Another Judge Lisa Greif text.
Greif had advance notice that something good about OnTrack would be published in the local newspaper:
"Heard that an opinion piece supporting Rita is running tomorrow in the Mail Tribune, signed by Peter Sage, Debra Lee, Bill Thorndike, Jerry and Linda Evans, Lindsay and Jim Berryman, and John Ferris. Get out your barf bags."
Clueless me. I had no idea the judge was on the warpath against OnTrack. And I thought we were a likable, respectable group of people.
Greif's text messages spell out a strategy of helping the plaintiffs in their lawsuit against OnTrack. OnTrack was an addiction recovery organization providing a variety of services under direction of the local courts, of which Greif was a part. Her texts reveal her effort to undermine a fellow judge, to assist the plaintiff's legal strategy, and to help organize and feed the plaintiff's accusations to the media.
The texts called that "dirt." The media take-down of OnTrack was part of the legal strategy, since articles publicizing the accusations might pressure OnTrack to make a generous settlement offer.
"Just keep the pressure on," Greif wrote, in an exchange on June 19, 2017 that discussed creating and delivering a timeline of details to give the Mail Tribune.
As a judge, Greif had credibility to lend to the plaintiff, and she had allies in local media. The texts make references to their "mole." An op-ed was scheduled to be published in the Mail Tribune on Sunday, April 2. The op-ed was signed by ten local citizens, including me, saying "we stand together in gratitude and admiration of Sullivan's lasting impact and hope she continues to assist the community."
Someone at the newspaper had given her a heads up.
[Correction/addition: Or NOT from the newspaper. Judge Greif’s texts describe having and using a “mole” in the media to help place stories, but one need not necessarily have been used here. Her heads-up might have come from elsewhere, including from a Facebook post I myself wrote in advance of the article being published. Her source might have been me. Who is the media "mole?" I don't know and I am not spending any time trying to figure it out. There is a lot of turnover in media personnel.]
The coordinated strategy of Greif and the plaintiffs was largely successful. There was a two year period of relentlessly negative stories about OnTrack. The op-ed signed by this community group was the sole exception.
Did Greif really write that text? Yes.
Below is a screen print of the raw files that emerged from the "discovery" process in the plaintiff lawsuit, with Judge Greif's words are marked in yellow, but with phone numbers smudged out. Greif's name was displayed in the raw files. See for yourself.
Someone at the newspaper had given her a heads up.
[Correction/addition: Or NOT from the newspaper. Judge Greif’s texts describe having and using a “mole” in the media to help place stories, but one need not necessarily have been used here. Her heads-up might have come from elsewhere, including from a Facebook post I myself wrote in advance of the article being published. Her source might have been me. Who is the media "mole?" I don't know and I am not spending any time trying to figure it out. There is a lot of turnover in media personnel.]
The coordinated strategy of Greif and the plaintiffs was largely successful. There was a two year period of relentlessly negative stories about OnTrack. The op-ed signed by this community group was the sole exception.
Did Greif really write that text? Yes.
Below is a screen print of the raw files that emerged from the "discovery" process in the plaintiff lawsuit, with Judge Greif's words are marked in yellow, but with phone numbers smudged out. Greif's name was displayed in the raw files. See for yourself.
5 comments:
Here's the Peter Sage editorial "Celebrating Rita Sullivan" that made Lisa Greif "barf".
https://mailtribune.com/news/top-stories/celebrating-rita-sullivan
The Mail Tribune is just going to wait for this to blow over. This blog may not have equivalent numbers in readership, but I speculate it far far surpasses in education and attention.
Not having been exposed to the Jackson County Courts, despite having lived her most of the last 60 years, I find this whole affair quite upsetting. As Peter has said, our entire system has been inder attack for quite some time, with suspicion of the "system" becoming a societal norm, and I have always felt the Courts to be above this venality. Silly me.
Is there not a Judicial Review Board at the State level, to review incidents like this one ? From the texts by Judge Greif I've seen, she at the very least should be removed from the Bench, and possibly disbarred, for shaming the entire County Court System so thoroughly.
And I agree with Sally, the Mail Tribunes part in this is despicable, and symptomatic of the reasons I no longer subscribe.
Ed: It’s called the Commission on Judicial Fitness:
https://www.courts.oregon.gov/programs/cjfd/complaint/Pages/form.aspx
Anonymous : Thank you for the link. I might have found it had I looked and may yet use it if none of the local attorney's or law firms are willing to step up, and do the right thing.
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