Dear _______: (Chicago, IL press)
I still remember, in vivid detail, how local Chicago news media gave good coverage of the infamous 'Lessie Towns' mortgage rescue scam—bullying & theft of house (which, of course, endangered her life, as this elderly lady was almost made homeless) http://articles.chicagotribune.com/2009-05-10/news/0905090103_1_trust-bungalow-house-payments
and:
http://abclocal.go.com/story?section=news/local&id=6862674
and:
http://abc7chicago.com/archive/6862674/
and:
https://www.google.com/search?q="lessie+towns"+chicago
This was good for all (good story for you all, your viewers/readers, and, of course, you probably saved this old lady's life).
But, especially considering **four** new developments in the sister case, involving my friend, Mr. Richard B. Daniggelis, his case (((which, as yet, has received no news coverage outside that of The Register, my personal namesake blog: GordonWatts.com hosted on GoDaddy and GordonWayneWatts.com hosted on HostGator – I have separate servers, in case one mirror has a “flat tire” on the Internet Highway – there's a 'spare'))) – Richard's case is far more newsworthy (for your paper/station, your readers/viewers, and Rich is even more a victim, more in need of help). Here, again, are links to downloable court documents and full coverage (regularly UPDATED) of Richard's case:
http://GordonWatts.com/MortgageFraudCourtDocs/DOCKET-MortgageFraudCase.html
http://GordonWayneWatts.com/MortgageFraudCourtDocs/DOCKET-MortgageFraudCase.html
First off, here are the time-sensitive new developments:
((1.)) Richard, who is 76 or 77 years old, by now, has a hearing before Hon. Sanjay T. Tailor, an associate judge in the Law Division of the Cook County Courts, Monday, February 22, 2016, at 09:10 A.M. (CST) in Courtroom 1912, at 50 W. Washington St., at the Daley Center, in GMAC Mortgage, LLC v. Richard B. Daniggelis, et al., Case No: 2007-CH-29738 – before the LAW DIVISION. (Note: The Chancery division case has the same 'style' and case number – which regularly confuses clerks and news reporters!)
((2.)) Attorney Paul L. Shelton, who became famous for his role in the Lessie Towns case (which resulted in him being stripped of his mortgage license), is, as you recall, one of the two attorneys (Joseph Younes is the other) who also did a 'mortgage rescue scam' on Daniggelis (like Shelton did with Towns), and I just learned that Shelton has now **also** lost his law license, and was disbarred. I'm not clear whether my complaints about Shelton & Younes were a factor, but you can read the disbarment statement on the IARDC's website –and cross-posted to my 'comparison chart' summary, which has a cache of said orders:
www.GordonWatts.com/MortgageFraudCourtDocs/Comparing-MsLessieTowns-with-MrRichardDaniggelis.html
and:
As you certainly recall, while Richard's attorney is trying real hard, I actually made stronger arguments (finding a few things he missed), and I'm no “legal dummy,” as I tell the court (and those who are readers of my blog) – for one, I nearly won in court for Terri Schiavo ALL BY MYSELF – on the merits, losing 4-3, and doing better than Jeb Bush did before THE SAME PANEL (he lost 7-0 LOL). (I made better arguments about food/water, whereas he made lame, anemic 'feeding tube' arguments,' not as good as my arguments.) Also, a Federal Appeals court recently allow me to participate in several of the recent 'Gay Marriage' cases: I was the only nonlawyer to participate there or elsewhere. For proof of some of this, here's an excerpt from a court brief I just filed in the United States Supreme Court on an unrelated matter where I'm asking to join another college loan borrower to challenge the constitutionality of the laws that don't even give us the same bankruptcy options as Credit Card users – or the super rich, both of whom are all the time filing bankruptcy:
APPENDIX A: Citations to show Watts' involvement in the famous 'Terri Schiavo' case (nearly won)
[1] In Re: GORDON WAYNE WATTS (as next friend of THERESA MARIE 'TERRI' SCHIAVO), No.
SC03-2420 (Fla. Feb.23, 2005), denied 4-3 on rehearing. (Watts got 42.7% of his panel)
http://www.floridasupremecourt.org/clerk/dispositions/2005/2/03-2420reh.pdf
[2] In Re: JEB BUSH, GOVERNOR OF FLORIDA, ET AL. v. MICHAEL SCHIAVO, GUARDIAN:
THERESA SCHIAVO, No. SC04-925 (Fla. Oct.21, 2004), denied 7-0 on rehearing. (Bush got 0.0% of his panel before the same court) http://www.floridasupremecourt.org/clerk/dispositions/2004/10/04-925reh.pdf
[3] Schiavo ex rel. Schindler v. Schiavo ex rel. Schiavo, 403 F.3d 1223, 2005 WL 648897 (11th Cir.
Mar.23, 2005), denied 2-1 on appeal. (Terri Schiavo's own blood family only got 33.3% of their panel on the Federal Appeals level) http://media.ca11.uscourts.gov/opinions/pub/files/200511556.pdf
Source: www.GordonWatts.com/FannyDeregulation/Tetzlaff-case/Tetzlaff-Intervention-GordonWayneWatts.pdf
And: www.GordonWayneWatts.com/FannyDeregulation/Tetzlaff-case/Tetzlaff-Intervention-GordonWayneWatts.pdf
OK, enough 'bragging about myself' here – I did my part to asure you that I'm not a legal dummy, wasting your time. – Moving on...
More new developments—I said that there were 4 new developments – here are the other two:
((3.)) Richard is either 76 or 77, as I speak (write), and this may be the last chance you get an opportunity to see him alive (and/or do a news story) – you see, the average age for death in America for men is about this age. (And, as he is homeless, both the lack of a house and the stress do NOT help his health – or life-expectancy – any.)
((4.)) The most notable development, in my opinion, is this: Even after diligent inquiry to the court (2 judges flat-out ignored my pleadings – illegal, I think – and Judge Michael Otto, a Chancery associate judge, who actually did rule on my request to file in this case, made total nonsense in his 2 rulings, and appears to be resisting my right to file an appeal, by not ruling on my poverty affidavit), NO ONE (no judge, no lawyer – no one) has been able to explain to me why it was 'OK' (or legal) for the court to simply “snatch away” Daniggelis' home and give it to Younes, even tho Younes did not pay Daniggelis a dime. (And this is a matter of public record, which I argue in my briefs).
PROPOSED SOLUTIONS:
I've complained quite a bit about lack of news coverage, but as one friend once told me, if I complain about a problem, it's incumbent upon me to put-forth some proposed solutions, so here I will. I know that you might want to research this case and/or interview the principles, and I also know you have run into problems in the past, so I will help you navigate this puzzle, shall we?
((1.)) I have not spoke to Rich in ages: He asked me to not call him, but rather, wait until he called me. He's homeless, but I think his cell phone is still good. It is 312-774-4742. (Caveat: he once was 'wishy-washy' about whether Paul Biasco, of DNAInfo, could do a news story, but as you well-know, journalistic standards do NOT allow a person to dictate to a reporter when/when-not to do a story, and one example of this was when Sean Penn 'got permission' from "El Chapo Guzmán" to do a story—and was roundly criticised for this breach of journalistic integrity. IMPORTANT: As Rich is old, any may be getting senile, please do NOT let his 'possible' lack of cooperation deter you from doing the news story that might save his life – and get justice here.
((2.)) Andjelko Galic is Rich's attorney, and he can be reached at 312-217-5433 (cell) or 312-986-1510 (office). CAVEAT: Galic is a well-intentioned man, taking Rich's case 'pro bono' (e.g., for free), but Andjelko has told me in private communications that he does not think that I am helping Rich's case, and he may (or may not?) be cooperative if you mention my name. (You might Google his phone numbers so you can honestly say that's where you got them, and avoid mentioning my name at this juncture-- don't rock the boat until you have the info you need to do the story: Rich's life hangs in the balance!)
((3.)) I gave you the court hearing time, date, and location, which you can verify here https://w3.courtlink.lexisnexis.com/cookcounty/FindDock.asp?NCase=&SearchType=2&Database=2&case_no=&PLtype=2&sname=daniggelis&CDate= the court docket (which I have cached on **MY** website, since the court's website is 'down for maintenance' often!).
((4.)) Barring 1—3 above, here is a 'hail Mary' long-shot method: If You have trouble speaking to the principles, do news coverage based sole on the court documents (and statements from me, of course). Does that sound 'crazy'? Well, yes, but it is not without precedent: Here is but one case of it having been done before:
“What if the Supreme Court agreed to hear a case and nobody showed up?
According to an article this week in the Wall Street Journal, a former Baltimore resident named Bobby Chen, who had sued the city for $2.5 million and petitioned the Supreme Court to hear his case (and even filed his own paperwork, without an attorney, a rarity), got what he asked for. On Nov. 7, the Supreme Court announced it would hear Chen’s case.
Problem is, he’s nowhere to be found. And his main brief is due in to the court Dec. 22.”
“Bobby Chen, the Supreme Court is looking for you ,” by Chris KaltenbachContact Reporter, December 12, 2014, The Baltimore Sun http://www.baltimoresun.com/features/baltimore-insider-blog/bal-bobby-chen-the-supreme-court-is-looking-for-you-20141212-story.html
Cf: http://www.wsj.com/articles/supreme-courts-missing-man-1418172350?mod=WSJ_hp_EditorsPicks
Cf: https://www.inside.com/supremecourt/u4vf9/-llowellw-submitted-Mystery-as-US-supreme-court-pl
Cf: http://www.businessinsider.com/disappearing-supreme-court-litigant-bobby-chen-reappears-2015-2
Cf: “Could Someone Ask Bobby Chen to Call the U.S. Supreme Court?,” December 10, 2014, Source: http://loweringthebar.net/2014/12/bobby-chen.html
If you did coverage on Lessie Towns (who actually did sign away her house – Richard did not), how much more should you give your readers coverage of my intervention in this case – in a timely fashion (like you did for Towns), e.g., not too late to make a difference.
Here, again, are links to downloable court documents and full coverage (regularly UPDATED) of Richard's case:
http://GordonWatts.com/MortgageFraudCourtDocs/DOCKET-MortgageFraudCase.html
http://GordonWayneWatts.com/MortgageFraudCourtDocs/DOCKET-MortgageFraudCase.html
Three questions:
1) Did I “really” do a better job than Daniggelis' lawyers (as I allege)?
2) Does the fact that Shelton is a repeat offender (who lost his mortgage AND law licenses) help the 'newsworthiness' aspect of your story, here?
3) Lastly, what role does the news media play in checks & balances of government (courts, lawmakers, etc.) who make bad decisions—as was done where when the court helped a rich lawyer (Younes) steal an elderly man's house? (I.e., was Dr. Rick Swanson correct when he said that the “Free press doctrine lionized the press as the prime defender of public liberty in its role as a bulwark against governmental tyranny.” cf: http://www.LawCourts.org/LPBR/reviews/martinrowt.htm )
Thx,
Gordon W. Watts