Public Interest, Public Figures, First Amendment, and some celebrity gossip - because, why not?
Wednesday, December 6, 2017
Sunday, November 19, 2017
Leonard Cohen's Plan to Use Fraud Restraining Orders Against Kelley Lynch & LA Superior Court's Assignment of a Dating Relationship to A Sexual Assault/Harassment Victim
Leonard Cohen's premeditated plan to use fraud restraining orders against Kelley Lynch was raised in Natural Wealth's lawsuit against Cohen/Kory for extortion, witness tampering, etc.
145. When these tactics to draw Lynch into
his extortion scheme proved futile, Cohen and Kory – according to Lynch –
turned to far more aggressive means to obtain her cooperation. Indeed, as
heard by other witnesses, Cohen and Kory vowed to "crush her,"
and planned to use restraining orders and other means to prevent her from
serving as a credible witness regarding both Cohen's affairs and in regard to
the scheme into which they had tried without success to draw her.
Natural
Wealth Real Estate, Inc., et al. v. Leonard Cohen, et al. United States
District Court,
District of Colorado, Civil Case No. 05-cv-01233-LTB-MJW
LA Superior Court issued, without any jurisdiction to do so, a fraud domestic violence order to Cohen. Lynch was not served and/or notified of same. The sexual harassment issue was addressed with Robert Kory, Cohen's lawyer, in 2005; has been extensively addressed with numerous courts (including on September 1, 2015 at a hearing on the fraud order), and is now an issue on appeal. LA Superior Court's argument that an individual should have argued something they were unaware of (the fraud domestic violence order) is preposterous. However, Lynch is aware that a celebrity with motive and liability on the horizon is a very special type of litigant with LA Superior Court and the government actors who continue to target her. In fact, Leonard Cohen and his representatives just pick up the phone and summon LAPD's celebrity unit. They then routinely lie to them. Sexual assault, sexual harassment, indecent exposure and masturbating in front of one's female personal manager is not "dating."
Michelle Rice's Scribd account is evidence of the lengths Kory & Rice have gone to target Kelley Lynch for their client, Leonard Cohen. They have benefited financially from their work.
Michelle Rice's Scribd account is evidence of the lengths Kory & Rice have gone to target Kelley Lynch for their client, Leonard Cohen. They have benefited financially from their work.
https://issuu.com/michellel.riceesq./docs/286138362-transcript-of-hearing-9-1
Friday, November 17, 2017
LA Superior Court [Via It's Celebrity Justice Program] Assigns Dating Relationships to Victims of Sexual Harassment, Sexual Assault & Indecent Exposure: See Leonard Cohen's Fraudulent Domestic Violence Order Issued Without Due Process
DECLARATION OF KELLEY LYNCH
I, KELLEY
LYNCH, declare:
1. I
am a citizen of the United States who currently resides in Los
Angeles, California. I am over the age of 18 years. I have
personal knowledge of the facts contained in this declaration and if
called upon to testify I could and would testify competently as to the truth of
the facts stated herein.
2.
I worked as singer-songwriter Leonard Cohen’s personal manager, and in other
capacities, from approximately April 1988 through October 21, 2004.
During this period of time, I was continuously subjected to sexual harassment,
sexual assault, threats with respect to my job, and other wholly unprofessional
and, at times, shocking conduct. This declaration will detail what Los
Angeles Superior Court, LAPD, the City Attorney of Los Angeles, and others,
view as a statutory required brief, intimate “dating relationship” in the State
of California.
3.
From approximately 1984 through April 1988, I worked as legendary music
industry attorney Marty Machat’s legal assistant. Leonard Cohen, Phil
Spector, Peter Gabriel, and many other illustrious artists were clients of
Machat & Machat’s. I first met Leonard Cohen at some point in
1985. I distinctly recall that he was in a very troubled period
psychologically and it involved his relationship with photographer Dominique
Issermann. While I had spoken to Cohen continuously on the phone, I had
never actually met him. He detailed his psychological state, relationship
with Dominique Issermann, and actually informed me that he felt homicidal and
was forced to lock himself in his house in Montreal. As I did not know
Leonard Cohen, I found this situation rather alarming and alerted Mr. Machat
who expressed concern. It was my understanding that Cohen had, at another
point, also suffered some form of meltdown, was walking around New York high on
meth, and carrying a loaded pistol which Marty Machat was forced to confiscate
from him.
4.
One day, Cohen came into our offices and we briefly discussed a book of poetry
on my desk, “First Thought, Best Thought” by Chogyam Trungpa Rinpoche, a
renowned Tibetan Buddhist teacher. Cohen borrowed the book and returned
it to me several days later. In the interim, Marty Machat sent me over to
the Royalton Hotel where Leonard Cohen was staying for approximately one
week. I believe Cohen was in town on a matter related to his recording of
“Take This Waltz” which was included in a 1986 tribute to Federico Garcia Lorca
entitled “Poetas en Nueva York” or “Poets in New York.” Marty Machat
asked me to deliver papers to Cohen at the hotel. I walked over, was
invited upstairs, and knocked on the door. Leonard Cohen opened the door,
pulled me inside, threw me violently up against the wall, shoved his tongue down
my throat and hand down my pants. I found the situation shocking and
asked “What’s the matter, Leonard? Don’t you know how to be friendly with
women?” This question appeared to startle Cohen who quickly apologized
and took the documents from me. I returned to Marty Machat’s office and
discussed the incident with Mr. Machat and other individuals in our offices.
4.
Leonard Cohen spent approximately one week in New York City at this time.
While disturbed by the incident, Marty Machat asked me to attend to Cohen’s
needs while in town. Mr. Machat was traveling to England at that
time. Cohen spent the next seven days glued to the chair next to my
desk. We went out for lunch, he apologized profusely, and I generally
found him to be pleasant and intelligent. The incident was not mentioned
again and soon forgotten.
5.
I did not really have all that much interpersonal interaction with Leonard
Cohen until, after Mr. Machat’s death in April 1988, when he hired me as his
personal manager. From approximately 1984 through April 1988, I met
Leonard Cohen possibly a handful of times. We continued to speak on the
phone and became rather friendly. He was
the Machat & Machat client I was closest with in many ways. I do
recall Cohen being in New York at another period when he asked me to phone
Allen Ginsberg, a friend of mine, to arrange a meeting. I did and Cohen
traveled to the village to meet Allen Ginsberg at his flat. He found a
note on the door informing him that Gregory Corso was in town and he was unable
to meet with Cohen. This infuriated Leonard Cohen. Another time, I
visited Cohen at the Mayflower and he informed me that he had run into Joe
Cocker. Cocker was evidently drunk and amiable. Cohen invited him
up to his room and recounted an incident where Cocker was rifling through
Cohen’s coat pockets, believing it was his own coat, looking for a package of
cigarettes. For some reason, this incident amused Cohen. I believe
this would have been sometime in 1987 as Jennifer Warnes was by then a client
of the Machat firm and I distinctly recall the firm’s involvement in the use of
the Warnes/Cocker duet in the film Dirty Dancing. Phil Spector’s song,
“Be My Baby,” was also used in the film and soundtrack. Also, during this
visit, I recall that Leonard Cohen spent time with a friend of mine who happened
to be in town visiting. At no time were Cohen and I in a brief, intimate
statutory “dating” relationship.
6.
Apart from these two encounters, I really do not recall meeting Cohen
personally during this period of time (1994 until March 1988) until March of 1988
when Cohen flew into town. The reason for this visit was the fact that
Marty Machat was dying of cancer. In January 1988, I attended a Buddhist
event in Colorado and when I returned learned that Marty Machat was diagnosed
with lung cancer. Cohen flew into pick up certain papers and
documents. He also had some personal financial matters to resolve with
Marty Machat. Our encounters during this period were limited to meetings
in Machat & Machat’s offices and, on one occasion, I shared a cab with
Cohen uptown. I may have joined him for dinner. It was a very
disturbing moment in time that involved my being asked to witness Marty
Machat’s Last Will & Testament and visit with him while he was dying.
On this day, Cohen was visiting Mr. Machat’s companion, Avril Giacobbi, and I
lived on the upper west side so we shared a cab uptown together. We
parted ways outside Mr. Machat’s upper east side apartment building.
These encounters evidently led the City Attorney of Los Angeles to inform
jurors that Cohen and I were in a brief, intimate relationship in the
mid-80s. LAPD’s Threat Management Unit evidently felt this was a “sexual
relationship.” I have no idea what a “sexual relationship” is and take
great offense at LAPD’s position that I was in a “sexual relationship” with
Cohen or anyone else for that matter. I have no idea what a “sexual
relationship” is, was not in one with Cohen, we were not in a “dating”
relationship, sexual harassment and assault are not “dating,” and I was Leonard
Cohen’s personal manager. I feel I have been victimized by misogynists
over this and other situations related to Leonard Cohen. He personally
seemed to believe that transforming me into his ex-lover made the fall out
between us, over federal tax and IRS matters, far more salacious and
scandalous.
7.
I will now detail – generally – the conduct of Leonard Cohen with respect to
me, a female personal manager and colleague – for approximately seventeen
years. The City Attorney of Los Angeles evidently believes this conduct,
including indecent exposure and Cohen’s jealous rage over my friendship with
Oliver Stone and other men, is a statutory required brief, intimate, “dating”
relationship meant to “annoy” Leonard Cohen. LA Superior Court has, in
one of its finer moments with respect to me, actually assigned me a secret
“dating” relationship with a man who sexually harassed, sexually assaulted, and
exposed his penis to me for years. This is unconscionable governmental
conduct in all its brazen glory.
Furthermore, in conjunction with the prosecution over a violation of a
restraining order, which I was told by Boulder Combined Court expired on
February 15, 2009, I was prosecuted for annoying Leonard Cohen over his own
conduct and with respect to federal tax matters that were blatantly false. I have now been forced to address this with
Internal Revenue Service and am dealing with a division of IRS with respect to
the entirely perjured and fraudulent legal pleadings submitted to LA Superior
Court (Case No. BC338322) and ultimately used to file/amend Cohen’s tax
returns, apply for/obtain fraudulent tax refunds, and further used to defend
Leonard Cohen with respect to the allegations that he committed criminal tax
fraud. Given the fact that I am in
possession of a memorandum from Robert Kory, stating that Cohen and his
representatives failed to report $8 million in income with respect to one
company alone, it seems impossible to believe that any intelligent person would
conclude that the federal tax controversy is a “ruse.” I am also not in receipt of the IRS required
tax and corporate information that the City Attorney argued that I had in my
possession.
8.
On March 19, 1988, Marty Machat passed away. At that time, Leonard Cohen
hired me as his personal manager. As his “I’m Your Man” world tour would
begin on April 5, 1988, and there were many details to work out, I was
extraordinarily busy. I was also responsible for negotiating new
publishing agreements, sorting through agreements and clarifying contracts for
Cohen, while he and his personal family friend and lawyer, Herschel Weinberg,
sorted through issues related to Cohen’s off-shore accounts, confusion with
respect to certain contracts being “inadvertently” assigned to corporate
entities, Cohen’s green card, and so forth. In the early 90s, I worked
for Jules Zalon. I therefore personally introduced Cohen to this firm and
while on tour, but in New York City, Leonard Cohen personally met with Mr.
Zalon’s partner, Peter Shukat who he in turn hired.
9.
On April 5, 1988, the “I’m Your Man Tour” kicked off in Germany. The tour
would continue through November 1988 with two different stops in New York
City. I distinctly recall, during the first stop (July 1988), Cohen personally
meeting with Peter Shukat. As Cohen was only in town for two days, and
was performing, we did not spend a considerable amount of time together.
The next time Cohen was in New York City was November 16, 1988 for his
appearance at the Beacon Theatre. I recall his being extremely busy,
attended the band’s rehearsal and concert, and accompanied Cohen when he met
with Herschel Weinberg. At this time, I was dating my ex-husband, Douglas
Penick, and was most certainly not interested in any type of romantic or
intimate relationship with Cohen. Cohen, for his part, was still involved
to some degree with Dominique Issermann. He was also seeing a woman from
Venezuela. I did visit Los Angeles for
the tail end of band rehearsals for the “I’m Your Man” tour and, at that time,
visited with Phil Spector who also resided in Los Angeles. While I stayed
with Cohen during this trip, we were not involved in a statutory required brief
intimate dating relationship or any other type of “intimate”
relationship. In fact, I recall Roscoe Beck visiting Cohen’s home the
night I visited Phil Spector. He was there when the car picked me
up. This did infuriate Cohen but, at that point, his jealous rages had not
begun.
10.
At some point in December 1989 or January 1990, my husband, son, and I
relocated to Los Angeles. Leonard Cohen specifically requested that I
relocate which I did. This move resulted in Douglas Penick and I quickly
parting ways as he despised Los Angeles and our relationship fell apart.
Leonard Cohen and I began to spend a tremendous amount of time together,
traveled together, and were seemingly close friends. That would turn out
to be an entirely fraudulent relationship. Cohen’s misconduct towards me
began almost immediately after I relocated to Los Angeles. My offices
were temporarily located in the flat below his. Cohen was dating Rebecca
DeMornay and I became an issue in their relationship. Cohen explained
that he informed DeMornay that I was his “soul mate” and this disturbed her.
Working in this type of environment became extremely uncomfortable and
unprofessional. Cohen’s daughter would actually move into these
offices. According to Cohen, due to the relationship issues with
DeMornay, it was time for me to find a permanent business office which I
did. And, at that time, we renegotiated the terms of my
compensation. As Cohen lived upstairs from my office, from approximately
1990 through late 1994 or early 1995, I would frequently meet with him over
coffee in the mornings, join him for lunch, and we were together throughout the
day.
11.
In 1990, Douglas Penick and I broke up, he left Los Angeles for Colorado, and I
became involved with record producer, Steve Lindsey. Cohen introduced me
to Lindsey who was initially hired to produce the track “Be For Real” for
Cohen’s “The Future” album which was released in 1993. By 1992, I was
pregnant with my younger son, Ray Charles Lindsey. At the time of Ray’s
birth, Cohen and DeMornay were on Hydra, Greece and Cohen and I had never been
involved with one another in any way, shape or form. In fact, at times,
he informed people that this was a corporate resolution – that he and I would
never undermine our relationship by blurring the lines between professional
business conduct, a familial friendship, and/or anything that would faintly
resemble an “intimate” relationship per California’s statute. Ray Charles
Lindsey was born on December 18, 1992 and Leonard Cohen was his godfather which
is utterly and thoroughly appalling, particularly based on his role in the
coordinated custody matter that destroyed my sons’ lives. This was based
upon fraudulent and perjured legal documents and one of LA Superior Court’s
infamous default judgments. That particular matter is over, my son has
reached the age of 18, and my sons can no longer be used as weapons against me
– although the City Attorney targeted me over the coordinated default judgment
custody matter and my older son John Rutger Penick’s horrifying Whole Foods
accident where he had his fingers ripped off by a meat grinder he was not
trained or qualified to use. He was, however, trained to use a cash
register. The City Attorney has argued that these issues “annoy” Leonard
Cohen. That would include, but is not limited, to his exposing his penis
to me routinely and the fact that he falsely accused me of having sex with
Oliver Stone – to my younger son’s father – in order to coordinate a custody
matter that would crush me. This is the true nature of the
folksinger. The City Attorney also informed the Court that I created
stories about Cohen allegedly molesting his daughter. I most certainly
did not. Cohen and his representatives attempted to
obfuscate it with my position that any adult stranger, such as Gianelli, who
attempted to lure my then minor son into privately communicating with him
online should be viewed as a sexual predator. The City Attorney also
willfully used the latter incident against me when, in fact, my email related
to strangers – not Cohen – targeting my sons including Ray Charles Lindsey who
was a minor at that time. I will note for this Court that I repeatedly
contacted LAPD, City Attorney, and District Attorney about this matter.
Instead of taking action, they targeted me over it. Please see Ann
Diamond’s declaration, attached hereto, as it details the molestation
allegation that Leonard Cohen’s daughter made publicly about her father.
Ann Diamond is a former friend of Cohen’s who actually was his “lover” in the
late 70s, around the time that Cohen’s album, produced by Phil Spector, was
released. I personally found Lorca Cohen’s allegations – that her
father molested her -to be extremely disturbing at the time and I am the
individual who had my brother-in-law, an attorney in Canada, ask Ann Diamond to
remove the statements from her blog because they upset Lorca Cohen. Ann
Diamond immediately removed the comments.
Nevertheless, as I have been falsely accused of making these statements,
I feel it is appropriate to address the facts and the truth. Exhibit A: Declaration of Ann Diamond.
12.
At some point in late 1994, Cohen was releasing his book “Stranger Music” in
Canada and the United States. I accompanied Cohen on his book tour.
During this time, he informed me that he was breaking up with Rebecca DeMornay
for me. I was horrified and his conduct, including insisting that I have
sex with him and threatening my job when I refused, was becoming increasingly
problematic. For example, at some point in 1996, I became the personal
manager for Adam Cohen, Leonard Cohen’s son. I accompanied him on a press
junket in Canada. While there, I also met with Corky Laing, drummer for
the band “Mountain” who was working with Alliance, a company interested in
pursuing intellectual property asset deals. The night Adam Cohen and I
planned to fly home, I met with Corky Laing.
The meeting ran a bit late and this, together with traffic, cause us to
miss our plane. When I returned home,
Cohen was in a jealous rage over Corky Laing. This happened repeatedly
including with both Oliver Stone, a friend of mine, and Paul Burger, head of
Sony Canada and Sony Europe. At some point after the release of a tribute
album that I put together for Cohen, and served as executive producer for,
Cohen and I traveled to Toronto for the Canadian album release. Cohen
became furious that our friend, Nancy Southam, located him in Canada, traveled
to the Four Seasons in Toronto, and this evidently interfered with his
so-called romantic plans for the two of us. We traveled home separately,
as I had business in New York, and by the time I arrived home, Cohen was again
in a rage, furious that I refused to have sex with him in Toronto, and fired
numerous people. He, of course, also threatened my job. Things
would normally calm down after a period of time but tended to remain tense for
months. I repeatedly received horrendous letters and faxes from Cohen
that related to these incidents.
13.
In or around 1994, I met Oliver Stone through mutual friends. We were
quite close with Tibetan Buddhist teacher, His Holiness Kusum Lingpa, and
ultimately assisted His Holiness with his Los Angeles center. My
friendship with Oliver Stone disturbed Leonard Cohen. He was undergoing a
difficult period in time, was drinking far too much, and informed me that he was
consuming a tremendous amount of “prescription meth.” His personal
behavior was at times entirely intolerable and I became alarmed by it. I
recall one evening at dinner with Cohen and Oliver Stone where Cohen ended up
on the floor prostrating to me and telling Oliver Stone that I was his
“teacher” and generally embarrassing himself and me. I asked Cohen to
switch seats with me so that he was next to Oliver Stone and I was seated next
to my friend, Richard Rutowski.
14.
From approximately January 1995 through December 1998, Leonard Cohen spent time
on Mt. Baldy at Sasaki Roshi’s Zen Center. As a patron, Cohen was
provided a guest cabin but was frequently in Los Angeles as Roshi often taught
at Rinzai Ji, his center in Los Angeles. At a certain point, I served on
Roshi’s Board of Directors and also became quite close with him. At no
time during this period was Leonard Cohen in a rigorous Buddhist retreat.
He was working on material for his forthcoming studio album, for which he
received an advance and was contractually obligated to deliver, and used the
retreat as a backdrop for interviews and a documentary called “Spring of
1996.” Leonard Cohen was frequently in Los Angeles and lived one block
from my office. This period of time was
exceptionally difficult with respect to the sexual harassment.
15.
During the Mt. Baldy phase, from approximately January 1995 through December
1998, Leonard Cohen began dictating a book that he planned to call “The
Autobiography of Leonard Cohen by Kelley Lynch.” He wanted to copy the
format used for “The Autobiography of Alice B. Toklas by Gertrude Stein.”
I was sitting at Cohen’s kitchen table and, because I take excellent shorthand
notes, he simply began dictating a portion of this planned book. I was
absolutely shocked when he began dictating about his sexual encounters with
Rebecca DeMornay. He went into excruciating details about what it was
like when she would climax sexually. He also routinely provided me with
other excruciating details about his sexual adventures with other women.
Leonard Cohen would hire hookers and evidently liked one young Korean girl,
Number 11, in particular. He would provide me with details, such as his
disdain for her alcohol based perfume, his insistence upon her showering first,
and tell me in great detail about their sexual encounters. It was
intolerable. One night when Ray was quite young, Cohen phoned my home
continuously at about 10 PM. He had rented a room at the Bel Age Hotel, Los
Angeles and demanded that I come over. I hung up the phone, refused to
answer the continuous ringing, and he was furious the next day. This was
the type of ongoing conduct I was exposed to. He would attempt to
manipulate the situation by gossiping and pretending something else was going
on. For instance, he might inform third parties that Steve Lindsey was
jealous of our relationship when in fact there was friction between them.
16.
Leonard Cohen’s kitchen was connected to his bedroom by a small room that
served as his laundry room. I would frequently sit next to the window at
his kitchen table. Cohen constantly
walked in, wearing nothing but boxer shorts, with his penis exposed. At
times, he would massage his penis while standing in front of me. In one
memorable encounter, Cohen asked if he could give me an enema. At other
times, Cohen would ask me to come over, leave the front door open, and I would
wait for him in the kitchen while he finished bathing or showing. Cohen
frequently called me into the bathroom, where he would soak in the tub. He frequently demanded that I read legal and
business documents while he bathed. At these times, he also exposed his
penis to me. It got to the point where I could no longer stand being
alone with him but, as I was his personal manager, supporting my children and
parents, I had no choice. In 1999, I did begin a greeting card company
with the hopes of resigning as his personal manager.
17.
I was also forced to visit Cohen alone in his cabin on Mt. Baldy. I
distinctly recall my last visit to Mt. Baldy. Cohen had a two room
cabin. In one room was a bed, night table, and possibly some other small
furniture. In the other room, Cohen had a desk, recording unit, fax,
computer, and so forth. The bathroom was off the bedroom directly opposite
the bed. On this occasion, I was standing in the bedroom as the door to
the cabin was in that room. Cohen exited the bathroom absolutely naked,
threw me onto the bed, pinned me down, and demanded that I have sex with
him. He was extremely aggressive and appeared capable of
violence.
18.
On another occasion, Steve Lindsey found a letter Cohen had written me.
He became extremely upset and told me that he felt Cohen was in love with
me. I recounted this incident for Cohen who became increasingly paranoid
about it. A day or two later, Lindsey was visiting me at my
offices. Leonard Cohen showed up and Lindsey was furious and left.
Cohen called Lindsey who informed him that he was playing with Ray and was
unable to speak. This caused further problems with me and
Cohen.
19.
As another example, one night when we were all at one of Adam Cohen’s concerts
in Los Angeles, Lindsey, Cohen, Sharon Robinson (Cohen’s background singer and
co-writer who knows Lindsey quite well) and I were all present. Lindsey
refused to say hello to Cohen. This alarmed Cohen as he was forced to
make up some type of story to explain it away for Sharon Robinson.
Cohen’s
obsessive behavior with me began to infest other relationships. For
example, my relationship with Paul Burger, former President of Sony Europe, and
a very close friend of mine. Cohen would attempt to extract information
from Adam Cohen about men I spoke to and I distinctly recall Adam Cohen
advising me that his father questioned him about my interactions with Paul
Burger during our business trip to Marbella, Spain. I was forced to ask
Adam Cohen not to provide any information about me to his father because it
became almost impossible to work with Cohen by then.
20.
This behavior towards me continued up until the moment we parted ways. In
October 2004, not long before we parted ways, Cohen called and asked me to stop
over. I walked over and sat down next to him at his desk. He was
working on his computer. He said “I want to show you something. I’m typing in the words shit, fuck, piss,
cunt” and the next thing I knew Cohen was reviewing images of people online
defecating on one another. I was truly horrified in part by what my
younger son could view online. I returned to the office, explained to my
mother that I would never again visit with Cohen alone, and recall going home
to speak to my sons about online sex. That conversation led me to
conclude that children were indeed exposed to potentially outrageous
information and/or images online.
21.
This type of conduct in no way resembles a statutory “dating
relationship.” It is sadistic, twisted, and deviant conduct. The
position of the City Attorney, as well as the lies and false statements the
prosecutor conveyed to jurors, was and remains unconscionable.
California, as the Appellate Court noted in
Oriola v. Thaler, has not adequately defined a “dating relationship” but I
feel confident that even the most extreme definition of “dating” would not include
the conduct I was subjected to. The new
California definition, created after the Oriola decision, is insufficient as
well. I am now dealing with a government assigned “dating relationship,”
granted to Cohen without my being notified of same, without the statutory
required relationship – after a long history of sexual abuse by Cohen. This is based upon a fraudulent restraining
order issued in Colorado – that was NOT domestic violence – without findings
due to the fact that I found the proceedings disturbing and informed the Court
that Cohen and his lawyers were “insane.” Leonard Cohen and I did not
have a “dating relationship” that involved “frequent, intimate associations
primarily characterized by the expectation of affection or sexual involvement
independent of financial considerations.” I assume the latter may relate
to sex workers but it could also relate to a female colleague who served as Cohen’s
personal manager. Clearly, our work was
reliant upon financial considerations regardless of LA Superior Court’s
position that I should have provided free services to Cohen. This
statute, as it applies to this situation, is not only unconstitutional but it
is vile, revolting, and should sicken people. The fact that the State of
California receives VAWA funds for assigning people this type of relationship
is equally abhorrent. This information is also transmitted into
government databases for which there are apparently no remedies when and if
fraudulent information is transmitted to, for example, CLETS or the Domestic
Violence databases.
I declare
under the penalty of perjury under the laws of the State of California that the
foregoing is true and correct.
This
declaration is executed on this 15th day of November 2016 in Los
Angeles, California.
SIGNED
______________________________________
Kelley Lynch
Kelley Lynch's Motion Barring the Prosecution from "Misstating" Federal Tax Laws, Etc. - Re. Leonard Cohen's Fraudulent Domestic Violence Order (issued to a man who sexually harassed Lynch for years)
MEMORANDUM OF POINTS
& AUTHORITIES
Kelley Lynch respectfully moves this
Court to prohibit the People from engaging in improper and/or blatantly false
argument or other misconduct with respect to federal laws, compliance with
same, federal and state constitutional issues (including with respect to the
Supremacy Clause and First Amendment of the United States Constitution), and any
related misconduct, before the jury at her trial. The entire 2012 trial record
is replete with false statements, perjured testimony, and blatant misstatements
of law related to federal tax laws and compliance with same. As the prosecution is relying on that
conviction, Kelley Lynch asks this Court to prevent a similar set of
circumstances from arising with respect to the proceedings in this case.
BACKGROUND
At
issue in this case are two unconstitutional conflicting state restraining
orders obtained by deceased singer-songwriter Leonard Cohen against his former
personal manager Kelley Lynch: a 2008
order (civil harassment non-domestic violence) issued in Colorado (Boulder
Combined Court Case No. 2008 C 776) and a 2011 order (domestic violence) issued
in California (Los Angeles Superior Court Case No. BQ033717). The orders have been used to obstruct justice
with respect to federal tax matters, sabotage Internal Revenue Service and
other tax authorities, interfere with civil litigation, pursue sham criminal
prosecutions, and to discredit, crush and silence Kelley Lynch.
Leonard Cohen’s pre-meditated plan
to use restraining orders to crush Kelley Lynch and discredit her as a witness
was first raised with the U.S. District Court in Colorado in 2005. This information, overheard by “other
witnesses,” was submitted to the Colorado federal court approximately six
months prior to the issuance of the first Los Angeles Superior Court fraudulent
restraining order against her. It is
important to note that the 2005 Los Angeles Superior Court restraining order
was a civil harassment order – not a domestic violence order. See Natural Wealth Real Estate, Inc., et
al. v. Leonard
Cohen,
et al. United States District Court, District of Colorado, Civil
Case No. 05-cv-01233-LTB-MJW:
145. When these tactics to draw Lynch into
his extortion scheme proved futile, Cohen and Kory – according to Lynch –
turned to far more aggressive means to obtain her cooperation. Indeed, as
heard by other witnesses, Cohen and Kory vowed to "crush her," and
planned to use restraining orders and other means to prevent her from serving
as a credible witness regarding both Cohen's affairs and in regard to the
scheme into which they had tried without success to draw her.
ARGUMENT
In
support of this motion, Ms. Lynch submits the following:
1. Kelley
Lynch is charged with 17 misdemeanor offenses, including alleged violations of
a
protection order issued to Leonard Cohen in
Case No. BQ033717. This is the
California domestic violence order. The
Colorado order is not a domestic violence order and the Boulder Combined Court
maintained exclusive modification jurisdiction.
Lynch is also charged with allegedly making
repeated telephone calls with intent to annoy Leonard Cohen’s lawyers, Michelle
Rice and Robert Kory.
And finally, Lynch is charged with violation of
a domestic violence related order (PC 136.2) issued to Robert Kory during these
proceedings without minimal due process of law.
The alleged violation occurred when an individual, who was not Lynch,
lifted a February 26, 2017 email she sent to the IRS Commissioner’s Staff from
her blog, altered the content, and allegedly transmitted same to Robert
Kory. See Exhibit A: LA Superior Court Docket, attached hereto and
made a part hereof.
2. The
prosecution’s past and current misstatements of law continue to violate Kelley Lynch’s
Sixth Amendment right to a fair trial. These misstatements of law violate other
constitutional rights as well. Misstating
the law may constitute misconduct. People
v. Hill (1998) 17 Cal.4th 800, 819; People v. Bonin, 47 Cal.3d 808, 254 Cal.Rptr. 298,
765 P.2d 460 (1989).
Prosecutorial Misconduct
3. “ It is improper for the prosecutor to misstate the
law generally, and
particularly to
attempt to absolve the prosecution from its prima
facie obligation to overcome reasonable doubt on all elements.” People
v. Hill, supra, 17 Cal.4th at pp. 829–830.
A Fair Trial
4. The prosecutorial misstatements of law will
deprive Lynch of a fair trial. The
U.S. Supreme
Court has defined a “fair trial” as “a trial
resulting in a verdict worthy of confidence.” Kyles v. Whitley, 514 U.S.
419, 434 (1995).
5. Under
both California and federal law, prosecutorial misconduct renders a trial
“fundamentally unfair” and is a violation of
due process. The prosecutor’s misstatements were
not inadvertent or isolated. They
infected the 2012 proceedings and have been used once again in this case. These misstatements of federal and other laws
had substantial and injurious effect and/or influence on the 2012 verdict. During debriefing some of the jurors informed
Lynch’s public defender that they wanted to hear from Internal Revenue
Service. One juror informed Lynch’s
public defender that he felt “sorry” for Leonard Cohen due to DCA Streeter’s
statements that one unidentified corporate account had only $150,000.00 in it
and presented it to the jury as Leonard Cohen’s personal property. See Exhibit B: Declaration of Kelley Lynch, attached hereto
and made a part hereof.
The
Prosecution’s Prior & Ongoing Misconduct Violates the Federal Constitution
& Is Misconduct Under California State Law
6.
A prosecutor's
misconduct constitutes a federal constitutional violation when it
comprises a pattern of conduct “so egregious that it
infects the trial with such unfairness as to make the conviction a denial of
due process.” People v. Hill (1998) 17 Cal.4th 800, 819; People v. Thomas (1992) 2 Cal.4th 489
, 7 Cal.Rptr.2d 199. Conduct by a prosecutor is misconduct under
state law when “it involves the use of deceptive or reprehensible methods to
attempt to persuade either the trial court or the jury.” People v. Linton (2013) 56 Cal. 4th 1146,
1194-1195, 158 Cal.Rptr. 3d 521; People v. Gonzales and Soliz (2011) 52 Cal.4th 254, 305; Hill, supra, 17 Cal.4th at p.
819.) In this regard, “what is crucial to
a claim of prosecutorial misconduct is not the good faith vel non of
the prosecutor, but the potential injury
to the defendant. When . . . the claim focuses on
comments made by the prosecutor before the jury, a court must determine at the
threshold how the remarks would, or could, have been understood by a reasonable
juror.” People v. Benson (1990) 52 Cal.3d 754, 793.
which are being used as a prior conviction against
Lynch), the prosecutor engaged in a pattern of conduct which included
misstating the facts relating to the evidence and witnesses' testimony,
misstating federal tax laws and compliance with same, and making improper
references to alleged facts outside the record.
The prosecution also argued continuously that Leonard Cohen’s conduct
was Lynch’s intent to annoy him.
8. Public prosecutors owe a special duty
to the justice system. See, e.g.,
National District Attorneys Association, The Prosecutor’s Deskbook 3-4
(Healy & Manak, eds. 1971) (as voice of community, prosecutors must have
unquestioned integrity); American Bar Association, Criminal Justice
Standards § 3-1.2(b) (4th Ed. 2015) (“[T]he primary duty of the prosecutor
is to seek justice within the bounds of the law, not merely to convict.”).
9. Improper prosecutorial argument does
not merely offend the Constitution. It
may be so offensive as to raise a double jeopardy bar to retrial. See, e.g., United States v. Jorn,
400 U.S. 470, 485 (1971). For this
reason, what might not otherwise be constitutional error should result in
reversal where the prosecutor is specifically warned pretrial of potential
error and where the error “might have
affected the outcome of the trial.” United
States v. Agurs, 427 U.S. 97, 104 (1976) (emphasis added); see also Chaney
v. Brown, 730 F.2d 1334, 1339-40 (10th Cir. 1984).
Misleading the Jury as to the Law
10. A prosecutor may not mislead the court or
jurors by misstating the law at any stage of the proceedings. See People v. Hill, supra, 17 Cal.4th at 829; People v. Bell (1989)
49 Cal.3d 502, 538.) See
also California Rules of Professional Conduct, rule
5-200 (B): “in presenting a matter
to a tribunal, a member [¶] (B) Shall not seek to mislead the judge, judicial officer, or jury by an
artifice or false statement
of fact or law.” See also Caldwell v.
Mississippi, 472 U.S. 320 (1985), (prosecutors misstated the law when arguing
to the jury); Mooney v. Holohan, 294 U.S. 103 (1935), (prosecutors knowingly
used perjured testimony). Nevertheless,
the prosecution mislead the jurors throughout the 2012 proceedings.
The following areas of
potential bad faith, misstatement of facts and law, as well as any prosecution
misconduct with respect to same are improper and must be prohibited.
MISSTATEMENTS OF THE LAW
It is misconduct to misstate the
law. E.g., in People v. Mendoza (1974) 37
Cal.App.3d 717, 726-727. See Exhibit C: Schedule of Misstatements of Federal Tax Laws
throughout the 2012 proceedings and Relevant Federal Tax Laws, attached hereto
and made a part hereof. The People have
continued to mislead this Court with respect to federal tax laws, compliance
with same, and other relevant and material issues throughout these
proceedings.
FEDERAL LAWS IMPLICATED BY THESE PROCEEDINGS
THE UNAMBIGUOUS SUPREMACY CLAUSE
The
premise of federal supremacy (also known as preemption) is elementary. See Gibbons v. Ogden, 22 U.S. (9
Wheat.) 1, 211 (1824) (noting that state laws contrary to the laws of Congress
are invalid because “in every such case, the act of Congress . . . is supreme;
and the law of the State though enacted in the exercise of powers not
controverted, must yield to it”); Mary Ann K. Bosack, Cigarette Act
Preemption—Refining the Analysis, 66 N.Y.U. L. Rev. 756, 761 (1991) (“When
Congress legislates in an area within its constitutional grant of power, the
supremacy clause mandates that federal law displace state law.”). When a state law conflicts with a federal
law, the Supremacy Clause provides a resolution: federal law trumps state
law. U.S. Const. art. VI; Bosack, supra
note 1, at 761.
The Supremacy
Clause is a clause within Article VI of the U.S. Constitution which dictates that federal
law is the “supreme law of the land.”
This means that courts in every state must follow the Constitution,
laws, and treaties of the federal government in matters which are directly or indirectly
within the government's control. Under the doctrine of preemption, which is based on the Supremacy Clause, federal law
preempts state law, even when the laws conflict.
The federal
government has broad powers under the Supremacy Clause to create, regulate, and
enforce the laws of the United States. The concept of federalism, or that of federal power, has a
long-standing history dating back to the late 1700's, during the time in which
the nation's founding fathers signed the U.S. Constitution. Among those powers,
the federal government has certain express (or “enumerated”)
powers which are specifically spelled out in the U.S. Constitution, including
the right to regulate commerce, declare war, levy taxes, establish immigration
and bankruptcy laws, and so on.
Not only does
the federal government have express powers under the U.S.
Constitution, it also has implied powers, or powers not
specifically mentioned in the Constitution. This was the decision in the
landmark Supreme Court case of McCulloch v. Maryland, 17 U.S. 316 (1819). For example, the Constitution does not
expressly mention the right to privacy, however, these rights can be inferred by the Constitution
itself, or from the later amended Bill of Rights.
Whether
express or implied, federal law will almost always prevail when it interferes
or conflicts with state law, except in circumstances where the federal law is
deemed unconstitutional, or where the Supremacy Clause does not apply. The
federal government has broad powers with respect to issues related to discrimination claims, immigration challenges, federal taxation, and many others.
United
States Supreme Court cases have established that state law is preempted under
the Supremacy Clause in three circumstances. First, Congress can define explicitly
the extent to which its enactments preempt state law. See Sprietsma v.
Mercury Marine, 537 U.S. 51, 62-3 (2002). Second, state law is preempted
where it regulates conduct in a field that Congress intended the federal
government to occupy exclusively. Such an intent may be inferred from a “scheme
of federal regulation ... so pervasive as to make reasonable the inference that
Congress left no room for the States to supplement it,” or where an Act of
Congress “touches a field in which the federal interest is so dominant that the
federal system will be assumed to preclude enforcement of state laws on the
same subject.” Rice v. Santa Fe
Elevator Corp., 331 U.S. 218, 230 (1947). Finally, state law is preempted
to the extent that it actually conflicts with federal law. Thus, the Court has
found preemption where it is impossible for a private party to comply with both
state and federal requirements, see, e.g., Florida Lime & Avocado
Growers, Inc. v. Paul, 373 U.S. 132 (1963), or where state law stands as an
obstacle to the accomplishment and execution of the full purposes and
objectives of Congress. See United States v. Union Central Life Insurance Co.,
368 U.S. 291 (1961) (I.R.C. ' 6323(f) preempted state law requiring that NFTL
contain a description of the taxpayer’s property). See generally Hines v.
Davidowitz, 312 U.S. 52, 66-67 (1941)(if preemption exists, state law
cannot even complement federal law).
The Supremacy Clause, “secures’ federal rights by according
them priority whenever they come in conflict with state law.” Chapman v. Houston Welfare Rights
Organization, 441 U. S. 600, 441 U. S. 613. Pp. 493 U. S. 107-108.
Supremacy Clause Evolution
Modern
preemption doctrine derives from Supremacy Clause jurisprudence, which has
evolved from the nation’s founding to present day. 6 See Mary J. Davis, Unmasking the
Presumption in Favor of Preemption, 53 S.C. L. Rev. 967, 972–75 (2002) (noting
the “long history” of preemption rooted in the Supremacy Clause and the
expansion of preemption doctrine following “the unprecedented legislative
activity of the post-Depression era”); see also Verizon Md. Inc. v. Pub.
Serv. Comm’n, 535 U.S. 635, 642 (2002); Golden State Transit Corp. v.
City of Los Angeles, 493 U.S. 103, 108 (1989); Shaw, 463 U.S. at 96
n.14; Ex parte Young, 209 U.S. 123, 149–50 (1908); Gibbons, 22
U.S. at 1, 211.
RESOLVING CONFLICTING
STATE & FEDERAL LAWS
When
faced with conflicting state and federal law, the Court need only to turn to
the Supremacy
Clause
to find that federal law controls: This
Constitution, and the Laws of the United States which shall be made in
Pursuance thereof; and all Treaties made, or which shall be made, under the
Authority of the United States, shall be the supreme Law of the Land; and the
Judges in every State shall be bound
thereby,
any Thing in the Constitution or Laws of any State to the Contrary
notwithstanding. See U.S. Const. art.
VI, cl. 2; G. Edward White, Revisiting the Ideas of the Founding, 77 U. Cin. L.
Rev. 969, 975–76 (2009).
The
combination of a Supremacy Clause and a Supreme Court to enforce it brought
federal preemption into the fabric of American jurisprudence. See generally Martin v. Hunter’s Lessee,
14 U.S. (1 Wheat.) 304 (1816) (asserting jurisdiction over a state court
decision involving a federal question and holding that a federal treaty
preempted state action); White, supra
note 38, at 980 (“Through the idea of enumerated federal powers, reserved state
powers, and the Supremacy Clause, the drafters of the Constitution said, in
effect, to state legislatures: we will offer you a model of government designed
to function, and, by the way, if it passes laws that conflict with your laws,
you will have to obey them.”). Additionally, the Supremacy Clause ensured a
federalist model for the new nation because it operated in conjunction with
Article I of the Constitution, which conferred power to appoint Senators on
state legislatures. See Bradford R. Clark, Constitutional Compromise and the
Supremacy Clause, 83 Notre Dame L. Rev. 1421, 1432 (2008). Small states had a
guarantee, therefore, that the laws the federal government passed, which were
supreme by definition, were made with state participation. See id.
In
1824, Chief Justice John Marshall recognized in Gibbons v. Ogden that a
state law contrary to a federal law must yield to its federal counterpart
because “the framers of our constitution foresaw this state of things, and
provided for it, by declaring the supremacy not only of itself, but of the laws
made in pursuance of it” by insertion of the Supremacy Clause in the
Constitution. 22 U.S. at 210–11. The Supremacy Clause is enforceable in
state as well as federal courts. Henry M. Hart, Jr., The Relations Between
State and Federal Law, 54 Colum. L. Rev. 489, 507 (1954) (“The supremacy
clause, of course, makes plain that if a state court undertakes to adjudicate a
controversy it must do so in accordance with whatever federal law is
applicable.”). Indeed, until federal question jurisdiction was established in
1875, state courts handled the bulk of Supremacy Clause issues. See Peter L.
Strauss, The Perils of Theory, 83 Notre Dame L. Rev. 1567, 1588 (2008).
The
preemption doctrine under the Supremacy Clause gained full bodied status in the
twentieth century when expansion of Congress’s power under the Commerce Clause
brought greater numbers of state laws into conflict with federal statutes,
requiring the Court to establish a nuanced way to handle this sensitive area of
federalism. See Mary J. Davis, Unmasking
the Presumption in Favor of Preemption, 53 S.C. L. Rev. 967, 972–75 (2002)
(noting the “long history” of preemption rooted in the Supremacy Clause and the
expansion of preemption doctrine following “the unprecedented legislative
activity of the post-Depression era”); see also Verizon Md. Inc. v. Pub.
Serv. Comm’n, 535 U.S. 635, 642 (2002); Golden State Transit Corp. v.
City of Los Angeles, 493 U.S. 103, 108 (1989); Shaw, 463 U.S. at 96
n.14; Ex parte Young, 209 U.S. 123, 149–50 (1908); Gibbons, 22 U.S. at
1, 211.
The
Court, broadly interpreting congressional purpose in the early twentieth
century, often found federal legislation to “occupy the field,” thus preempting
state laws. Id. at 974.
All
preemption cases, whether preemption is asserted prospectively or defensively,
turn on the effect of the Supremacy Clause. See Medtronic, Inc. v. Lohr,
518 U.S. 470, 485 (1996) (noting that in light of the power of the Supremacy
Clause “the purpose of Congress is the ultimate touchstone in every pre-emption
case”).
The
Framers inserted the Supremacy Clause into the Constitution to give explicit
voice to the idea of federalism—that the nation would be comprised of sovereign
states free to make their own laws, except that if those laws conflicted with
federal law then federal law would control.
White, supra note 38, at 978–79.
The Supremacy Clause constitutionalized federal supremacy. See id.
As stated herein: Federal
preemption is based on the Supremacy Clause of the United States Constitution,
which provides that federal law is the supreme law of the land. Preemption can
occur expressly, through the plain words of a federal statute, or can be
implied, as when a court discerns that Congress intends to occupy an entire
field of regulation, or when a court concludes that a state law conflicts with
a federal purpose or the means of achieving that purpose. A federal statute can
be preemptive on its face or as applied.
There are four species of federal preemption: express, conflict, obstacle, and field. Conflict preemption arises when simultaneous
compliance with both state and federal law is impossible. Obstacle preemption arises when state law is
an obstacle to the accomplishment and execution of the full purposes and
objective of federal law. Bronco v.
Wine Co. v. Jolly (2004) 33 Cal.4th 943, 955. The state laws being used to charge and
prosecute Kelley Lynch, including alleged violations of restraining orders
and/or the intent to annoy, are preempted by federal law. The State of California has in effect
criminalized compliance with federal tax and corporate laws. Congress clearly intended to preempt state
law with federal tax laws and compliance with same. This case involves all four species of federal
preemption. State law has been preempted
here because: 1) the law’s subject is
one exclusively within the power of the federal government; 2) there is a
conflict between the state and federal laws such that simultaneous compliance
with both is impossible; and, 3) the state laws impedes in many ways achieving
the goals of the federal laws and policies underlying them. Furthermore, the People are not pursuing any
legitimate government purpose, including with respect to the State of
California itself, by promoting non-compliance with tax laws, the reporting of
income and filing of individual and/or corporate tax returns, and/or condoning
tax evasion and fraud. This is not a
legitimate function and/or purpose of government.
VAWA IS INAPPLICABLE TO CORPORATIONS,
FEDERAL TAX MATTERS PARTNERS, CORPORATE
OFFICERS, & THE CORPORATIONS AT ISSUE DO NOT
HAVE INJUNCTIONS
In Scripps
Health v. Marin, a California Court of Appeals
held that Section 527.6, related to
harassment restraining orders,
“applies only to natural persons. Scripps Health v. Marin (1999)
72 Cal.App.4th 324, 333, 85 Cal.Rptr.2d 86; Diamond View Limited v. Herz (1986)
180 Cal.App.3d 612, 618-619, 225 Cal.Rptr. 651. “The Legislature intended to
provide employers with the remedy of injunctive relief to protect their
employees by preventing unlawful violence where it is reasonably likely such
unlawful violence may occur in the future.”
Scripps Health v. Marin, supra, 72 Cal.App.4th at p. 335,
85 Cal.Rptr.2d 86.
Leonard Cohen has not functioned as Kelley Lynch’s
employer since approximately October 21, 2004, did not seek injunctive relief
as an employer, and no corporation at issue has obtained an injunction related
to itself, its officers, any federal tax matters partner, and/or any employee
whatsoever. That is true for all
corporations at issue herein whether or not they have minimal or no ties whatsoever
to California.
Furthermore, there is no protected relationship in
federal VAWA that would apply to a corporation, its officers, a federal tax
matters partner, and/or any employee of same.
Further issues related to corporations at issue herein with no ties to
California have been implicated by the prosecution’s novel arguments. Finally, although since November 2004 Lynch
has only seen Cohen a handful of times during court appearances, according to
this Court, the nature of their relationship changed on May 25, 2011. Los Angeles Superior Court has merely elected
to assign Lynch a dating relationship with a man who sexually harassed, sexually
assaulted, and exposed himself to Lynch routinely for years.
DEPRIVATION OF PROPERTY RIGHTS
VIA A DOMESTIC VIOLENCE ORDER
ISSUED WITHOUT MINIMAL DUE PROCESS OF LAW
The Fifth Amendment says to the federal government that no
one shall be “deprived of life,
liberty or property without due
process of law.” The
Fourteenth Amendment, ratified in 1868, uses the same eleven words, called
the Due Process Clause,
to describe a legal obligation of all states.
Due process requires that the procedures by which laws are
applied must be evenhanded, so that individuals are not subjected to the
arbitrary exercise of government power.
Thus, where a litigant had the benefit of a full and fair trial in the
state courts, and his rights are measured, not by laws made to affect him
individually, but by general provisions of law applicable to all those in like
condition, he is not deprived of property without due process of law, even if
he can be regarded as deprived of his property by an adverse result. Marchant
v. Pennsylvania R.R., 153 U.S. 380, 386 (1894).
Exactly what procedures are needed to satisfy due process,
however, will vary depending on the circumstances and subject matter
involved. Hagar v. Reclamation Dist., 111 U.S. 701, 708 (1884). “Due process of law is [process which],
following the forms of law, is appropriate to the case and just to the parties
affected. It must be pursued in the ordinary mode prescribed by law; it must be
adapted to the end to be attained; and whenever necessary to the protection of
the parties, it must give them an opportunity to be heard respecting the
justice of the judgment sought. Any legal proceeding enforced by public
authority, whether sanctioned by age or custom or newly devised in the
discretion of the legislative power, which regards and preserves these
principles of liberty and justice, must be held to be due process of law."
Id. at 708; Accord, Hurtado v. California, 110 U.S. 516, 537 (1884).
One of the basic criteria used to establish if due process
is satisfied is whether such procedure was historically required in like
circumstance.
The Requirements of Due Process.—
Although due process tolerates variances in procedure
"appropriate to the nature of the case,”
Mullane v. Central Hanover Trust Co., 339
U.S. 306, 313 (1950).], it is nonetheless possible to identify
its core goals and requirements. First, “procedural due process rules are meant
to protect persons not from the deprivation, but from the mistaken or
unjustified deprivation of life, liberty, or property.” Carey v. Piphus, 435
U.S. 247, 259 (1978). “Procedural due process rules are shaped by the
risk of error inherent in the truth-finding process as applied to the
generality of cases.” Mathews v. Eldridge, 424
U.S. 319, 344 (1976).
Thus, the required elements of due process are those that
“minimize substantively unfair or mistaken deprivations” by enabling persons to
contest the basis upon which a State proposes to deprive them of protected
interests. Fuentes v. Shevin, 407 U.S. 67, 81 (1972).
At times, the Court has also stressed the dignitary importance of procedural
rights, the worth of being able to defend one's interests even if one cannot
change the result. Carey v. Piphus, 435 U.S. 247, 266-67 (1978); Marshall
v. Jerrico, Inc., 446 U.S. 238, 242 (1980);
Nelson v. Adams, 120 S. Ct. 1579 (2000) (amendment of judgement to
impose attorney fees and costs to sole shareholder of liable corporate
structure invalid without notice or opportunity to dispute).
The core of these requirements is notice and a hearing before
an impartial tribunal. Due process may also require an opportunity for
confrontation and cross-examination, and for discovery; that a decision be made
based on the record, and that a party be allowed to be represented by counsel.
Notice & A Hearing
Notice. “An elementary and fundamental
requirement of due process in any proceeding which is to be accorded finality
is notice reasonably calculated, under all the circumstances, to apprise
interested parties of the pendency of the action and afford them an opportunity
to present their objections.” Mullane v. Central Hanover Trust Co., 339 U.S.
306, 314 (1950). See
also Richards v. Jefferson County, 517
U.S. 793(1996)
(res judicata may not apply where taxpayer who challenged a county's occupation
tax was not informed of prior case and where taxpayer interests were not
adequately protected).
The
notice must be sufficient to enable the recipient to determine what is being
proposed and what he must do to prevent the deprivation of his interest. Goldberg v.
Kelly, 397
U.S. 254, 267-68 (1970). Ordinarily,
service of the notice must be reasonably structured to assure that the person
to whom it is directed receives it. Armstrong v. Manzo, 380
U.S. 545, 550 (1965); Robinson
v. Hanrahan, 409
U.S. 38 (1974);
Greene v. Lindsey, 456
U.S. 444 (1982).
Hearing.
“Some form of hearing is required before an individual is finally
deprived of a property [or liberty] interest.”
Mathews v. Eldridge, 424
U.S. 319, 333 (1976). “Parties
whose rights are to be affected are entitled to be heard.” Baldwin v. Hale, 68 U.S.
(1 Wall.) 223, 233 (1863). This
right is a “basic aspect of the duty of government to follow a fair process of
decision making when it acts to deprive a person of his possessions. The
purpose of this requirement is not only to ensure abstract fair play to the
individual. Its purpose, more particularly, is to protect his use and possession
of property from arbitrary encroachment …”
Fuentes v. Shevin, 407
U.S. 67, 80-81 (1972). See Joint
Anti-Fascist Refugee Committee v. McGrath, 341
U.S. 123, 170-71 (1951) (Justice
Frankfurter concurring). Thus, the notice of hearing and the
opportunity to be heard “must be granted at a meaningful time and in a
meaningful manner.” Armstrong v. Manzo, 380
U.S. 545, 552 (1965).
There is a formidable body of constitutional and
California law precluding the summary deprivation of property without due
process, i.e., without notice and hearing. That law was forged in the context
of overreaching creditor’s remedies in which alleged debtors found themselves
summarily deprived of the use of their property without deliberative court
proceedings. See Randone v. Appellate
Department (1971) 5
Cal.3d 536 [96 Cal. Rptr. 709, 488 P.2d 13] [prejudgment attachment procedure
unconstitutional without notice and hearing]; Blair v. Pitchess (1971)
5 Cal.3d 258 [96 Cal. Rptr. 42, 486 P.2d 1242] [same for claim and delivery];
see also Sniadach v. Family Finance Corp. (1969) 395 U.S. 337
[23 L. Ed. 2d 349, 89 S. Ct. 1820] [summary attachments without notice and
hearing unconstitutional].)” Gale v. Superior Court (2004) 122
Cal.App.4th 1388, 1393.
The actions of the
prosecution in this case have served to deprive Kelley Lynch of substantial
property rights that would be represented in the tax documents Leonard Cohen
and the corporations he controlled have not as yet provided her. False and fraudulent information, conveyed to
jurors by the prosecution, with respect to federal tax matters appeared in news
accounts of the 2012 proceedings. On
April 18, 2012, the LA Times wrote an article that contained the following
statements: “Attorneys for Lynch argued throughout the trial
that Lynch's messages contained legitimate requests for tax documents. Cohen
and his attorneys, however, said Lynch has long been in possession of documents
she requested.” On January 13, 2017, DCA
Streeter informed this Court, after blatantly misleading jurors throughout the
2012 proceedings, that the federal tax matters that remain at issue were
Lynch’s prior “excuse.” Federal tax
laws, and compliance with same, are not an “excuse.” See Exhibit D: January 13, 2017 Hearing Transcript, attached
hereto and made a part hereof.
The following quote was taken from the January
13, 2017 preliminary hearing in this case.
MS. STREETER:
So the issue she talked about, the tax return, is the same issue she raised in
the prior
case when she
was convicted, and it's a issue she's been raising since the year 2000, Your
Honor. There is no litigation between she and Mr. Rice -- Miss Rice and Mr.
Kory.
The prosecution’s conduct, both
past and present, has “so infected the trial [and all proceedings] with
unfairness as to ... [be] a denial of due process” under the 14th Amendment to
the U.S. Constitution. Donnelly v.
DeChristophero (1974) 416 U.S. 637, 643 [questionable argument by the
prosecution that the defense wanted the jury to find guilt on a lesser deemed
cured by a specific corrective jury instruction.]
CONCLUSION
In
the present situation, federal law explicitly preempts state law. Additionally, Congress intended that the
federal government exclusively occupy the field at issue. Finally, there is indeed an actual conflict
with and obstruction of federal law. Kelley Lynch contends the prosecution has committed
misconduct in violation of her state and federal constitutional rights to
confrontation, due process, and a fair trial.
For
these reasons, Kelley Lynch respectfully moves this Court to enter an order
granting the motion and prohibiting the People from making improper – or
blatantly false - opening or closing statements or other improper remarks in
this case.
Dated: 16 November 2017 Respectfully submitted,
____________________________________
KELLEY
LYNCH, in Propria Persona
EXHIBIT A
LA SUPERIOR COURT
DOCKET
CASE NO. BQ033717
CASE NO. BQ033717
Case
Number: BQ033717
LEONARD NORMAN COHEN VS KELLEY ANN LYNCH
LEONARD NORMAN COHEN VS KELLEY ANN LYNCH
Filing Date: 05/25/2011
Case Type: Civil Petition - TRO/Dom Violence (General Jurisdiction)
Status: Pending
Case Type: Civil Petition - TRO/Dom Violence (General Jurisdiction)
Status: Pending
Parties
COHEN LEONARD NORMAN -
Petitioner
LYNCH KELLEY ANN -
Respondent
RICE MICHELLE L. -
Attorney for Petitioner
04/04/2012 Request-Copies
05/25/2011 Order-Reg. of Out-of-State DV [Domestic Violence]
Filed by Petitioner
Filed by Petitioner