Well, I should make the papers. It won’t be pretty.
Some of you know the story. This is the simple version. I do battle with some legal aid lawyers who are primarily funded by the US taxpayer. They are unethical extortionists who are not restrained by the economic realities that restrain the most abusive litigation tactics. That government money comes with strings attached, not the least of which is that they are prohibited from representing illegal aliens. I reported the attorneys, repeatedly, to their overlords in DC, and got them thrown off a bunch of cases. I suspect it caused them other headaches, but I can’t be sure on that point.
Anyway, they sued me in federal court in 2013, claiming that I was retaliating against workers who sue their employers by reporting them to ICE, which is not at all what happened. But they wanted me to stop cooperating with the feds.
Anyway, we got the case against me dismissed (twice) without a trial or even the need to produce any evidence. In the five years this has been pending, I have not answered the complaint or presented any evidence on my own behalf because the case was defective on paper.
On appeal, the Ninth Ciruit revived the case by making new law that bailed them out, and in the shadow of their travel ban battle with Trump, assumed the unproven allegations were true, blasted me in a really bad opinion. There have never been any findings of fact, but that did not stop one judge from calling me a “mafioso” and a “serial killer.”
So yesterday we were in SF all day for mediation at the historic 9th Circuit courthouse at 7th and Mission. My former firm’s insurance carrier paid them $1,000,000 to settle the case based on a variety of concerns. Not one penny comes from me, and it isn’t even my insurance, so my rates will be unaffected. Under the policy, I had final say on settlement, and my attorneys (both guys I know personally and trust) advised me strongly to let the carrier settle, which I did. It honestly seems like the other side was most upset at their inability to touch me personally with this. Even the most negative news coverage has helped me, because it makes me look good to those I defend.
But man, a big part of me wanted to fight this case, if nothing else, to expose the truth of what really happened. That truth will be lost forever now, and only the lie codified in the 9th Circuit decision will remain.
But as I tell my clients, looking for vindication in court is a fool’s errand. I always tell them to get out of litigation any time they have the opportunity to do so, and I have to take my own advice.
Come to America illegally, illegally use taxpayer funded resources to sue the legal immigrant farmer who gave you a job, get money, get the lawyers to sue your employer’s lawyers, get them to use their political connections to cut you to the front of the line for a visa, have an insurance company give you a million dollars. God bless America.
Happy Friday Oppo. I am considering canceling all of my appointments and taking Toby for a long hike in the mountains.