Judge sues litigant who accused him of conspiring with bank in foreclosure case
POSTED AUG 04, 2016 07:30 AM CDT
BY DEBRA CASSENS WEISS
... Judge Thomas Minkoff of the Sixth Judicial Circuit of Florida sued homeowner Leslie Armstrong and the Pinellas Clerk of Court Ken Burke, report the Tampa Bay Times and the SaintPetersBlog. Minkoff had ruled against Armstrong in September in the foreclosure action by Wells Fargo.
Armstrong made the conspiracy allegations in documents labeled a “criminal complaint” in the foreclosure case and in federal court. She sought liens against Minkoff, the bank and its lawyers, and said they owe her $2.4 million. Among her citations of “U.S. constitutional laws” which she claims Minkoff had violated was that “no law-abiding person shall be forced to do anything he does not want to do.”
Minkoff’s suit says Armstrong’s documents are “false, fictitious and fraudulent” and the appearance of an outstanding lien can harm his credit and interests in property.
A court spokesman said Minkoff sued because the homeowner’s court filings could harm his reputation as a judge. Burke said the lawsuit was a necessary step to expunge the records. “I have no authority to seal records,” he told the Tampa Bay Times. “I need some type of direction from the court to do so. This lawsuit would give me that type of direction” ...
http://www.abajournal.com/news/article/judge_sues_litigant_who_alleged_he_violated_us_constitutional_laws_in_her_f
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