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JUDGE OPTS OUT OF SCHMIDT-KRIKORIAN SUIT
By Barrett J. Brunsman
Cincinnati.com
http://news.cincinnati.com/article/20101019/NEWS010702/10200323/Judge-opts-out-of-Schmidt-Krikorian-suit
Oct 19 2010
Ohio
BATAVIA - Rep. Jean Schmidt's defamation lawsuit against David
Krikorian, a political foe who allegedly said she is beholden to
the Turkish government, has taken on Byzantine overtones in Clermont
County Common Pleas Court.
Judge Victor M. Haddad, a Republican, asked the Ohio Supreme Court
to remove him from the case, noting that he has contributed money to
Schmidt and continues to support her politically.
"I can be fair, (but) that's not the issue," Haddad said. "It's
the appearance."
Schmidt, a Miami Township Republican, represents the 2nd Congressional
District, which includes Clermont County and eastern Hamilton County.
On Oct. 27, visiting Judge John W. Kessler of Montgomery County, who
has been assigned to take over the case, is to schedule hearings on
motions by the attorneys.
Haddad said he didn't get a chance to announce he hoped to be removed
from the case until after Christopher P. Finney, one of Krikorian's
attorneys, said during a Sept. 27 hearing that Schmidt's attorneys
shouldn't represent her.
Finney said he intends to call as witnesses in the case Schmidt
attorneys Bruce E. Fein and Donald C. Brey to question them about
who is paying their legal bills.
It's not Schmidt "but special interest groups ... paying for these
expensive lawyers to sit here and persecute a former political
opponent of Mrs. Schmidt over protected political speech," Finney
told the judge. "She's up to her ears in conflicts of interest and,
in fact, illegal conduct with the Turkish lobby in this country."
The suit claims that Krikorian, an Armenian-American who failed to
unseat Schmidt in 2008, falsely accused her of taking money from
Turkish government-sponsored political action committees to deny the
genocide of 1.5 million Christian Armenians by Muslim Turks during
World War I.
Filed in June, the suit seeks $6.8 million in compensatory and punitive
damages from the Madeira businessman for what Schmidt claims were
false allegations of complicity in campaign finance crimes, bribery
and perjury.
"This court is being abused in a horrific way by a sitting member of
the United States Congress," Finney said. "We believe this case is
frivolous and entirely political. ...
"These statements (made by Krikorian are) a normal part of the
political discourse covered by the First Amendment," Finney said.
Brey denied Finney's allegations and said the suggestion Schmidt's
attorneys should be removed from the case was "sort of trial by
ambush."
Finney's "attempt to depose and take all sorts of attorney-client
privileged documents from me and from Jean Schmidt's other counsel
is utterly improper," Brey said.
From: A. Papazian
By Barrett J. Brunsman
Cincinnati.com
http://news.cincinnati.com/article/20101019/NEWS010702/10200323/Judge-opts-out-of-Schmidt-Krikorian-suit
Oct 19 2010
Ohio
BATAVIA - Rep. Jean Schmidt's defamation lawsuit against David
Krikorian, a political foe who allegedly said she is beholden to
the Turkish government, has taken on Byzantine overtones in Clermont
County Common Pleas Court.
Judge Victor M. Haddad, a Republican, asked the Ohio Supreme Court
to remove him from the case, noting that he has contributed money to
Schmidt and continues to support her politically.
"I can be fair, (but) that's not the issue," Haddad said. "It's
the appearance."
Schmidt, a Miami Township Republican, represents the 2nd Congressional
District, which includes Clermont County and eastern Hamilton County.
On Oct. 27, visiting Judge John W. Kessler of Montgomery County, who
has been assigned to take over the case, is to schedule hearings on
motions by the attorneys.
Haddad said he didn't get a chance to announce he hoped to be removed
from the case until after Christopher P. Finney, one of Krikorian's
attorneys, said during a Sept. 27 hearing that Schmidt's attorneys
shouldn't represent her.
Finney said he intends to call as witnesses in the case Schmidt
attorneys Bruce E. Fein and Donald C. Brey to question them about
who is paying their legal bills.
It's not Schmidt "but special interest groups ... paying for these
expensive lawyers to sit here and persecute a former political
opponent of Mrs. Schmidt over protected political speech," Finney
told the judge. "She's up to her ears in conflicts of interest and,
in fact, illegal conduct with the Turkish lobby in this country."
The suit claims that Krikorian, an Armenian-American who failed to
unseat Schmidt in 2008, falsely accused her of taking money from
Turkish government-sponsored political action committees to deny the
genocide of 1.5 million Christian Armenians by Muslim Turks during
World War I.
Filed in June, the suit seeks $6.8 million in compensatory and punitive
damages from the Madeira businessman for what Schmidt claims were
false allegations of complicity in campaign finance crimes, bribery
and perjury.
"This court is being abused in a horrific way by a sitting member of
the United States Congress," Finney said. "We believe this case is
frivolous and entirely political. ...
"These statements (made by Krikorian are) a normal part of the
political discourse covered by the First Amendment," Finney said.
Brey denied Finney's allegations and said the suggestion Schmidt's
attorneys should be removed from the case was "sort of trial by
ambush."
Finney's "attempt to depose and take all sorts of attorney-client
privileged documents from me and from Jean Schmidt's other counsel
is utterly improper," Brey said.
From: A. Papazian