Friday, June 20, 2014

Judge Beverly Wood Obstruction of Justice Alleged in Criminal Complaint - Marin County Court CEO Kim Turner Also Implicated

Marin Court Evidence Tampering Criminal Investigation Request Submitted To Law Enforcement Agencies by Family Law Attorney

Press release from the Center for Judicial Excellence:

SAN RAFAEL – California Family Law Attorney Barbara Kauffman submitted a detailed complaint last week to California law enforcement and judicial oversight officials alleging that Marin County Superior Court Family Law Judge Beverly Wood and Marin County Court Executive Officer Kim Turner participated in backdating official court records. The complaint requests a criminal investigation of Wood and Turner and, if appropriate, indictment for evidence tampering and obstruction of justice. Read the Official June 9, 2014 Complaint to Law Enforcement here.

For the full article click Read more >> below...



The complaint indicates that Wood was previously reported to the California Commission on Judicial Performance in connection with record-tampering concerns, and that Turner previously engaged in the mass destruction of child custody evidence contained in Marin Family Court Services mediation working files during a legislative audit of the Marin Family Court.

MARIN COURT MASS DOCUMENT DESTRUCTION

Turner’s 2009 destruction of child custody mediation working files, which were frequently subpoenaed when parents wanted to challenge a mediator’s recommendation to the court about child custody, took place while she was serving as a member of the Judicial Council of California. The evidence destruction sparked a local public protest and a call for criminal investigation. However, the Marin Court stated that the destruction took place with the knowledge and approval of the California Administrative Office of the Courts (the staff agency of the Judicial Council), and both the AOC and the Marin Court argued that the destroyed documents were not “official court records.” Read the 2010 local Marin news article about this here.

Ironically, Turner was the recipient of the California Judicial Council’s 2013 “William C. Vickrey Leadership in Judicial Administration Award.” According to the Judicial Council, this award honors individuals in judicial administration for “significant contributions to and leadership in their profession.” In making the award to Turner, the Judicial Council noted that she “has been a very active member of a working group improving trial court records management.”

Kauffman made headlines in January 2013 when she initiated Quo Warranto lawsuit proceedings against longtime Shasta County Family Law retired Presiding Judge Jack Halpin, who had been repeatedly “temporarily” assigned to serve on the Shasta County bench for 18 years, which Kauffman alleged violated the public’s constitutional right to elect their local judges. California Chief Justice Tani Cantil-Sakauye removed Halpin from the Shasta County bench within two weeks. Read the 2013 Record Searchlight news article about this here.

MARIN JUDGE & CEO ILLEGALLY BACKDATE ORDERS

The 6/9/14 complaint alleges that the court records that were backdated by Turner and Wood include the official Marin Superior Court register of actions and a minute order pursuant to which Wood herself undertook to strike a judicial disqualification request lodged against her. The disqualification request was based on claims that in a child custody case pending before her, Wood repeatedly gave special treatment to, and engaged in secret communications and hearings with, a former client of her husband’s law firm, Freitas, McCarthy, MacMahon & Keating. Wood’s financial disclosure forms have indicated that Wood has a substantial financial interest in that firm, and that she worked there prior to serving on the Marin bench. Wood and Turner reportedly have refused requests to issue and serve an official Notice of Entry of Order stating the actual date on which the minute order striking the disqualification request was entered. The complaint demands the removal of Wood and Turner from the Marin Courts.

Kauffman’s concerns about conflicts of interest between the Freitas McCarthy firm, Wood and other members of the Marin County bench date back to 2005. Read about these conflict of interest concerns here.

This year alone, at least two judges, Ohio Judge Tracie Hunter and Ohio Judge Harry Jacob III, have been indicted on evidence tampering charges, among others. Texas Judge Denise Pratt resigned to avoid criminal prosecution. Two 
of these three cases directly related to backdated orders.


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5 comments:

  1. These institutions are no longer courts. They are cesspools of incompetence, racketeering and tyranny. Sure, not all the civil servants involved are corrupt, nor are all the bar members. But the corruption is rampant and the non-crooked ones and the ABA have failed in their moral and legal duty to clean them up. Yet they take the money they're paid. "Just following orders," as the Nuremberg saying goes. It has been decades since the republic went way off the rails. These courts are like dens of crime bosses and gangs. The courts are afraid of their victims, the public they rob, kidnap and enslave. That is why they feel the need to be armed to the teeth -- against law-abiding citizens. The betrayal of public trust is of epic proportions and the corrupt and the apathetic public servants know it.

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  2. Hey Bev Woods, can you spell R I C O?

    ReplyDelete
  3. FL 995107 Brookside Orchids in Menlo Park and White Oak Nursery in Pacifica Owner "James Heierle" and Yupa from Thailand.

    Marin Court Executive and AOC facilitated and ordered Marin Court Mediators and their supervisor "Leo Terbieten" destroyed the court working files during State Audited Marin Family Court in violation of Government code 6200

    “This appears to be a case of the foxes guarding the henhouse” said Jean Taylor, Board President of the Center for Judicial Excellence, “but we will see. How can you defend the destruction of important and relevant custody records, while a state legislative audit that is focused on those records is going on?”

    Relevant Background Information
    Government Code 6200
    6200. Every officer having the custody of any record, map, or book, or of any paper or proceeding of any court, filed or deposited in any public office, or placed in his or her hands for any purpose, is punishable by imprisonment in the state prison for two, three, or four years if, as to the whole or any part of the record, map, book, paper, or proceeding, the officer willfully does or permits any other person to do any of the following:
    (a) Steal, remove, or secrete.
    (b) Destroy, mutilate, or deface.
    (c) Alter or falsify.

    Family Code Section 1819
    (a) Except as provided in subdivision (b), upon order of the judge of the family conciliation court, the supervising counselor of conciliation may destroy any record, paper, or document filed or kept in the office of the supervising counselor of conciliation which is more than two years old.
    (b) Records described in subdivision (a) of child custody or visitation mediation may be destroyed when the minor or minors involved are 18 years of age.

    Sworn April 2010 testimony of Marin Family Court Services mediator Meredith Braden (in a case involving a young child)
    “Q. Okay. Well, generally do you have a file for each mediation case?
    A. It’s a little complicated. We do keep files currently, but at one point the directive was that we were no longer keeping files. They were all destroyed.
    Q. They were all destroyed?
    A. Yes.
    Q. Can you tell me who directed you to do that?
    A. It was Kim Turner, to the best of my knowledge, yes.
    Q. What do you mean by to the best of your knowledge?
    A. I mean, we were told, through our supervisor at the time, that that was the policy from above him.
    Q. Who was your supervisor?
    A. Leo Terbeiten. But he has since retired.
    Q. When did he retire?
    A. At the end of 2009.
    Q. End of December?
    A. Yes.
    Q. Okay. So between the period of September 21st, when you interviewed these parties, and the end of December, then were you instructed to throw away your files?
    A. You know, I don’t remember the exact dates. There were — all of the files were destroyed at some point in the Fall. Obviously it was after September 21st. And then the policy was reversed at some point, also in the Fall, prior to December, but I couldn’t tell you exactly when. And so since that time we’ve been maintaining the files again.”

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    Replies
    1. Family Court Corruption across the US-trash the relationship between the protective good parents and their child.


      Marin Family Court Presiding Judge Verna Adams and Judge Beverly Wood rewarded the batterer pervert abusive father "James Heierle" with Sole legal custody even he continues with Foul language and threats to strip the custody against the protective mother. He violated the mother's visitation rights over 63 times. Marin Family Court Judges ignored their own visitation orders.
      _______________________________
      From: obrookside@comcast.net
      To: yupa
      CC: DOstiller@MLPLAW.com; dostiller@gmail.com
      Subject: Re: livermore
      Date: Tue, 30 Oct 2012 19:00:25 -0700

      what the f... are you talking about? And by the way, f you
      _________________________

      From: obrookside@comcast.net
      To: yupa
      Subject: Re: Make sure Jonathan attends tutorial class tomorrow after school until 5 PM
      Date: Mon, 17 Sep 2012 08:10:57 -0700

      you should go back to Thailand and quit pestering us

      ____________________________
      From: obrookside@comcast.net
      To: yupa
      CC: DOstiller@MLPLAW.com
      Subject: Re: Order After Ex Parte Hearing
      Date: Mon, 12 Aug 2013 19:33:11 -0700

      F you, again
      _________________________
      From: obrookside@comcast.net
      To: yupa
      CC: dostiller@mlplaw.com; scott@scottlueders.com
      Subject: Re: a message from Jonathan to Jim
      Date: Mon, 12 Aug 2013 19:19:00 -0700

      F you, again.
      ________________________
      From: obrookside@comcast.net
      To: yupa
      CC: DOstiller@MLPLAW.com; dostiller@gmail.com
      Subject: Re: livermore
      Date: Tue, 30 Oct 2012 19:00:25 -0700

      what the f... are you talking about? And by the way, f you
      ________________________
      From: obrookside@comcast.net
      To: yupa; dostiller@mlplaw.com
      Subject: Re: Jonathan
      Date: Tue, 13 Aug 2013 19:50:33 -0700

      Your custody ends when you arrive in S. F. I will be picking up Jonathan regardless of what you allege or do. If you don't give him the $$ for the camera as promised, he will be pretty disappointed with you. Think about it. YOU have never said when you are returning.

      Delete
  4. There are now many support groups with dozens of mothers who have lost, threatened to lose or who are told not to mention abuse - or risk losing your children - and the entire community is aware, all the Marin lawyers I spoke with,even the Center for Domestic Peace......but no one is willing to stand up for the mothers and children.
    It's going to take a death, huge collective community effort or very high profile politicians or celebrities to draw attention to this massive corruption and court ordered child abuse to finally STOP.
    WAKE UP MARIN!!

    ReplyDelete