A Lawyery Day

The only places to park near the Rockford Federal Courthouse only allow parking for two hours.

I spent the day in Rockford’s new Federal Courthouse.

Good looking building, completed by the General Services Administration only about a year and a half behind schedule with the last repair being the installation of a new air conditioner on the new roof, according to the guards the last time around.

The big problem with the facility is there is no place for court parking.

The next door garage is being repaired. So, if you don’t have a permit, forget it.

One used to be able to park there for the day for well under $10.

There are all sorts of two-hour parking spaces.

So, what do you do when you’re in the courtroom of a conscientious Judge like Frederick Kapala?

He doesn’t give attorneys and spectators a break every two hours to go move cars from one space to another space.

He keeps right on working.

After the hearing, I was told by Rockford attorney John Nelson that the parking fine is $20.

He pointed out that by Chicago standards that might not sound outrageous, but it is considered so in Rockford.

So what does the title of this article mean?

There were two witnesses Tuesday in Deputy Sheriff Zane Seipler’s wrongful termination suit.

The first was Seipler attorney Blake Horwitz.

He was on the stand three-fourths of the day being grilled by James Sotos and Horwitz associate Dan Dorfman.

Rockford Attorney John Nelson was on the receiving end of questions Tuesday.

The second was Nelson, who has twice acted as Rose Seipler’s attorney in this case.

The testimony of those two got us past 5PM, when the parking spaces are not limited to two hour shifts.

I managed to get through the day without a parking ticket.

Nelson had been waiting twelve hours to testify as questioning of Zane Seipler dragged on and on and on and on.

He finally got his chance today, but there are six more witnesses scheduled by Blake Horwitz for the next hearing at the end of August:

  1. Scott Milliman (who has also been waiting outside the courtroom for five court days)
  2. James Sotos (Sheriff Keith Nygren’s Department’s chief defense attorney)
  3. Blake Horwitz (Zane Seipler’s attorney)
  4. Zane Seipler
  5. Rose Seipler
  6. Dennis Giovanni (Rose Seipler’s current attorney)

If you are intrigued with attorney-client privilege, legal ethics, conflict of interest, timelines of what an attorney knew when, computer addresses of blogs, etc., this courtroom was for you.

After Nelson finished testifying, he told me that by being in Rockford in the morning I had missed Judge Thomas Meyer’s ordering all the attorneys in the Grafton Township Assessor v. Supervisor Linda Moore case be paid.

Those will include Nelson, Mike Poper and Ancel Glink for the Trustees, the latter at the suggestion of Judge Meyer.


Comments

A Lawyery Day — 4 Comments

  1. What you are looking at here Cal, and readers, will be the first ever case of what has never been brought before the courts before, that is, “Second Hand Contempt!”

    Clearly, Zane Seipler did not pass any ‘sealed’ documents. The argument will now focus on a household member and an “ancillary” party violation of the courts order.

    “IF” Attorney James Sotos can convince Judge Kapala that a “Second Hand Contempt” argument is viable, then he may rule in Sotos (Nygren’s) favor and dismiss Seipler’s case against the Sheriffs Department.

    “If” the judge says there are no current cases showing precedence on any so called “Second Hand Contempt,” and the case should move forward, THEN, Attorney Sotos will take this argument all the way to the United States Supreme Court for a decision.

    I think we are possibly looking at this case grinding on for five more years before, if ever, it appears before any jury. At a cost that none of us could fathom!

    The legal fees (billable hours) plus fuel running all over N. Illinois, must be bleeding attorney Blake Horwitz by now. Not to mention Zane Seipler and his family as now Mrs. Seipler has to have her own defense counsel.

    I think we all have seen many ugly things going on. Things of a criminal nature, things with surreptitious clouds hanging over certain individuals. (Although the documents were ordered sealed, we know what they all show just as we know what the ‘sealed’ Deputy Milliman Deposition showed. We turn a blind eye to these facts.)

    Not one single person in power within McHenry County, has had the courage to bring the parties to the table to break bread peacefully and negotiate the issues with the end game being, settle!

    Settle “ALL” these matters for the good of God and County. For the elderly and our children who have to live by the rule of laws in what has seemingly become a ‘lawless county.’

    I had known Ken Koehler many years ago. I knew Ken to be a man of business strength, a man of his word, a hard nosed yet fair man to work with.

    I respected Ken Koehler and enjoyed a wonderful business relationship with Ken.

    I do not know this man who I see as Ken Koehler? A man who is sitting back and not stepping up in a public way and being a peace maker and leader during hard times regarding tough and very personal issues. Issues that have an affect on the lives of all county residents.

    The Ken Koehler I knew, was far from any coward. He was a handsome, articulate, strong minded, hard working businessman and employer, and a great neighbor.

    Many of you may or may not approve of my methods of placing forth what has ‘Really’ been going on. None of that matters anymore. I don’t matter.

    “We” as a county, (yes I moved out of the county a few years ago now, I fully intend to return to McHenry County in the next year) so yes, I am concerned about its future.

    There have been death threats, there have been Federal Agents talking about death hits, at least to me they have been, and I fear Mr. Bianchi for some reason is holding back from doing his job. I have concern over that to be certain.

    Can we collectively call upon McHenry County Board Chairman Ken Koehler, and ask him to please intervene, mediate without regard for egos, and step up and be the good, strong man I know he is deep inside and put an end to all this.

    We cannot unwind the hands of time. But, if we set egos aside, if we reflect upon our christian values, ask God for guidance and wisdom, maybe we can stop what is surely to end in one horrific demise of all civility within McHenry County for the next decade. Or worse!

    Mr. Chairman, can we get a promissory statement from you personally, that you will work hard to bring our home back to us all, and show us a future full of bright ideals, business and educational growth, and most of all, a government by the people and for the people.

    Citizens, we too need to play our part. You have seen some very ugly evidence. Believe what you will, but use your power to exact changes that will further progress, not hinder.

    Allow those who ‘need’ to move on to peacefully and safely move on from office and into their new lives, stopping the law suits and the certain ruination of what can be a great county with all is bounty.

    Thank you.

    David Bachmann

  2. Very comprehensive assessment of Ken Koehler by Mr. Bachman..

    It’s not likely Koehler will step up, as a “public servant”.

    Much too busy guarding his winnings at the poker table they call McHenry County politics.

    Need to replace Koehler; remember there IS a contest in November for his County Board seat.

  3. I still find the whole “my wife ran behind my back and posted sensitive documents that I shouldn’t have really had in my house but came via my attorney” argument laughable.

    There is little argument that Zane authored his blog, ergo there is a less than small leap in logic to conclude he (at minimum) tacitly supported the posting of these internal documents.

    To contend any less is beyond silly.

    Throw the wife under the bus in the hopes nothing sticks-great philosophy for someone who portends to take the high road and will most likely continue to toss his hat in the political arena.

    If one is going to fight from a place of moral superiority than stand up and take whatever being in such a commendable and honorable position gives you, plain and simple.

    Anything less is, at worst, politics as usual.

  4. It was NOT on HIS blog.

    Get your facts straight.

    He never denied the blog that HE authored.

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