Hey there, kids, welcome to the Phile for a Wednesday. How are you? Well, I’ll be damned, I have to admit I didn’t see this one coming. A Kentucky judge, who decided she needed an extra bit of fun, was accused of using sex and booze to turn her courtroom into a relaxing “safe space” only to be kicked off the bench by a judicial panel. A five-member judicial commission voted unanimously to remove Kenton County Family Court Judge Dawn Gentry, who was suspended with pay in December pending a misconduct probe. What did this 39-year-old do? Well, she was accused of creating quite a rowdy atmosphere at the courthouse, hiring her bandmates and boyfriend, allowing drinking during work hours, and using sex, coercion, and retaliation against several important boys who did not back her political campaign. When I tell you this is one hardcore judge, that’s saying the least. In regards to its decision, the Kentucky Judicial Conduct Commission wrote, “This case does not involve one or two isolated occurrences, but instead involves a pattern of misconduct and repeated exercise of extremely poor judgment... on and off the bench... by the respondent that continued for over a year, including after respondent was informed that a complaint was filed with the commission against her.” Yup, extremely poor judgment is really the key term in this whole situation. The Judicial Conduct Commission also added that the judges should always “aspire at all times to conduct that ensures the greatest public confidence in their independence, impartiality, integrity, and competence. Respondent failed in essentially every respect of this fundamental rule applicable to all judges.” Among the very risque allegations, Gentry is being accused of forcing of Veteran Courthouse employee to resign so that she could indeed hire Stephen Penrose, who is the former pastor, and her reputed paramour, and had several nude photos of him on her cell phone. According to The Cincinnati Enquirer, the judge’s secretary, Laura Aubrey propositioned her to engage in a threesome with her and Penrose and made sexual advances. Aubrey testified during the misconduct disciplinary hearing that the three later pulled a prank by making several grunting noises inside the family court judge’s chamber for other employees to hear. Courthouse custodians, court employees, and several other staffers did testify to find empty liquor bottles inside the chambers and stated they could hear guitar playing and singing coming from behind the doors. When attorney Katherine Schulz told the panel that Gentry had kissed her in a courthouse bathroom and also propositioned her for a threesome, which the lawyer said she obviously turned down. The judge was also accused of retaliating against attorneys who decided to support the work of a re-election campaign in 2018, typically holding out on lucrative guardianship assignments as punishment. Gentry’s attorney, Jeff Lawson, called the commission’s decision, “the equivalent of the judicial death penalty,” Think she would appeal the ruling. The Covington-based attorney said Gentry will appeal. According to Lawson, Removal from the bench is “the equivalent of the judicial death penalty.” Gentry became a judge back in 2016 when former Republican Gov. Matt Bevin chose her to fill a vacancy.
A Regina, Saskatchewan teacher is suing Facebook after he was accused of sexually assaulting a woman on an Instagram account that is dedicated to posting allegations of sexual misconduct. Twenty-eight-year-old Julius Landry is suing Facebook, which owns Instagram, and three other unnamed Regina residence for $1,000,000 in damages, arguing that the allegations posted against him have cost him severe mental anguish, loss of income, physical ailments, and loss of enjoyment of life. The statement of claim was filed on August 10th and was first reported by CBC News. In an email, Facebook stated it would not comment on the lawsuit, but the company said people can report posts that they believe are defamatory. The account was later taken down after the allegations. The case revolves around an Instagram account called ‘victimsvoiceregina,’ which allows victims of alleged sexual assault to share their own stories and in some cases named the alleged abuser at their workplace. According to the statement of claim, on July 25th Instagram account posted an allegation from an unknown woman who said that Landry had raped her eight years ago. The post alleged that the teacher later showed up at the woman’s workplace when she was alone. The post noted, “He’s a teacher at a Catholic school in Regina and it terrifies me that he’s influencing our youth.” The statement of the claim stated that Landry has never had non-consensual sex with anyone and has never attended any one’s workplace at night. The lawsuit notes that the teacher unsuccessfully tried to have the account administrators and Instagram take down a post after he had reported it as being defamatory. It said the defendants demonstrated “very bad” faith by posting the statement without “ensuring any due process” which includes investigating the allegations. In a recent post the account administrators released a statement, noting, “due to the recent legal action being taken against this page, we are making the difficult decision to take a step back. We want every survivor to know that we still believe you. We want this community to be proud of the immense change it has created in a short time.” As of Tuesday morning, the account has been deleted, but a new Instagram account called “victimsvoicesyqr” has been created and the person behind it said in a post that the account won’t use “identifiers of either party.” Sharon Fox, a Regina-based lawyer from Nychuk & Company, and is now handling the lawsuit told the media outlets that there are at least 10 other lawsuits involving men currently in the works. Toronto lawyer Ryan Keeny stated Landry is now “facing a steep uphill battle” as he is trying to get Facebook to pay for the damages for another party’s statements. Keeney stated, “Most often in Canada, internet intermediaries that provide a platform for third-party content are considered to be passive instruments and/or non-publishers when defamatory material is posted on their platform.” He also noted that Facebook could try to use an “innocent dissemination” defense, which protects news agencies and booksellers from disseminating libelous information without knowing.
The owner of a camera shop that was destroyed during unrest in Kenosha and highlighted during President Donald Trump’s visit says the president used his store for political gain by appearing with a former owner of the business while touring the epicenter of the latest eruption over racial injustice. Tom Gram said he bought Rode’s Camera Shop from the Rode family eight years ago, though John Rode still owns the property. Gram’s four decades of work at the store came to an end August 24th, when the building was destroyed by fire during protests over the police shooting of Jacob Blake. Gram said he got a call Monday from the White House asking if he would join the president on a tour that would showcase the destruction to the business, but Gram rejected the offer. And he said Trump’s references to Rode as the owner of the business were deceptive. “I think everything he (Trump) does turns into a circus and I just didn’t want to be involved in it,” Gram told Milwaukee station WTMJ-TV. The White House, however, noted Wednesday that Rode and his family founded and built Rode’s Camera Shop before World War II and still own the building that houses the shop. Trump didn’t visit the site of the shop, but Rode met with him a few blocks away and participated in a roundatble with the president. Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden and his wife, Jill, planned to be in Kenosha tomorrow, they announced a day after Trump was there. Biden plans to hold a community meeting and make another stop at an undisclosed location, the campaign said. This will mark Biden’s first campaign stop in Wisconsin as the presidential nominee and his first in the state since October 2018. Trump’s visit came over the objections of state and local leaders. Kenosha has seen protests since August 23rd, when police shot Blake, a black man, seven times in the back. On Monday, Trump defended a 17-year-old supporter, Kyle Rittenhouse, who is accused of fatally shooting two demonstrators in Kenosha on August 25th and wounding a third. Also yesterday, Rittenhouse’s attorney John Pierce tweeted a video of him speaking by phone with Rittenhouse from jail in Illinois, where he was arrested. “I just want to thank every single one of you from the bottom of my heart for the underlining support, it’s just amazing,” Rittenhouse said from the phone held up by Pierce. “I want to thank all of you for the meal I’ve been receiving. It’s been really helpful. I just want to let you all know that I’m going to be out of here soon and stay strong. And I hope to see you guys soon.” Pierce reiterated that his position that Rittenhouse was acting in self defense. Trump emphasized his “law and order” campaign message during his stop in Kenosha yesterday, where he thanked police for their efforts but did not meet with anyone from the Blake family. Meanwhile, four people arrested during demonstrations in Kenosha filed a federal civil rights lawsuit, alleging that local law enforcement only arrested those who were protesting against police brutality, not “pro-police protesters and militia” who were freely roaming the streets armed with rifles. The lawsuit, filed yesterday, claims that enforcement of a curfew from 7 p.m. to 7 a.m. violates First Amendment free speech rights and equal protection rights and asks that the curfew no longer be enforced and be found unconstitutional. “In Kenosha, there are two sets of laws... one that applies to those who protest police brutality and racism, and another for those who support the police,” the lawsuit said. Attorneys for the city of Kenosha and Kenosha County, which were named as defendants, did not immediately return messages seeking comment today. The lawsuit includes widely circulated cellphone video from the night of August 25th showing law enforcement officers in armored vehicles handing bottles of water to civilians armed with rifles and thanking them. One of the people seen in that video is Rittenhouse, who faces charges of first-degree homicide. In the video, police appear to be clearing out protesters while allowing the gun-carrying civilians who said they were there to protect the property to remain. Those bringing the lawsuit are represented by North Carolina civil rights lawyer Kimberly Motely, who also represents Gaige Grosskreutz, the man prosecutors say was shot in the arm by Rittenhouse. After yesterday’s visit by Trump, Gram said he was surprised to see the camera store’s former owner on TV with Trump with the president introducing him at the roundatble as “John Rode III, owner of Rode’s Camera Shop.” Rode praised Trump’s response to the Kenosha unrest. “I just appreciate President Trump coming today, everybody here does,” Rode said. “We’re so thankful we got the federal troops here. Once they got here things did calm down quite a bit.” “A day earlier would have saved his store,” Trump responded. Wisconsin Democratic Gov. Tony Evers deployed the National Guard to quell demonstrations following the shooting. But Trump is taking credit for the deployment, even though his demand that Guard troops be used came a day after Evers had activated them.
Elvis Presley’s Graceland estate has been vandalized with "Black Lives Matter," "BLM," and "Defund the Police" graffiti overnight. Protest slogans were found spray-painted in orange and black on the stone wall surrounding Elvis’ Mansion, a signature Memphis landmark and major tourist draw. According to the newspaper the Commercial Appeal, the word "Fuck Trump” and “Abolish ICE” were also spray-painted. The graffiti-covered most of the hundred tributes handwritten by fans on the wall over these past years. By mid-morning, workers with power wash equipment quickly began to remove the slogans. Unfortunately, Graceland officials have yet to comment on the vandalism. This isn’t the first graffiti vandalism that occurs in the area. Another Memphis Landmark, the historic concert venue The Levitt Shell, was also the vandalized with similar graffiti, with phrases such as “Defund MPD” (Memphis Police Department) and “Eat the Rich.” The open-air amphitheater in Overton Park was where the singer gave his first paid concert back on July 30th, 1954. The legend himself lived at Graceland for 20 years until his death on August 16th, 1977, at the age of 42. The state is located on a stretch of Highway 51 South named Elvis Presley Boulevard and was open to the public in 1982. The tourist attraction is said to have over half a million visitors annually. Several Elvis fans on Twitter called for the vandalism to stop, saying that it was disrespectful to Presley’s legacy. Many took photos of the spray-painted walls noting that it wasn’t fair for fans who wrote their name to pay tribute to the King of Rock ‘n’ Roll.” Despite people being angry at vandals, others were in favor of the graffiti, saying that it was a good spot to draw attention to what is occurring around the country, defending the Black Lives Matter movement. One person tweeted, “Graceland is an expensive, for-profit institution that fleeces tourists while giving nothing back to the black communities it sits in the middle of. It is a symbol of everything this city gets wrong about [sic] economic development and activists are smart to use it to promote their cause.” Natalie Wilson, an executive director of Levitt Shell released a statement through the Commercial Appeal, saying, “We wake up, excited to celebrate our city on 901 Day, and we see our beautiful historic landmark defaced with messages of pain, and that breaks our heart. We’re broken-hearted and devastated by this.”
A knockdown, drag-out brawl broke out at LaGuardia Airport in New York and ended up delaying the flight both combatants were set to depart on. Not only did the fight happen in the airport but it actually happened just outside the plane, on the jet bridge. The plane in question was Delta Flight 1600 bound for Atlanta. The trip was delayed by about thirty minutes thanks to a fight that just couldn’t wait. This was all, of course, filmed. According to Destiny Davis, the woman who filmed the fight, the women were either cousins or sisters. Neither passenger was allowed on the flight and apparently the delay was largely due to Delta having to fish their luggage out before taking off. It’s really unsurprising to find out they’re related. The only way you get in a fight like this at an airport is if it’s with a family member. Someone that drives you so absolutely bananas crazy that you don’t care about where you are or who is watching. The type of person who can give you the worst sort of tunnel vision. You can see it in the fight. Check it out...
It’s the sort of pure expression of hate you can only muster for someone you love. This is the most LaGuardia shit ever. You would think that jet bridge fistfights would already be baked into the flight schedules at LaGuardia. “Yeah we actually got into Denver forty minutes early because no one broke a bottle of Miller Light and tried to stab their brother at our gate.” “Oh wow! Lucky!” It’d be really great if Rikers Island could stop rubbing off on LaGuardia. In the combatants’ collective defense, if I were on that flight I’d be annoyed it got delayed but at least thankful that I was confirmed to not be the drunkest person boarding the plane. Flying sober is for suckers.
Did you see Trump's new poster?
Not even a dog. Haha. At the RNC Melania wore a very odd dress...
Personally I can't stand the taste of pumpkin spice or pumpkins. Do your kids like Barbie? There's a new one that just came out...
What a mess she's in. In many places, masks are mandatory, so you as well make it your own. There's a mask for every fashion and fandom, and there can also be a mask for every face. People order custom-made masks with photos of their face on them to try and achieve a realistic look. Try being the most important word.
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