The 'King of Crazy Lawsuits'

by Tom Nadeau

This guy I'd like to interview this guy, Jonathan Lee Riches. His lawsuits speak volumes. Literally.

“Jonathan Lee Riches will be in every local, state, federal court in the world, then when my name gets banned or flagged, the 100’s of AKA’s of mine kick in and refile. I’m Murphy’s Law, the Plague, Cyrus the Lawsuit Virus. I swine flu suits with tainted pork in the courts. I appeal. Anyone is welcome to write me. I appeal.” —Jonathan Lee Riches, March 16, in a motion appealing the decision of Hon. Miriam Goldman, Southern District of New York, denying him representation of Martha Stewart in United States of America v. Stewart.

Comes now Jonathan Lee Riches, aka the “Legislator Crusader,” “Johnny Sue-nami,” the “Duke of Lawsuits,” the “Neal Boortz of Appeal Courts,” “Sue-per-man,” the “Patrick Ewing of Suing,” the “Lawsuit Zeus,” aka “Bernard Madoff,” aka “Irving Picard,” aka “Howard Stern,” aka “Herb Allison,” aka “Robert Alan Meyst,” aka “Farouk AbdulMutallab,” the undisputed world champion of the frivolous, farcical and otherwise insane lawsuit, hell-bent on transforming the court system of the United States, and ultimately the entire world, into the stage for his own twisted brand of humor.

The entire Riches story by Beau Hodai is well worth the entertaining read.

In one of my previous Theaterland columns in the Appeal-Democrat newspaper, I wrote at length about how attending a trial in court was much like -- and at least as much fun -- as going to a stage play, or a first-run movie.

Moreover, Riches is bursting with great ideas for the more litigious of us, or for those of us who are fans of the litigation process on basic principles.

Lawsuits fly in various Griesa matters

by Tom Nadeau

Lawsuits are flying about involving Joseph Griesa, the Marysville businessman who has pleaded no contest to charges that he did not pay certain taxes and that he acted improperly with under-aged female employees.

Griesa has sued one of the several attorneys who have represented him in Yuba County Superior Court in the interlocked and complicated matters of People v. Griesa and People v. Santana, Vasquez.

He also has reportedly filed a separate $5 million cross-complaint in Sutter County Superior Court against a female who in a different lawsuit is accusing him of sexual harassment.

And in an entirely unrelated matter, he is being sued in Sutter County Superior Court by a woman who seeks damages for injuries allegedly suffered in a March 14 traffic accident.

It's a litigious world ... Read more »

Mourners remember G. Dave Teja,famed for prosecuting Juan Corona

by Tom Nadeau

Memorial services for G. Dave Teja were heavily attended Wednesday with the assemblage of family and friends, prosecutors, defense attorneys and cops representing his seven decades of life and service in Sutter County.

He died Aug. 7 of declining health and complications from heart surgery. He was 71.

A former Sutter County Municipal Court, district attorney and public defender, Teja is probably best known for his role in prosecuting labor contractor Juan Corona for the 1971 murders of 25 itinerant farm workers whose bodies were found buried in shallow graves in orchards along the Feather River north of Yuba City.

The sheriff at the time, Roy D. Whiteaker, said even more bodies may have been buried in the area.

Corona was sentenced in 1973 to 25 life sentences. A second trial in 1982 failed to render an acquittal and he was returned to prison to serve out his sentence.

During his 20-year tenure in Sutter County's legal system and another 20 years in private practice, Teja earned a high reputation for his fairness, approachability and sense of humor.

He died Aug. 7 following six-way heart-bypass surgery, family members reported.

Teja remembered ... Read more »