CCN set to battle pernicious lawsuit

Last evening I learned CCN had lost their lawsuit by a jury, in a trial lasting nearly a week.

To say I was surprised would be an understatement, but having my own dealings with the court in cases where the media is involved, I really am not that dismayed, for once someone has any dealings with the justice system they would say as I do, which is :

“the only people who have any faith in our judicial system are only those who have failed to have any dealings with it”.

I am not going to use a broad brush and paint the whole justice system completely corrupt, for that would be unfair, but in cases where litigants are without financial resources, or in the case where independent news organizations are involved, all that can be said is, “good luck”.

It’s a proven fact those journalist who are real watch dogs for the people are the ones who are vilified, accused of being untruthful, or out for sensationalism.

In the news business there are what is known as embedded journalist.

Those are the ones who ask no questions and follow their marching orders, otherwise they’re not counted as members of the flock and avoided at all cost.

Not knowing all the facts of this instant case I can’t allude to it’s many facets, however the little I do know I can say unequivocally a great injustice was done to a news organization manned by some great and reputable journalist who have worked tirelessly in bringing information to the public they would not have otherwise received by the other embedded news outlets.

Allow me to relate a personal incident I had if I may.

There was a person running for the position of county Sheriff who I took his campaign pictures and was well acquainted with.

He had asked me to keep my ear to the ground and let him know what was being said out in the public.

When I talked with the head of the Sheriffs Association and told they were not going to back this person.

When I related this, the person told me, and I quote, ” what do I care what those S.O.B’s. do, I can nullify any votes they muster against me by going to a senior mobile home park and get 250 votes”

It would of been an altogether different outcome if he had asked me to find out what it was that was causing them to say that, I which I would have, but I could not be associated and faded out of the picture.

Not long after that I was given a packed of information from an officer of a police department containing information regarding this person running for sheriff.

Because I was not an investigative reporter and really knew of none at that time, other than reporters at the TRB, I handed the information over to one of their reporters.

Was a few months after that I ran into the person who was running for sheriff, and when I said hello he said, “I know what you did, I have friends at the Telegram Tribune”.

Had a case where I brought a lawsuit against a SLOPED Officer for ripping me from the driver’s compartment of my news car when working for KCOY T.V. while trying to get to a fatal traffic accident and being detained at a road block.

The officer after ripping me from the driver’s compartment ruptured the disc in my neck and injured my left arm which I had to have operations on and placed on disability.

When I questioned the officer why KSBY was being allowed on the scene and we weren’t he said,”this is their territory, they live here”, When I asked about our first amendment rights he got into my face while tapping on his badge saying,”the hell with your first amendment, I wear the badge and I make the law”.

“I was given a citation for disobeying an officer and when I returned to the station I asked the station manager how they were going to handle it.

The manager said, you get a speeding ticket, that’s you’re problem”. Right, but I was there at your direction” he then replied, here’s how it works, we have to maintain our relations with the community and the police, end of conversation.”

Here’s where it gets interesting.

I was unable to find any attorneys to go up against the fraternity of the police, so I filed my lawsuit in proper, meaning I was representing myself. In the last minuet an attorney comes to my rescue.

We are now in trial and low and behold testifying are three police officers and the reporter that was with me.

All three got on the witness stand, raised their right hand to God and swore to tell the truth when in fact there was only the one officer on the scene at the time of the incident.

I related how we were being detained at a roadblock to my news director on the microphone of the radio when the officer grabbed the mic from my hand and instructed my news director to tell your reporter to obey his order or I was going to be arrested. When the news director question the officer, he threw the microphone back throw the car window, when I reached down to pick it up is when the officer open the driver’s door and ripped me out of the car.

The reporter and I had to write written statements of the incident, which I had the reporters copy.

When she got on the stand and was asked if she ever saw the officer do as I had claimed, she said no. Then was asked how it was I exited the car, she said “Rich open the door and got out”.

I told this attorney who was suppose to be helping me to have her read her written statement aloud, when she did, the whole courtroom gasped audibly.I knew right then and there I had my case won.

The other two officer were also backing the lie, yet no mention of committing perjury was ever mentioned by the presiding judge or brought up by my attorney during closing arguments.

The jury diliberated for ten minutes, came back and found against me.

I learned later the attorney that came to help me was in fact a public defender.

Of course my appeal was rejected by the judge whose name I will mention, Richard Kirkpatrick.

To see the injustice that was done to Cal Coast News is of course a hurtful loss to them, but even a much bigger and more painful loss is to the community and those who depend on honest and fair news reporting.