Monday, March 13, 2006

By Rosemarie Jackowski
First published on the PessAction web site

"A citizen in United States should never expect to gain justice through the judicial system. The system is so corrupted that in the rare case where justice prevails, it is not because of, but it is in spite of, the system."
-R. Jackowski

Nothing lasts forever...unless you try to gain justice in a Vermont court. On June 5, 2006 the 7th year of a legal battle will begin. This is not a complex case. In fact, this case is about as simple as any legal case could be. The joke about lawyers making mountains out of molehills needs to be revised. In this case, entire mountain ranges have been created out of one tiny speck. I do not mean to imply that all lawyers are crooks. Not all are. Many lawyers adhere to a strict code of professional conduct. The problem is that many others do not.

This case involves a motor vehicle accident. A small car was stopped in a line of traffic. A large, speeding, dump truck carrying a load of logs rear-ended the stopped car. The road was dry. Driving conditions were ideal. Statements of the eyewitnesses were consistent. All stated that the cause of the accident was the inattention of the driver of the truck. "He was ogling" out the side window of the truck at some pretty women in shorts who were walking nearby.

Because of the clarity of the facts, this case should have settled in weeks. Here lies the problem. The truck was owned and operated by the state of Vermont. The Office of the Vermont Attorney General is representing the government in this case. Ordinary citizens don't stand a chance in a David and Goliath battle such as this. The delays in this case have now made it impossible to ever achieve justice. Somehow the pursuit of truth and justice has become a lost art in Vermont. The government might continue to succeed in preventing a fair settlement in this case but it will not succeed in a cover-up of the tactics used.

Rosemarie Jackowski

COMMENT:

This case capsulated the stark differences between Sorrell and Carver. Sorrell believes that his job is to protect the "State" from all comers.

Carver knows that the AG is elected by the People of the state, and that they are the one's he needs to protect.

We need Dennis Carver to protect us from the Sorrell's of State Government.