The Times Leader posted its candidate interviews conducted in October, 2009. In the interest to educate and pass on as much information as possible for the voters here are the links. I had the pleasure of meeting Judge Olszewski last evening. He is energetic and willing to pound the pavement to keep his seat. Will he keep his seat is another story where only election day will play it out.
Walter Griffith is included in this article so I posted his video here as well. I believe Griffith is going to win and be an excellent choice for Luzerne County Controller. But then again, this is a conservative blog, right Gort??
Judge Peter Paul Olszewski - Retention interview
Judge Tom Burke - Retention interview
Bill Amesbury - Candidate interview video
Richard Hughes - Candidate interview video
Tina Polachek Gartley - Candidate interview video
Walter Griffith - Candidate interview video
Bob Morgan - Candidate interview video
Wil Toole - Candidate interview video
Showing posts with label Peter Paul Olszewski. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Peter Paul Olszewski. Show all posts
Wednesday, October 21, 2009
Friday, September 25, 2009
Repost Of May 11, 2009 on Tina Gartley
Tina Gartley is a candidate for judge in Luzerne County. Her slogan is "The Change We Need- The Justice We Deserve." On her website she mentions that she is married to Scott Gartley. Welll....
Let's go over to Robert Powell's website to take a look. A press release talks about a rumored $10 million dollar settlement for a crash on the Airport Beltway in Hazle Township.
Settlement negotiations began immediately following a hearing Tuesday before Luzerne County Judge Peter Paul Olszewski, who imposed sanctions against GM for discovery violations related to trial of a civil lawsuit.
Olszewski ordered GM to pay expenses of $20,000 to Powell plus $500 for preparation of a motion for sanctions.
The judge also fined GM $100 a day from Aug. 5 to Oct. 4 for missing a court-imposed deadline to turn over engineering change reports related to design of the fuel system of the Blazer.
Attorney Bob Powell said he agreed after the hearing to give GM lawyers 48 hours to obtain corporate approval of the settlement "or we would pull any offer off the table."
Powell said the lawyers called at 4 p.m. Thursday and stated "GM was prepared to meet all of our demands. They insisted on two more caveats. One was confidentiality."
Powell said he called his clients around 6 p.m. and obtained their approval.
Confidentiality??
The battle over GM documents resulted in Olszewski appointing local attorney Scott Gartley to determine which ones were protected by attorney-client privilege.
The judge approved the payment of a $26,925 fee to Gartley and apportioned $22,886.25 to GM and $4,038.75 to the plaintiffs.
The question I have for Tina Gartley is this? How close were you or your husband with Robert Powell? Have you or any member of your family ever been a guest at the Florida condominium connected to judges Mark Ciavarella and Michael Conahan?
Let's go over to Robert Powell's website to take a look. A press release talks about a rumored $10 million dollar settlement for a crash on the Airport Beltway in Hazle Township.
Settlement negotiations began immediately following a hearing Tuesday before Luzerne County Judge Peter Paul Olszewski, who imposed sanctions against GM for discovery violations related to trial of a civil lawsuit.
Olszewski ordered GM to pay expenses of $20,000 to Powell plus $500 for preparation of a motion for sanctions.
The judge also fined GM $100 a day from Aug. 5 to Oct. 4 for missing a court-imposed deadline to turn over engineering change reports related to design of the fuel system of the Blazer.
Attorney Bob Powell said he agreed after the hearing to give GM lawyers 48 hours to obtain corporate approval of the settlement "or we would pull any offer off the table."
Powell said the lawyers called at 4 p.m. Thursday and stated "GM was prepared to meet all of our demands. They insisted on two more caveats. One was confidentiality."
Powell said he called his clients around 6 p.m. and obtained their approval.
Confidentiality??
The battle over GM documents resulted in Olszewski appointing local attorney Scott Gartley to determine which ones were protected by attorney-client privilege.
The judge approved the payment of a $26,925 fee to Gartley and apportioned $22,886.25 to GM and $4,038.75 to the plaintiffs.
The question I have for Tina Gartley is this? How close were you or your husband with Robert Powell? Have you or any member of your family ever been a guest at the Florida condominium connected to judges Mark Ciavarella and Michael Conahan?
Olszewski Caught In "PARTY" Politics
In a story that appears in today's Citizen's Voice by supersleuth Dave Janoski(and Hazleton Standard Speaker) Judge Peter Paul Olszewski maintains that a photo leaked to the media showing him with Micahel Conahan, Ron Bellitiere, and attorney John Kennedy from Forty Fort is a smear attempt to influence his retention bid this November.
Olszewski said he was unaware of either man's alleged criminal activities when the photo was taken in 2005.
"It's obviously being done to embarrass me before the election," Olszewski said of the photo, which shows him, Conahan, the convicted dealer and a Luzerne County attorney holding drinks and liquor bottles in a Florida condominium that Conahan allegedly used to launder kickbacks in the kids-for-cash case.
In a tense, hour-long interview with The Citizens' Voice editors and reporters Thursday, Olszewski said he believes the June 2005 photo was mailed anonymously to the media by Conahan and/or his codefendant, former county Judge Mark A. Ciavarella Jr., to hurt his bid for a second 10-year term in November.
"If you publish this, you're doing Mark's bidding," Olszewski said. "You're doing what the most corrupt judges in the world want you to do."
Olszewski said he clashed with Ciavarella during Ciavarella's last months as president judge, before Ciavarella and Conahan were charged in the kids-for-cash scandal in January. Olszewski said he disagreed with a lawsuit Ciavarella filed against the county commissioners to stall proposed cuts in court staffing and other administrative decisions made by Ciavarella.
Olszewski said shortly after Ciavarella's arrest in January, Ciavarella left him a "rambling," angry voice mail message "castigating" him for comments he made to the media about Ciavarella's tenure as president judge.
Olszewski said three people have told him Ciavarella is still "seething" over the criticism.
I read his editorial explanation/commentary in the Times Leader on why he didn't know what was going on in Ciavarella's courtroom. As Gort said over in his fantastic blog, why was it that everyone knew what was going on in Judge Ann Lokuta's courtroom and no one knew what was going on in Ciavarella's?
Whether or not the electorate will believe him will be born out in the Novemeber bid. Unfortunately, Judge Burke needs to separate himself from this mess. I have heard nothing but admirable accolades about his service and integrity. That is not to contrast in any way with any assessment of Olszewski's work on the bench.
Communication in any relationship is key to its survival. Right now the voters are angry, not just with Luzerne County, but the Pennsylvania legislature, Congress, and the President. They need to be made whole again with respect to government's duty to the people, not to themselves. If any incumbent wants to survive the next few years of election it will be sincere efforts, not pandering that will retain his/her seat.
Getting back to the picture. I have an associate who worked for the CIA for 23 years. One of the tenents in his training was "Dont worry about who you are looking at worry about who is looking at you." Who took the picture? It's not who we see but who we don't see. Who else is missing from the picture that may have been at the condo at the same time.
You may want to revisit my post from May 11, 2009.
Monday, May 11, 2009
Tina Garley and Robert Powell- Powell Law Group
Tina Gartley is a candidate for judge in Luzerne County. Her slogan is "The Change We Need- The Justice We Deserve." On her website she mentions that she is married to Scott Gartley. Welll....
Let's go over to Robert Powell's website to take a look. A press release talks about a rumored $10 million dollar settlement for a crash on the Airport Beltway in Hazle Township.
Settlement negotiations began immediately following a hearing Tuesday before Luzerne County Judge Peter Paul Olszewski, who imposed sanctions against GM for discovery violations related to trial of a civil lawsuit.
Olszewski ordered GM to pay expenses of $20,000 to Powell plus $500 for preparation of a motion for sanctions.
The judge also fined GM $100 a day from Aug. 5 to Oct. 4 for missing a court-imposed deadline to turn over engineering change reports related to design of the fuel system of the Blazer.
Attorney Bob Powell said he agreed after the hearing to give GM lawyers 48 hours to obtain corporate approval of the settlement "or we would pull any offer off the table."
Powell said the lawyers called at 4 p.m. Thursday and stated "GM was prepared to meet all of our demands. They insisted on two more caveats. One was confidentiality."
Powell said he called his clients around 6 p.m. and obtained their approval.
Confidentiality??
The battle over GM documents resulted in Olszewski appointing local attorney Scott Gartley to determine which ones were protected by attorney-client privilege.
The judge approved the payment of a $26,925 fee to Gartley and apportioned $22,886.25 to GM and $4,038.75 to the plaintiffs.
The question I have for Tina Gartley is this? How close were you or your husband with Robert Powell? Have you or any member of your family ever been a guest at the Florida condominium connected to judges Mark Ciavarella and Michael Conahan?
Let's go over to Robert Powell's website to take a look. A press release talks about a rumored $10 million dollar settlement for a crash on the Airport Beltway in Hazle Township.
Settlement negotiations began immediately following a hearing Tuesday before Luzerne County Judge Peter Paul Olszewski, who imposed sanctions against GM for discovery violations related to trial of a civil lawsuit.
Olszewski ordered GM to pay expenses of $20,000 to Powell plus $500 for preparation of a motion for sanctions.
The judge also fined GM $100 a day from Aug. 5 to Oct. 4 for missing a court-imposed deadline to turn over engineering change reports related to design of the fuel system of the Blazer.
Attorney Bob Powell said he agreed after the hearing to give GM lawyers 48 hours to obtain corporate approval of the settlement "or we would pull any offer off the table."
Powell said the lawyers called at 4 p.m. Thursday and stated "GM was prepared to meet all of our demands. They insisted on two more caveats. One was confidentiality."
Powell said he called his clients around 6 p.m. and obtained their approval.
Confidentiality??
The battle over GM documents resulted in Olszewski appointing local attorney Scott Gartley to determine which ones were protected by attorney-client privilege.
The judge approved the payment of a $26,925 fee to Gartley and apportioned $22,886.25 to GM and $4,038.75 to the plaintiffs.
The question I have for Tina Gartley is this? How close were you or your husband with Robert Powell? Have you or any member of your family ever been a guest at the Florida condominium connected to judges Mark Ciavarella and Michael Conahan?
Monday, April 13, 2009
Tensions Are Rising In And Around The Luzerne County Courthouse
The Legal Intelligencer's Peter Hall wrote an article that can be found here concerning the rising tensions inside the Luzerne County Courthouse over the expanded investigation into uninsured and under insured motorist cases(UM/UIM).
The FBI subpoenaed about 80 case files April 2 from the Luzerne County Courthouse as part of the agency's investigation into allegations regarding a possible scheme to inflate uninsured motorist/underinsured motorist arbitration awards by having plaintiff-friendly neutral arbitrators assigned to their cases.
Judge Peter Paul Olszewski Jr. handled 12 of the neutral arbitrator appointments -- more than any of the other nine judges on the list except Conahan and Toole.
Of the remaining 27 cases, nine were handled by former judge Ann H. Lokuta, who was removed from the bench by the Pennsylvania Court of Judicial Discipline last year for reasons unrelated to any criminal investigation; seven were handled by Judge Hugh F. Mundy; six by Judge Joseph M. Augello; two by Judge David Lupas; and one each by Judge Thomas F. Burke and President Judge Chester B. Muroski. One case on the list did not include the name of a judge assigned to handle it.
The Law Weekly first reported rumors that federal authorities were investigating alleged case fixing in UM/UIM arbitration cases in February. In the wake of that story, Muroski launched a review of the court's procedures to appoint neutral arbitrators.
Sources later confirmed the FBI's investigation was ongoing.
Well, you know you can click on the link to read the entire article. However let me highlight the following:
According to court records examined by the Law Weekly involving a selected group of 10 major auto insurance companies, plaintiffs lawyers filed petitions to appoint neutral arbitrators on 43 occasions between 1995 and 2008.
In 29 of those cases, the same six law firms represented the plaintiffs. In 13 of the 43 cases, attorneys from the same six firms, all of which market themselves as plaintiffs firms, were also appointed as neutral arbitrators. Twice, there were no records for plaintiffs attorneys. The names of the appointed arbitrators were not recorded in seven cases.
In 22 of the 43 cases, the judge was either Conahan or Ciavarella. There was no record of a judge in two of those cases.
The outcome of arbitration in which the lawyers named participated is not a public record. There is no evidence to suggest that the result of arbitration in the cases examined was improper. Nor is there anything to suggest plaintiffs law firms did anything improper to be appointed neutral arbitrators. Ciavarella and Conahan have not been charged with anything related to allegations of fixing UM/UIM cases.
The FBI subpoenaed about 80 case files April 2 from the Luzerne County Courthouse as part of the agency's investigation into allegations regarding a possible scheme to inflate uninsured motorist/underinsured motorist arbitration awards by having plaintiff-friendly neutral arbitrators assigned to their cases.
Judge Peter Paul Olszewski Jr. handled 12 of the neutral arbitrator appointments -- more than any of the other nine judges on the list except Conahan and Toole.
Of the remaining 27 cases, nine were handled by former judge Ann H. Lokuta, who was removed from the bench by the Pennsylvania Court of Judicial Discipline last year for reasons unrelated to any criminal investigation; seven were handled by Judge Hugh F. Mundy; six by Judge Joseph M. Augello; two by Judge David Lupas; and one each by Judge Thomas F. Burke and President Judge Chester B. Muroski. One case on the list did not include the name of a judge assigned to handle it.
The Law Weekly first reported rumors that federal authorities were investigating alleged case fixing in UM/UIM arbitration cases in February. In the wake of that story, Muroski launched a review of the court's procedures to appoint neutral arbitrators.
Sources later confirmed the FBI's investigation was ongoing.
Well, you know you can click on the link to read the entire article. However let me highlight the following:
According to court records examined by the Law Weekly involving a selected group of 10 major auto insurance companies, plaintiffs lawyers filed petitions to appoint neutral arbitrators on 43 occasions between 1995 and 2008.
In 29 of those cases, the same six law firms represented the plaintiffs. In 13 of the 43 cases, attorneys from the same six firms, all of which market themselves as plaintiffs firms, were also appointed as neutral arbitrators. Twice, there were no records for plaintiffs attorneys. The names of the appointed arbitrators were not recorded in seven cases.
In 22 of the 43 cases, the judge was either Conahan or Ciavarella. There was no record of a judge in two of those cases.
The outcome of arbitration in which the lawyers named participated is not a public record. There is no evidence to suggest that the result of arbitration in the cases examined was improper. Nor is there anything to suggest plaintiffs law firms did anything improper to be appointed neutral arbitrators. Ciavarella and Conahan have not been charged with anything related to allegations of fixing UM/UIM cases.
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