Boys amongst men: I promise Mommy I’ll be a good boy from now on. A Jefferson Parish Council federal grand jury corruption subpoena and Waste Management lawsuit update.

Folks I’ve been dutifully collecting links and today I’ll solve the small mystery of why I tagged Gambit man Clancy Dubos with my Sunday music dedication and hopefully provide additional fodder for the grist mill. Let’s start with this story from Paul Rioux from last Friday where Chris Roberts, likely shaken from his second appearance before the federal grand jury that is exploring the corruption scandal which erupted under his watch on the parish Council proclaims the River Birch contract will finally be cancelled. From the sound of the comments to the story, the public isn’t buying Robert’s bullshit or his sudden deathbed conversion to a twisted sort of good government activist, not after he spent the last 2 years trying his best to line Fred Heebe’s pockets with taxpayer loot.

Next up is Rich Rainey, who let us know Sunday what we mostly already knew that the federal investigation is casting a very wide net into the multiple scams run by Jefferson Parish politicos and certain parish venders. Rich was kind enough to acknowledge the rampant rumor mill though not specifically my bad prediction of indictments by last Friday, which we all know did not happen.

I’ll add indictment rumors are notoriously unreliable though Vinny Mosca posited his estimate of the accuracy rate of the rumor mill at around 50%. The biggest piece of news that was missed by everyone in Rich’s article is that Broussard has a new lawyer, Robert Jenkins, who evidently has replaced the ailing Mike Ellis.  Have the folks at Chehardy Sherman abandoned AB? There is a back story on this developement that is worth knowing.

As for AB’s new lawyer Robert Jenkins, he was described this way by a member of the Slabbed legal team:

somewhat inarticulate lawyer who does most of his work in Orleans Criminal District Court. Not a white collar defense guy and not one of the guys who comes to mind for a defense in Fed. Ct. This is a stunning turn of events.

We also have this recent you tube embed from the normally Jefferson Parish newsless WDSU channel 6 that shows Mr Jenkins in action.

Next up is a breaking story by Paul Rioux on the settlement talks between Waste Management and the Parish, which is getting its ass kicked in court trying to cancel the contract between the Parish and Waste Management in litigation Chris Roberts originally voted to sanction.  This piece has several very newsworthy elements including this gem:

Meanwhile, River Birch is fighting a Waste Management subpoena demanding the landfill turn over documents related to its own study, which concluded the River Birch contract would save the parish at least $42 million over 25 years.

Waste Management said it is entitled to the documents because the question of whether the River Birch contract would yield “substantial savings” is a key issue in the parish’s attempt to terminate Waste Management’s dump-management contract.

But River Birch contends Waste Management is going on a fishing expedition for documents to support a potential defamation suit against the landfill over a series of full-page ads River Birch ran in The Times-Picayune.

The ads, which appeared in January and February, tout the landfill’s contract by citing the savings projected in River Birch’s study.

In a “cease and desist” letter to River Birch dated Feb. 15, Waste Management said the ads “contain false and defamatory statements which are clearly intended to harm the reputation of Waste Management.” The letter said Waste Management was prepared to take legal action to block the ads and recover damages.

The next day, Waste Management issued a subpoena demanding that River Birch turn over its study and all supporting documents. River Birch responded that Waste Management “should conduct its own analysis at its own expense.”

And this brings us to Channel 4 editorialists and Gambit man Clancy Dubos, who I think has revealed himself as a Fred Heebe waterboy when he checked in with this missive on how River Birch has a new PR firm that is somehow kicking ass. (I swear you can’t make this stuff up). The truth here is that River Birch has pretty much  gotten its ass kicked in the PR arena despite throwing big money out on full page ads, hired gun economists and the like.  After reading Clancy’s story I was left with the impression Loren Scott was a PR shill instead of an economist but we already figured that out for ourselves. I can’t wait until Scott’s work product is produced by River Birch as I suspect we’ll have a copy for everyone to examine here on Slabbed once it becomes part of the court record.  A deposition of Loren Scott is likely also in order and maybe we’ll all find out how much money Scott’s wife at Blue Cross made underwriting insurance for Tim Whitmer to sell River Birch.

Finally, I also now wonder who else Team River Birch was paying as consultants, especially other members of the local media whose land dealings with Team Heebe have been the subject of federal subpoena.

All I know is with all the events that are unfolding……

There’s no controlling the unrolling of your fate, my friend,
Who knows what’s written in the magic book.

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VHDmkv2gpX0]

sop

21 thoughts on “Boys amongst men: I promise Mommy I’ll be a good boy from now on. A Jefferson Parish Council federal grand jury corruption subpoena and Waste Management lawsuit update.”

  1. Sop, is Dubos drinking the River Birch Kool Aid? That kind of prostituting for Heebe is shameless. Dubos is a journalist like Ciolino is an ethics expert!

  3. Or is Clancy maybe affiliated with LSUNO/Tim Ryan, & the “study” whores that have produced bogus “studies” for Jeff Parish Administrations for years?

  4. I saw the bit in the TP about Robert Jenkins. For me that was a real facepalm. I mean, Aaron, really? Does any Jenkins client get off, even at Tulane & Broad?

    My first thought was: Broussard did not listen to good advice, presumed he would never go down, just breathed in the Ellis, Sherman and Murray smoke, paid their outrageous bills…. and meanwhile everybody and I mean everybody lawyered up. Fawer must be hired, Castaing too, etc., etc., everybody must be hired and conflicted out and the guy you would think would be at the front of the line for quality lawyering if for no other reason but that the feds teed him up first, Broussard, ends up with Jenkins.

    Well, too bad, Aaron, your ego got you here and it will take you all the way to the end of the line it seems.

  5. Tele:

    Good observations, but I am hard pressed to believe that all of the good, Fed white collar defense lawyers were taken. There’s got to be a different angle here. There always is with AB.

    I hear that Mike Ellis’ health has improved, but that he’s retiring very soon. His partner is Julian Murray. If I’m not mistaken, Murray has appeared on AB’s behalf in the past. I’m not sure about money being the issue because I’m sure Jenkins does not come cheap either. This just is not Jenkins’ brier patch.

  6. Ok, Sock, I believe all that (though doesn’t Murray have criminal defense experience?), but would you advise someone to go with Jenkins? If there’s a purposeful stratgey there maybe I just can’t discern it… which I readily admit, but then I just wonder what it is all about.

  7. On DuBos’s comment about “Sources at the company tell Gambit that the firm, which operates one of the largest and most successful landfills in the region, has hired a Texas PR firm to help tell River Birch

  8. Thanks for the positive ID Telemachus. I’ve alluded to it several times as well (without knowing the company) everytime I posted a road runner cartoon about Radian6.

    http://www.radian6.com/

    We’ve also been under Cyvelliance but that is our friends from the insurance biz.

    http://www.cyveillance.com/

    Shill are most effective when the public is ignorant. So when Sock’s “tool” Eric Paulsen challenged Al Leone today on the WWL morning show when Leone pointed out the sleazy characters Capella took money from for his campaign, when Eric interrupted with “is that an accusation”, Leone was able to look the toolman in the eye and say, “No, its a fact…” I don’t know where Eric Paulsen has been all this time but it is easy to tell those who do not read Slabbed.

    sop

  9. http://www.lawyers.com/Louisiana/New-Orleans/Berrigan-Litchfield-Schonekas-Mann-Traina-and-Bolner-L-L-C–605111-f.html

    Anyone interested in knowing why Clancy Dubos is blowing Fred Heebe? Well, let me see if I can connect the dots. He is “of counsel” to the law firm of Kyle Schonekas’ dad’s firm. Kyle represents……Fred Heebe. But wait, I see the name “Berrigan” in that law firm. Could that possibly be connected to the same Judge Ginger Berrigan who has the River Birch matter in her court? Well, close. It’s her husband. Mmmmm, sounds like alot of people sleeping in the same bed to me.

    Clancy Dubos is to journalism what Dane Ciolino is to ethics. Nuff said.

  10. And, to add to that, John Litchfield is blow buddies with Judge Jay Zainey, which is why his law firm took over the lucrative Charity Hospital collections work after Zainey was appointed Federal Judge. My, those connections are interesting, aren’t they?

  12. I THINK I SEE DOTS

    Jefferson Parish President John Young leans on a core group of advisers
    Published: Sunday, December 26, 2010, 10:00 PM
    By Richard Rainey, The Times-Picayune http://www.nola.com/politics/index.ssf/2010/12/jefferson_parish_president_joh_3.html

    Hart said he came to know Young while working in state government. Litchfield, a lawyer with the New Orleans firm Berrigan Litchfield Schonekas, said he met Young in a more personal manner. His bit as an adviser began years ago, when Young and he carpooled their sons to Christian Brothers School.

    “When you know somebody who you think thinks the way you think … I think he just started to call me and ask for advice,” Litchfield said. “And after you get the advice and talk it over, you develop a sense of trust.”

    Hart, Young’s incoming deputy chief operating officer, is a close friend of Litchfield’s. However, Hart said he met Young when Hart was working for the Legislature.

    “John’s a big listener,” Hart said. “I like to call him a professional sponge.”
    After Hart campaigned for him and helped him pick Cox and Foshee, Young hired Hart to be his deputy chief operating officer. Hart left his job as executive director of the state Agriculture Dept.

    AND I’M STARTING TO SEE FLEAS IN THIS BED !!!

  13. So can anyone tell me why Judge Ginger wouldn’t have had to disclose the fact that her husband’s lawfirm represents/represented one of the principals in the River Birch investigation ( Kyle Shonekas representing Fred Heebe)?

    And can anyone tell me if there is a Media Professionalism ‘expectation’ that conflicts be disclosed when covering a story ( such as Clancy Dubos being ‘of counsel’ at the firm where one of the principals in the River Birch investigation is represented by a partner ( Kyle Shonekas representing Fred Heebe)?

    Seems pretty elementary my dear Watson: If you are related by blood, marriage, or business interests you should disclose.

  15. Doesn’t appear Ms. Berrigan sees conflicts the same as us little folk OR the same as the Chief Judge saw it:

    IN THE UNITED STATES COURT OF APPEALS FOR THE FIFTH CIRCUIT
    00-30704
    CARL BERNOFSKY, DR.,
    Plaintiff – Appellant,
    versus
    ADMINISTRATORS OF THE TULANE EDUCATIONAL FUND,
    Defendant – Appellee.
    _____________
    Appeal from the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Louisiana
    (USDC No. 98-CV-2102-C)
    _____________________________________________
    Before KING, Chief Judge, REAVLEY and JONES, Circuit Judges.
    PER CURIAM:*
    KING, Chief Judge, dissenting:
    With respect, I disagree with the panel majority on the matter of Judge Berrigan’s recusal. A reasonable person would view the summer teaching assignment in Greece that Tulane Law School offered to Judge Berrigan, along with $5,500 to cover her expenses, as something of a plum. She accepted that assignment in the midst of this litigation against the Administrators of the Tulane Educational Fund, indeed on the eve of her decision to grant summary judgment in favor of the Fund. Under the circumstances (and with a record devoid of any evidence of attenuation in the relationship between the Fund and the Law School), I think that a reasonable person might question her impartiality. I would reverse the judgment and remand with instructions to send the case to another judge.

    1. Nowdy has a different take but my own opinion is Judge Ginger has never met a murderer or insurance company she failed to like.

      The River Birch folks could not be in better hands in the LAED in terms of a judge that will ignore established law to fit her agenda. Only Engelhardt comes close. (Lemelle excluded as his major problem is incompetence)

      sop

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