"Andrew Cuomo" and "Alton Maddox" searched in Google - Got a Tip? Email me at Crystal@CrystalCox.com for Now I Will Post a bit here on this..
""While most people have happily ignored racist disbarred lawyer Alton Maddox for years, I now have learned from Room 8 that he still has some fans.
As a necessary corrective to some of the nonsense recently written about him here, here is what really happened as a result of Maddox’s role in the Brawley hoax.
More than two years after he was found to have defamed a former prosecutor in the Tawana Brawley case, Alton H. Maddox Jr. has finished paying off a $95,000 damage award against him.
The prosecutor, Steven A. Pagones, a former Dutchess County assistant district attorney, received a payment from Mr. Maddox of just over $39,000 on Monday, Karen Blaustein-Birchler, one of Mr. Pagones's lawyers, said yesterday. In 1998, a jury in Dutchess County decided that Mr. Maddox, the Rev. Al Sharpton, C. Vernon Mason and Ms. Brawley had defamed Mr. Pagones by wrongly accusing him of being one of a group of men who abducted and raped Ms. Brawley over several days in 1987.
Last year, Mr. Maddox vowed that he would fight to overturn the verdict in appellate courts and would not pay ''one red penny'' to Mr. Pagones, but the state's highest court later ruled that Mr. Maddox had failed to provide information necessary for an appeal. ""
Source
http://www.r8ny.com/blog/yoda/truth_about_alton_maddox.html
Comments from the Above Site
"Alton Maddox
Submitted by Native Son (not verified) on Thu, 12/17/2009 - 6:45am.
Although Alton Maddox may be subject from time to time to fits of hyperbole, he is not a racist. He is a truth speaker who is not afraid to point out to all and sundry that the emperor is not wearing clothes. Alton Maddox consistantly points out what White folks don't want to hear. I'm not about to swear on a stack of bibles that Mr. Pagones was one of those who raped and humiliated Ms. Brawley, but a 15 year old girl does not put themselves in a plastic bag, smear feces over themselves and write racist epithets on themselves. I am convinced that Tawana Brawley told the truth, aand chose to quietly disengage herself from public view rather than subject herself to further humiliating public scrutiny.
Jury's have been proven to be wrong. Just like the truth came out years and prison terms served later that the Central Park Jogger was not raped by the boys accused.
Btw, OJ did not kill Nicole Simpson and Ron Goldman. Evidence was suppressed that Nicole owed drug dealers a significant amout of money for cocaine. I believe they were killed by either the Mexican or Columbian Mafia. When you owe a criminal organization that much money, they will kill you. "
"by Mary Alice Miller on Fri, 12/18/2009 - 2:49pm.
a few days ago. It is common knowledge within certain circles in the Black community. (I have no dog in this fight, nor am I anyone's fan. The story itself is compelling. I happened to follow it from the beginning.) The past couple of days, I have been attempting to obtain documentation to buttress certain aspects of the story. Please bear with me, it is convoluted, with myriad legalistic twists and turns.
In addition, I am asking you to remember the context: a 15 year old girl was raped and left unconscious in a garbage bag. The alleged perpetrators were men employed in various law enforcement positions. Steven Pagones, who you referenced in your rebuttal, was a Dutchess County assistant district attorney in 1987. His father was a city court judge and his uncle was a family court judge.
Now imagine if any of NYC's well-connected ADA's were accused of being involved in a situation like this. If innocent, all prosecutorial powers would be brought to bear. If guilty, those same prosecutorial powers could be employed to deflect blame. Who would expect anything less?
Here goes:
Pagones sued Maddox for defamation of character of a dead man, Harry Christ, who was also implicated in the incident. Christ, a Duchess County police officer, was said to have committed suicide 2 days after Tawana's description of her perpetrators pointed to him. An autopsy report suppressed for more than 10 years communicated that Christ was likely a homicide victim. The pathologist who actually conducted the autopsy was never called to testify at trial.
The judge was S. Barrett Hickman, who passed away in November 2007. Hickman instructed the jury that "truth is no defense." The jury award damages for defamation of Christ, a dead man, partly based on this instruction. The jury sheet said Maddox did not defame Pagones.
There were 4 counts against Maddox, one of which the jury decided that Maddox did defame Harry Christ. Maddox says the judgement was unlawful because 1) a dead man cannot sue for defamation, and 2) Pagones cannot sue for Harry Christ. Hickman agreed with the jury verdict which Maddox says violated the law.
Maddox refused to pay. After the verdict, Hickman took a trip to South Africa. Judge Tolbert was in charge of the post-verdict proceedings while Hickman was away. Tolbert oversaw a compromise that was sent back to Hickman. Maddox and Pagones agreed that the money would be put in escrow pending a hearing on the lawfulness of the judgement, something akin to a motion to set aside the verdict.
A hearing on the lawfulness of the verdict was to take place when Hichman came back. Hickman did not notify Maddox of his return. Instead, Hickman gave the escrow money to Pagones.
Maddox filed a formal complaint against Hickman for violating the escrow agreement. Hickman was supposed to hold a hearing before dispensing the money.
In the meantime, Hickman reached age 70, the legal age at which a judge is mandated to retire in NYS. Hickman filed an application for extention of his term another 6 years. His application, which is usually granted as a courtesy to jurists, was denied. Maddox says his complaint regarding Hickman's handling of the escrow account contributed to Hickman being compelled to step down from the bench.
Incidentally, Maddox says AG Andrew Cuomo could take up the issue of the lawfulness of the verdict and move to have the money returned to escrow.
Going back to your source, Yoda, as much as it pains me, I have to give the "paper of record" the benefit of the doubt. This time. A search within the paper's website found 9 pages of links to articles on the trial. Nothing about Hickman's mishandling of the escrow. The same thing happened with broader net wide searches.
Why? I called the NYS Commission on Judicial Conduct. Their person in charge of public records told me state law prevents the release of complaint information, which is confidential. Regarding the Commission's decisions, if a judge is publicly sanctioned -- removed, censured, or admonished -- that information is released, and on their website. Some complaints and subsequent decisions are not made public. In Hickman's case, he was "not publicly sanctioned." which meant she "can't disclose if the judge was removed, censured or admonished." She could not tell me if a complaint was filed against Hickman, even though he is deceased. She did say a complaintant was welcome to request a copy of their original complaint, in writing and signed. The complaintant could also ask for a copy of the commission's decision, which could be provided as a courtesy.
Of course, I asked Maddox for his records. He could not immediately put his hands on the documents, for reasons I won't go into.
The reason the Black community knows about Hickman is that Maddox has been telling us what has been going on over the years. There may be one newspaper, now defunct, that more than likely covered the story better than the Times. That pre-internet paper, The City Sun, was popular in it's day. It should be archived somewhere. When I get a chance, I will check.
In addition, the Black community has a tradition of going to court and observing proceedings in particular cases. It is the American way. There are many who witnessed the whole thing, first hand.
Pagones' name will not go away partly because one of the members of the original Brawley Grand Jury gave an interview more than 20 years ago regarding what happened in that Grand Jury. That member of the jury said among other things, that they were struck by testimony that Pagones had stated that a girl was found in a garbage bag 2 hours before Tawana was found. This interview was videotaped and has been available all these years. I can get you a copy, if you like.
There are many who see the issue surrounding Maddox's license to practice law, and the current challenges to his home and office, as continuations of legal vindictiveness and abuse. More on Maddox's license at another time.
by Mary Alice Miller on Fri, 12/18/2009 - 3:52pm.
to violate the law.
As I wrote, there were many witnesses to the whole thing. Black people were present in court daily to witness the proceedings. I guess that doesn't count.
Like I said, when I get a chance I will look up City Sun archives. (The original City Sun was a Black newspaper owned by the late Andrew Cooper.)
BTW, if a propaganda machine does not cover a story, does that mean it did not happen?
Memo to Black folk: if you do not support your papers and journalists financially, consistently, and with a measure of sophistication, you cannot effectively compete in the marketplace of ideas. I have been deliberately avoiding writing on this topic, but sooner or later I will. And it won't be pretty.
"Submitted by Mary Alice Miller on Fri, 12/18/2009 - 5:30pm.
They covered the Tawana Brawley incident extensively, and published a 40 page special edition.
He will put it up this weekend. When it goes up, I will post a link here.
I don't expect that to be enough for you, but that's OK. I have experience dealing with recalcitrance, and don't get upset when people demonstrate they don't know, or resist new information. Especially when they have been indoctrinated with one-sided, limited, slanted points of view. "
Source
http://www.r8ny.com/blog/yoda/truth_about_alton_maddox.html
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