What is the difference between Sirkin and Hedges? It is a difference between pissing off Tormey and pleasing Tormey in going after Tormey's critics

I wrote in this blog about the disciplinary proceeding in the New York State Commission for judicial conduct against former judge Bryan Hedges, brought against him AFTER he resigned from the bench.

I also wrote in this blog about a retired judge Stephen Sirkin, a referee in my disciplinary case who refused to conduct a court-ordered evidentiary hearing, instead illegally decided a motion in my case (of course, against me), even though the NY State Constitution, Article VI paragraph 4 subsection (b) clearly allows decisions in appellate courts to be made ONLY by a concurrence of three appellate justices, with a quorum of four.

Obviously, Sirkin is not and has never been an appellate judge, cannot single-handedly replace a panel of four appellate justices required for a quorum, and cannot replace a concurrence of three appellate justices in making a decision.

Yet, the same NYS Commission for Judicial Conduct that disciplined Hedges, refused to discipline Sirkin, because, as it was explained to me, Sirkin is no longer a judge, he has retired.

It did not prevent the Commission to go after retired judge Hedges though, on a tip from William Fitzpatrick, a law school roommate and buddy of Judge Tormey, the Chief Administrative Judge of the 5th Judicial District.

William Fitzpatrick appeared to have a personal grudge against Hedges of monetary nature.  According to the papers submitted to the NYS Commission for Judicial Conduct, William Fitzpatrick was likely upset that Hedges did not give in to the blackmail by the alleged victim who wanted to get some money from Hedges and split the money with the prosecutor (statements as to that arrangement were submitted as evidence to the NYS Commission for Judicial Conduct and is /or at least was, at the time I retrieved it/ publicly available online).

The bottom line is that the difference between non-prosecution of Sirkin and prosecution of Hedges was that Hedges pissed off the Chief Administrative Judge for the 5th Judicial District James Tormey by indicating to a court employee that Tormey was tormenting for refusal to engage in political espionage against a judge and Democratic judicial candidate that she was the target of Tormey's efforts "to get" her.

Of course, a zillion reasons may be brought up as to why Sirkin was not prosecuted and Hedges was.

And, of course, NYS Commission of Judicial Conduct has absolute "discretion" to bring or not to bring disciplinary proceedings against judges - and complainants, according to decisions by courts (self-serving decisions 

So, when Sirkin bent over backwards, to the point of disobeying a clear court order, refused to hold a court-ordered evidentiary hearing for me and issued an unconstitutional "decision" against me - that was pleasing Tormey who was pissed off by my criticism of him in pleadings and bringing out in pleadings and in this blog Tormey's ongoing misconduct that was the subject of at least two lawsuits, one that has cost NY state taxpayers $600,000.00 to settle, not to count legal fees (Tormey got free representation from NY State for 4.5 years defending against charges of misconduct that had nothing to do with his judicial duties).

When Hedges disclosed to the plaintiff against Tormey that she was the target of Tormey's ire, which helped the plaintiff's lawsuit - that pissed of Tormey.

And, by the way, two employees on the disciplinary committee currently prosecuting me are direct subordinates of Tormey who can expect his full ire if they would dare to through out the frivolous petition transferred to them from the 3rd Department.

So, to sum it up, the difference between retired judges Sirkin and Hedges is this:

Sirkin - pleased Tormey by his misconduct against a critic of Tormey - is not prosecuted for misconduct because he is a retired judge, and the NYS Commission for Judicial Conduct does not have (allegedly) jurisdiction over him.  Nobody else will discipline Sirkin because his misconduct was on behalf of and at the request of the disciplinary prosecutors, representing a committee with two employees of Tormey.

Hedges - upset Tormey by giving valuable information for the lawsuit of a court employee against Tormey.

And this "distinction" is the sum and substance of the integrity of the judicial disciplinary system in New York.

What is judicial misconduct in Philadelphia is business as usual in New York

According to the media reports, disciplinary filings were just made against two judges in Philadelphia who fixed a case for the son of a judge.

Here, sons of judges rock to the point that no law applies to whatever they are doing.

I wrote on this blog about shenanigans of son of a judge Richard Harlem, about misconduct of a son of a judge Michael Getman.

Son of a judge Richard Harlem, landlord to NY Senator James Seward and client to the law firm employing NY Senator Neil Breslin, does not have to know the law or know how to present law, facts, evidence or even to be truthful in his submissions.  He will still win and nobody will dare to punish him.

Richard Harlem and is (now late) father Robert Harlem were caught by the New York State Attorney General in a scheme to defraud the Surrogate's Court and conceal Robert Harlem's role in practicing law while being a sitting Supreme Court justice, involving his son (an attorney), his court secretary and his court law clerk in signing the will and codicils as witnesses, and where Robert Harlem bequeathed to himself (another ethical no-no) hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of assets, plus made himself a paid third co-executor and made the trust where he was a salaried trustee, recipient of the residual estate counting in the millions of dollars.

Son of a judge Michael Getman was never disciplined for his misconduct pertaining to a charity where the New York State Attorney General got to the point of filing a case against him and his father - and both escaped with a slap on the wrist and no criminal, civil or disciplinary liability.

No judges so far were disciplined for fixing the case for Richard and Robert Harlems, a case (read my blog post the Mokay saga) which, had the law been applied, would have been dismissed 8 years ago with sanctions against attorneys who brought it.

Once again, what is a disciplinary violation in PA, is business as usual in NY.

In PA, judges who fix cases for sons of judges through back room dealings, are in hot water.

In NY, three (!) judges were caught in ex parte communications with Richard Harlem and his hired attorneys, ALL THREE retaliated by sanctions and imposition of attorney fees against attorney and her husband who confronted them about the ex parte communications - and the Judicial Conduct Commission has not filed disciplinary charges against ANY of these three judges:

• Carl F. Becker;
• Ferris Lebous;
• Kevin Dowd

That is, as much as I know about ex parte communications because they were part of billing records provided to me by Richard Harlem and his attorney David Cabaniss of Hiscock & Barclay.

One can only guess how much ex parte communication could have been going on without those ex partes reflected in the billing.

Yet, the trend appears to emerge that judges do not have such an easy way out anymore when they commit misconduct - not in small part because of public outcry and growing public awareness of the issue and pervasiveness of judicial misconduct in the American justice system on the state and federal levels.

So - will we soon see disciplinary charges filed against Carl F. Becker?  I doubt it because he is resigning as of July 31, 2015, even though anything is possible, because the New York State Judicial Conduct Commission did go recently after a former judge, Bryan Hedges, AFTER his resignation from the bench and did discipline him, precluding him from holding any judicial office ever again.

Against Ferris Lebous and Kevin Dowd?  Future will show.

Richard Harlem, Daniel Mokay and their conflicting theories as to what the Mokay case is about

Here is what attorney Richard Harlem told judge Elizabeth Garry on October 5, 2007 as to the essence of the Mokay litigation (see my blog posts "the Mokay saga"  and my posts from April 2015 to date:

Apparently, as of October 5, 2007, Richard Harlem indicated that he did not want the deeds in question to be put into the Estate of Andrew Mokay (his client since February of 2007) because the Mokay lawsuit had nothing to do with the Estate and had everything to do with the Mokay children enforcing their father's contract to make a will made in the father's divorce action in the Supreme Court. 

Of course, when the deeds were placed into the Estate, Richard Harlem appealed that decision on behalf of the children, making the Estate (Richard Harlem's client) an adverse party, then joined the Estate as a party (and his own client in the Mokay action) through a motion, while his appeal against the Estate was still pending.

When I sought a Bill of Particulars seeking to verify the standing of the Estate and to have the Mokay plaintiffs answer under oath, why the Estate was even joined as a Plaintiff in the action, Richard Harlem asked judge Becker to deny me the motion to compel production of the Bill of Particulars, and Judge Becker obliged.

At the February 29, 2012 hearing Judge Carl F.Becker (a Surrogate judge of 10 years by that time) claimed that when an Estate is added to the action, it is not the same as the decedent added to the action:

Then, at a pre-trial conference, I believe in 2013 in the Mokay action, Becker claimed that the Estate was "in privity" with the Mokay children.

Apparently, that should have meant, based on Richard Harlem's argument to Judge Garry (see snippet above) that the decedent and his Estate are suing in the Mokay action for breach of contract to make a will that was broken by the decedent.  The decedent or his Estate were definitely not and could not be, beneficiaries of the decedent's contract to make a will (rejected by Judge Becker as a Surrogate in 2007 when Judge Becker chose the "wrong" will of the decedent over the contract to make a will when both testamentary instruments were offered to Judge Becker for probate by Richard Harlem and Daniel Mokay as the decedent's Executor).

One more distinction is that - in Becker's understanding, when the Estate in the Mokay action sued, it was not the same as when the decedent sued.

Yet, when my husband sued the decedent, he had to sue his Estate in the Neroni v Harlem's action, and Judge Becker was presiding over that action, and still argued that when the Estate is suing (or is sued) for actions of the decedent, it is not the same as if the decedent is suing or is sued.

I am not surprised as to incompetence and lack of integrity of Judge Becker, it is legendary, and already caused Judge Becker (I believe) into an early resignation/retirement, 3.5 years before his actual mandatory retirement based on age.

What I do not accept as the rule of law though (not surprised, as I know that corruption in the judiciary system in this state and this country is also legendary) is that the entire judicial system, from clerks to appellate courts, play the fool to Judge Becker's incompetence and uphold anything Judge Becker says no matter how incompetent - only to rule against my husband and myself.

The sad irony is that, after the hearing of February 29, 2012, when Judge Becker stated:

two events occurred - Judge Becker recused in August of 2012, without rendering a decision that he reserved 6 months (!) prior while he had only 60 days, by law, to render that decision.

Apparently, the requirements of the law do not concern Judge Becker.

Moreover, in September of 2012 Defendant Robert Harlem (retired judge, father and law partner of Richard Harlem) died and - guess what? - Richard Harlem substituted his father's Estate as a defendant in the action, where suing the Estate was clearly the same as suing the decedent.

But the real bounder happened in May of 2015, when Richard Harlem's client Daniel Mokay, who by that time ditched Richard Harlem for another attorney in an action against the decedent/Estate for contribution or indemnification, based on the order of the Appellate Court designating the decedent as participant in the alleged fraud against the Mokay children, stated the following under oath:


So, in May of 2015, after the Mokay trial in April of 2015, Daniel Mokay suddenly claims that his father (and the decedent of the Estate whose will Daniel Mokay must carry out as his fiduciary and representative) committed wrongdoing and caused harm now to the beneficiaries OF THE ESTATE, because "he took from the beneficiaries property which he was obliged to give them".

Now, wait a minute.

On October 5, 2007 Daniel Mokay's attorney Richard Harlem argued to the court, Judge Garry, this:




In June of 2014, when testifying under oath, Richard Harlem reconfirmed that he is litigating on behalf of Mokay chidren as third party beneficiaries (the Estate of the decedent was certainly not a third party beneficiary under the decedent's contract to make a will that decedent has allegedly broken by writing a revocable will and having two deeds drafted - yet the Estate EXISTS BECAUSE Daniel Mokay and the Mokay children PROBATED THAT WRONG REVOCABLE WILL).

Richard Harlem obviously does not concern himself with such details in litigation.  After all, as a son of a judge, even a retired and late judge, he has had his privileges, such as that courts will give him anything he wants not matter how frivolous.

But here is what Richard Harlem said on June 23, 2014  on record, in front of Judge Kevin Dowd under oath as to the theory of the Mokay litigation:

So, in 2014, same as in 2007, the theory of the Mokay case was that the five children of the decedent Andrew Mokay were contract beneficiaries under the decedent's contract to make a will.

Of course, that theory did not explain presence of the Estate as a plaintiff in the action, but Judge Becker precluded me from seeking a Bill of Particulars verifying that issue, the Appellate Division affirmed without analysis of the issue, and Judge Dowd who got himself assigned to the Mokay case while recusing from a related Neroni v Harlem case, could not care less.

I must also indicate that Daniel Mokay was sort of the "main plaintiff" in the Mokay action.  At least, in answer to my question as to why there is no correspondence and billing statements sent to anybody other than Daniel Mokay, answers the following:

So, after the trial on the theory that Daniel Mokay and his five siblings were suing as third party beneficiaries under their father's contract to make a will, Daniel Mokay suddenly comes up with another theory, which he discloses also under oath - that the Mokay litigation was due to wrongdoing of his father, the decedent (whose Estate, remember, was added for an unknown reason as a plaintiff in the Mokay litigation while Daniel Mokay was appealing placement of the deed in the Estate, and while the Estate/decedent and Daniel Mokay were represented by the same attorney Richard Harlem, his father Robert Harlem and their law firm).

In May of 2015 the theory now is that Daniel Mokay's father for whom Daniel Mokay acts as a fiduciary/Executor, defrauded beneficiaries OF THE ESTATE, not third party beneficiaries under the contract to make a will.



So, what are we going to do now, after Judge Dowd makes a decision based on the old theory of litigation?  Back to court?  Maybe, just maybe, it will dawn upon the presiding judge to actually look at the applicable law and facts that are in the record - and toss the Mokay litigation, with an award of costs and attorney fees throughout it in favor of Mr. Neroni?

Who knows, maybe the rule of law is not yet a complete fiction in New York?

How does one award attorney fees against a counsel that LEFT THE CASE before the motion hearing?

As Judge Lebous' decision demonstrates - with ease, even though litigating something against attorney who is no longer attorney of record is obviously unlawful.

But, in my case, unlawfulness never stopped judges from acting, especially when the real reason is personal retaliation.

Is it legal for a judge to order an attorney to reimburse another attorney for the bribe paid to a disciplinary prosecutor

It is a rhetorical question, isn't it?

Of course, it is illegal.

So, this is then the answer as to the legality of Judge Ferris Lebous' judgment requiring me to pay the legal fees of the law firm (Hiscock & Barclay of Albany, NY) of my husband's disciplinary prosecutor John Casey when there is a huge appearance that the law firm was hired as a payoff to John Casey in exchange for non-prosecution of influential attorneys Richard Harlem and Robert Harlem by the attorney disciplinary committee of the Appellate Division 3rd Department.

And, the Appellate Division 3rd Department where the corruption occurred, is uniquely disqualified from hearing an appeal from this case - but I bet that they will hold onto it in a death grip.

My question is also - is it judicial misconduct for a judge, to order an attorney, within a 20 day period of time, to reimburse another attorney for the bribe he paid to a disciplinary prosecutor?

Will the NYS Commission for Judicial Conduct have the spunk to answer that question?  Will the feds?  Will the appellate court?

Reliance on legal authorities is overrated when the judge's own misconduct is the issue

Many times various judges pointed out to me that simply stating that something is not fair, or not constitutional in my legal opinion as a trained legal expert (which trained legal expert I will remain, by the way, whether the retaliative judicial system will or will not yank my law license) - is not enough, that I must provide legal authorities that would "support" my legal opinion.

That point of view is, of course, erroneous, because any reasonable individual, attorney or not, can have an ability to interpret the U.S. Constitution and claim its protections as a matter of due process of law.

In fact, courts may not amend the U.S. Constitution by interpretation and may not create rights that did not exist before that cannot be directly derived from the U.S. Constitution without the interim interpretation by the courts.

To hold otherwise is to give courts authority they are not given by that same U.S. Constitution.

To hold otherwise is to foreclose even a possibility of having cases of first impression and developing the law.

Yet, ability of anybody, attorney or not, judge or not, to directly interpret the law is not the point I am making now. 

The point I am making now is equality under the law and practicing what the courts preach, when the issue turns on the judge's own misconduct.

In a recent decision, Judge Ferris Lebous of Binghamton, NY, refusing to recuse because it was not him personally, but his chambers engaged in an ex parte communication with a person who WAS opposing counsel at the time before jurisdiction of the court abated due to the death of his client (at the time ex parte communication occurred), provided NO legal authority whatsoever - none - supporting his position that ex parte communications with a judge's "chambers" is not the same as ex parte communication with the judge himself and obviously, not within the prohibition for ex parte communications.

Also, Judge Lebous testified on behalf of my opponents and on his own and his staff behalf in the decision (unsworn testimony, of course) by stating what his rules are, what he allows his staff to communicate with attorneys and parties about - while Judge Lebous did not make a statement that he verified with the staff what the communication was about, and while the billing statements provided to the court clearly indicated that the communication was on the merits of the case and NOT about scheduling.

Once again my husband and I are given to understand that rules created by courts, and laws created by the New York legislature - are not for the courts to abide when we are concerned.

One more argument in favor of introduction of peremptory challenges to judges in New York

How much is too much for the judge to HAVE to recuse?

The U.S. Supreme Court has ruled in 2009 that accepting $3 mln in an election campaign and then casting a decisive vote to overturn a $50 mln dollar judgment on appeal for the parties who made the $3 mln contribution is a violation of opponent's due process of law.

So, refusal to recuse is not always only up to a judge.

Yet, New York court continued to believe it is.

I repeatedly catch judges in ex parte communications.

Some recuse, some adamantly continue - and retaliate.

It is nearly impossible to get through to the U.S. Supreme Court.

The U.S. Supreme Court does not consider cases interesting or important, oftentimes unless the issue has hit the press big times - or, as in Judge Benjamin's case, the issue is buying a judge through a campaign contribution for $3 mln.

So, if somebody bought YOUR judge for less - that somehow becomes less of a due process problem?

Or, if somebody engaged in an ex parte communication with the judge for a period of time suggesting discussion of the merits and not simply "scheduling" - it is still in judge's hands and "discretion" to decide whether he must or must not recuse, even though the court rules and the U.S. Supreme Court cases mandate recusal where there is an appearance of impropriety.

Yet, judges have a very permissive view of what does or does not appear improper to a reasonable and objective member of the public.  In fact, judges believe that THEY are that reasonable and objective member of the public, and that they are objective enough to analyze their own conscience (where existence of such conscience is unprovable and unverifiable).

And the stubborn refusal of clearly conflicted judges to recuse from cases where ex parte communications occurred, whether with judges directly, or with their "chambers", is one more argument in favor of introduction of:

1) peremptory challenges of judges;
2) voir dire of judges who are making any factfinding decisions.