What a day! I finally got around to listing all the many things I have to do on all the lawsuits and was astonished by the volume of work that I have to get done. And that’s just to keep up with the workload. A relaxing interlude is not in the offing at the moment. But just as well, it's a world class education I am getting.
I missed a CMC Hearing on Lacambra vs Glass et al recently because of a flu I contracted that kept me bedridden - a word that is wholly imprecise since I haven't slept in a bed in months. Living in a car without the proper weather insulation and heating system will do that to you. The downside to that was I once again incited the anger of Judge Banks. But rightly so, judges should have a great disdain for attorneys who miss hearings. For one it slows down the process and increases the expense for all the parties. And second, it shows contempt for the judicial process. Judges recognize the fact that most attorneys usually practice within a firm and can call upon a colleague to stand in for them in case of an emergency. Unfortunately for me, I don’t belong to a law firm and don’t have a colleague to appear on my behalf. One should expect that a situation like this would have consequences. Indeed, it does.
A letter I received from the court has ordered me to appear. Formally, the proceeding is called “Order to Show Cause” and the hearing is scheduled for the 18th of July. In the interim, I am required to deposit with the court clerk the amount of $750 by the 14th. For anyone with a litigation budget like mine, that creates a huge challenge. I’ll have to wheel and deal on the money and hope that my explanation is acceptable. The consequences can be severe amounting to either losing that money or my case being thrown out completely, or both. That is not a good thing and there is only one thing left for me to do – I have got to ESCALATE in the most severe way.
This week I am preparing a number of motions to try to push this issue to an early and equitable conclusion. My approach has been lax on this particular case because it involves family. By contrast, the two other cases I have filed around the same time have passed through pleadings and already have trial dates. Clearly, the intensity level on this case was not as thunderous as the others. But it will be no more. In the coming weeks, there will be two operative, if not, concussive words – SALVO and INCOMING.
Fair Warning: They had better put on their helmets because there is hell to pay!
