Category: Domestic Violence

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PR: Assistant District Attorney Continues to Prosecute Cases Despite Suspension Recommendation: SAVE Calls on Hancock County Commissioners to Take Action

PRESS RELEASE

Contact: Teri Stoddard
Phone: 301-801-0608
Email: tstoddard@saveservices.org

Assistant District Attorney Continues to Prosecute Cases Despite Suspension Recommendation:

SAVE Calls on Hancock County Commissioners to Take Action

WASHINGTON / February 1, 2013 – Following the recommendation of a panel to suspend the law license of Hancock County prosecutor Mary N. Kellett, Stop Abusive and Violent Environments (SAVE) is calling on Hancock County Commissioners to exercise its duty to protect the public by immediately removing Kellett from her prosecutorial duties.

In 2007, Vladek Filler filed for divorce from Ligia Filler, eventually winning sole custody of their three children. Assistant District Attorney Mary Kellett became involved in the case because of Ms. Filler’s allegations of domestic violence.

Kellett’s conduct in the case prompted Mr. Filler’s attorney to assert that Kellett ignored exculpatory forensic evidence, Mrs. Filler’s recorded admissions, and her documented child abuse, thus using her prosecutorial powers to improperly take sides in a custody dispute.

Following allegations of prosecutorial misconduct, the Maine Supreme Judicial Court heard the case. In 2010 the Court concluded that Filler’s constitutional right to a fair trial was violated by Kellett’s actions and remanded the case for a retrial.

On March 29, 2011, Stop Abusive and Violent Environments filed a Grievance Complaint with the Board of Overseers of the Bar, detailing numerous examples of improper and unethical conduct by ADA Kellett.

Following a public disciplinary hearing in December 2012, a Panel of the Board of Overseers of the Bar issued a unanimous decision for the suspension of Kellett’s license for “conduct unworthy of an attorney.” The panel ruled Kellett violated seven Bar rules including undermining the administration of justice, withholding and suppressing exculpatory evidence, violating a court order, and misleading the jury: http://www.maine.gov/tools/whatsnew/index.php?topic=mebar_overseers_discipline&id=464815&v=article 

Despite court decisions, a two-year investigation by the Board of Overseers of the Bar, and a recommendation for the suspension of her license, Kellett has been allowed to continue her normal prosecutorial duties. Pending a final determination by the Maine Supreme Judicial Court, SAVE is calling on the County Commissioners to promptly remove Kellett from her prosecutorial role.

Stop Abusive and Violent Environments is a victim-advocacy organization working for evidence-based solutions to partner violence: www.saveservices.org

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Domestic Violence Press Release Victims Violence Violence Against Women Act

PRESS RELEASE: Women Shortchanged by Violence Against Women Act, SAVE Charges

PRESS RELEASE

Contact: Teri Stoddard
Telephone: 301-801-0608
Email: tstoddard@saveservices.org

Women Shortchanged by Violence Against Women Act, SAVE Charges

WASHINGTON / January 25, 2013 – Following introduction of the Violence Against Women Act in Congress, SAVE, a leading victim-rights organization, is charging the bills fall short in addressing the causes of domestic violence, ignore abuse-prone women, and in some cases place victims at greater risk of harm.

The bills were introduced Tuesday in the Senate (S. 47) by Sen. Patrick Leahy (D-VT) and in the House of Representatives (H.R. 11) by Rep. Gwen Moore (D-WI). The bills seek to enhance the criminal justice response to domestic violence through wider use of restraining orders, mandatory arrests, and mandatory prosecutions.

A report by Stop Abusive and Violent Environments, Have Domestic Violence Programs Delivered on Their Promises to Women?, documents that many programs funded by the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) are harmful, ineffective, or non-responsive to women’s needs: http://www.saveservices.org/downloads/VAWA-Has-It-Delivered-on-Its-Promises-to-Women

The report found that VAWA programs:

  • Are ineffective in reducing abuse
  • Promote arrest and prosecution policies that place women at greater homicide risk
  • Often ignore the wishes of abused women
  • May lull women into a false sense of security
  • Ensnare women in a rigid criminal justice bureaucracy
  • Make it more difficult for real victims to get help
  • Shortchange the needs of female aggressors
  • May not provide needed services at abuse shelters, and
  • Can lead to the removal of children from their homes

“Women can see through the smoke and mirrors of elected officials who introduce an anti-woman law and then turn around and claim they are trying to help women.” charges SAVE spokesperson Sheryle Hutter. “These people need to be advocates for effective, accountable programs, not lapdogs of an extreme gender ideology.”

SAVE supports passage of the Violence Against Women Act, but believes major changes are necessary: http://www.saveservices.org/mandate-for-change/

Stop Abusive and Violent Environments is a victim-advocacy organization working for evidence-based solutions to domestic violence and sexual assault: www.saveservices.org

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Abuse Shelter Child Custody Domestic Violence Press Release Research Restraining Order Victims Violence Violence Against Women Act

PR: Domestic Violence Programs Have Not Delivered on Promises to Women: SAVE Report

PRESS RELEASE

Contact: Teri Stoddard
Telephone: 301-801-0608
Email: tstoddard@saveservices.org

Domestic Violence Programs Have Not Delivered on Promises to Women: SAVE Report

WASHINGTON / January 14, 2013 – Domestic violence programs have fallen short in meeting women’s needs, according to a report issued today by SAVE. Of greater concern are studies that document some violence-prevention strategies endorsed by the federal Violence Against Women Act place women at greater risk of victimization and even death.

The report, Have Domestic Violence Programs Delivered on Their Promises to Women?, reviews nearly 50 research studies and articles examining the effectiveness of restraining orders, mandatory arrest policies, and no-drop prosecution. The report concludes the impact of these criminal justice measures ranges from harmful to ineffective: http://www.saveservices.org/downloads/VAWA-Has-It-Delivered-on-Its-Promises-to-Women

The report is issued by Stop Abusive and Violent Environments, a victim-advocacy organization.

The report summarizes nearly 50 research studies and other articles, and concludes the programs funded by the federal anti-violence program:

  • Are ineffective in reducing abuse
  • Promote arrest and prosecution policies that place women at greater risk
  • Often ignore the wishes of abused women
  • May lull women into a false sense of security
  • Ensnare women in a rigid criminal justice bureaucracy
  • Make it more difficult for real victims to get help
  • Shortchange the needs of female aggressors
  • May not provide needed services at abuse shelters, and
  • Can lead to the removal of children from their homes

“Lawmakers should carefully review the findings in this report,” explains SAVE spokesperson Sheryle Hutter. “Women will be outraged if lawmakers stick to ‘business as usual’ and don’t reform policies known to maim and kill women.”

Stop Abusive and Violent Environments is a victim-advocacy organization working for evidence-based solutions to domestic violence and sexual assault: www.saveservices.org

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Bills Domestic Violence Press Release Violence Violence Against Women Act

PR: Shrill Rhetoric and Partisan Squabbling Doomed Violence Against Women Act, SAVE Says

PRESS RELEASE

Contact: Teri Stoddard
Telephone: 301-801-0608
Email: tstoddard@saveservices.org

Shrill Rhetoric and Partisan Squabbling Doomed Violence Against Women Act, SAVE Says

WASHINGTON/January 4, 2013 – Anti-violence advocates are dismayed after the 112th Session of Congress ended without hammering out differences in the Senate and House versions of the Violence Against Women Act renewal. Last-minute talks between Vice President Joe Biden and House Leader Eric Cantor failed to resolve differences in provisions regarding immigrants, Indians, and lesbian/gay victims of intimate partner violence.

The Violence Against Women Act has enjoyed strong bi-partisan support in the past. But this past Spring, advocacy groups invoked the “War on Women” phrase to criticize the Republican-backed version of the bill.

As the year progressed, advocates escalated their criticisms. Terry O’Neill, president of the National Organization for Women, charged, “Who is Eric Cantor to say that it’s okay for some women to get beaten and raped? If they happen to be Native women who are attacked by a non-Native man, as far as Eric Cantor is concerned, those women are tossed.”

The Huffington Post derided the NOW attacks on Cantor as “incendiary and extreme” (1). A Washington Post editorial targeted the “ridiculous hyperbole that each side has employed to impugn the other’s motives” (2).

“The rhetoric has been over-the-top and personal attacks only serve to harm the good relationships that are essential for political compromise,” explains SAVE spokesman Steve Blake. “As we move into the next session of Congress, SAVE hopes all key stakeholders can work together to develop a better law that will protect all victims.”

A national poll found a strong majority of registered voters are in favor of reforming VAWA (3).

Stop Abusive and Violent Environments is a victim-advocacy organization working for evidence-based solutions to partner violence and sexual assault: www.saveservices.org.

(1) http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/12/06/violence-against-women-act-eric-cantor-native-americans_n_2251924.html
(2) http://articles.washingtonpost.com/2012-05-20/opinions/35455931_1_domestic-violence-vawa-senate-version
(3) http://www.saveservices.org/campaign-2012/national-survey-on-vawa-reform/

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Civil Rights Domestic Violence False Allegations Innocence Law Enforcement Press Release Sexual Assault Wrongful Convictions

PR: Presumed Innocent? SAVE Unveils Innocence Quilts to Spotlight Need for Legal Reform

PRESS RELEASE

Contact: Teri Stoddard
Telephone: 301-801-0608
Email: tstoddard@saveservices.org

Presumed Innocent? SAVE Unveils Innocence Quilts to Spotlight Need for Legal Reform

WASHINGTON/ December 18, 2012 – A legal reform organization has unveiled innocence quilts to highlight the growing problem of the loss of the presumption of innocence. Affirmed by the U.S. Supreme Court, the presumption of innocence has long been viewed as a bedrock principle of the American legal code.

SAVE – Stop Abusive and Violent Environments — believes widespread changes are urgently needed to restore the integrity of the criminal justice system, protect civil rights, and thwart false allegations. False accusations serve to divert scarce services and protections from needy victims.

Each innocence quilt lists the names of about 30 persons wrongfully convicted and later exonerated of crimes such as sexual assault and child abuse. The purpose of the quilts is to highlight the devastating effect of wrongful convictions on innocent persons, and to alert the American public to the pressing need for reform: www.saveservices.org/innocence/quilt.

Legal scholars have decried the loss of the presumption of innocence:

  • “The words ‘accused’ and ‘convict’ are becoming increasingly synonymous.” — Francois Quintard-Morenas, Georgetown University
  • The “presumption of innocence no longer protects defendants before trial.” — Shima Baradaran, Brigham Young University
  • “Evidentiary standards for proving abuse have been so relaxed that any man who stands accused is considered guilty.” — Cheryl Hanna, University of Vermont

“Over the last 30 years, federal and state laws have whittled away at the presumption of innocence,” notes SAVE spokesman Chris Thompson. “As a result, persons have been convicted and imprisoned based solely on the claim of a single accuser without any witnesses or corroborating evidence. That’s a legal and moral travesty that cannot be allowed to continue.”

Last week Eric Glisson and Cathy Watkins of New York were declared innocent after spending 15 years in prison on a false murder charge. To date, 1,039 persons have been exonerated of a broad range of offenses: http://www.law.umich.edu/special/exoneration/Pages/about.aspx

Stop Abusive and Violent Environments is a legal reform organization working to restore the presumption of innocence in the nation’s legal system: www.saveservices.org/innocence

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Discrimination Domestic Violence False Allegations Innocence Law Enforcement Press Release Prosecutorial Misconduct Restraining Order Sexual Assault Wrongful Convictions

PR: Prosecutor Shunned Due Process and Presumption of Innocence, SAVE Urges High Court to Impose Sanctions to Curb Prosecutorial Misconduct

PRESS RELEASE

Contact: Teri Stoddard
Telephone: 301-801-0608
Email: tstoddard@saveservices.org

Prosecutor Shunned Due Process and Presumption of Innocence, SAVE Urges High Court to Impose Sanctions to Curb Prosecutorial Misconduct

WASHINGTON/December 13, 2012 – Following a bar panel recommendation to suspend the license of prosecutor Mary N. Kellett, SAVE is urging the Maine Supreme Judicial Court to act promptly to affirm and restore fundamental legal principles of due process and the presumption of innocence.

In its December 5, 2012 decision, a panel of the Board of Overseers of the Bar concluded Assistant District Attorney Kellett violated at least seven Maine Bar Rules. The panel then recommended the Hancock County prosecutor be sanctioned with a “period of suspension.” The panel’s recommendation now goes to a Maine high court justice for a final decision: http://www.maine.gov/tools/whatsnew/index.php?topic=mebar_overseers_discipline&id=464815&v=article

In advance of the trial of a man charged with spousal rape, Kellett repeatedly delayed or refused to provide exculpatory evidence that had been requested by defense counsel. This conduct drew a strong rebuke from the 3-member bar panel: “The seriousness of this issue cannot be overstated.”

In her closing argument before the jury, Kellett then argued the exclusion of that evidence should be viewed as evidence of the defendant’s guilt. The panel cited Kellett’s closing statement as unfairly causing “prejudice to the defendant.”

The panel also noted Kellett’s own expert witness testified during its October 2012 hearing that Kellett appeared “stubborn,” as if she were “bucking the court.” “This willful recalcitrance makes it appear likely that Ms. Kellett would repeat this unfairly prejudicial conduct,” the panel warned.

In its original 2011 complaint to the Board of Overseers of the Bar, Stop Abusive and Violent Environments concluded, “Mary Kellett’s repeated instances of prosecutorial misconduct have had the effect of undermining public respect for law. She is dangerous to the even-handed administration of justice.”: http://www.saveservices.org/wp-content/uploads/COMPLA1.pdf

“The citizens of Maine should be outraged by Mary Kellett’s ongoing abuse of her prosecutorial power,” notes SAVE spokesman Steve Blake. “The Maine Supreme Judicial Court must send a strong message that no prosecutor should be allowed to operate above the ethical rules that were designed to apply to all lawyers.”

Stop Abusive and Violent Environments, a victim advocacy organization, warns that prosecutorial charging decisions not based on probable cause harm the credibility of victims and rob them of needed protections and services.

Wrongful convictions of persons accused of sexual assault have become a national problem. According to a recent DNA analysis, one in 10 rape convictions in Virginia were wrong: http://forensicpsychologist.blogspot.com/2012/07/groundbreaking-research-one-out-of.html

Stop Abusive and Violent Environments is a victim-advocacy organization working for evidence-based solutions to domestic violence and sexual assault: www.saveservices.org.

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Discrimination Domestic Violence False Allegations Press Release Violence Violence Against Women Act

PR: Candidates of All Political Stripes Now Endorse VAWA Reform

PRESS RELEASE

Contact: Teri Stoddard
Telephone: 301-801-0608
Email: tstoddard@saveservices.org

Candidates of All Political Stripes Now Endorse VAWA Reform

WASHINGTON/ November 1 – Congressional candidates from all major political parties and from across the nation endorse the need for wide-ranging reforms to the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA). The candidates agreed with the need to reform VAWA in three broad areas:

  1. Stop waste and fraud
  2. End discriminatory practices
  3. Curb false allegations

Approximately equal numbers of Democratic and Republican candidates support reforming the federal anti-abuse law. Reflecting the issue’s appeal across the political spectrum, candidates from the Libertarian, Independent, Green, and Reform parties also came out in support of VAWA reform.

A listing of endorsing candidates can be seen here: http://www.saveservices.org/campaign-2012/candidate-endorsements/

“Candidates have heard loud and clear from voters how relaxed standards of proof have given rise to a flood of false allegations,” explains SAVE spokesman Gordon Smith. “These bogus charges make it harder for real abuse victims to get desperately needed services and protections, and create a new class of victims: the falsely accused.”

A national survey conducted earlier this year by SAVE found a majority of persons favors reforming the 18-year-old law. Among likely voters, 69.5% state they want to stop waste and fraud, 65.9% see a need to end discriminatory practices, and 63.5% wish to curb false allegations.

The full survey results can be seen here: http://www.saveservices.org/campaign-2012/national-survey-on-vawa-reform/

A more lopsided result is seen in an online poll conducted in March 2012 by U.S. News and World Report. Persons agreed with the position that VAWA “victimizes both women and men while building a feminist power structure” by a three-to-one margin. And by a two-to-one vote, persons agreed that “The Violence Against Women Act is an egregious departure from justice and common sense.”

The poll can be viewed here: http://www.usnews.com/debate-club/should-the-violence-against-women-act-be-reauthorized

The Violence Against Women Act expired in 2011 and is currently up for reauthorization. The Senate approved the VAWA reauthorization bill, S. 1925, on April 26. Three weeks later the House passed H.R. 4970. Discussions are now ongoing to resolve the differences between the two bills.

Stop Abusive and Violent Environments is a victim-advocacy organization working for evidence-based solutions to partner violence and sexual assault: www.saveservices.org

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Civil Rights Domestic Violence False Allegations Law Enforcement Press Release Prosecutorial Misconduct Sexual Assault Violence Wrongful Convictions

PR: Prosecutorial Misconduct: SAVE Expresses Concern Over Delays in Resolving Charges Against ADA Mary Kellett

PRESS RELEASE

Contact: Teri Stoddard
Phone: 301-801-0608
Email: tstoddard@saveservices.org

Prosecutorial Misconduct: SAVE Expresses Concern Over Delays in Resolving Charges Against ADA Mary Kellett

WASHINGTON /August 29, 2012 — Following postponement of a scheduled hearing to adjudicate charges against Mary N. Kellett, Stop Abusive and Violent Environments (SAVE) is calling on the Maine Board of Overseers to avoid further delays in resolving charges of prosecutorial misconduct by Assistant District Attorney Kellett of Ellsworth.

Kellett’s disciplinary hearing, originally scheduled for August 30-31 in Bangor, has been postponed to a future unknown date.

Victim advocacy group SAVE has identified numerous instances in which Kellett has charged persons for rape, even though the allegations were improbable and the case lacked probable cause. Each false allegation of rape squanders scarce services and protections, and undermines the credibility of future rape victims, SAVE says.

In 2011, SAVE filed a Grievance Complaint with the Maine Board of Overseers of the Bar.[1]

The Complaint charged that Kellett had engaged in prosecutorial misconduct against Vladek Filler[2]
and other men in Hancock County.[3]

The Complaint concluded Kellett’s conduct was “dangerous to the even-handed administration of justice” and her acts justify “disbarment – in order to assure the safety and tranquility of the citizens of Maine.”

In response to the SAVE Grievance Complaint, the Board of Overseers of the Bar launched an investigation.

The Board’s report, released on April 6, 2012 charged that Kellett violated nine rules[4] of professional conduct by not providing defense with requested discovery, violating court orders, instructing police officers not to cooperate with defense subpoenas, and making “misrepresentations to the jury of the actual facts.”

Bar Counsel J. Scott Davis concluded Kellett “has acted in a manner unworthy of an attorney” and “should receive such appropriate disciplinary action as is provided for by the Maine Bar Rules.” [5]

The Kellett case has attracted widespread national attention. Texas attorney Robert Franklin has argued that “Kellett’s conduct of her prosecution of Vladek Filler was truly egregious.” [6]

Columnist Carey Roberts opined, “Now in Maine, a man can be…prosecuted for rape with the flimsiest of evidence.”[7]

SAVE spokesperson Michael Thompson says, “According to the ethical code of the Maine Board of Overseers of the Bar, prosecutors are held to a higher standard because they represent the power of the State. Compared to Michael Nifong, prosecutor in the infamous Duke lacrosse scandal, Mary Kellett engaged in more egregious forms of evidentiary suppression and misrepresentation. For these reasons, she must be disbarred.”

Stop Abusive and Violent Environments is a victim-advocacy organization working for evidence-based solutions to partner violence:www.saveservices.org

[1] http://www.saveservices.org/wp-content/uploads/COMPLA1.pdf
[2] http://www.saveservices.org/2012/08/pr-one-perjurer-one-unethical-prosecutor-one-wrongful-conviction-save-calls-on-judge-to-vacate-conviction-of-vladek-filler/
[3] http://www.fillerfund.com/index.htm
[4] http://fenceviewer.com/site/index.php?option=com_k2&view=item&id=75933:hearing-scheduled-on-complaint-against-assistant-da&Itemid=938
[5] http://www.saveservices.org/wp-content/uploads/Kellett-Disciplinary-Petition.pdf
[6] http://www.fathersandfamilies.org/2012/07/01/ada-kellett-strikes-out-in-two-more-cases/
[7] http://www.renewamerica.com/columns/roberts/100201

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CAMP Domestic Violence Press Release Victims Violence Violence Against Women Act

PR: Politicizing the Truth: White House Order Ignores the Plight of Most Victims of Violence

PRESS RELEASE

Contact: Teri Stoddard
Phone: 301-801-0608
Email: tstoddard@saveservices.org

Politicizing the Truth: White House Order Ignores the Plight of Most Victims of Violence

WASHINGTON / August 15, 2012 — Victim-advocacy group Stop Abusive and Violent Environments (SAVE) is charging the White House with politicizing the issue of violence. SAVE says Obama’s executive order “Preventing and Responding to Violence Against Women and Girls Globally”(1) marginalizes and ignores the suffering of male victims of violence.

According to the World Health Organization, men are twice as likely to die of violence as women. Globally, violence accounts for 14% of male deaths and 7% of female deaths.(2)

Regarding intimate partner violence, studies across the globe find women are as likely as men to be perpetrators of abuse.(3) In the United States, a Centers for Disease Control survey reported that among young adults, half of all partner aggression is mutual, and 71% of the instigators of nonreciprocal partner violence are female.(4)

Current criminal cases illustrate the gravity of the problem:

— Brenda White of Taylorsville, Utah is currently on trial for attempting to kill her husband with an SUV.(5)

— This past Saturday, Na Cola Darcel Franklin of Whitehall Township, Pennsylvania stabbed her fiancé to death just hours before their planned wedding.(6)

— Julie Elizabeth Harper of Carlsbad, California is being held on $2 million bail for fatally shooting her husband with their children nearby.(7)

“In the halls of Congress, Democrats and Republicans alike agree the Violence Against Women Act must help all victims of violence.” says Philip W. Cook, SAVE spokesperson, “But the White House’s election-year Order politicizes the issue and distorts the truth. It’s divisive, it’s unfair, and it’s dishonest.”

Earlier this week the Belfast Telegraph reported on a “Dramatic Rise in Violence against Northern Ireland Men in the Home.”(8)

Stop Abusive and Violent Environments is a victim-advocacy organization working for evidence-based solutions to partner violence: www.saveservices.org

1. http://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/2012/08/10/executive-order-preventing-and-responding-violence-against-women-and-gir
2. http://www.who.int/violence_injury_prevention/violence/world_report/en/introduction.pdf
3. http://www.saveservices.org/policymakers/what-is-the-profile-of-domestic-violence-around-the-world/
4. Whitaker DJ et al. Differences in frequency of violence and reported injury between relationships with reciprocal and nonreciprocal intimate partner violence. American Journal of Public Health, Vol. 97, No. 5, 2007.
5. http://www.sltrib.com/sltrib/news/54649493-78/brenda-jon-defense-building.html.csp
6. http://www.mcall.com/news/breaking/mc-whitehall-wedding-day-murder-20120811,0,706030,full.story
7. http://www.10news.com/news/31354629/detail.html
8. http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/news/local-national/northern-ireland/dramatic-rise-in-violence-against-northern-ireland-men-in-the-home-16197462.html#ixzz23Uypn5HD

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Child Custody Domestic Violence False Allegations Law Enforcement Press Release Prosecutorial Misconduct Sexual Assault Violence

PR: One Perjurer, One Unethical Prosecutor, One Wrongful Conviction. SAVE Calls on Judge to Vacate Conviction of Vladek Filler

PRESS RELEASE

Contact: Teri Stoddard
Phone: 301-801-0608
Email: tstoddard@saveservices.org

One Perjurer, One Unethical Prosecutor, One Wrongful Conviction. SAVE Calls on Judge to Vacate Conviction of Vladek Filler

Washington, DC/August 13, 2012 — Victim advocacy group Stop Abusive and Violent Environments (SAVE) is calling on Judge Robert E. Murray to vacate the conviction of Vladek Filler for allegedly pushing his wife Ligia Filler in April 2007.  The custodial father of two children has been sentenced to 21 days in jail. The conviction follows five years, two criminal trials and appeals involving prosecutorial misconduct.

The charges stemming from Filler’s child custody dispute ranged from spousal rape to splashing water on his wife.  The 1st trial court and Maine Supreme Court found prosecutor Mary N. Kellett had engaged in misconduct.  The divorce court granted Filler sole custody of his children, found his wife made false allegations and was a violent child abuser. But prosecutor Kellett announced Filler will still be re-prosecuted for the same claims which failed in the 1st trail and dismissed in District Court findings.

In 2011 SAVE filed a Grievance Complaint[1] with the Board of Overseers of the Bar (BOB) demanding Kellet’s disbarment.  Bar Counsel J. Scott Davis in an 18-page Disciplinary Petition[2] charged that Kellett “has acted in a manner unworthy of an attorney,” violated nine rules[3] of conduct, failed to provide defense with discovery, violated a court order, and instructed police officers not to cooperate with defense subpoenas.  Davis stated that Kellett then made “misrepresentations to the jury of the actual facts”, and concluded “she should receive such appropriate disciplinary action as is provided for by the Maine Bar Rules.”

In a Washington Times editorial Michael Conzachi wrote “I do not believe that the sanctions are sufficient and Ms. Kellett should face federal criminal civil rights violations as well. Mr. Filler, who has been trapped in a nightmare of a family-law case filled with false allegations of child abuse and sexual abuse, has been subjected to violations of his civil rights.”[4]

Indeed, Filler’s retrial, evidence used to convict him, and the harsh punishment need further investigation since Filler is a substantiated victim of serious prosecutorial misconduct.[5]  “Men who have no criminal record get a fine or an afternoon DV class for allegations like this. Not only did the judge sentence Vladek to jail, he sentenced him to 21 days,” says SAVE spokesperson Philip W. Cook, “It was all very personal and had nothing to do with what they convicted him of.”

The BOB will convene a disciplinary hearing against Kellett for misconduct in the Filler case. SAVE calls for Kellett’s disbarment and vacation of Vladek Filler’s conviction and sentence.

Stop Abusive and Violent Environments is a victim-advocacy organization working for evidence-based solutions to partner violence: www.saveservices.org

[1]  http://www.saveservices.org/wp-content/uploads/COMPLA1.pdf
[2] http://www.saveservices.org/wp-content/uploads/Kellett-Disciplinary-Petition.pdf
[3] http://fenceviewer.com/site/index.php?option=com_k2&view=item&id=75933:hearing-scheduled-on-complaint-against-assistant-da&Itemid=938
[4] http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2012/aug/8/prosecutorial-persecution-in-maine
[5] http://www.fathersandfamilies.org/2012/04/12/me-bar-counsel-recommends-discipline-for-ada-mary-n-kellett