Gold Bar activist files a Federal Trade Complaint against Washington State Bar

Re: North Carolina Board of Dental Examiners v Federal Trade Commission (FTC)

Dear FTC-

I’d like to file an anti-trust complaint against the WA State Bar Association.  About six years ago, I started reporting on corruption inside local government agencies here in Washington State on www.goldbarreporter.com  For over six years as a member of the media who was also a member of the WA State Bar, most readers never really knew that I held a WSBA License in Washington State, until a political appointee ( non-client) John E. Pennington filed a WSBA complaint against my WA State license.

Since Mr. Pennington was not a client but a political appointee who we had been reporting on for child and spousal abuse, I had no reason to believe that the WA State Bar had any jurisdiction in this matter.  Later I learned that the person at the WA State Bar Office of Disciplinary (ODC) that John Pennington filed a Bar complaint with at the WSBA is also a mutual political friend of his named Linda Eide.  Linda Eide is a first relative to a Senator Tracy Eide. Tracy Eide is a very good friend to the so called grievant, John E. Pennington. Both Tracy Eide and Pennington served inside the WA State Legislature together during the late 1990s.

From July to November 2013, I answered the WA State lead counsel Linda Eide’s request for comment with affirmative defenses (1)  No client;  (2) a political appointee subject to First Amendment protected free speech and (3) no jurisdiction over my Gold Bar Reporter news files ( RCW 5.68.010).   The allegation under (3) came only after Linda Eide issued an illegal subpoena for  “ all Gold Bar Reporter files relating to John Pennington” a non-client.

Oh course I objected pursuant to ELC 5.5 on First Amendment grounds, RCW 5.68.010 ( only a court can issue a subpoena for media files not the WSBA ODC) and WA State Const. prohibition against going after citizens ( lawyer or not) on issues that amount to “ private affairs.”  ELC 5.5 mandated that Linda Eide suspend the deposition and subpoena des tecum until she could obtain a court order, but she continued with the deposition.  This occurred in December 2013, and then by Feb 2014, she later changed the charge to “  You didn’t show up to a deposition.”

I have never had a complaint filed against my Bar license by a client, and up until 2013, I would never have believed that the WA State Bar ODC would conduct themselves in a way that I believe violates Sherman Antitrust laws until I read FTC v. North Carolina Board Dental Examiners case.

1. In Feb 2014, ignoring years of precedent mandating that the Bar stay out of my private affairs,  the WA State Bar issued a formal complaint against my license.  By March 2014, an attorney named Lin O’Dell was assigned as the hearing officer on my case.  At no time did O’Dell allow me to place any documents into the record and worked with lead counsel Linda Eide to stop me from deposing the grievant John E. Pennington.
2. In June 2014, I had my private investigators investigate Lin O’Dell.  We learned that O’Dell had been cited by Judge Monasmith in Stevens County Superior Court for stealing from a vulnerable adult named Paula Shank ( Fowler).
3. In July 2014, I also learned WSBA Hearing Officer Lin O’Dell also purchases elderly clients homes for pennies.
4. In July 2014, I learned that Lin O’Dell takes her convicted killer boyfriend Mark Plivilech to clients homes with her to intimidate clients.
5. In July 2014, I learned that Lin O’Dell’s convicted killer boyfriend Mark Plivilech set up a post office box within three blocks from the grievant John Pennington home, even thougth O’Dell lives in Spokane ( an eight hour round trip drive from Spokane to Duvall WA to retrieve her US mail).
6. Also learned that Lin O’Dell and Chief WSBA Hearing Officer Joseph Nappi Jr have a scam going whereas O’Dell picks up clients from nursing homes and drug rehabs depletes her clients trust accounts and then send clients to WSBA Chief Hearing Officer Joseph Nappi Jr’s to probate.
7. Paula Fowler’s estate appears to have hundreds of thousands of dollars missing with no explanation from O’Dell as to why she is charging Ms. Fowler’s estate legal rates for legal  representation when in fact O’Dell is not licensed in Idaho where Ms. Fowler lives.  ( I looked at Guardian pay rate which appears to be around $70 per hour but O’Dell charged around 10K per month to Fowler’s 2 M trust).
8.  We also learned that Mark Plivilech appears to be stealing elderly clients identity and billing elderly clients of O’Dell’s to put unnecessary additions to their homes ( keeping in mind most of O’Dell’s clients are elderly bed ridden).

The above allegations were submitted to the WA State Bar as a complaint against attorney Lin O’Dell, who I believe was accepting bribes from John Pennington using a US Post Office Box in Duvall Washington to ensure that I would be disbarred strictly for reporting on John Pennington’s criminal conduct up here in Snohomish County Washington.

After reading the FTC v. Board of Dental Examiners I believe the WA State Bar is not supervised by its governing body ( Supreme Court) and has violated Sherman Anti-trust laws. I know this to be true because the Supreme Court Clerk Carpenter was contacted asking the Justices if they knew what was going on inside the WA State Bar Office of Disciplinary Counsel and his response was something like “ The Supreme Court does not bother themselves with the Office of Disciplinary Counsel”

The WA State Bar ODC members are active market participants attempting to stifle competition by disbarring members who question government agency employees.  Almost 80 % of all ODC members are market active participants who are misusing their positions inside the elite Boards to stop and stifle competition.   The Supreme Court of WA who is supposed to be supervising the ODC members admits in an email that they are not.

I wish to proceed with a formal complaint against the WA State Bar for Sherman Anti-trust violations.

antitrust@ftc.gov

James.Cabsy@fbi.gov