 of Judge Connor’s deposition are shocking and scary.   The Illinois Legislature adopted a comprehensive program to protect seniors.     Contrary to Judge Connor’s statement this program was not optional or discretionary.
Each aspect of the program was designed to protect the senior citizen.    The stated purpose of the statutory enactment was not to provide ‘income’ to attorney’s appointed as ‘judicial officials’ by a Court lacking jurisdiction.     The purpose was to protect Mary Sykes and persons similarly situated.    The purpose was to aid the person to the extent the he/she needed help, not to be a ‘death sentence’ and a total loss of liberty.   (see 11a – 17 and 11a – 18).     In that regard the Petition had to make certain disclosures ( 11a –     ), the venue had to be such that the ‘ward’ was protected, notice had to be specific, timely, prior, and 14 days before the hearing (jurisdictional).    The rights (like Miranda rights) had to be disclosed.    The burden of proof imposed was procrustean and required the applicant to present clear and convincing evidence.    The administration of the Estate gentile and carefully supervised by the Court.
The respondent urges the review panel (and the Illinois Supreme Court) to review the cross examination and the redirect of Judge Connors and compare it to the statutory motivation and scheme.    It is respectfully suggested that what happened in Sykes (and in these proceedings involving the respond) separated by worlds.
[2] .     The statute states:
§ 11a-10. Procedures preliminary to hearing.
(a) Upon the filing of a petition pursuant to Section 11a-8, the court shall set a date and place for hearing to take place within 30 days. The court shall appoint a guardian ad litem to report to the court concerning the respondent’s best interests consistent with the provisions of this Section, except that the appointment of a guardian ad litem shall not be required when the court determines that such appointment is not necessary for the protection of the respondent or a reasonably informed decision on the petition. If the guardian ad litem is not a licensed attorney, he or she shall be qualified, by training or experience, to work with or advocate for the developmentally disabled, mentally ill, physically disabled, the elderly, or persons disabled because of mental deterioration, depending on the type of disability that is alleged in the petition. The court may allow the guardian ad litem reasonable compensation. The guardian ad litem may consult with a person who by training or experience is qualified to work with persons with a developmental disability, persons with mental illness, or physically disabled persons, or persons disabled because of mental deterioration, depending on the type of disability that is alleged. The guardian ad litem shall personally observe the respondent prior to the hearing and shall inform him orally and in writing of the contents of the petition and of his rights under Section 11a-11. The guardian ad litem shall also attempt to elicit the respondent’s position concerning the adjudication of disability, the proposed guardian, a proposed change in residential placement, changes in care that might result from the guardianship, and other areas of inquiry deemed appropriate by the court. Notwithstanding any provision in the Mental Health and Developmental Disabilities Confidentiality Act or any other law, a guardian ad litem shall have the right to inspect and copy any medical or mental health record of the respondent which the guardian ad litem deems necessary, provided that the information so disclosed shall not be utilized for any other purpose nor be redisclosed except in connection with the proceedings. At or before the hearing, the guardian ad litem shall file a written report detailing his or her observations of the respondent, the responses of the respondent to any of the inquires detailed in this Section, the opinion of the guardian ad litem or other professionals with whom the guardian ad litem consulted concerning the appropriateness of guardianship, and any other material issue discovered by the guardian ad litem. The guardian ad litem shall appear at the hearing and testify as to any issues presented in his or her report.
(b) The court (1) may appoint counsel for the respondent, if the court finds that the interests of the respondent will be best served by the appointment, and (2) shall appoint counsel upon respondent’s request or if the respondent takes a position adverse to that of the guardian ad litem. The respondent shall be permitted to obtain the appointment of counsel either at the hearing or by any written or oral request communicated to the court prior to the hearing. The summons shall inform the respondent of this right to obtain appointed counsel. The court may allow counsel for the respondent reasonable compensation.
(c) If the respondent is unable to pay the fee of the guardian ad litem or appointed counsel, or both, the court may enter an order for the petitioner to pay all such fees or such amounts as the respondent or the respondent’s estate may be unable to pay. However, in cases where the Office of State Guardian is the petitioner, consistent with Section 30 of the Guardianship and Advocacy Act,1 where the public guardian is the petitioner, consistent with Section 13-5 of the Probate Act of 1975, where an elder abuse provider agency is the petitioner, pursuant to Section 9 of the Elder Abuse and Neglect Act,2 or where the Department of Human Services Office of Inspector General is the petitioner, consistent with Section 45 of the Abuse of Adults with Disabilities Intervention Act, no guardian ad litem or legal fees shall be assessed against the Office of State Guardian, the public guardian, the elder abuse provider agency, or the Department of Human Services Office of Inspector General.
(d) The hearing may be held at such convenient place as the court directs, including at a facility in which the respondent resides.
(e) Unless he is the petitioner, the respondent shall be personally served with a copy of the petition and a summons not less than 14 days before the hearing. The summons shall be printed in large, bold type and shall include the following notice:
NOTICE OF RIGHTS OF RESPONDENT
You have been named as a respondent in a guardianship petition asking that you be declared a disabled person. If the court grants the petition, a guardian will be appointed for you. A copy of the guardianship petition is attached for your convenience.
The date and time of the hearing are:
The place where the hearing will occur is:
The Judge’s name and phone number is:
If a guardian is appointed for you, the guardian may be given the right to make all important personal decisions for you, such as where you may live, what medical treatment you may receive, what places you may visit, and who may visit you. A guardian may also be given the right to control and manage your money and other property, including your home, if you own one. You may lose the right to make these decisions for yourself.
You have the following legal rights:
(1) You have the right to be present at the court hearing.
(2) You have the right to be represented by a lawyer, either one that you retain, or one appointed by the Judge.
(3) You have the right to ask for a jury of six persons to hear your case.
(4) You have the right to present evidence to the court and to confront and cross-examine witnesses.
(5) You have the right to ask the Judge to appoint an independent expert to examine you and give an opinion about your need for a guardian.
(6) You have the right to ask that the court hearing be closed to the public.
(7) You have the right to tell the court whom you prefer to have for your guardian.
You do not have to attend the court hearing if you do not want to be there. If you do not attend, the Judge may appoint a guardian if the Judge finds that a guardian would be of benefit to you. The hearing will not be postponed or canceled if you do not attend.
IT IS VERY IMPORTANT THAT YOU ATTEND THE HEARING IF YOU DO NOT WANT A GUARDIAN OR IF YOU WANT SOMEONE OTHER THAN THE PERSON NAMED IN THE GUARDIANSHIP PETITION TO BE YOUR GUARDIAN. IF YOU DO NOT WANT A GUARDIAN OF IF YOU HAVE ANY OTHER PROBLEMS, YOU SHOULD CONTACT AN ATTORNEY OR COME TO COURT AND TELL THE JUDGE.
Service of summons and the petition may be made by a private person 18 years of age or over who is not a party to the action.
(f) Notice of the time and place of the hearing shall be given by the petitioner by mail or in person to those persons, including the proposed guardian, whose names and addresses appear in the petition and who do not waive notice, not less than 14 days before the hearing. IL ST CH 755 § 5/11a-10 (emphasis mine)
[3] It is frustrating to have to address a will of the wisp.    Perpetuation of the same is not proof by clear and convincing evidence, it is at best unethical obstruction of Justice.     The reckless claim of the Administrator that respondent ‘lied’ is a serious violation of the Canons of ethics and in particular 8.4.     It is respectfully submitted that all the Administrator or the panel had to do was to review the record here and the Court Record in Sykes to ascertain on day one that this proceeding is frivolous.
Ken Ditkowsky

From: JoAnne M Denison <jdenison@surfree.com>
To: kenneth ditkowsky <kenditkowsky@yahoo.com>; Sharon Opryszek Ill ardc <sopryszek@iardc.org>; Melissa Smart Ill ARDC <msmart@iardc.org>; “illinois.ardc”Illinois ARDC” <illinois.ardc@gmail.com>
Sent: Tuesday, May 7, 2013 8:51 AM
Subject: Re: Revised Report to court

Dear Ken;

At six pm last night, after REPEATED requests to please, please email anything you file, I got a response to my “cease and desist” letter in the mail.  They have known about the gmail sharing for weeks now but refuse to do it.  You can lead a horse to water, but he still might dehydrate to death–if he’s an ARDC horse.

It was soooo bizarre, it was comical.

The ARDC’s answer to my “cease and desist” letter–is guess what?  To strike it.  That’s right, strike it.

They did not even know what it was (if you sue after notice of infringment and copyright and the infringer continues, this creates a good case for enhanced–ie, treble damages).

Their main excuse was “fair use” but I see nothing “fair use” about publishing the contents of my/your creative works without acknowledgement, and without a copyright notice to others, and “used without author‘s permission.”  These writings were not used for internal court documents, but were published on the internet without prior authorization and a proper license agreement.

Their fair use hinges on the fact “they make no money off of the infringement”–a position rejected long ago by the courts.  Besides, once the material is put up on the ARDC website without a warning, law book publishers believe (mistakenly) they are in fact allowed to use it, that the litigants entered into a license agreement to publish.  Many states receive good money from law book publishers to download or further publish their works, and it is likely that downloading and “selling” my/your copyrights is not unlikely because it is common in the relevant business or trade.  Today, the ARDC might not receive a dime from law book publishing (I have no idea why they don’t do this to raise funds–for their victims fund of probate victims), but tomorrow, there may be substantial income from a law book publisher.  Again, pleadings are not copyrightable because they are supposed to consist of mere recitations of fact–like a phone book, but creative writings for a blog are entirely different.

Fair use defenses generally depend upon 1) how much material was taken (in this case 16 paragraphs of what you and I wrote–fair use is generally considered a sentence or two); 2) if the taking was used for educational or personal information (it clearly was not–it was used in the business of the ARDC); 3) if it was absolutely necessary to take ALL of substantially all of the material or if it could have been paraphrased or infringement avoided in other ways (the ARDC could have paraphrased, it could have linked to my website–it had several ways to avoid infringement)), etc.

What I don’t get is I believe a discussion of the “fair use” defense (it is weak and not favored) is on my blog, my website and on the Copyright Office website.

I have to admit, that’s the first time I got a “motion to strike” over a cease and desist letter.  Pretty funny.  I bet if I search on that in “fastcase” I get zero cases on avoiding enhanced damages by filing a “motion to strike” a cease and desist letter filed with a court.

joanne

PS– okay to publish?
PPS–SO and MS this is how you avoid infringment issues.  BEFORE you publish, you ASK the author(s) for permission in writing.

—–Original Message—–
From: kenneth ditkowsky
Sent: May 7, 2013 5:42 AM
To: JoAnne M Denison , Sharon Opryszek Ill ardc , Melissa Smart Ill ARDC
Subject: Re: Revised Report to court

Of course you will get no answer – in the situation in which an agency is engaged in wrongful conduct it not uncommon for them to go into ‘cover up’ mode.     The attempt to deny you your Constitutional Rights will take the flavor of saying that you are not telling the truth even though all the evidence is that every word that was pubished is true.
In my case as an example all the evidence is that every e-mail sent by me contained truthful statements.   In fact in discovery the Administrator admitted that he had no information that any statement was untrue; however, when you read the Hearing Board’s decision they gloss over that fact.   All that the panel had to do was read the last two questions that Ms. Black put to Judge Connors and then read Connor’s answers and it was clear that the proceeding against me was ‘bogus!’
Judge Connor’s deposition reveals that she has been administrating the act for a decade (TR 8 ). As Judge, Judge Connors is required to not only know the law but the cases that interpret it. Sodini and Steinfeld were published and known to the legal profession since prior to 1994. On page 90 of her evidence deposition Judge Connors respondent to the question by Ms. Black?
Q Is it your testimony that the individuals who would have been required to get the Sodini notices were present in Court?
Judge Connors: I believe so. Again. I’d like to read that section again because I think at the end of that section it says “ as the Court directs”
So let’s say you have got a family with somebody that has 13 brother and sisters and 30o blah, blah, Blah, but they have kids. So I want to make sure that the spouse and the children are notified. Those are the first two that have to be notified.
Of course you want to notify everybody else, but those are the ones that would have the closest interest to the person. So when I saw this case, are the children notified? Yes, they are. Is there a spouse? No, the spouse is deceased. Okay.
Maybe I didn’t inquire about the sisters, I don’t know. But eventually the sisters found out about it. So I assumed that the appropriate people were notified when I made the appointment as to her adjudication.
If I’m — if there is a motion that comes forward relative to someone who should be included and, against, that’s the court’s decision I think as the Court says should be notified, I could vacate my finding, have the sisters notified, go through the who thing against. We would come to same result. But again, I don’t specifically recall who was notified on the date of the adjudication because this adjudication took a while because there were objections from the daughter.
So I wish I had it in front of me, but I don’t recall specifically if the sister can in and submitted themselves to the jurisdiction of the court or if they were notified formally at one time.
Indeed, the Court record gives no indication that there were the appropriate jurisdictional notifications! The panel’s assumption that the sister’s (and/or Gloria Sykes) had 14 days prior notice of the statute is unfounded and contrary to the evidence. As this fact is the lodestone event in this ARDC prosecution of the respondent serious error has occurred herein.
What is also a very serious deficiency that defames the legal profession and does not cover it or the panel’s decision with glory is the comparison between the jurisdictional statute and the words of the Judge who has for more than a decade administered the act, to wit:
1. “ as the Court directs” Section 10f is jurisdictional – there is no discretion. Either the statute is complied with or there is no jurisdiction. Sodini makes that fact abundantly clear. Lawyers and Judges are presumed to know the law! It is extremely corrupt and inappropriate for a judge to administer the law and no know the cases and the statutes in which he/she is required to interpret to protect the liberty and property rights of citizens.
2. “But eventually the sisters found out about it.” Indeed! Jurisdiction requires not eventually they finding out about the loss their sister’s liberty and property rights! The statute requires that 14 days prior notice be afforded. This is a due process matter. Assuming that Mary Sykes was seriously disabled notice to her would be a nullity and therefore effective notice had to be given to someone having an interest in her welfare. Just knowing ex-post facto is unacceptable and our Supreme Court has as stated supra made a determination. The mission of the ARDC is to promote and protect the integrity of the legal profession” It is respectfully suggested that the integrity of the legal profession is not being promoted when jurisdiction is so cavalierly treated. In fact Canon 8.4 is being violated by this prosecution.
3. “I assumed that the appropriate people were notified when I made the appointment as to her adjudication” The standard for the determination and the appointment of a guardian for an alleged disabled person is “clear and convincing.” The panel points out that there was no testimony taken, thus the basic criterion of Article 1 of the Illinois Constitution is admitted as not being applicable to Mary Sykes.
4. “if there is a motion that comes forward relative to someone who should be included and, against, that’s the court’s decision I think as the Court says should be notified, I could vacate my finding, have the sisters notified, go through the who thing against. We would come to same result” Respondent did raise the issue and raised it in the successful appeal of the sanction order entered by this Judge who knew or should have known that she had no jurisdiction over the respondent when she determined he was subject to sanction. The last ½ dozen words of the quote are respectfully submitted to an admission of the corruption that is the subject matter of the complaint. The fact that one or dozen judges violate the law and appoint ‘judicial officials’ without proper jurisdiction does not make it right and does not obviate or vitiate the impropriety.
The quoted answer of Judge Connors was the evidence offered by the Administrator as his re-direct along with another question that it is respectfully suggested illustrates the ‘bias’ that exists in this prosecution. This panel has before it the statement of the Supreme Court’s In re Estate of Steinfeld, 158 Ill. 2d 1, 12-13, 630 N.E.2d 801, 806-07 (1994). The statute states:
§ 11a-10. Procedures preliminary to hearing.
(a) Upon the filing of a petition pursuant to Section 11a-8, the court shall set a date and place for hearing to take place within 30 days. The court shall appoint a guardian ad litem to report to the court concerning the respondent’s best interests consistent with the provisions of this Section, except that the appointment of a guardian ad litem shall not be required when the court determines that such appointment is not necessary for the protection of the respondent or a reasonably informed decision on the petition. If the guardian ad litem is not a licensed attorney, he or she shall be qualified, by training or experience, to work with or advocate for the developmentally disabled, mentally ill, physically disabled, the elderly, or persons disabled because of mental deterioration, depending on the type of disability that is alleged in the petition. The court may allow the guardian ad litem reasonable compensation. The guardian ad litem may consult with a person who by training or experience is qualified to work with persons with a developmental disability, persons with mental illness, or physically disabled persons, or persons disabled because of mental deterioration, depending on the type of disability that is alleged. The guardian ad litem shall personally observe the respondent prior to the hearing and shall inform him orally and in writing of the contents of the petition and of his rights under Section 11a-11. The guardian ad litem shall also attempt to elicit the respondent’s position concerning the adjudication of disability, the proposed guardian, a proposed change in residential placement, changes in care that might result from the guardianship, and other areas of inquiry deemed appropriate by the court. Notwithstanding any provision in the Mental Health and Developmental Disabilities Confidentiality Act or any other law, a guardian ad litem shall have the right to inspect and copy any medical or mental health record of the respondent which the guardian ad litem deems necessary, provided that the information so disclosed shall not be utilized for any other purpose nor be redisclosed except in connection with the proceedings. At or before the hearing, the guardian ad litem shall file a written report detailing his or her observations of the respondent, the responses of the respondent to any of the inquires detailed in this Section, the opinion of the guardian ad litem or other professionals with whom the guardian ad litem consulted concerning the appropriateness of guardianship, and any other material issue discovered by the guardian ad litem. The guardian ad litem shall appear at the hearing and testify as to any issues presented in his or her report.
(b) The court (1) may appoint counsel for the respondent, if the court finds that the interests of the respondent will be best served by the appointment, and (2) shall appoint counsel upon respondent’s request or if the respondent takes a position adverse to that of the guardian ad litem. The respondent shall be permitted to obtain the appointment of counsel either at the hearing or by any written or oral request communicated to the court prior to the hearing. The summons shall inform the respondent of this right to obtain appointed counsel. The court may allow counsel for the respondent reasonable compensation.
(c) If the respondent is unable to pay the fee of the guardian ad litem or appointed counsel, or both, the court may enter an order for the petitioner to pay all such fees or such amounts as the respondent or the respondent’s estate may be unable to pay. However, in cases where the Office of State Guardian is the petitioner, consistent with Section 30 of the Guardianship and Advocacy Act,1 where the public guardian is the petitioner, consistent with Section 13-5 of the Probate Act of 1975, where an elder abuse provider agency is the petitioner, pursuant to Section 9 of the Elder Abuse and Neglect Act,2 or where the Department of Human Services Office of Inspector General is the petitioner, consistent with Section 45 of the Abuse of Adults with Disabilities Intervention Act, no guardian ad litem or legal fees shall be assessed against the Office of State Guardian, the public guardian, the elder abuse provider agency, or the Department of Human Services Office of Inspector General.
(d) The hearing may be held at such convenient place as the court directs, including at a facility in which the respondent resides.
(e) Unless he is the petitioner, the respondent shall be personally served with a copy of the petition and a summons not less than 14 days before the hearing. The summons shall be printed in large, bold type and shall include the following notice:
NOTICE OF RIGHTS OF RESPONDENT
You have been named as a respondent in a guardianship petition asking that you be declared a disabled person. If the court grants the petition, a guardian will be appointed for you. A copy of the guardianship petition is attached for your convenience.
The date and time of the hearing are:
The place where the hearing will occur is:
The Judge’s name and phone number is:
If a guardian is appointed for you, the guardian may be given the right to make all important personal decisions for you, such as where you may live, what medical treatment you may receive, what places you may visit, and who may visit you. A guardian may also be given the right to control and manage your money and other property, including your home, if you own one. You may lose the right to make these decisions for yourself.
You have the following legal rights:
(1) You have the right to be present at the court hearing.
(2) You have the right to be represented by a lawyer, either one that you retain, or one appointed by the Judge.
(3) You have the right to ask for a jury of six persons to hear your case.
(4) You have the right to present evidence to the court and to confront and cross-examine witnesses.
(5) You have the right to ask the Judge to appoint an independent expert to examine you and give an opinion about your need for a guardian.
(6) You have the right to ask that the court hearing be closed to the public.
(7) You have the right to tell the court whom you prefer to have for your guardian.
You do not have to attend the court hearing if you do not want to be there. If you do not attend, the Judge may appoint a guardian if the Judge finds that a guardian would be of benefit to you. The hearing will not be postponed or canceled if you do not attend.
IT IS VERY IMPORTANT THAT YOU ATTEND THE HEARING IF YOU DO NOT WANT A GUARDIAN OR IF YOU WANT SOMEONE OTHER THAN THE PERSON NAMED IN THE GUARDIANSHIP PETITION TO BE YOUR GUARDIAN. IF YOU DO NOT WANT A GUARDIAN OF IF YOU HAVE ANY OTHER PROBLEMS, YOU SHOULD CONTACT AN ATTORNEY OR COME TO COURT AND TELL THE JUDGE.
Service of summons and the petition may be made by a private person 18 years of age or over who is not a party to the action.
(f) Notice of the time and place of the hearing shall be given by the petitioner by mail or in person to those persons, including the proposed guardian, whose names and addresses appear in the petition and who do not waive notice, not less than 14 days before the hearing. IL ST CH 755 § 5/11a-10 (emphasis mine)
As pointed out by the hearing panel even though required by 5/11 a – 8 all the persons entitled to notice were not listed on the petition! Of course no evidence was presented and the very person who was named in a Petition by Mary Sykes for an order of protection was appointed her guardian.
The irregularities that occurred in the Sykes matter are legend, though dismissed by the hearing panel. As an example the Sykes record of August 31, 2009 (more than 30 days after the filing of the petition) revealed (TR 44, 45,46, 47) that the transcript of that hearing had the Judge engage in the following repartee with the attorney for the petitioner:
“**** Is there going to be a CCP 21ll here, a doctor’s report”
“Mr. Waller” I don’t know. My client can advise me, but I think the doctor is balking at doing it for some reason. I think he’s been instructed —
The court: Well maybe they can bring her to see another doctor then.”
Judge Connors on page 47 then admitted that the standard of proof was ‘clear and convincing” and did not deny that this was her statement! But then volunteered that “if Mrs. Sykes asked for a hearing there would have been all kinds of other evidence.” TR 49.
On page 50 of her deposition, the Judge was asked:
Q. Do you recall her saying the words and phrases to the effect that “how can this be happening to me?” ****
A. She may well have. A lot of seniors take that attitude.*****
A fair reading to the e-mails and complaints to law enforcement by a trier of fact, and a reading of the Government Accounting Office Report that details dozens of similar scenarios such as Sykes (in the same package in which the Connor’s deposition is found) suggests that the United States Government Accounting Offices Report to Congress was consistent with the unusual events that took place in the Sykes and citizens were addressing the same in the manner protected by Article 1 to the Illinois Constitution and the First, Fifth and Fourteenth Amendments to the United States Constitution.

Indeed,  you have fallen down the rabbit hole!     Right is wrong and wrong is right!     This is very much like the Soviet gulag!    The real question is whether or not the American Public, like the German public of 1930’s will tolerate this type of scenario and loss of their liberty.    The ‘lie’ that any of the statements made in the e-mails are reckless untruths is being published even though the ARDC, the Court and everyone else knows that every allegation is true.    How do the Administrators of the ARDC sleep at night when they appear to be engaged in a Conspiracy to deprive citizens of their Constitutional Rights and after reading the Connor’s depostion have clear and convincing proof.    How can they prosecute you in light of the New York Times case and section 230.   
The most shameful part of all of this is that the taxpayer of the State of Illinois is paying for this perfidy!    
Ken Ditkowsky
From: JoAnne M Denison <jdenison@surfree.com>
To: Sharon Opryszek Ill ardc <sopryszek@iardc.org>; Melissa Smart Ill ARDC <msmart@iardc.org>
Sent: Monday, May 6, 2013 11:52 PM
Subject: Revised Report to court
Ooops, I forgot you all were going to respond to my cease and desist re copyright infringement.

where is that at?

I have the registration, in hand.

thanks

joanne.

ps–please remember to email these to chair lee because if you do it he thinks it is not an ex parte communication, but if I do it and cc you for some reason he thinks it is.  no one has explained all of that, but i find it very interesting.

i think I’ve fallen down the rabbit hole.  the only question is, how deep is the rabbit hole.

strange.  whatever.

JoAnne Denison
Denison & Assocs, PC
1512 N. Freemont St, #202
Chicago, IL 60642-2694
Patents, Trademarks & Copyrights
Email me at JoAnne@Denisonlaw.com
Cell Phone 773-255-7608
Work Ph 312-553-1300
efax 312-376-8842
See our website at www.DenisonLaw.com

Fair Use Doctrine — is the ARDC’s use Fair Use? Clearly not

Dear Readers,

Yesterday, after many, many repeated requests to ask SO and MS attys from the ARDC to email me all pleadings and don’t just drop them in the mail because the case is complex and I’d like to move it along, what do they do?  The same old thing and I get a pleading for a status call at 6 pm the night before.

IMHO only the worst of the worst counsel does this stuff.

90% of the time, counsel cooperates and decisions are made on the merits.  The stuff going on with the ARDC attys is apalling and very disappointing, is all I can say.

So what is their main excuse for infringing KDD’s and my copyright rights?  Fair Use.  That’s pretty interesting because I believe on my website there is a discussion of fair use and on my Denisonlaw Blog I have done articles about Fair Use and what they’re doing is clearly not fair use.

Take a look at the copyright office link to Fair Use:

Copyright Office Link on Fair Use

Fair Use is not clearly defined but I can tell you one thing, it is NOT favored by the courts.  The purpose of the Copyright Act is that everyone should put stuff in their own words and not repeat the words of others which constitute a creative expression and which are or may be commercially viable.

Note that even the Copyright Office strongly suggests that no one rely on the doctrine of “fair use” to avoid copyright infringement–ask permission first.

And today, for the most part, you can paraphrase, you can link.  In my/KDD’s case it is all published and the ARDC, when posting the complaint, could have simply linked to the original text or asked me for the links to avoid copyright infringement.

I’m glad I got a copyright registration and I do intend to file suit and ask for treble/enhanced damages for asking to strike the “Cease and Desist” letter rather than merely comply with the reasonable requests of the authors.

Again, I think this is all a slippery slope, the wedge with the edge.  The ARDC ignores the complaints, the pleas, the book John Wyman has written–everything that Wyman, Sykes and Bedin were courts run amok without jurisdiction which is a constitutional right every US citizen enjoys–against the government and they instead go an attack honest, ethical lawyers for repeatedly speaking out against the loss of constitutional rights and requesting that Congress and law enforcement DO ITS JOB and investigate.

Next, we have copyright infringement–a federal offense and watch your movie trailers and intros to see what the MPAA thinks of copyright infringement–it’s also a criminal offense entitling the claimant to $500,000 in statutory fines and attorneys fees.  Again, ARDC don’t blame me for this–blame Disney, the MPAA, ASCAP, BMI and national recording rights associations–they have more clout in Congress than all the ARDC’s put together because entertainment in this country is a $10 billion per year business.  And, FYI, if you infringe a copyright, the liability is ALWAYS also personal in nature because bars and restaurants, when failing to get licensed by ASCAP or BMI would simply close up and move and never pay infringment damages.  Now all corporate officers AND participants in the infringement are liable–personally liable.

The copyright statutes are a huge kick in the butt for everyone.  Recently, a 10 year old case against a teen for downloading and sharing 30 songs was denied cert by the US Supremes:

$675,000 Copyright verdict against teen/college student stands per SCOTUS

Supposedly the case is going back to the Appellate court to reduce this verdict, but the question is why do it in the first place?  Ask the author’s permission.  Link to an article.  Do anything, but don’t copy anyone else’s stuff unless you want to get sued for copyright infringement.  At it’s best, “fair use” is a bad defense.  And if the ARDC attys read closely, their activities really don’t fit squarely in the boxes allowed for Fair Use defenses.  They’re clearly a commercial operation taking in $400 time 83,000 attorneys in Illinois.  They could work out a license agreement.  They did not use a few sentences, but used 16 paragraphs.  They could have paraphrased, they could have linked.  They’re not educational, they’re not a bona fide NFP engaging in educational purposes.

The worst part of all of this is all of the participants, those that authorized the upload, those that knew it was up there and did not request it be taken down,–all personally liable.  And I’ll tell you another thing–if the Federal Court finds for infringement, which is a huge likelihood, then all of the defendants can have enhanced statutory damages personally charged against them, jointly and severally, plus attorneys fees.  If they don’t pay, then the matter goes to the US Marshall and everyone is arrested for copyright infringement until the defendants settle up with the copyright holder.

Aim of this lesson–DON”T infringe.  Ask permission first.  If you are sent a cease and desist letter apologize, take the stuff down and hope the holder does not sue or the judge awards only a few thousand statutory damages plus attorneys fees.

JoAnne

Report to the tribunal for tomorrow

Plus, I have a ton of documents to share on this case.  As you know, SO and MS have sent me a stack of 541 pages and I have to make sure I have have all of those.

For the most part, I have about 30 emails to the ARDC with no response or just a form letter.  For some reason, they do not want to answer my correspondence. BUT at the last status call, Chair Lee (I believe) told SO to answer my emails to move the case along.

So far, nada, not even their usual form letters reminding me not to serve or file by email (which I have never done).  So what’s the point?

I have no idea why this court is so “out of control” but the reality is, it is very similar to a Probate Case which is being railroaded and no procedure is being followed and everyone that wants to say “hey, your honor, this is being railroaded” is told to shut up.  Again, there are similarities between what is going on in the ARDC proceedings with myself and KDD that absolutely, positively goes on in no other courtrooms–except probate and maybe family law, but family law is not my focus right now.

so read on below, I generally conclude that if the ARDC is not going to answer emails, answer basic questions and cooperate as opposing counsel in a gentile matter, I am respectfully asking them to DWP their case unless and until they intend to prosecute it or move it along to a trial on the merits.

This is very frustrating, as many lawyers will tell you, when OC will simply not cooperate, answer emails, work out any workable issues in advance, and smoothly advance the case to a trial on the merits.

Read on below.

JoAnne

BEFORE THE ILLINOIS ATTORNEY REGISTRATION AND DISCIPLINARY COMMISSION

In Re:
Commission No. 2013 PR 0001
JOANNE MARIE DENISON

Attorney-Respondent
Reg. No. 6192441

REPORT TO THE COURT

This Report to the Tribunal is being filed in order to move the above case along.  Primarily Atty Denison Has send numerous emails to the ARDC–and even the Chair himself, and 95% of the emails are unanswered, and not only does the Chair fail to answer, but despite the fact that opposing counsel was clearly cc’d on the email, the Chair claimed it was an “impermissible ex parte communication” and issued an order to that effect.

Therefore, the undersigned counsel is respectfully asking:

(And this should be the agenda for tomorrow’s meeting at 2:30 pm via teleconference):

1) SLAPP Motion.  This must be answered in 90 days or it is automatically appealable.  It is not a dispositive motion, but it is a mandate from the Illinois State Legislature to protect US citizens from having their first amendment rights from being trampled upon.

As of the writing of this Report, no answer has been received from the ARDC.  The due date is approximately July 3, 2013.

2) KDD’s transcript, after numerous and repeated requests from both KDD and myself, neither of us has received a copy of the transcript from his hearing so I can study it.  Transcripts generally take no more than a couple weeks to transcribe.    Why the refusal?

3) Sykes and Wyman are currently up on appeal for lack of jurisdiction.  I understand that the ARDC’s tribunal for KDD admitted Sodini notices were not served but said that it was wrongful conduct for KDD to ask his congressional representatives for an investigation regarding lack of jurisdiction in the Sykes case.  The Record on Appeal clearly indicates Mary Sykes, the Respondent was never served.  John Wyman’s mother was never properly served and that case is up on appeal.  Further, in Bedin, it would appear that Dolores Bedin, Janet and her brother Alexander were never served.  It would seem that if these cases are properly decided, that the blog and KDD and myself would be vindicated and the blog is not lacking substantial truth but it in fact has incredible truth in and of itself.

5) Attached as Exhibit A are a raft of emails sent to the ARDC with absolutely no answer, or I received about 3 form letters which clearly did not answer the issues presented or make any reasonable attempt to move the case along.  There approximately 24 number of emails to the ARDC and I received approximately 3 form letters back.

Unless my telephone connection was severely hampered during our last teleconference, I am asking once again, respectfully that the ARDC answer my emails in a prompt manner and to move the issues along.

6) Motion for Clairification. I believe this is a federal court motion used when a complaint is so deficient, it is difficult to know if it states a claim for which relief might be sought.  Again, I am respectfully asking the ARDC to send me questions before the file motions so these can be worked out in advance.  For example, the ARDC asked about how some allegations weren’t answered to their liking and a simple email might straighten out their questions regarding an answer to their allegations

7) Last Order: The last order did not properly reflect the fact that I withdrew most dispositive motions and discovery rather than having them stricken, and that they will become effective once again on the date the ARDC declares the “evidentiary record” become complete.

8) Expected Date and Tasks to Complete Record on Appeal: Because of the new KDD rule against disposibive motions, I am asking at this time for a date when the “record is complete” to file these motions.

9) Word Processing Documents for SCOTUS Petition I have also repeatedly emails SO and MS for original word processing documents because we need those for our petition to the US Sup. Ct. (SCOTUS), and I have not heard anything back.  All documents must be retyped and reformatted for SCOTUS.  To save on typing and OCR’ing, I would like to get these ASAP and I am perfectly willing to share these documents myself. (Illinois.ARDC@gmail.com) for document sharing.

10) Gmail Account for Pleadings/Documents I have set up a gmail account to share these documents needed for a SCOTUS petition for writ of certiorari and for emails because there are soooo many unanswered emails containing reasonable requests, I can’t keep track of them.  Also, all pleadings will be put up there for help during status calls so we can review the documents quickly and easily.  While SO did get me pages 1-541 of the record from the clerk, it came with a table with no pages numbers.  It would be nice to have page numbers so we can see where one document ends and the other begins.  Please send me or share the table so this can be fixed.

WHEREFORE:
It is respectfully submitted that the ARDC should either comply or cooperate as counsel in this matter. The ARDC should voluntarily DWP this particular case until such time as it can because it’s actions are not responsive and responsible and so as not to waste everyone’s valuable time and resources.

Respectfully Submitted,

__________________________________
JoAnne Marie Denison

More judges not doing what they are supposed to…..

From the ABA today, with plenty of good comments:

http://www.abajournal.com/news/article/judge_is_suspended_for_jailing_lawyer_who_advised_his_client_not_to_answer_/

A young lawyer tells his client to take the Fifth Amendment when the Judge pushes questions about past drug use.  The Judicial Inquiry Board for Michigan just suspends the judge a few days for putting a lawyer in jail for protecting his client!

As one commentator said, a judge that violates basic, well known constitutional rights is guilty of nothing less than treason and years ago, when we had kicked one monarchy out of our country for tyranny, it would have been a hanging offense.

I really, really don’t understand how lawyers can stand there and uphold clear constitutional violations and yet nothing is done.  The ARDC, SO, MS, LB, JL, etc. all have violated my and KDD’s constitutional rights.

It’s soooo bad, the ARDC has refused my repeated requests for copies of KDD’s transcripts.  KDD is openly public about the fact that this is part of a continuing pattern of a serious oppression of his and my Constitutional rights and any grade schooler should know this.

While this Michigan judge was suspended for a few days while the lawyer was sent to jail and his client bore unwarranted abuse in a public courtroom, the ARDC, the FBI, the JIB have done nothing about my and KDD’s trampling on our Constitutional Rights.  Further, this blog and KDD’s writings are to protect our clients and the public from their loss of Consitutional Rights–no summons or petition for incompetency–we speak out for Wyman (up on appeal), Bedin (in litigation) and Sykes (up on appeal).

Maybe we haven’t been jailed, but the ARDC has used all of this as an excuse to also trample on mine and KDD’s copyright rights, which is an issue which is coming up very, very soon in federal court.

My only question is, which agency or court will be the first one to say what the ARDC and the 18th floor has been doing is wrong, very wrong and sanction this behavior.

Myself, being a pacivist is not interested in the age old remedy of a trial for treason and hanging, but someone’s gotta recognize the First Amendments right of a half dozen people have been seriously trampled upon, the lawyers involved are hollering at the top of their lungs about it and nothing, absolutely nothing is apparently getting done in Illinois.

KDD, JMD, Sykes family, Wyman family, Bedin family, etc. are all wondering when we will see our Constitutional rights enforced against miscreants–whether these miscreants are admitted to the bar, the judiciary–or the agencies that control them, we want and deserve justice.

JoAnne

A very good question from one very smart reader

JoAnne,

Regarding my parent’s competency proceeding…

At the very first hearing I went to, Judge M**** said, “About the request for rights barring illegal search and siezure.  This is my courtroom, and I order *****’s door broken down if she will not go for an evaluation, voluntarily.  And if anyone obstructs that course, they will be arrested, so I am making an order to that effect.  Is that clear?”
From then on it has been a matter of judicial consistency to deny my mother and myself our constitutional rights,at every singe hearing involving my mother and me.

************* name ommitted…..
Dear ******

I don’t know who your lawyer was then, but if you mother was competent, most physicians start giving people “mini mentals” and other tests when they reach “a certain age” or when competency might become an issue.

generally if the person scored 26 (out of 30)  or higher on the mini mental, you have the right to bring those tests to court, and you have the right to subpoena her personal physician to testify that she is competent sufficiently to make decisions concerning her personal life and property and that should fend all that nonsense off.

If she is border line or there seems to be no hanky panky with her finances (I don’t know if anyone alleged that), is to have her grant you a POA, have the doctor say her diminishment is minimal and she made the right choice choosing you as a POA because you have been primarily caretaker for the past X years, etc.

there are many, many ways to head off a judge saying “break down the door and do a mental exam”, but pretending it doesn’t exsit or you don’t want it is not the way to go.

the court has the right to step in soon as someone makes the allegation your mother is incompetent, or is diminished and there is financial exploitation, or she is frail and cannot handle her affairs.

most of the time it takes a lawyer to go in there, present the evidence, work with the client and the senior and present more evidence to the court before the judge will be assured everything is okay before forcing a mental exam.

your mother had the right to appear in court and testify before the judge, tell him she believes she is competent, can read the newspaper, bring her bank statements and repeat she knows what is in each of her accounts, bring an appraisal of her home and say she knows the value of her home.

one criteria is whether or not she knows the nature and extent of her finanaces, if she knows who is president, if she currently reads and understands books, if she passed a recent written driver’s exam.

the court should NOT be declaring someone incompetent who just passed a MENSA exam.

one of the keys to all of this is to get to a skilled lawyer first before the court appointed hacks get to her and keep her home clean and neat and her finances in order.  bring the recent minimentals to court to show she is competent.

she has the right to ask for a lawyer herself and have that lawyer put together a competency defense for her.  this defense should consist of the basics–knowing the nature and extent of her finances and property, knowing who the president is and some portion of the news, date and time,  Minimentals, passing a written driving exam, etc.

all of this should be filed with the court to fend off probate vultures and greedy relatives once competency becomes an issue.

i know it does not seem fair, but once a relative or other interested party brings up competency, a skilled lawyer will have to put together a competency packet for a judge.

if you do not do this, the probate court has been burdened with the responsibility of making sure every senior is protected–that is, they are not financially exploitated, they live in a clean and comfortable home.

i hope this explains it better how these cases are supposed to be handled and I think 90% of the time, that is what happens.

of course, there’s the 10% that turn into unmitigated nightmares.  the family fights, the Public Guardian does a Japanese lettuce inspection, the GAL’s stir up trouble, the incompetent is not service with a summons and Petition and notice of the hearing, relatives are not served, only the reports of a physician who saw the person for 10 min and wrote up a report for $1,000 is used–not the primary physician.  You want to prevent all this and head it off.  as far as I can tell, most of the time the guardianship proceeds smoothly, but then the 10% become a justice nightmare and the authorities do not investigate, and the court looks the other way.  that is what this blog is for. to warn people, to get them prepared for court, to make sure that justice is done.

joanne

JoAnne,

     At the very first hearing, April 30, 2001, Judge Munch said, “About the request for rights barring illegal search and siezure.  This is my courtroom, and I order Ms. Bush’s door broken down if she will not go for an evaluation, voluntarily.  And if Mr. Bush obstructs that course, he will be arrested, so I am making an order to that effect.  Is that clear?
From then on it has been a matter of judicial consistency to deny my mother and me ourrights,at every singe hearing involving my mother and me.  They state and restate their claim that there must bejudicial consistency.  That is why they cannot back down now.
    So what do you think of that, miss high and mighty, “I’m an American?”
    I want to know what you think, of the power of their Royal High and MightyNess, because I think the reasoning is so twisted, and they use it like a sledge hammer to beat us over the head with, a mighty pair of pliers it takes to untwist it.

Rudy

A system set up to dump people in nursing homes–let the attorneys hold a bake sale for funding

.

There is just no question, that there are more seniors and disableds living in nursing homes in the US than probably every other country in the world, where most countries consider it a desperate shame to dump elderly parents, your disableds and other “undesireables” into institutions where they never against see the light of day again  because there’s just “too much liability.”
Go ahead, volunteer at a nursing home and this is what you will see.  90% or more of the persons there desperately want to return to their own homes.  Many have never even been told their homes were sold to pay for them to go to a nursing home.  Their relatives rarely visit.  They are secluded and isolated.  They cannot go outside because “its too much liability” unless they are well enough to get up themselves and walk on an doff buses.
Nursing homes really don’t even like it if people get up and out of their wheelchairs or out of bed.  The wheelchairs and beds are equipped with alarms that sound if the patient does this.
So what do the Probate courts do?  Set up a system where nursing home placement is pretty much guaranteed.  Once you do one little thing wrong as an elderly person, a tied in quack doctor will “visit you” without the knowledge or consent of your relatives who live there with you and who are your fierce and dedicated excellent caretakers.  If anyone protests, a judge will sternly admonish you “not to interfere with court appointed personnel” even though no one was ever told about the visit nor were you given notice of any court order.
Next, the person is adjudicated incompetent and the OPG or Office of Public Guardian sells the home, takes their attorneys and agency fees and places the person or couple in nursing homes against their will and consent.  While the senior knows and has given advance directives NOT to go to a nursing home, that all does not matter in the world of probate.
I have racked my brain on how to avoid all of this.
I currently have a case where there is hope, but only because the couple’s home is worth about $300,000, and they have already racked up $250,000 in nursing home bills, so even if the home is sold, after deductions for the fact the home is not and will not be ever “sale ready” and sell for top dollar, and after paying off the nursing homes, nothing is left for the vultures of court appointed attorneys.  So this may be a win (details have been altered so the case is not identifiable) and the couple can stay in their home, because the probate attys see no money in this case for them.  Tear.
Let’s see what happens.
So my take on this is if an elderly couple has a paid up home, a bank account, etc. what you need to do is an irrevocable gift to all your children now of their inheritance which immediately comes into effect if anyone tries to sell your home and put either one of you in a nursing home.  Execute it like a will.  Send it to all your children and/or prospective heirs AND, most important, record the document against your home.  Tell the greedy, vulture like probate attys on the 18th floor to go stuff it and if they think their job of warehousing the elderly is so fine and grand, then do it without pay and certainly not $250 per hour.  Tell them to hold a bake sale to do it.
I have no other idea on how to stop this tragedy in our country.  Probate courts revoke trusts nearly on a whim. A trust is not guaranteed to protect you in old age. The elderly and disableds are tossed everyday into nursing homes and institutions based upon very weak evidence–certainly not the correct legal stand of clear and convincing.  All the GAL’s and lawyers you get will come “from a list”.  It’s all tied in and stacked against the senior/disabled.  I know of at least THREE Illinois cases which guardians were or were almost appointed without jurisdiction–no service on the elder and/or requisite family members.
This is a horror and tragedy everyone should be aware of.  Seniors and disableds have rights and should not have to go to or be in nursing homes if they don’t want to be there. I am up to FOUR, four disableds/seniors currently hiding from the probate courts, having escaped from their homes or a nursing home to live on the streets, wandering like gypsys, living where they can, eating with soup kitchens and were they can–despite substantial assets in bank accounts, all because the Illinois probate courts place everyone in a nursing home and declare them incompetent, severing them from their rights, liberties, property but provide tens of thousands of dollars in probate attys fees and OPG fees per year, while the disabled get nothing or a very small bit of money.
Remember what an OPG atty recently told me, “some people simply insist on living in the community for far too long.”  To me, that reads “some people just won’t get on that ice floe quick enough when they’re supposed to.”
Seniors have rights, disableds have rights.  The system needs a complete and comprehensive overhaul from the feds PLUS a class action investigation into many of these cases.
There, once again, like Wanda Sykes “I said it.”  The ARDC can try to take down this blog, silence me, take away my sordid cases, but I am dedicated to YOU, the victims of probate court and not the powers that be.  Again, let them hold a bake sale.

What have I been doing today? Fighting fire breathing dragons on the 18th floor.

As usual, some days you wander in to probate court and everything is copacetic and other days, it’s the time for fire breathing dragons.

So, I have a guardian and her plans changed and she had to move back to Wisconsin, then her brother steps in, and there are problems, but with the probate court, you never know when it’s a day to do a Japanese lettuce inspection. For those of you that do not understand this procedure, you can Google it.  Apparently it is explained in the movie “Days of Thunder” where Tom Cruse my favorite scientologist has a buddy with a race track that explains it. Forgot that.

So, without going into too many Gorey (as in Edward Gorey) details, I will leave you with this.  The Japanese lettuce inspection of the Plenary Guardian-sister ended when I pointed out the house is only worth about $200,000 at most, it’s not insurable and has major repairs, so drop that price about 20% because title can only be cleared with an “exception” for insurance related issues, the take off another $20,000 expenses related to closings (Realtor fees, city and state transfer taxes, property tax credit, title, etc.)  Now, the wards have racked up about $130,000 in nursing home bills, so what is the OPG and other feeding frenzy attys left with?  Nada.  Might even be a Deed in Lieu or a short sale (horrors!)

No money for attorneys.

Which leads me to think.  What do you do about money hungry probate attys that frequently engage in the “Japanese lettuce inspection” until you tell them there’s no money for them, go away.

Racking up liens against the house is a good one.  Perhaps there are outstanding loans to relatives that can be filed as a lien against the estate.  Perhaps mom and dad need to keep track of money they have borrowed from others but did not pay back and keep those promises to pay in a safe place.

A good strategy to keep away the probate sharks is always the vehicle of  a trust.  Now, I’m not saying trusts are perfect because a greedy relative or probate shark can get in there, plead with the court the “trust must be broken” to support the ward, when in reality the probate attys want to get paid, but it does add another legal layer of protection on the assets of seniors or the disabled.  More motions, more filings.

Let’s face it, if you’re a senior with a paid up house and  a bank account, you’re a sitting duck for probate attys.  Out in the middle of the pond, by yourself.  Little red laser dot on your pretty little head.

My fave threat today?  You better put them in a good nursing home quick and sell the house because if you wait too long there won’t be much money and then the OPG will have to put them in a crappy one.  Do these people EVER listen to themselves? Okay, I forgot, I actually have another quote, “you know some people remain in the community far too long when they really belong in a nursing home (ie, institution).”  From the OPG.  Are ya seeing red yet?  Absolutely no remorse.  No understanding that the nephew and niece love aunt and uncle and want desperately to keep them out of a nursing home and keep them in their own home.  Once you get in a nursing home, you never get out.  You never see the light of day.  They keep you in a chair or bed with alarm systems because walking around is “too dangerous.”  I further got warned if grandpa gets out and freezes to death that is criminal negligence.  I replied it happens all the time at nursing homes, you rarely hear about it with a personal home.

These are the people I deal with.  Regarding the probate court family victims, the women cry and the men are angry.

And you can speak with John Wyman about not even having much at all but being a sitting duck for a GAL or OPG or probate attorney’s fees.

Don’t stand on the street or by the side of the curb, because if these sharks get ahold of your estate, they have doctors ready to say you’re incompetent, attorney who are on a list that might or might not protect you when you say at the top of your lungs “I DON’T WANT A GUARDIAN, I DON’T WANT TO TALK TO YOU AND GET YOUR EVIL A** OUT OF MY HOUSE!”

A recent quote from Mrs. X whom the GAL/OPG have filed a petition for a temp guardianship today.

The court got an atty from the hallway.  I hope he helps her.  She reads the newspaper daily, knows what is going on, does not want to speak to attys and does not trust them.  Wonder why.

I’ll let ya all knows what happens next.

Just another day in hell on earth, the 18th floor of the Daley center.  Probate central.

And I don’t want to leave you with the impression that all probate cases are nasty, greedy and evil.  The vast majority have good caring family members that do a good job, the family does not fight, involvement of attys is minimal…but then there are the 10% touched by the devil himself.

Case over, lettuce fine, move along.

More questions for the ARDC and exactly when WILL they respond?

To: Sharon Opryszek Ill ardc <sopryszek@iardc.org>, Melissa Smart Ill ARDC <msmart@iardc.org>
Cc: Atty Ken Ditkowsky <ken@ditkowskylawoffice.com>, DiAnn Matson Ditkowsky Law Office <djmatson06@yahoo.com>
Subject: Question about “evidentiary record”
Date: Apr 30, 2013 8:32 PM

Dear Sharon and Melissa;

I note that they passed the KDD rule where a respondent cannot file a dispositive motion unless and until the “evidentiary record” is complete.

However, no other court that I am aware of has such a rule or procedure.  Most judges want you to file that 12 -b-6 or 2-619 motions ASAP to get them out of the way.

Do you know why the ARDC did this?  What’s it supposed to mean?  I know KDD filed a lot of them, but that’s how we are trained by the courts and judges and when you file them right before hearing or trial, be prepared for a whack from a 2 x 4 upside the head.

In any case, what do you want me to put in my “evidentiary record” to show a good defense?  Will there be a date or deadline to finalize the “evidentiary record”.  Is the “evidentiary record” discovery or close of discovery?  Most courts want you to do those 629 or 12 b 6 motions right away, soon as you get the right information or data.

I was thinking of having the probate blogs and all of the parties involved in these cases without jurisdiction, cases on appeal, cases where the GALs wrongfully removed money from account (you should SEE what SRR is up to now–unbelieveable!), etc.do declarations for the record to show that I am telling the truth.

Truth is a defense to all of this, isn’t it?

And perhaps because KDD was always touting the first amendment he didn’t particularly feel inclined to do a lot of declaration work and that’s what killed his case, isn’t it?

I still don‘t understand why you don’t answer my emails and share documents, but maybe those are issues you’re working on.  Hey, I’ve had tons of clients and their spouses I‘ve had or were forced to by the courts to go to therapy to work out issues and amazingly, it worked out immensely well.  In fact, my therapist friends tell me that it’s changing old bad habits into new, better ones and showing people how it benefits them and everyone else.  I get that.  I have seen that. 

I have had judges chew out opposing counsel before for not answering emails and sharing documents and information.  I don’t understand why Chair Lee isn’t really doing this or isn’t much in charge of the case, doing things that judges usually do–force cooperation, force settlement or dismissal, etc.

In fact, I am a bit concerned that he said I engaged in an ex parte communication and issue an order regarding that when in fact I had not.  I wonder what his resume is?  Does he need help and the ARDC too with meshing litigation practice and their own internal rules?  Perhaps much conflict simply arises there.

I have not seen any FAQ or blog on the ARDC to help out lawyers who face charges.  why is that?  can you do that?  should I call the help line for that?  do you have a speech for that?  What about first amendment rights and lawyers, what is your official position on the help line?  blogging?

Sorry, but I have a whole lot more questions than answers, but I have to say that KDD answered the most wonderful of all–why is Mary under a guardianship when she hasn’t been served, there are allegations of millions of dollars missing, and yet law enforcement does nothing, and why does Gloria have to be rendered homeless and penniless–much like Dominic Spera when these are people of means?

All of this remains a mystery to me, please elaborate.

thanks

JoAnne

JoAnne Denison
Denison & Assocs, PC
1512 N. Freemont St, #202
Chicago, IL 60642-2694
Patents, Trademarks & Copyrights
Email me at JoAnne@Denisonlaw.com
Cell Phone 773-255-7608
Work Ph 312-553-1300
efax 312-376-8842
See our website at www.DenisonLaw.com

To the ARDC Sharing is Caring–and S.Ct. Rule 33 pertaining to Writs of Cert. can involve a lot of sharing

To: Sharon Opryszek Ill ardc <sopryszek@iardc.org>, Melissa Smart Ill ARDC <msmart@iardc.org>, Administrator Jerome Larkin <jlarkin@iardc.org>
Cc: Illinois ARDC <illinois.ardc@gmail.com>, Yusuf Naqvi <yusufnaqvi@denisonlaw.com>
Subject: Documents needed for filing with SCOTUS
Date: Apr 30, 2013 3:11 PM

Dear Sharon

I  would appreciate your sharing the ARDC files with us on an ASAP basis. We are about to file our Writ of Cert to the US Surpeme Court and Rule 33 Requires that everything be retypeset to a 4.125” by 7.125” format and then placed in 6.125″ by 9.25″ booklets which are duplex printed.  (Rule We would like to present as many relevant documents as possible to the US Supremes.

I have not heard from you.

I have set up illinois ardc to send emails to, share documents and sort them for the status calls.

I need your docs in .wpd or .doc or other original word processing document files to do this properly.

For the nth time, counsel is supposed to cooperate during litigation and exchange documents and files for a decision on the merits.

In response to my Petition for Writ of Cert you will need to do the same thing and I am not inclined to share when you have refused repeatedly to do so.

I would appreciate it if you would respect my needs for original document files the way that I always do for opposing counsel.

I thank you in advance for your prompt cooperation.

I am also cataloging the 554 pages of file you sent me and will post and return a table of where the docments start.

thanks

joanne

PS–I’d send this to Chair Yee because he was the one during the last status call where you agreed to accept my emails and answer them to move the case along, but he thinks that stuff sent to opposing counsel and him is exparte.  Very interesting.  I wonder who told him that.

JoAnne Denison
Denison & Assocs, PC
1512 N. Freemont St, #202
Chicago, IL 60642-2694
Patents, Trademarks & Copyrights

Someone today asked about the “tone” of my final email to “the tribunal” and Attys Sharon Opryszek and Melissa Smart

Dear Readers

Someone today asked me about why the “[severe} tone” of my last and final email to “the Tribunal” and SO and MS.

this is how I responded and I hope we all hone our tones!

take care and have a great day

JoAnne

Date: Mon, 29 Apr 2013 09:34:07 -0500
From: jdenison@surfree.com
Subject: RE: Your order from April 26, 2013 and great idea, let’s all have tones!

Dear *******

You are sooooo adorable and cute!  Like a darling little stuffed puppy dog I just want to hug and kiss!

tone?   you think I have tone?  don’t you think they deserve a swift kick in the butts?  both the ARDC and the tribunal are playing games and their behavior is clearly out of line.

I’m not their stuffed puppy dog to kick around.

I represent you, me, all the lawyers and all the people kicked around by the ARDC and ‘the tribunal”  (hmmm, people used to say when I said the Commissioner–ooh, that’s like Batman, right?  and I said “yep”.  “Tribunal” kind of sounds like kids playing Cowboys and Inidans and you were the Indian and you had to report how many cowboy scalps you got and it it wasn’t enough, next time you stay behind with the sqaws and mashed corn meal.  Okay, that was funny.  But I digress)

They’re all lawyers, if they wet their pants, they don’t belong doing this stuff.

Dominic Spera spent a year on the street homeless, eating out of garbage cans, eating once per day or less, sleeping on the street, living in the park, stinking like hell, when he went to court the baliff said “why do you want to represent this guy, he has no money and stinks?  I told the baliff he’s not the first stinky homeless person I will represent and he will NOT be the last, and besides Dominic had a constitutional right to be in that court and he (the baliff) did not–all the while attorneys were taking $30,000/yr from the estate in fees and withholding his joint account from him–some $150,000!

Dominic has a tone.

You want to hear about John Wyman’s tone with the courts nearly killing his mother?  Down 2 pint of blood and near death she escaped from one of the absolute worst nursing homes in Rockford.  Her diary shows near daily abuse–sexaul and physical with visual bruising.  The 2 days before she escape, she received an especially brutal beating from staff member.  John Wyman and Bill Wyman tried to get her out of one of the worst nursing homes and were all threatened with arrest AND a protective order from doing that.

Yep, John and Bill Wyman have a tone.

When I represented JB and the hospital wrongfully used a guardianship proceeding to evict her mother from their facilities due to their own malpractice and non discovery of cancer clearly on a diagnostic test 3 years ago and instead of sending her to cancer rehab (they said she would be dead in 6 weeks so why bother–but Dolores lived nearly another 2 years–without cancer rehab), okay that tone was crying.  JB cried and I cried with her.

I can hardly wait for my hearing.  I’ve got tons and tons of people who want to speak out against this abuse and corruption in the courts.  People try to report it and are repeatedly told to “be quiet” in court.  Dom and I were waiting patiently in court and several family members stepped up to the bench over clearly some visitation dispute, and one woman was repeatedly told “not to talk”, “be quiet.”  The judge never told her to put it in writing, or even give her 30 seconds.  Nope.  Nothing.  It was particularly interesting because there was a dispute over when 2 girls were supposed to take “meds” during a visit or something, and it turned out the girls were teens and the “meds” were Paxil or something–clearly not FDA approved for teens and another snicker.  The judge never even asked about it.

How many times has Gloria been told to “be quiet” while a court runs without jurisdiction for over 3 years destroying her life, taking all her money and property, wrongfully evicting her, sending her mother to a miserable place to live in Naperville, selling all her assets, repeated misrepresentations to the court on a wide variety of levels.

Why would I care?  Why should I care?  I don’t get paid for 98% of all of this.  My parents are safely dead now with no GAL’s to churn their estates.

But I speak up for YOU for what could happen to YOU and YOUR mother given the right set of circumstances (greedy out of control relative OR attorney, greedy uncaring probate attys, GAL a judge that turns a blind eye).

My question is why don’t YOU have a tone, write to the ARDC and DEMAND justice?

My other question is why doesn’t the Tribunal and Jerome Larkin, Sharon Opryszek and Melissa Smart either do something about all this greed, evil and corruption or why don’t they quit their jobs in disgust of prosecuting and persecuting honest attorneys?

They have blocked my emails pursuant to court order, next it will be my faxes.

You do see a pattern, don’t you?  Probate victims try to talk in court and they are told to “shut up.”  Gloria was told repeatedly to “shut up”, then she started filing things with the court and the court ignored them.  I want to speed along my trial and get to an evidentiary hearing by the use of email, Pacer or at least Google docts and I am told “don’t do that.”

Thank you very much for your email.

I do appreciate your sharing.

We all need tones, hundreds of tones, toning loudly against injustice.

okay to publish I assume?

thanks

joanne

A new email for the ARDC

In an effort to try to stop all the problems with the ARDC not answering my emails, claiming I am somehow serving pleadings wrong when I am in fact serving them properly PLUS providing email service, PLUS bending over backward to cooperate with them in all this–personally delivering an original and 3 paper copies to their offices which aren’t even conveniently located in downtown, and I want valid proof of service on a public server which they have access to so they can’t claim they did not get something.  Then they falsely say I engaged in “exparte”communications when I did not–I emailed all counsel of record at once.

I’m trying to think of a way to solve all of this.

I also hear from all of you out there that it would be easier to email the ARDC your comments.

It would be nice to share documents with the ARDC.  I have asked them for numerous documents and have yet to receive them.  For example, where is KDD’s transcript from last September?  It only takes a couple of weeks to make a transcription.  The ARDC disqualified him on a bogus “conflict”, so why can’t I have the transcript if in effect, this is an admission it is pertinent to my blogging case?  What’s up with that?

What do I get from my emails and faxes?  Silence.  Silly court orders accusing me of things I have not done and would not do–BUT note the ARDC has done a few of them.  Interesting.  No court orders to the ARDC when they’re falling off the rules wagon.  But when they don’t want to answer my emails or faxes, they make stuff up and put it in an order to make it look like I did something wrong when I clearly did not.

So my great idea is this.  I got them (and us really) and email address we can all share.  It is illinois.ardc@gmail.com and I’ll give them the password so they can share documents, I can email them and if they don’t want to check their email, that’s their business, but at least I have proof of service and have offered to share my documents and this blog and now we have a efiling bulletin based upon the documents they have sent to me.

great idea, eh?

solves the petty squabbles.

they are just soooooo much trouble.

I’ll call sharon and leave a voice mail on her phone with the password and melissa too.  Next, I’m sure I will hear I can’t call or fax them, (they have never, ever answered any of my faxes — not to even complain they don’t want them)

At least I’m trying and I’m creative.

But of course we know it all goes back to the root problem–they are trying to prosecute two honest attorneys.  There’s just no where to go with that one.  It’s a headache.  I work day in and day out trying to help the probate victims and I don’t ask for anything they cannot afford, and my services are donated 90% of the time because, well folks, this is court corruption.  Attys should be ashamed of it.  And we’re not talking about a bad decision on the merit–nope.  This all goes the core or crux of our democratic legal system–lack of jurisdiction, lack of service, fraud, theft, embezzlement flowing from that one, strenuous isolation of elders without explanation. Problems too numerous to mention here and well documented on this blog and many, many other probate blogs.

Now to the new email:

om: JoAnne M Denison <jdenison@surfree.com>

To: Illinois ARDC <illinois.ardc@gmail.com>
Subject: Sharing documents for Scotus Petition attn Sharon O. and Melissa Smart
Date: Apr 28, 2013 12:20 PM
Dear Sharon and Melissa;

Please share whatever documents you have that are the word processing files for your pages 1 to 550 which are now up on the blog.

As you are aware, we are preparing Writs of Cert to the US Supreme Court on the issue of free speech, free association and blogging.

Your prompt cooperation is greatly appreciated.  I would be glad to share whatever you need to me to share but will put most of the documents up there.

I will be sending back the papers you sent me because we scan and shred everything and perhaps you have some use for these, I don’t know.

I will be sharing the Sykes blog documents with you on this email for your convenience.

I would be great if we could just cooperate on document sharing, emails and getting this case decided on the merits.

Ken is in Scotland, so no worries from him.  It’s just me now, but I find all this fascinating.

thanks

joanne

JoAnne Denison

The mysterious Record of the ARDC

For some reason which I don’t understand, the ARDC does not have its pleadings computerized at all.  Not even one little bit.  KDD was booted off my case, leaving it in a mess, and it’s still in a mess because no one knows who has what, the pleadings stack about a foot high.  Atty Sharon Opryczek sent me a stack of documents which have page numbers at the bottom and I think it’s a current docket table, but even that’s clear as mud.

The problem with a stack of documents is you can’t tell where something begins and something ends and there are no page numbers on her table.  Most of it I have seen before.  I don’t see anything the ARDC wants from me and that makes sense because this is a Complaint about BLOGGING.  This Blog is transparent and complete in and of itself.

So eventhough I asked SO just to scan everything in and email it to me, she is uncooperative, as usual.  She claims “the ARDC doesn’t do that”–but that’s absurd.  I don’t believe for a minute they don’t scan in THEIR stuff and organize it.

The case is quickly become complex.  SO has refused to answer my emails and then I get the order that implies I had an “exparte” communication with the tribunal, when in fact I did not.  Further, the order says I can’t email, but I looked in the “Rules” book and there is no rule that says that.  All attorneys scan and email pleadings to day.  We just don’t have the room or time for stacks of paper.

ARDC v. JMD Record to 042513 p1 to 100

ARDC v. JMD Record to 042513 p101 to 200

ARDC v. JMD Record to 042513 p201 to 300

ARDC v. JMD Record to 042513 p301-399

ARDC v. JMD Record to 042513 p401 to 499

ARDC v. JMD Record to 042513 p 501 to 549

Now, here are the unanswered emails for April that the ARDC tribunal issued an order 1) they implied I had an “exparte” communication when in fact I did not and all counsel of record were emailed at the same time and 2) that I cannot email the chair–though there is no rule preventing that as long as I email opposing counsel at the same time.

And I don’t want to leave people with the impression that attorneys fight this aggressively during litigation over form, format and procedure and file bogus motions to disqualify when they are not entitled to them.  They clearly do not. 90% of the time, attorneys email pleadings, cooperate in discovery, act in an honorable fashion.

BUT you know that someone is tweaking stuff when odd things like this happen.

Unanswered emails sent in April 2013 (I will also post the ones January to March so you can see those).  Again, this is my disclaimer: 95% of the time counsel work together and decide cases on the merits–not with this crass gamesmanship.

Unanswered emails from the ARDC

Just when you all thought this might be getting boring….. read on…. a blast to the ARDC for all their recent donkey doo doo

I think many of you have already seen on this blog the fights I had with Adam Stern and his puppet masters to keep me from blogging with a laptop on the 18th floor.  Many of you wrote and called me to cheer me on.  And then the sword of Damocles fell and Presiding Judge Timothy Evans passed the “Denison Rule” that the hoi poli cannot use laptops, tablet or any electronic device to take notes in court because, get this, “gangs” might take pictures of witnesses.

Okay, even the public is not that stupid. The public wrote me right away and said they never saw a gang member in court because uh, the concept of a gang is founded on the notion that they engage in criminal acts and that’s how they make their money.

I have never seen a gang member on the 18th floor of the Daley center, nor in law division, nor in muni.

So, it’s the “Denison Rule”.

Next, I find out there is a “Ditkowsky Rule”.  Apparently when the ARDC when after Ken for trying to investigate the lack of jurisdiction in the Sykes case (they charged him with writing a letter to Dr. Patel and telling Dr. Patel he wanted to get medical records so that he could investigate and then file an appearance–of course a certain miscreant–GAL Cynthia Farenga told Judge Connors that Ken said that he signed and filed the appearance–she actually answered the Judge’s question for him, when it fact he did not and the letter made it clear he did not.  Further, the court lacked jurisdiction, the younger daughter GJS had a POA for health care for her mother and he was acting under that.  Getting back to the topic, when KDD got charged, he filed a number of “dispostive” motions or motions that basically said the ARDC did not have a case.  First he filed a Motion to Dismiss for failure to State a Claim, then he filed a Motion for Summary Judgment against the ARDC and other dispostive motions.  They must have hit a raw nerve (and I’m sure KDD stepped on their last raw nerve) because apparently in Sept of 2012 the ARDC passes a rule saying no dispositive motions until the evidentiary record is complete.

Now the problem with that rule is, when is an evidentiary record complete?  This is a system and format not found or laid out in the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure nor in the State Rules of Civil Procedure or anything I have every found.  Okay, let’s Fastcase that one.  Just did.  “evidentiary record” and the word within 8 words “complete” and nothing.

What this really means is the ARDC has set up a standard that is not found in case law and therefore can never be attained.

Convenient for them.  NOT convenient for attorneys speaking out and blogging about corruption.

It means we are screwed by this rule.  I guess the ARDC won’t just come out with a rule that says if you are a respondent, you are screwed because we make up impossible rules and standards not found elsewhere.

In any case, I have been told I have no choice, I have to do all this, but it drives me nutz.  I don’t get to stop yet.  I get to give everyone that’s a miscreant a prick in the butt.

So I keep on going.

See the attached order

Nonsensical Order from ARDC 042613

Now see my response.

You know, I read on a blog that someone thought “I was really angry” about the complaint by the ARDC and he said he thought that I had a right to be.  I don’t think I am angry, just disappointed.  Very disappointed.

To: Sung Yul Lee Chair ARDC hearing panel for my case <slee@edwardswildman.com>, Sharon Opryszek Ill ardc <sopryszek@iardc.org>, Melissa Smart Ill ARDC <msmart@iardc.org>, Administrator Jerome Larkin <jlarkin@iardc.org>, Atty Michael Shakman (emails of the innocent redacted–not of the miscreants)
Subject: Your order from April 26, 2013
Date: Apr 28, 2013 2:14 AM


Dear Chair Lee;

I just received your order from April 26, 2013 and I am most disappointed on a wide variety of levels.  It is amazingly wrong on a myriad of levels.

First of all you say “pleading must be filed and served in accordance with ARDC rules” and I have busted my butt to make 4 copies of everything, have someone run them over to an office on ecologically improper landfill (which your building rests upon–it should be wetlands, but I digress) and you have received always an original and 3 copies.

What per se, do you believe was not filed with an original and 3 copies which was NOT a pleading?  Let me know and I will file it by having someone walk it over there with an original and 3 copies and a copy each for MS and SO.

This has always been done.

Second, you say that “ex parte communications with the Chair are not permitted” but the reality is, I have never sent any ex parte communications to you–everything has been cc’d to MS and SO and even the blog where everyone can see it.  I always do this on cases, and you’re the only “judge” that has complained about it.

The ARDC is NOT transparent.  It does not post on a blog nor does it put pleadings on a blog or any other bulletin board type of system.

As a result, we waste half of our “status calls” over what was filed, can we look at it, can I see it on the internet, etc.  It‘s completely inefficient and a waste of time and as outdated as the use of carrier pigeons and buggy whips.  Why not just send me an order mandating smoke signals because perhaps one of you is an American Indian?

I am a patent attorney, my background is in engineering. Day in and day out I have clients that are trying desperately to advance the state of art in business systems and technology and I find the ARDC, you and SO and MS are simply acting to the contrary to the advancement of technology business and computer science.  My daughter wants to be a chemical engineer, my son has fixed cell phones, built computers and has advanced the art since single digits of age,he is now a math and science student at SIU and yet you all want to trample on advancing science and technology in the US.

Do you even realize how frustrating that is for me as a patent attorney?

Do you know how many times I have to suffer and hear all sorts of people (wrongfully) say that the US is NOT a leader in science and  technology and computers when in fact it completely is?

In the US we file and issue more patents each year than any other country on earth.  Today I believe most of those are in the business/computer technology arts.  I file mostly computer and science and business patents for my clients.

And yet I see the ARDC issue orders such as these?  Denigrating math, science, computers, technology, the  promotion of these with young children–those that lead our future?

I show your order to my son and daughter and they laugh at me.  They think that lawyers are luddites.

Finally, I HAVE NOT ENGAGED IN ANY EXPARTE COMMUNICATIONS and I am highly offended at your insinuating the same.

You and SO and MS know where your “delete” keys are, you know where in your email software where “blocking” is, you even know how to write a nice email saying, thank you for your communication, please be sure to also place it in the mail and file it with the court.

And then finally, how is it that Leah Black gets away with a true exparte communication and there is no order after SHE did that?  I told her from the get go Ken Ditkowsky was going to represent me.  Then she calls me up on the phone and wants to talk with me.  I am taken aback because I already told her that KDD was to represent me. She continues on with a threat she is going to (wrongfully) disqualify him, and that’s what happened!

You and I and SO and MS know the disqualification was bogus.  I have practiced for 25+ years and have NEVER been able to do that to another attorney, but you guys just go and get what you want the way you want, no reading cases or anything.

My only questions are:

1) why is this happening?

2) why is no one questioning the lack of jurisdiction in Bedin, Wyman and Sykes.  Wyman and Sykes are up on appeal. If the appellate court does its job, the cases will be dismissed for lack of jurisdiction, then what?  Will the ARDC apologize to myself and Ken?  What about Bedin?  It is in the law division now because the court and the GAL’s attempted to proceed without jurisdiction to evict a woman mis-diagnosed from a hospital with cancer?  What happens when the Bedin family wins that one?

3) you think you can hide.  You think you can issue these orders.  You think you can say “please no technology” we need to hide.

But I will put it all on the blog.

The public is not stupid.

I did NOT become a lawyer and study for years and work hours and hours without pay for my clients so that other lawyers can prosecute/persecute me and my clients can find no purchase in the courts.

If you don’t like my emails, then delete them and ask me to put them in a “report to the court”, but don’t go and issue these timewasting orders.

You lost the battle back in 2000 when the Federal Courts went to e-filing and e-service.  Then the law division did the same.

Now Dorothy Brown issued an order all attys are to put their emails on pleadings to advance litigation.

You yourself (unless my cell phone connection was really, really, bad) asked SO several times during the last status call to respond to my emails.

I litigate all the time and we just exchange pleadings via email, and correspondence for routine matters is always done by email. All the attys cooperate.

There is NO RULE IN THE ARDC RULES THAT I CANNOT EMAIL ALL OF YOU.  Again, I have busted my butt to get my original and 3 copies over to the filing desk when I have to file papers,

You want a rule, get a rule passed.  We have the KDD rule (I note none of you admitted to that one) that there are no dispositive pleadings before the “evidentiary record” is complete–whatever that is.  No acknowledgement of any of that.

Timothy Evans now has clamped down on first amendment rights because I faxed him over and over again I want to blog and take notes on my laptop in court.  I supposed that’s the Denison Rule.  He said to send my complaint to the “head of security“.  I did and the “head of security” never responded and when I called him, he passed the buck back to Timothy Evans.

I guess you need another “Denison” rule.  No emails to any attorney at the ARDC nor to the tribunal

What exactly WOULD be your justification for that one?

But then why this?

Why me?

All of this makes no difference to me.  You can disbar me, you can tell the world you think I’m a crappy attorney.  The reality is, the ARDC has absolutely no good reputation in family law or with the probate division.  All the blogs report you as a CYA and KMA organization.  Your original mission was to root out and investigate Greylord type issues.  Now you are afraid of the words Greylord and corruption.  You are afraid to say we need to go after attorneys that terrorize probate victims.

What are you going to say to Dominic Spera?  Turns out Sharon Rudy took $150,000 out of a joint account as GAL and rendered this guy homeless and penniless for a year.  He was sleeping on the streets, in the parks, eating out of garbage cans. When I first went to court, the only atty that would represent him and “go up against the system” for no retainer, the clerk had tears in her eyes.  I did too. The arrogant bailiff only said, well “he stunk”.  I told him, smell or not, Sharon Rudy made him that way, and he has a constitutional right to be here and you do not.

Go ahead you all and look the other way at human misery.  Pretend it does not exist.  Pretend my blog does not exist and it is all lies.

If that’s how you can sleep at night, go for it.  As for me, my clients cry and I cry.  I have cried in court, have you?

thanks

joanne

cc:  blog at http://www.marygsykes.com

and for filing in a “report to the court” when I get around to it.

JoAnne Denison
Denison & Assocs, PC
1512 N. Freemont St, #202
Chicago, IL 60642-2694
Patents, Trademarks & Copyrights
Email me at JoAnne@Denisonlaw.com
Cell Phone 773-255-7608
Work Ph 312-553-1300
efax 312-376-8842
See our website at www.DenisonLaw.com

Department of Justice Report on Elder Absue and Exploitation

From Nancy Vallone, an important document to read.  It’s quite sad because it documents widespread elder abuse in the nation, with little action being taken.

Report by US Dept. of Justice concerning Elder Abuse

It’s pretty much an eye opener on the status of the disabled and in particular seniors in the US.  With 56% of them owning their own homes, there seems to be a ready post for the nefarious.

Filed today with the Illinois Supreme Court–Another appeal contesting Jurisdiction and Disqualification

One of the things that I have noticed which is similar between Probate and the ARDC is that certain motions which are complete losers in every other court, appear to be stellar rubber stamp winners at the ARDC and the 18th floor.  The similarities always continue to amaze me.

So, up for appeal today are the following documents:

First I need a Motion to Join in the Appeal.  Fortunately we were able to find a case that an attorney who worked on the case can file as an interested party:

JMD Motion to Join in Sykes Appeal as Interested Party

Next, I needed an extension of time for filing a bit late.  However, the underlying matter is jurisdiction and that can be appealed at any time, so an extension of time should not present a problem.

JMD Motion for Extension of Time to File Late Briefs

Third is the Petition to Appeal my (wrongful, bogus) Disqualification which GAL Adam Stern said I might be a witness (yes, when monkeys fly again)

JMD Appeal of her Disqualification

Fourth is the Appeal on the basis of Lack of Jurisdiction–no service upon Mary and no Sodini notice to the two elderly sisters of Mary

JMD Motion to Dismiss Lack of Jurisdiction

And finally, one of the things not on the (confused, disorganized) list of pleadings for status call with my ARDC telephone conference yesterday were two items 1) the copyright infringement cease and desist letter I wrote the ARDC and 2) my appeal of my SCOI petition to the US Supremes.

They never seem to be interested with the things that might be a challenge for them.  I think KDD told me at one time LB said she was going to respond to my copyright infringement cease and desist letter to the ARDC for taking 16 paragraphs of my blog and putting them (unnecessarily) on their website and in a false light (as if I did something wrong, which I did not–reporting on corruption in the style, manner and creative method I choose is clearly my constitutional right).  So far no response.  But the Chair did promise by the next status teleconference (May 7, 2013 at 2:30 pm) he would “get to that.”  I also replied that I intended to file suit for copyright infringement by then, but he did not seem interested.  Oh well, his choice.

So here is my Petition for Admission to the US Supreme Court:

JMD Petition for Admission to the US Supreme Court.

I assume someone is admitted to the US Supreme Court at the ARDC and will be handling the other end of things.  It will be interesting to see if they also have to apply like I had to.

Another mystery with the ARDC

Today I got to do another “pretrial hearing”? but it was not a pretrial hearing.  I think they said it was some “pre-evidence conference or something.”

But it was amazing. Totallly fascinating.

First of all, the ARDC as you know is not at all computerized.  I email attys Jerome Larkin, Sharon Opryszek and Melissa Smart and get nothing whatsoever back from them.

I get it, who wants to prosecute honest and ethical attys merely blogging on corruption and injustice in the Illinois Probate Courts?  After all, it’s a perfect opportunity to put that little jerk atty you don’t like as headliner of the case and then WHAM!  Burnt and crisp, under the bus they go.

The City does it.  About 5 years ago, the City was under a Shakman mandate (and if you don’t know this name Google it and Wiki it for how atty Shakman has helped tremendously the State of Illinois, the County of Cook and the City of Chicago by saying that govt jobs, 95% of them must be filled by (get this) the best person, with the most experience for the job because tax payers are paying for it.  Novel concept.  Well, probably not.  There is actually a federal law to that effect, but clearly ignored in the land of selling senate seats and more Illinois governors going to prison for corruption than not, but I digress.

5 years ago, the City hired some lawyers and told them, please sign off on certain candidates for a job saying you interviewed them, reviewed their resumes, said they were the best, but you don’t actually have to do all that stuff.  They really are good friends of us all and deserving of these jobs without those nasty ideas of “best person, most experience, most education, best interview” getting in the way.

Well, when the fit hit the shan, 5 attorneys were chosen as scapegoats and 3 of the five disappeared to other countries and the other 2 went to club fed med.

I figure all this stuff is just a matter of time and the attys that are persecuting me and KDD should either know or strongly suspect it’s just a matter of musical chairs before fits are hitting the shans.

Note that all 5 attys were “told” to do something they knew or should have known wasn’t right.  Attys are presumed to know the law.  Jerman.

Getting back to the ARDC today, the one thing that still absolutely amazes me is that the ARDC is attempting to engage in complex civil litigation (free speech rights, free association rights, SLAPP considerations, the Illinois Citizen Participation Act, Copyright Infringement, Copyright cease and desist letters unanswered for months, etc.–but THEY HAVE NO SYSTEM OF COMPUTERIZATION.

To add insult to injury, I frequently (as you know, email attys Opryszek, Larkin and Smart, who are supposed to be working on my case) and I get NO RESPONSE.

So, what was most of our time wasted on?  The fact that the ARDC is not computerized, I have filed a number of complex pleadings and we were to touch on the status of each one during the phone call, but there were so many and nothing was computerized so we did not get thru the full list.  SO also had a tendency to skip the stuff she did not like, eg. copyright infringment.

So I made a list:

1. SLAPP/CPA motion where you get attys fees if someone sues you for defamation but you were exercising your first amendment rights.  The Chair said he would get to that next time.  I was able to launch into a speech about how it is not a dispositive motion and that it is a statutory mandate, remedial in nature and meant to protect first amendment rights and the ARDC should comply.

2.  KDD’s pleadings.  Well, I have no idea what all Ken filed, and there is no Pacer or electronic pleading system and I told the Chair I could send someone out to the ARDC to do an old fashioned file check each week, which I thought was wasteful because the ARDC isn’t really even in the loop or downtown and it’s a hike for my law clerk David.  So he told SO to get all the pleading together (I have at least a one foot stack on my conference table), I begged him that I could look thru them and not kill trees–I personally love trees, but he said no, David should pick them up when ready and SO should email me.

3. I never received a copy of the rules for disciplinary pleadings and in particular the one that says you can’t do dispositive motions before the “evidentiary record” is complete–whatever that is, I don’t think there is any case law.  This is not a procedure found in state or federal court so I don’t get it.  So I told the chair that if he were going to deny my Motions to Dismiss for Failure to State a Claim and my Motion to Renew the Motion to Dismiss for Failure to State a Claim, I wanted to either enter and continue them until the “record was complete” OR I would withdraw them.  He kept on trying to deny them, and I told him if he was denying them, I would withdraw them.  Finally he asked SO if she had any objection to my withdrawing them, and she said “no”, so they were withdrawn.  The downside to this is that I will have to refile and serve (assuming Pacer does not come to the ARDC), wasting a lot more paper and trees, which I find to be very objectionable.  Pixels do not die and they don’t clean the air, but again, I digress.

4. I finally got to some other issues, the Notice of Copyright registration, the lack of the ARDC responding to my cease and desist letter, which, btw does NOT have to be filed, it just needs to be served on your opponent and the Chair said he would “think about that” for the next status on May 7, 2012 at 2:30 pm.

5.  The Chair said he would also rule on the motion for clairification on May 7, 2012.  I think SO actually admitted they answered KDD/my Requests to Admit, but I’m not certain.

You have to admit, from a common sense standpoint, the forced withdrawal of motion and need to reserve and file Motions that weigh a ton makes no sense.  We can only hope and pray that Pacer gets into the ARDC.

Some things not talked about due to the confusion, two dropped persons from the conference call (ever hear of Skype?), are as follows:

6.  Where is KDD’s transcript from September 2012 because I want to study it.

7. Can I get a transcript of this call because everything was so confusing and there is no computerized method for pleadings like federal court or law division in circuit court.  And in fact, exactly how does the request for transcripts work.  Is it like probate where if the GAL’s or judge don’t want you to get something embarrassing they just “take a long time even if expedited”, “they are lost”, “they are stolen”, “they are inexplicably missing.”  The only court I have been in where all that happens on a regular basis is probate, tho I’ve heard family court is about as bad.

Federal court has been amazingly organized since 2012.  The judges make the parties submit an agenda.  If there are questions about the pleadings, those are popped up for the court on the computers via Pacer.  Half of a one hour status is not wasted on what was filed, who got what, what are we doing and when, etc.  It just gets done.

A federal court judge would NEVER, ever put up with such nonsense.  Even a law division judge would have found this “pre-whatever” call to be amazingly strange and disorganized.

The chair kept on complaining that he got my pleadings minutes before the conference call, but we in fact served them the day before. That’s not my fault they are not computerized.  I told him I posted everything on my blog and he had plenty of time to read them.

He responded (and I have to laugh) we can’t go by a blog.

My response, “why?”  too efficient, too organized, no games to play, too transparent.  Pick one or more but don’t whine to me.  Not interested.

I have a blog and it’s transparent.  You think I’m not being fair, send me a comment and I’ll post it and make this blog as fair as possible.

Personally, I think they’re all being set up and they’re sooo busy being out of it…..they don’t notice the guys with the wires straight to the FBI.

 

These games of overt corruption and gamesmanship only go on for so long,  Then someone gets burned and finds themselves under the bus.

As for me, seeing what is going on in the city, county and state, I would never, ever work as an atty for any of the three.  I know I would be the first to get burned and tossed under the CTA bus.

 

 

From Gloria Sykes today–her mom’s home was sold, even with a title clear as mud!

Dear All,

 
The court sanctioned abuses of the elderly and disabled has gone beyond the courtroom and into our most trusted establishments, including Chicago Title and Trust.  About six weeks ago, a Chicago Lt. Fireman, just divorced, put $20,000 in escrow to purchase my mother’s home.  He offered $289,000.  Chicago Title and Trust said the Title was clouded, and the sale did not go through.  On April 15, 2013, Megan Philipsek closed, purchasing the property for $238,000: Chicago Title and Trust cleared the title.  Amanda Brynes from Fishel and Kahn was the attorney for “Mother”, according to the Real Estate agency, Caldwell Banker, who listed the property. Caldwell Banker told me today, that there was only one bid put in on the property!   I spoke to a dear friend who is a Realtor in the area, and she said she refused to even allow any of her clients interested in the property, see the property.  She said that the title was so clouded, that a respectable agent would not list the property.  The property is under the name of Philipsek, Megan (and Joe?) but the only Megan Philipsek is from Calgary…. but there is a Philipsek in Wisconsin… close to where Fred Toerpe has family.  Nevertheless, there is something terribly wrong here: in all cases where the homes of Wards are sold, the Probate Court issues orders to sell.  Then family or people of interest can object.  In this case, there is no order.  But wait again!  The home is in an alleged Trust and it’s revocable only by Mother.  And mother is the only person who can sell the property if she revokes the trust.  There is nothing in the trust that gives Toerpe the right to sell the property, except after mother dies.  Wait one more time please!  Unless Mother revoked the Trust and then signed the papers to sell the property, the Trust itself is a lien on the property is it not? And in the trust it says that all ‘assets’ should be divided 50/50!  To date, not one penny has been listed in an inventory to the Probate Court, but I heard that Toerpe got a reduction on the bond for Mother’s assets because she has none!
 
Finally, my neighbors told me that they were contacted by an unknown person and told that next month my home and my mother’s home are going to be bulldozed.  How can that happen?  Mother’s home is a historical landmark, and I have yet to see any public sale of my home.  Well, as I said many moons ago, they’ve had both properties sold for a long time and all proceeds, are going to pay Fischel and Kahn and the two GAL’s.  After all, for almost four years Toerpe has had 8 attorneys represent her….. Imagine that!
 
And the so called Estate of Mary G. Sykes according to the Court’s order, Toerpe is the only beneficiary.  Imagine that.
 
Yep, now in order to push through sales of people’s homes the probate court s turning a blind eye — unless it’s Jane Louse Stuart. She told me that she has a right to render me penniless and homeless.  She told me she has right to determine who should get the money from Lumbermen’s and the sale of my home.  
 
I won’t say anything more before I get myself in trouble.  Just thought you should all know that tomorrow I will be in Chancery as Schmiedel and Chase have filed a document to get the foreclosure action on my property, that Chase claims in good faith they want to settle, consolidated with the Probate action In the Estate of Mary G. Sykes.  
 
 
Gloria Jean Sykes

Tomorrow at 10 am, will the ARDC explain it’s position on THREE motions and notices?

Tomorrow at 10 am I am supposed to have a pretrial conference with the ARDC.  I have filed three crucial pleadings and I am posting them here:

1) My Response to their Motion for Clarification.

In my Response I counter them to be specific about which allegations they say are untrue and why they cannot find supporting documentation on this blog.  How is it they can read one part of the blog and not another?  How is it they cannot post a comment and ask for more documentation or whatever documentation they want, like the vast majority of my posters.

JMD Response to ARDC Motion for Clarification

2) Notice to ARDC of my copyright registration rights

One of the other things the ARDC has done is they have published a complaint against me, my Answer which was filed by KDD is NOT on their website that I can see under “recently filed Complaints and Answers”, but it does not matter.  The complaint which is published is replete with quotes from myself and KDD–all of which constitutes creative, original expression–and not mere quotes from pleading and is in fact our copyrightable content.  I have before this sent the ARDC a notice that they are infringing upon my (our) copyrights and I want the materials removed OR a direction to the blog, neither of which reasonable requests they have done.  They are wilful copyright infringers entitling me to enhanced damages and attorneys fees.  I am not pleased with their obvious violation of mine and KDD’s copyrights.

Today I received my copyright registration for the blog.  I have accordingly sent them a notice of copyright registration.

JMD Notice of Copyright Registration to the ARDC.

3) Finally, for those of you who have not seen a SLAPP motion or a CPA motion (SLAPP stands for Strategic Litigation Against Public Participation and CPA is Citizens Participation Act, an Illinois Law found at 110 ILCS section 750 et. seq. which prevent large corporations from suing individuals to prevent them from exercising their free speech and free association rights), see below.

JMD CPA/SLAPP Motion against ARDC for Running a Blog

I will let you know how it goes.  The ARDC wants to do this telephone conference tomorrow, but my basement flooded 2′ and I have contractors running in and out of my house and I have the Sykes appeal briefs which are overdue and two other appellate briefs to file.

Should be an interesting day.

KDD’s appellate court decision reversing sanctions in probate

One of the most mind boggling things about probate court is the fact that judges always appoint GAL’s from a list, and if the alleged disabled wants an attorney, that attorney gets appointed from a list also.  The alleged disabled cannot ask for the attorney they had before and none of the parties can object to the GAL appointed for them.  As noted before, it is very, very difficult for an older person to trust any attorney, let alone one that they are told has been “appointed for them.”

These types of antics and unfairness resulted in the GAL’s and judge forming their little clique and Mary Sykes got railroaded. When atty Ken Ditkowsky (KDD) tried to help out Mary and intervene, he got sanctioned.

Read the following applellate court decision where they reversed the sanctions, saying that KDD could not “investigate” to help Mary Sykes out and determine that her case was indeed unjust and unfair (turned out there was no jurisdiction), and that kept the case going on for 3 years, placing Mary in a home she never intended to be in (Carolyn’s in Naperville) with a person she never wanted to be with (GJS lived with her in Chicago and took care of her for 10 years).  Now Mary’s precious home has been sold, and there is still no jurisdiction and no justice.

Reversal of KDD’s sanctions award

I  am writing two briefs for her and will publish and file ASAP, but it’s utterly sad.

Read the decision here

 

Most people are not used to that.  They are used to hiring and firing their own attorney, and no full explanation is provided to these people that 1) they will be billed for this attorney; 2) the attorney will be making a report to the court that will determine who, when and where they may live; 3) the guardian chosen for them MAY elect to place them in a nursing home, sell their own home against their wishes and advanced directives, as well as personal property in the home.

It is entirely interesting in a recent case I was involved in, the husband had income of about $4,000 per month and he was guardianized.  The wife, who was in no better mental condition, was not guardianized because she had no money of here own.  She was just “told” she could only make decisions for herself and no one else.  For some unknown reason, the wife was in a nursing home burning away at $7,000 per month, but had no money so eventually evicted from there.  Her medications had racked up a bill of thousands of dollars and the nursing home was threatening to stop providing her medications because the wife’s family had not applied for medicare which would have covered most of those.  Eventually, the nursing home will lien the couple’s paid for home and sell it for the nursing home expenses and charges.  I have no idea how this case will come out, but Judge Kowamoto was not concerned about any of the bills from the wife, would not authorize payment for any of these, and it is unknown what will happen when more than $50,000 in nursing home bills for both husband and wife hit as liens on the couple’s fully paid for home.

Adding to all these issues are the problem that the court will not pay for full time nurses, and no one will, but $7,000 per person can be spent on nursing home care.  Both husband and wife need more than assisted living at this point.

If anyone has any solutions to all of this please kindly pass them along.

I believe in response to my Blog and my Faxes, Presiding Judge Timothy Evans is clamping down

In the recent April 12 2013 law bulletin, after my numerous faxes to Presiding Judge Timothy Evans, he is simply clamping down.  He blames gangs, but I have never, ever seen a gang member in the courthouse at Skokie, or even in the Daley Center.

I have never seen anyone in these courthouses threaten any witnesses or take their pictures or whatever.

Personally, I believe violence is a product of our government’s inability to teach peace, speak up for peace, make sure that peace and caring is in the everyday vernacular of every living person and human being on this planet earth, and more specifically within the City of Chicago.

Do I EVER see any signs within Chicago for peace, love and caring.  (Listen up Mayor Emmanuel) Nope.  Not a single one.

How expensive can it be to post signs for peace and love and justice?

We get parking signs, do not do this and do not do that signs. The civil engineers and traffic engineers warn us that all these signs do is distract drivers and cause accidents after you put up more than one or two signs at an intersection.

But love, hope and peace, nothing, nada.  I don’t see it. Violent sports does better than teaching peace and love and caring. Activities that teach peace are not promoted.

So what do I see in the Daily Law Bulletin on Friday, April12, 2013, like the National Socialist Party, Timothy Evans is “clamping down.”

No electronic devices.  No note taking during proceedings.  If you don’t have money for a court reporter or a stenographer to take notes besides you (despite these tech savvy and most likely more accurate and certainly non politico corrupt devices) you are SOL, my dear friend.

He knows full well there are problems in his courtrooms–it was reported in my ARDC complaint and that was broadcast like wild fire via the ABA, CBA and ISBA emails to their members.  According to Sullivans Legal Directory, Judge Evans belongs to “CASCk”  where C is the CBA, A is the ABA, S is the Illinois State Bar Assn and Ck is the Cook Country Bar Assn.  So you know he got my complaint.  Plus I have faxed him numerous times about the cases on my blog.  So have the litigants written and faxed to him that there is something amiss in River City.

Hmmm.  Why is there no bar association against Corruption in Cook County.  Should we call that one the Greylord Memorial Bar Assn.  That would make a whole lot of NFP money–a bar association that would be established for lawyers experiencing corruption and are disgusted by it.  Well, judging from my ARDC complaint, maybe not.

But I digress.

According to this Chicago Daily Law Bulletin Article, Atty Evans wants to get rid of any electronic device that will record, let the public take notes and generally he is telling them they are peons, kulaks, the hoi poli, the unwashed and unwanted in the Illinois Court System.

Lawyers and Judges are exempt.

And since the Constitution has always said that you are guilty until proven innocent, then why does EVERY electronic device have to be banned, except for these ghost like “criminals” and “gang members” that defeat the purposes of justice for the 99%?

Let me ask a few questions.

This rule was passed without public hearings, was it not?

You claim, Mr. Evans that there are “gang members” terrorizing the court system, correct?

Does not every court room have a bailiff?

Is it not the bailiff’s job to eject person engaging in criminal acts?

Do not the bailiffs currently eject people for engaging in constitutional protected activities such as taking notes by paper and pen?

 

If your’e concerned about the hallowed halls of your courthouses, do they not have security cameras?

Does anyone watch the security cameras?

 

Is it not, therefore, all right for persons to take notes by computer since quill pens have evolved?  Are ball point pens and mechanical pencils all right?

Then why not are computers all right?

Where are these alleged “gang members”?

How many have the bailiffs apprehended?

How many citizens cannot afford court reporters and need to take notes in court?

So, I am done answering my questions.  I sincerely bet the ratio of honest citizens in need of taking notes on a laptop, a tablet, even an I phone (horrors) is about 100 to 1 vs. gang members in our court system.

I don’t know if you get this, most august and venerated Judge Evans BUT GANG MEMBERS DO NOT GO TO CIVIL COURT.  Your average gang member does not know the difference between small claims, muni, chancery or law division.

They stand on street corners. They frequent crack houses and meth labs.  They could not give a ******** about your or the court house.  (I know because I watch Shameless).

So why the ban?

Let’s see.  I get tons and tons of complaints about corruption. I go to court where attys make lot of money in probate for doing things like visiting wards, isolating them, pulling their teeth for no good reason (Gore), operating without jurisdiction in court (Sykes and Bedin), and LITIGANTS WANT TO DOCUMENT, DOCUMENT, DOCUMENT.

But you want to ban all electronic devices which make it easy to ascertain the truth, promote justice, making the playing field even.

Okay, I get that.

Next, let us go to federal court.  More than 10 years ago, the federal courts introduced Pacer or electronic filing.  Stopped a ton of fudging with court records.  Our esteemed Federal Judges knew it would be best right away.  Pacer tells me they can go into any court system and create e filing and archive all back records in a couple of months.

Cook County Courts for sure don’t like that one.  I’ve emailed them about it.  You DON’T want to know the responses.

Federal courts allow cell phones, tablet and laptops. Why, they even provide EXCELLENT Wifi.  4 bars out of 4 generally.

WHAT THE HECK IS GOING ON IN OUR STATE/COUNT COURT SYSTEM.

Please Judge Evans, don’t put on some silly grin on the front page of the friday, April 12, 2013 Daily Law Journal and expect ANYONE to believe it except for your cronies.

You smile is false.  The article is disgusting.  It is “two sitting Illinois governors going to federal prison” all over again.

Blago couldn’t sell a senate seat and neither can you sell the public on cell phone/tablet/laptop note taking devices either.

Stop it.  The public is not stupid.

Someone will sue.  I wish it were me.

Another day, another no-show

At the last minute, I was called by some secretary for the ARDC and my (our) continuing series of pretrial conferences with the ARDC was cancelled for today.  Boohoo.  As most of you know KDD and I not pleased that the ARDC has filed complaints against us–primarily for my blogging about corruption in Illinois Probate courtrooms.  I am telling secrets that no one wants to know about how the probate courts operate.  I tell everyone of the dirty little tricks to strip grandma and grandpa of paid up homes, bank accounts, life, civil and human rights, dump them in nursing homes, isolate them–all under “court supervision.”

Now, GJS and I are used to this.  Just when you have a Motion to Dismiss for Lack of Jurisdiction, or you have a Motion for (something was corrupt and way out of line), suddenly court gets cancelled, people don’t show up. I don’t think I’ve seen Cynthia Farenga in 1804 for over a year now.  But I digress.  It’s an obvious trend in “these type” of cases and when I say “these type” I mean those belonging on my blog.

Let’s see, what does the ARDC have in common with probate?  1) Lack of following proper court room procedure–but the ARDC takes it a step further and promulgates rules rather than just saying no to standard discovery, no motions to dismiss for failure to state a claim, no summary judgement motions, etc. 2) Motions for Disqualificaiton of counsel that are actually granted where one attorney is not just asking to represent a person he sued before which creates a REAL, not imaginary or trumped up conflict!  Yep, a sure sign of a “these type” cases. 3) motion calls and status calls suddenly “cancelled”.

What you realize is that when you step into a case with obvious scabs, bandages and splints that every seems to ignore, the blunders just get more and more frequent until the case implodes. Sometimes, that’s not the case, but then you know a payoff or more meddling will occur.  So let’s wait and see.

That’s right, I tell you all today, openly and honestly that some grandpas and grandmas are at risk.

Ask about the Gore case where $1.5 million was stripped away in that family with just attorney fees in probate in 3 YEARS.  Go ahead, write Ken and Bev Cooper about that one.  You want proof, Mr. ARDC?  Go see their Probate Sharks blog.  Go email them or watch the show.  I intend to put it up.  Go watch those words (and tears) tumble out of Bev Cooper’s mouth. In fact, you want proof, I will send ANYONE a disk with the show.  April 3, 2013.

I am transparent. I tell you where to go and whom to talk to about corruption.

When asked by a reporter if I would take down this blog, I repled, “certainly not when there is still corruption being reported in the Illinois courts.”  I stand by that.  When you, the public, stop emailing me, writing me, calling me with horrendous stories of corruption, I will stop the blog.  Mark it done.  Stop writing it each and every day.  Reading your emails.

But until then, there is important work to do.

And if the ARDC wants to talk to me, fine.  Read below.

JoAnne

Dear Ken;

The ARDC did NOT want to do my conference today.  Suddenly the chair is “too busy”.  I bet he is.  Do you know the names of the attorneys on my “panel”. Should I call and find out?

I have a load of questions that I want to ask, most important is where is your transcript from last Sept?  Did you get the info on the court reporter?  I tried to ask–  that was a few weeks back.  Silence.

I was thinking of reporting Jerome Larkin, Sharon Opryszek, Melissa Smart, Leah Black and Jessica Haspel  AND the attys on the panel to the ARDC for 1) violating my (our) copyright rights after a valid cease and desist was sent to them; 2) prosecuting/persecuting innocent and honest, ethical attorneys for disciplinary action when we have done nothing wrong–you sent a letter to Dr. Patel saying you needed to investigate the Sykes case because family and friends asked, you made repeated calls to law enforcement to investigate corrupt cases–judges not following the laws, not granting discovery, not serving the defendants or their families–nothing wrong with that; I only wrote a blog about corruption and made fun of pompous donkey deriere attorneys who were running courts without jurisdiction and the GALs were failing to investigate when the public demanded it and other attorneys demanded it.

Let’s see, first they file a claim against me and hope I will take down an “embarrassing blog” that the ARDC and the JIB does NOT do it’s job.  THEN they file a bogus disqualification against you and incredulously–they get it.  Then I file a Motion to Dismiss which is met with a Motion to Strike because they have a rule (a backwards rule) that you can’t file dispositive motions until the “evidentiary record”–whatever that is” is complete.  Let’s just say you and I highly suspect that‘s because you, KDD, filed numerous motions to dismiss on very solid grounds–Motion to Dismiss for Failure to State a Claim, Summary Judgment Motion, etc. and they are innundated with your pleas that you have done nothing wrong.  We can call that the Ditkowsky rule or need-to-be-an-ostrich rule rather than doing our jobs. Then they threaten to and actually DO disqualify you and they warned me of that in a phone conversation with Leah Black that I wasn’t even supposed to take because you were representing me at the time which only ticked me off to no end, it’s soooo corrupt and injust.

Now I file a 30 page SLAPP motion against them for their bogus answers to my(our) Requests to Admit wherein an embarrassing 18 out of 20 were not answered and should be deemed admitted and their case should crater just for that one.

What do we get?  I bet the Chair just had a headache today thinking of all this hot mess.

I am not going to be shut up.  I have my first amendment rights and right to free association and if I want to call you, email you and tell you how much I love who you are as an attorney and what you do–that IS my first amendment right to free speech and free association and right to petition my government with grievances for redress.  I read that in 6th grade.  Actually, my mom at an early age PAID us all a buck to memorize paragraphs of the US Constitution, Bill of Rights, Declaration of Independence and Gettysburg Address.  How cool is that?  Parents and Grandparents, are you listening?  Why don’t we have a non violent PC game that instills this stuff in our young?  It’s not out of date you know.

Something is completely wrong in River City and we need to continue our ongoing fight to eliminate corruption in the courts and get rid of or embarrass to death (as noted on my blog neither you nor I can bring criminal charges, we can only ask that the US and state’s attorneys and their staff do their job) all attys and judges that are acting in corrupt and out of control manners.

So, then they will have something to discuss on the 22nd or 23rd.

Plus I’m going to call Pacer and ask them about getting the ARDC transparent and on the internet so they can’t keep their crap going on in secret.  Presiding Judge Timothy Evans wants secrecy by banning the public from laptops and electronic devices he is openly declaring he wants secret tribunals.  And don’t get all twisted underwear on me, ARDC, I’ve heard it from the public too who cannot afford court reporters at $4 per page.  You got that kind of money to pay that for those litigants?  Didn’t think so.  What gang members in Skokie?  I have not seen gang members in Law Division, Probate, Chancery or even Muni.  That would be a clear step up for the gangs.  Duh–that’s why they’re a gang, they DON‘T need or want courtrooms.  Take a picture?  Are you kidding?  Just what pleadings or things have they filed?  The Skokie courthouse is pretty bucholic, if you ask me.  And why does the public have to suffer because Judge Tim Evans can’t control his own courtrooms and hallways.  Ooooh don’t get me going.  I’m calling the no laptop, no cell phone, no tablet rule the Denison Rule due to all the faxes I sent to him with “no response” or the buck stops on someone else’s desk and then that person denies responsiblity.  Been there done that.  Just so you all know, Judge Timothy Evans is taking away everyone’s first amendment rights to have free and open court rooms and he (sheepishly) blames gangs.  In the high tradition of Judge Scalia saying that the Voting Rights Act was nothing but an entitlement program which is hard to get rid of and it was only passed in the first place because “it had a great name”, Judge Evans is trying to use the duck and dodge tactic of blaming gangs when you and I have first amendment rights and this rule only hurts the poor and middle class who can’t take notes on a laptop and publish them.

How do you Atty Evans then explain the fact that not only does Federal Court allow laptops openly in the courtroom, and the counsel tables (which the public can use) are outfitted for laptops and e-note taking, BUT FEDERAL COURT ALSO HAS EXCELLENT WIFI!

Where’s our state court WI FI so we can broad cast our notes right away.  Real time.  Twitter if we want to.

THIS IS OUR CONSTITUTIONAL RIGHT and your promulgating the “Denison Rule” is disingenuous.

So, their complaint didn’t work to shut me up.  Their bogus Disqualification of you didn’t stop 20 to 30 page repeated motions to dismiss.  The file is getting thicker and thicker and going nowhere with repeated mis steps and blunders by the ARDC who cannot explain why they are prosecuting/persecuting honest attorneys merely demanding that law enforcement do its job, put down the Dunkin Donuts and coffee and do an investigation.  Also, the GAL’s should investigate and if their cases have no jurisdiction, they should ask the judge to nonsuit or dismiss rather than terrorize families such as Sykes, Wyman, Bedin and others.  Thefts which happened in Spera.

How does this happen in the US?

When the ARDC ignores citizen and attorney complaints of corruption, it is just another layer of emotional abuse heaped upon these families.  First it’s an elder who is infirm and needs care, then there is a miscreant in the family/court that abuses the family, then the senior is place in a nursing home against her will or is isolated somewhere she does not belong, then the court ignores the abuse and/or lack of jurisdiction, then the GAL’s do it too, and then we have the ARDC prosecuting/persecuting the only attorneys that have the guts and ethics and morals to help these families.  Layer after layer of abuse and injustice.  Some family members can stand strong through this, but others just lose it and who can blame them for their rants and tirades against this injustice.  They’re not crazy–the system is.  I don’t blame them–I blame out of control courts, attorneys and the Illinois Probate system.

How many layers of abuse can you count that these families have to suffer and endure?

take care

joanne

cc:  Presiding Judge Evans, via fax.

JoAnne
 
I do not know what happened in regard to my case.   I ordered the court reporter to print me a copy of the transcript when she prepared one for the ARDC panel.
 
As the panel appears to be a ‘rubber stamp’ having allowed the ARDC attorney to hand me a copy of my letter to Attorney General A. Holder complaining about the fact that Mary Sykes had been deprived of her liberty and property by a Court lacking jurisdiction and ask me if I was repentant!   No one batted an eye when I said no I was not and would do it again.   My First Amendment Rights were clearly violated and ultimately redress will have to follow.   There is no way that because I am an attorney I have to be quiet when I see a million dollars in gold coins removed from a senior citizen’s safety deposit box and not inventoried.   There is no way I can stand down when I see that the basic due process rights are violated and the jurisdictional requirement of the probate code are violated.  I do suspect that as the panel has already informed everyone that there are going to say that I am unethical for complaining about the corruption they have to figure out a rationale that will not get the panel members disbarred.   I have a history – I refused to pay a bribe to Judge Holtzer!    If I had been called a witness by the government I would have testified.
 
The First Amendment is tricky.   I believe, as do you, that the entire ARDC proceeding against you (and me) is intended to silence us and stop the flow of e-mails that are more and more embarrassing.   The ARDC taking Judge Connor’s deposition was a mistake.  Her testimony has to be an embarrassment.   One of your moves later on in the ARDC proceeding will be to request the admission of Judge Connor’s evidence deposition.  Tht will toss you case up for grabs.  You then can point out that the judge who presided over the Sykes case *****.     The tricky part is to try to create the fascade that your blog is giving away national secrets.
 
In all honesty they are correct – it is nasty, dirty, National secret that Illinois with well written and well thought out laws to protect senior citizens ignores them so that some very important political types can profit from the taking of senior citizen liberty and property interests.   Imagine what the North Koreans could do with that information!    By allowing this situation to occur and doing nothing about it what we are alleging is that people in the president’s own state are worse than war criminals.   Do you realize how proud the political elite are that Illinois had two governors (at the same time) in Federal custody.   In the soviet union they put people in jail for what you and I are now doing in this e-mail.  
 
No the ARDC is not turning turtle.   They just found out that intimidation directed at some attorneys will just not work!   I bet that they are sorry that they are advocating gun control!    It is much easier for the “judicial officials” appointed by a Court lacking jurisdiction to shoot us than scare us.
 
Ken Ditkowsky

www.ditkowskylawoffice.com

Great new website for First Amendment Rights–Thomas Jefferson Center

Don’t pass this one up.  John Howard Wyman found this website and it is chock full of organizations such as schools, police officers, state liquor boards and politicians–all of whom stand ready and willing to muzzle up, gag up, chill and intimidate you, me and Joe and Jane Q Public–all in the perfection of a nanny state that would tell us where to go and what to do, except for the existence of that pesky First Amendment to the US constitution.

Check it out.  The ARDC has loads of idiotic friends doing ridiculous things just like they do–except these folks are already the esteemed recipients of a “Muzzle Award.”  From college students sponsoring a “wall for free speech” that the University took offense to some scribblings and disciplined students, to police officers arresting photo journalists for merely recording protests and marches (the police told the journalist he had to have a permit to record an event, yeah, right) to the Mormons taking offense to the trademark “five wives” even though it was pointed out to the state liquor board that it would be highly unlikely for a Mormon to visit a state run liquor store or bar anyway. (Get out your majikal underwear for that one!)

Of course, you KNOW that both John Wyman and I have nominated the ARDC for a muzzle award. Lawyers blogging about corruption in the courts must be muzzled.

I hope it’s not too late for the ARDC to win an award this year.  And the ARDC should not be discouraged if my (Ken’s) cases drag on into 2014.  Apparently if your organization is truly idiotic and oppressive, you can win an award for multiple years and even a lifetime emeritus award for outstanding efforts to strenuously muzzle or gag speech that you just personally cannot stand is available for those that “just don’t get it.”

Visit http://www.tjcenter.org or google “Thomas Jefferson Muzzle awards”.  Get a great laugh today.

Maybe it’s not as good as cat videos on the internet, but it’s good for a change of pace chuckle and grin and comparison to our nefarious buddies at the ARDC.

Enjoy

Regarding faxing the authorities–for you email types

One of the things that Ken brought up is the fact that most of the people we hear from complaining about Probate court and court corruption like to email and why don’t I put up emails.

Well, basically Kevin Trudea (Mr. All Natural cures)  and others have done that and it takes down (poor baby) servers and creates inbox clog which the courts don’t like and the judges start to whine because IMHO and as all you know they’re tech slugs.  I don’t care what I get in my inbox, I don’t filter and I can find my “delete” key.

BUT most all of these government offices have high speed expensive copiers which also receive faxes, etc. and I have not heard anyone complain about that, so I say, fax away.

I’m not sure that our federal, state and local judges are really right about that either, since the US constitution gives us all the right to organize (associate) and petition our government with grievances.  I think that even means emails to you, Mr. Federal Court judge and you just have to deal with it.  The US constitution does NOT say the people have the right to only mail their grievances and cannot fax them or email them.  Personally, I find it offensive that they insist on killing trees–which I love, just so they don’t get inbox clog from the public.  It’s their job to deal with it.  Like it or not, you work for the government, you work for the people and you are in fact a civil servant.

So, I explained to Ken today that you can go to efax.com and then fax a note right off your computer in seconds for $12 per month.  I use it all the time.  My efax is 312-376-8842 if you want to efax me.  GJS found “smart fax” and I think that’s the same where if you send something to “faxno@smartfax.com” it goes to the person’s fax number automatically.

 

I have no idea why judges makes such a big deal out of emails from the public, but they do.  I have a few clients that provide me with plenty of inbox clog and I don’t call them up and whine to them, so I don’t get it either.

good luck with your faxing.  there are many solutions out there.

joanne