Saturday, August 11, 2007

JUDGE PANEPINTO AND JUDGE RACHEL ADAMS

Guardianship Juggling Act
By Jason BoogPosted 06-08-07


The systems governing both the appointment of law guardianships and the oversight of judicial campaign donations are replete with often demanding protocols. But the recent conviction of an ex-judge and the intimacy of relationships in the small jurisdiction of Staten Island raise questions about the precision and effectiveness of those regulations.
During the sentencing of disgraced Supreme Court justice Gerald Garson earlier this week, one divorcee blasted the jurist for accepting bribes from her ex-husband’s divorce attorney. “Money and cigars are what determined your custody decisions,” Sigal Levy told the court in her angry victim’s statement.


Levy had told the Brooklyn District Attorney about Garson’s bribery and ex parte conversations with Paul Siminovsky — her ex-husband’s attorney and one of Garson’s favorite appointees for lucrative private law guardianships — during her divorce proceedings in 2003. Her testimony initiated a sting operation that landed Garson a three-to-ten-year prison term.
It also generated tougher public scrutiny of court arrangements in the Second Judicial District, which comprises Brooklyn and Staten Island courts. In an interview after the trial, Levy alleged that other private court appointed law guardians were wrapped up in webs similar to the one that ensnared Garson and Siminovsky. “The law guardians and everybody else are part of the system,” she said. “They wanted to appease him because he referred cases to them. People pay a lot of money to private law guardians.”
And, as the campaign coffers of at least on Staten Island justice reveal, law guardians donate more than a bit of money to judges.

GUARDIAN'S KNOT

Law guardians are attorneys hired by the court to advocate for the children during contentious divorces — ideally to give an unbiased perspective to the judge about the needs and wishes of the kids stuck between warring parents. Judges keep two lists of such advocates, one for couples that can afford higher-priced, private counsel, another for those who qualify for state-subsidized counsel, somewhat similar to the public defender system.In both cases, the judge approves hourly fees based on what the family can pay and what the judge deems appropriate. If any advocate earns $50,000 or more in one year for such appointments (including various other assignments, though not including public defender appointments), he or she is taken off the list for the next calendar year.

Although Garson is no longer part of that system, at least two of his former staffers now oversee such cases in the Second Judicial District.
And a disturbing number of political donations in that district match up with those plum guardianship assignments, according to the "Part 36 of the Rules of the Chief Judge database" — the digital warehouse where the court system stores the names and fees earned by "all persons and entities appointed by each appointing judge."

The problem is most visible in Richmond County. Out of the $204,000 of private law guardianship assignments made in Staten Island Supreme Court since 2003, well over $184,000 of those fees went to attorneys who had contributed to the campaigns of one or more of the Supreme Court justices who dole out the jobs.Harriet Weinberger is the law guardian director in the department that includes Brooklyn and Richmond Counties. While she wouldn't speculate on why judges pick one law guardian over another, she explained that the judges select them from a list of approved candidates."[The judges] should check the list of eligible private pay law guardians maintained by the OCA [Office of Court Administration]. They should also check the list of certified law guardians maintained by the Appellate Divisions," she said.

One of the state’s most prominent family court reform activists strongly disagreed. “It’s too easy for there to be a cozy relationship. They know that if they don’t play ball they won’t get appointed again,” said Patricia Duff, founder of the court reform group, Families for Justice. Duff became an activist following her highly publicized divorce from cosmetics magnate Ronald Perelman. In the following years, she has publicly criticized the lack of regulations for private law guardians.“For many of them, their entire practice is built on these assignments. It’s unseemly that they are allowed to give the judges political contributions,” Duff concluded.

RICHMOND COUNTY: A CLOSER LOOK

Since 2003, two judges have handed out private law guardian assignments in Richmond County, and one was a key player in Garson’s courtroom. The first (the one not affiliated with Garson) is acting Supreme Court Justice Barbara Panepinto. Since 2003, Justice Panepinto has doled out more than $68,000 in law guardian assignments — and every assignment went to an attorney who donated to Panepinto’s 2006 re-election campaign fund. (To see a spreadsheet of her assignments, click here.)Panepinto shares these responsibilities with acting Supreme Court Justice Rachel Amy Adams, who was Garson’s former law secretary. Although Adams’s last race for Civil Court occurred in 1999, just before new campaign finance disclosure rules kicked in, records do reveal that out of the $136,600 in law guardian whom Adams has appointed since 2003, $116,600 worth of those assignments went to attorneys who had donated to her colleague Panepinto's campaign.

Although the donation wasn’t sizable, Adams did receive $100 from matrimonial attorney Rosa Pannitto in a failed bid for the Democratic Party’s Supreme Court endorsement in 2002.
(To see a spreadsheet of Adams's assignments, click here.)While Acting Justice Panepinto did not respond to an interview request, Adams offered a glimpse into her law guardian selection process.The judge categorically denied that political considerations played any part in her law guardianship assignments: “I kept a written list of my [private law guardian] assignments. I wrote on a board in my chambers who was assigned and what date so I was mindful of who I assigned — so I could rotate through the list."Adams also explained that she sometimes looks for law guardians with special skills — anything from language abilities to social work experience — depending on specific cases.

“If there are allegations of sex abuse, a young girl might be more comfortable speaking with a woman,” the judge said as an example. “I look at the quality of their work: whether they are punctual and prepared and an effective advocate for their client. I look at all those factors,” she concluded. Adams was recently reassigned to New York City Family Court, and Supreme Court Justice Karen B. Rothenberg replaced her. Justice Rothenberg worked at Gerald Garson’s former law firm, Gerber & Garson, for two years.

MURKY WATER

Even though these assignments fall into an ethical gray area, neither judge has broken campaign finance law.

According to The 2006 Judicial Campaign Ethics Handbook, judges are permitted to raise money for election bids during a window period commencing nine months prior to the earliest of the following dates: the date of formal nomination; the date of a party meeting at which the candidate would be endorsed; or the date that the petition process begins.Last year, the window period opened in December — nine months prior to the September primary. Both Panepinto and Adams received their contributions within this timeframe during their respective judicial races. Campaign donations are generally solicited during fundraisers, in the hopes of insulating the judge from donors. Supporters usually pay for tickets that range $100-to-$500 and attend a dinner with a few carefully placed ringers — designed to insure that the judge doesn’t realize who contributed and who didn’t.

Catherine Wilson is a judicial activist and the ex-wife of the law secretary for Supreme Court Justice Nicholas Colabella in the Ninth Judicial District. She disagreed with the assumption that judges are sufficiently insulated from the political process, recalling some fundraisers she attended with her ex-husband. “These fundraisers are very intimate affairs.
A small room in a hotel maybe, with 50 or so people. It’s very easy meet everybody in the room. If a judge tells you they don’t know who contributed, then they are full of crap,” she said.

Out of the 13 attorneys assigned private law guardianships in Richmond County since 2003, three earned the lion’s share of the assignments. None of these attorneys answered calls for comment for this article. Private attorney Valerie J. Camacho topped the list with 43 assignments, earning $37,000 for her work since 2003. She donated $750 to Justice Panepinto’s campaign.

In second place was Anthony J. Morisano, who collected 20 assignments and earned $55,000 in that same time period. He donated $450 to Panepinto’s campaign and $250 to the Richmond County Democratic Committee.Attorney Veera V. Konka rounded out the list, receiving 15 assignments that earned her $42,000 since 2003. Konka donated $100 to Panepinto’s 2006 campaign.Whether the donations were known to their recipient is almost impossible to tell. And untangling the dynamic is even harder in such an intimate locale.

Explained Nancy Erickson, a staff attorney at the Brooklyn branch of Legal Services for New York City who has been involved with Richmond County guardian cases: “Staten Island is very insular. It’s its own little community, and everybody knows each other, even more so than the other boroughs. . . . I was certainly aware that I was an outsider. I felt like a carpetbagger in the South after the Civil War.”

____________________________________________________________________

Judge Panepinto

Appointee
Appointing Judge
Action or Proceeding
Approved Fee
Year Assigned
Committee Donated To:
Donation size
Year of Donation
CAMACHO, VALERIE J
PANEPINTO, B.
M/O C. PATRIZIO VS. R. PATRI
$4,818.32
2006
Barbara Panepinto
$750
2006
CAMACHO, VALERIE J
PANEPINTO, B.
M/O C WARD VS ROSEANNE WARD
$1,949.98
2006
Barbara Panepinto
$750
2006
CAMACHO, VALERIE J
PANEPINTO, B.
M/O JOYCE VS JOYCE
$2,533.31
2007
Barbara Panepinto
$750
2006
CAMACHO, VALERIE J
PANEPINTO, B.
M/O M. FRUSTACI VS ALANA FRU
$3,566.64
2006
Barbara Panepinto
$750
2006
CAMACHO, VALERIE J
PANEPINTO, B.
M/O VEGA VS VEGA
$2,399.99
2005
Barbara Panepinto
$750
2006
CAMACHO, VALERIE J
PANEPINTO, B.
M/O LEYSON VS LEYSON
$449.99
2005
Barbara Panepinto
$750
2006
CAMACHO, VALERIE J
PANEPINTO, B.
M/O ZAHRIYEH VS ZAHRIYEH
$3,392.96
2005
Barbara Panepinto
$750
2006
CAMACHO, VALERIE J
PANEPINTO, B.
M/O MASUCCI VS MASUCCI
$666.66
2004
Barbara Panepinto
$750
2006
CAMACHO, VALERIE J
PANEPINTO, B.
M/O FLEMMING VS FLEMMING
$3,399.98
2006
Barbara Panepinto
$750
2006
COHEN, FRANCINE P
PANEPINTO, B.
M/O C. KAPLAN VS CRAIG KAPLA
$910.00
2007
Barbara Panepinto
$125
2006
COHEN, FRANCINE P
PANEPINTO, B.
M/O A. L GARCIA VS WANDA GAR
$1,750.00
2007
Barbara Panepinto
$125
2006
GARRIGAN, KATHLEEN M
PANEPINTO, B.
M/O L. KASZUBSKI VS M. CARLS
$1,972.00
2007
Barbara Panepinto
$125
2006
KONKA, VEERA V
PANEPINTO, B.
M/O GARBARINO VS GARBARINO
$7,960.00
2006
Barbara Panepinto
$100
2006
KONKA, VEERA V
PANEPINTO, B.
M/O QUATRONE VS QUATRONE
$2,220.00
2005
Barbara Panepinto
$100
2006
KONKA, VEERA V
PANEPINTO, B.
M/O QUATRONE VS QUATRONE
$2,740.00
2005
Barbara Panepinto
$100
2006
KONKA, VEERA V
PANEPINTO, B.
M/O GARBARINO VS GARBARINO
$640.00
2004
Barbara Panepinto
$100
2006
KONKA, VEERA V
PANEPINTO, B.
M/O GARBARINO VS GARBARINO
$2,000.00
2004
Barbara Panepinto
$100
2006
LEDERMAN, PHYLLIS R
PANEPINTO, B.
M/O AMOROSE VS AMOROSE
$3,012.00
2005
Barbara Panepinto
$250
2006
LEDERMAN, PHYLLIS R
PANEPINTO, B.
M/O CIPRIANI VS CIPRIANI
$1,400.00
2005
Barbara Panepinto
$250
2006
LEDERMAN, PHYLLIS R
PANEPINTO, B.
M/O FALJEAN VS FALJEAN
$2,210.00
2005
Barbara Panepinto
$250
2006
MORISANO, ANTHONY J
PANEPINTO, B.
M/O J TENAGLIA VS D. TENAGLI
$2,580.00
2007
Barbara Panepinto
$450
2006
MORISANO, ANTHONY J
PANEPINTO, B.
M/O SEAMAN VS SEAMAN
$3,460.00
2007
Barbara Panepinto
$450
2006
MORISANO, ANTHONY J
PANEPINTO, B.
M/O PACE VS PACE
$1,900.00
2006
Barbara Panepinto
$450
2006
MORISANO, ANTHONY J
PANEPINTO, B.
M/O CIRIANO VS CIRIANO
$2,060.00
2006
Barbara Panepinto
$450
2006
MORISANO, ANTHONY J
PANEPINTO, B.
M/O CUOCO VS CUOCO
$2,100.00
2005
Barbara Panepinto
$450
2006
MORISANO, ANTHONY J
PANEPINTO, B.
M/O TILLMAN VS TILLMAN
$2,380.00
2005
Barbara Panepinto
$450
2006
MORISANO, ANTHONY J
PANEPINTO, B.
M/O RIGNOLA VS RIGNOLA
$440.00
2005
Barbara Panepinto
$450
2006
MORISANO, ANTHONY J
PANEPINTO, B.
M/O CENNAMO VS CENNAMO
$1,120.00
2005
Barbara Panepinto
$450
2006
NEWMAN, MITCHELL P
PANEPINTO, B.
M/O D. MULLIGAN VS R. MULLIG
$2,000.00
2006
Barbara Panepinto
$125
2006
_____________________________________________________________________

Judge Rachel Adams


Appointee
Appointing Judge
Action or Proceeding
Approved Fee
Year Assigned
Committee Donated To:
Donation size
Year of Donation
CAMACHO, VALERIE J
ADAMS, R.
M/O SEZER VS SEZER
$3,028.03
2006
Barbara Panepinto
$750
2006
CAMACHO, VALERIE J
ADAMS, R.
M/O KASANA VS KASANA
$512.50
2005
Barbara Panepinto
$750
2006
CAMACHO, VALERIE J
ADAMS, R.
DESIMONE VS. YODICE
$300.00
2005
Barbara Panepinto
$750
2006
CAMACHO, VALERIE J
ADAMS, R.
M/O GALLO VS GALLO
$189.58
2005
Barbara Panepinto
$750
2006
CAMACHO, VALERIE J
ADAMS, R.
M/O GALLO VS GALLO
$233.33
2005
Barbara Panepinto
$750
2006
CAMACHO, VALERIE J
ADAMS, R.
M/O PFEIFFER VS PFEIFFER
$343.76
2005
Barbara Panepinto
$750
2006
CAMACHO, VALERIE J
ADAMS, R.
M/O PFEIFFER VS PFEIFFER
$229.16
2005
Barbara Panepinto
$750
2006
CAMACHO, VALERIE J
ADAMS, R.
M/O PFEIFFER VS PFEIFFER
$239.58
2005
Barbara Panepinto
$750
2006
CAMACHO, VALERIE J
ADAMS, R.
M/O GALLO VS GALLO
$612.51
2005
Barbara Panepinto
$750
2006
CAMACHO, VALERIE J
ADAMS, R.
M/O PFEIFFER VS PFEIFFER
$250.00
2005
Barbara Panepinto
$750
2006
CAMACHO, VALERIE J
ADAMS, R.
M/O PFEIFFER VS PFEIFFER
$718.76
2005
Barbara Panepinto
$750
2006
CAMACHO, VALERIE J
ADAMS, R.
M/O PFEIFFER VS PFEIFFER
$166.67
2005
Barbara Panepinto
$750
2006
CAMACHO, VALERIE J
ADAMS, R.
DESIMONE VS. YODICE
$175.00
2005
Barbara Panepinto
$750
2006
CAMACHO, VALERIE J
ADAMS, R.
DESIMONE VS. YODICE
$187.50
2005
Barbara Panepinto
$750
2006
CAMACHO, VALERIE J
ADAMS, R.
DESIMONE VS. YODICE
$400.00
2005
Barbara Panepinto
$750
2006
CAMACHO, VALERIE J
ADAMS, R.
M/O VALENTINO VS VALENTINO
$225.97
2004
Barbara Panepinto
$750
2006
CAMACHO, VALERIE J
ADAMS, R.
DESIMONE VS. YODICE
$75.00
2004
Barbara Panepinto
$750
2006
CAMACHO, VALERIE J
ADAMS, R.
DESIMONE VS. YODICE
$697.50
2004
Barbara Panepinto
$750
2006
CAMACHO, VALERIE J
ADAMS, R.
MCPOLIN VS MCPOLIN
$791.67
2004
Barbara Panepinto
$750
2006
CAMACHO, VALERIE J
ADAMS, R.
M/O VALENTINO VS VALENTINO
$83.33
2004
Barbara Panepinto
$750
2006
CAMACHO, VALERIE J
ADAMS, R.
DESIMONE VS. YODICE
$917.25
2004
Barbara Panepinto
$750
2006
CAMACHO, VALERIE J
ADAMS, R.
DESIMONE VS. YODICE
$25.00
2004
Barbara Panepinto
$750
2006
CAMACHO, VALERIE J
ADAMS, R.
DESIMONE VS. YODICE
$512.50
2004
Barbara Panepinto
$750
2006
CAMACHO, VALERIE J
ADAMS, R.
MCPOLIN VS MCPOLIN
$395.83
2004
Barbara Panepinto
$750
2006
CAMACHO, VALERIE J
ADAMS, R.
DESIMONE VS. YODICE
$462.50
2004
Barbara Panepinto
$750
2006
CAMACHO, VALERIE J
ADAMS, R.
DESIMONE VS. YODICE
$364.94
2004
Barbara Panepinto
$750
2006
CAMACHO, VALERIE J
ADAMS, R.
DESIMONE VS. YODICE
$37.50
2004
Barbara Panepinto
$750
2006
CAMACHO, VALERIE J
ADAMS, R.
MCPOLIN VS MCPOLIN
$20.83
2004
Barbara Panepinto
$750
2006
CAMACHO, VALERIE J
ADAMS, R.
OMDAHL VS OMDAHL
$383.34
2004
Barbara Panepinto
$750
2006
CAMACHO, VALERIE J
ADAMS, R.
OMDAHL VS OMDAHL
$100.00
2004
Barbara Panepinto
$750
2006
CAMACHO, VALERIE J
ADAMS, R.
OMDAHL VS OMDAHL
$500.01
2004
Barbara Panepinto
$750
2006
CAMACHO, VALERIE J
ADAMS, R.
MCPOLIN VS MCPOLIN
$166.67
2004
Barbara Panepinto
$750
2006
CAMACHO, VALERIE J
ADAMS, R.
OMDAHL VS OMDAHL
$416.67
2004
Barbara Panepinto
$750
2006
CAMACHO, VALERIE J
ADAMS, R.
MCPOLIN VS MCPOLIN
$125.00
2004
Barbara Panepinto
$750
2006
CONIGATTI, THOMAS R
ADAMS, R.
M/O CENTANZO VS CENTANZO
$945.00
2004
Barbara Panepinto $125
$375
2006
GARRIGAN, KATHLEEN M
ADAMS, R.
KIMBERLY J. NICASTRO VS. JAM
$1,531.00
2005
Barbara Panepinto $125
$125
2006
GARRIGAN, KATHLEEN M
ADAMS, R.
M/O FIGUEROA VS FIGUEROA
$1,620.00
2005
Barbara Panepinto $125
$125
2006
GARRIGAN, KATHLEEN M
ADAMS, R.
A CORRIERE VS C. CORRIERE
$2,435.11
2005
Barbara Panepinto $125
$125
2006
GARRIGAN, KATHLEEN M
ADAMS, R.
S. LANZA VS A. LANZA
$2,841.37
2005
Barbara Panepinto $125
$125
2006
KONKA, VEERA V
ADAMS, R.
M/O K. SQUILLARO VS G. SQUIL
$6,450.00
2007
Barbara Panepinto $125
$100
2006
KONKA, VEERA V
ADAMS, R.
M/O K. SQUILLARO VS G. SQUIL
$6,450.00
2007
Barbara Panepinto $125
$100
2006
KONKA, VEERA V
ADAMS, R.
GDNP ROMANO VS BENJAMIN
$2,887.75
2006
Barbara Panepinto $125
$100
2006
KONKA, VEERA V
ADAMS, R.
M/O LOGATTO VS LOGATTO
$1,875.00
2005
Barbara Panepinto $125
$100
2006
KONKA, VEERA V
ADAMS, R.
M/O RIVERA VS ROMAN
$1,522.50
2005
Barbara Panepinto $125
$100
2006
KONKA, VEERA V
ADAMS, R.
M/O EUGENE VS EUGENE
$1,837.50
2005
Barbara Panepinto $125
$100
2006
KONKA, VEERA V
ADAMS, R.
MIGNOSI VS ROMAN
$2,000.00
2005
Barbara Panepinto $125
$100
2006
KONKA, VEERA V
ADAMS, R.
M/O LICATA VS. LICATA
$1,582.50
2004
Barbara Panepinto $125
$100
2006
KONKA, VEERA V
ADAMS, R.
DEXTER VS DEXTER
$1,537.50
2003
Barbara Panepinto $125
$100
2006
KONKA, VEERA V
ADAMS, R.
DEXTER VS DEXTER
$727.50
2003
Barbara Panepinto $125
$100
2006
LEDERMAN, PHYLLIS R
ADAMS, R.
SIDNEY RUBINFELD VS. NAN RUB
$5,410.00
2006
Barbara Panepinto $125
$250
2006
LEDERMAN, PHYLLIS R
ADAMS, R.
SIDNEY RUBINFELD VS. NAN RUB
$100.00
2003
Barbara Panepinto $125
$250
2006
LEDERMAN, PHYLLIS R
ADAMS, R.
V. CARDIERI VS S. CARDIERI
$1,090.00
2005
Barbara Panepinto $125
$250
2006
LEDERMAN, PHYLLIS R
ADAMS, R.
V. CARDIERI VS S. CARDIERI
$390.00
2004
Barbara Panepinto $125
$250
2006
LEDERMAN, PHYLLIS R
ADAMS, R.
BENNETT VS BENNETT
$349.50
2004
Barbara Panepinto $125
$250
2006
LEDERMAN, PHYLLIS R
ADAMS, R.
BENNETT VS BENNETT
$724.50
2003
Barbara Panepinto $125
$250
2006
MORISANO, ANTHONY J
ADAMS, R.
M/O MILDRED AZRAK VS C. AZRA
$930.00
2006
Barbara Panepinto
$450
2006
MORISANO, ANTHONY J
ADAMS, R.
M/O L. PALUMBO VS SAL PALUMB
$795.00
2006
Barbara Panepinto
$450
2006
MORISANO, ANTHONY J
ADAMS, R.
M/O BLENDER VS SORKIN
$2,595.00
2006
Barbara Panepinto
$450
2006
MORISANO, ANTHONY J
ADAMS, R.
M/O SMITH VS SMITH
$3,630.00
2006
Barbara Panepinto
$450
2006
MORISANO, ANTHONY J
ADAMS, R.
M/O PRINCIPE VS PRINCIPE
$2,500.00
2005
Barbara Panepinto
$450
2006
MORISANO, ANTHONY J
ADAMS, R.
J. RUANE VS P. RUANE
$10,326.00
2005
Barbara Panepinto
$450
2006
MORISANO, ANTHONY J
ADAMS, R.
IANNUZZO VS. IANNUZZO
$3,675.00
2005
Barbara Panepinto
$450
2006
MORISANO, ANTHONY J
ADAMS, R.
TUMMINIA VS. TUMMINIA
$6,280.00
2004
Barbara Panepinto
$450
2006
MORISANO, ANTHONY J
ADAMS, R.
VITACCO VS VITACCO
$2,216.60
2004
Barbara Panepinto
$450
2006
MORISANO, ANTHONY J
ADAMS, R.
J. RUANE VS P. RUANE
$2,266.00
2003
Barbara Panepinto
$450
2006
MORISANO, ANTHONY J
ADAMS, R.
M/O RAVKIN VS. RAVKIN
$3,885.00
2005
Barbara Panepinto
$450
2006
NEWMAN, MITCHELL P
ADAMS, R.
M/O KEANE VS KEANE
$2,587.50
2006
Barbara Panepinto
$125
2006
PANNITTO, ROSA A
ADAMS, R.
M/O K SANTIAMO VS PEGGY A GA
$1,380.00
2006
Barbara Panepinto
$100
2006
PANNITTO, ROSA A
ADAMS, R.
M/O K SANTIAMO VS PEGGY A GA
$4,140.00
2006
Barbara Panepinto
$100
2006
PANNITTO, ROSA A
ADAMS, R.
M/O GALLO VS GALLO
$3,442.00
2006
Barbara Panepinto
$100
2006
PANNITTO, ROSA A
ADAMS, R.
M/O P F SMITH VS N H. SMITH
$510.00
2006
Barbara Panepinto
$100
2006
PANNITTO, ROSA A
ADAMS, R.
PRINZI VS. TARANTO
$4,066.65
2004
Barbara Panepinto
$100
2006
SAMPEL, JAMES J
ADAMS, R.
CASTELLOTI VS. CASTELLOTI
$3,250.00
2003
Barbara Panepinto
$125
2006
BERK, MARC A
ADAMS, R.
M/O DIAZ VS DIAZ
$9,570.00
2006
none
$0
BERK, MARC A
ADAMS, R.
M/O GRANBERG VS. GRANBERG
$7,282.50
2006
none
$0
LEE, CYNTHIA A
ADAMS, R.
M/O KERRI DICERBO VS DEAN DI
$1,500.00
2006
none
$0
O'HALLORAN, BRIAN S
ADAMS, R.
M/O PAK VS PAK
$1,665.00
2005
none
$0

2 comments:

Nora Renzulli said...

When court papers somehow disappear and are not timely acknowledged by the clerk at the Homeport and support staff of Richmond County Supreme Court Judge Barbara Panepinto, there is a problem of the appearance of impropriety. When papers (original and courtesy copy) have been hand delivered by an attorney on the very same day to two different people, a court clerk and the Judge's secretary, what role does the court system have in thoroughly investigating what happened to the papers, particularly when the papers were meant to shed light and substantiate a litigant's assertions of unethical behavior on the part of various players in the case. As a result of the documents being administratively unaccounted for, the arguments contained in them were then left unheeded by Judge Panepinto whose resulting decision issued was adverse to the party whose papers have "disappeared." Then Judge Panepinto refused to recuse herself after it was brought to her attention that the papers suspiciously "disappeared" on her watch.
By the way, later proceedings with the same parties had the judge pointedly complaining on the record that subsequent papers filed were not reaching her chambers from the clerk's office in a timely fashion and and conspicuously noting it on the record.
If I am not mistaken the court officers' association gave her a very large donation to her campaign. Do they realize that she is perhaps attempting to shift the blame for the disappearance or late appearance of the papers onto them by creating a perception (in later proceedings in the same case) on the record that there is a pattern of late arriving papers from the clerk's office?
Perhaps someone in the press would like to delve into whether there was obstruction of the administration of justice under Judge Panepinto. Nora Renzulli

justus said...

Does anyone know of Rosa Pannitto the lawyer/ law guardian?

Who wrote the article including her?