HARRY GULKIN AWARD WINNER: DIANE CUDDIHY
Congrats Diane!The BACDL Board voted earlier this evening to award the 2009 Harry Gulkin Award to Chief Assistant Public Defender Diane Cuddihy.
The award is made in recognition of her years of dedicated service, her achievements in the appellate field, and her inspirational battle to free Anthony Caravella. Her selection is yet another example of the BACDL Board singling out a "lawyer's lawyer" for recognition. Those of us who have had the pleasure of knowing or working with Diane can tell you that her door's always open, no matter how busy she may be. We can't think of a better choice.
The award ceremony will be sometime in late February, 2010. For more information on The Harry Gulkin Award, go to BACDL's website.
Let me be the first poster to congratultae Diane. A most deserving award-winner. Keep fighting the good fight.
N
She so deserves this! Congrats Diane!
The best. Smart and modest. She's a killer.
one of the best chief in the office. Her door truly is always open. Congrats!
Congratulations, Diane. It is an honor and a privilege to know you. What a blessing you have been to Anthony Caravella and so many other others.
Congratulations to a great attorney and a wonderful person, well earned and deserved.
Remember now, keep these anonymous.
Gelin is no Norman
What are you asleep at the wheel?!
Very happy to see BACDL chose Diane for the award. They could have chosen no better person to whom to bestow such an award.
I remember Harry and Susan fondly as office mates in the 110 Tower and the great humor with which they took on the rigors of the practice of law at a time when honor meant more than what it does now.
Its good to see BACDL shaking off the sleep of apathy and becoming more involved in what is taking place here in Broward other than just catering to a corrupt judicial political machine.
Diane is an outstanding example of a combination of ethics put into action.
Congratulations, Diane.
It's well known what kind of person you are. We all appreciate your good work.
Good for you, Diane. You deserve it!
According to the BACDL website, Diane is only the third woman to win in all the years of the award. Diane joins Brenda Bryn and Barbara Heyer.
GREAT CHOICE. DIANE'S EXEMPLARY WORK DEFINES HER CHARACTER.
Division Changes
Ross to and NHI Greene to switch. Ross to Civil and Greene to probate.
Lynch and Gold switch
Why you may ask? Touche Grand Wizard Tobin. Crushing your enemies is the goal and you have done so.
With the Judicial Rotation coming in place Lynch and Ross would have had much say of where they could go. Say Levenson wanted Probate and took Ross seat then Ross could go anywhere he wanted. Same for Lynch. Now that they will be in their new Divisions less than 3 years when the rotation comes in to place they are locked up in their new divisions for awhile.
Greene got his wish of an easy under the radar Division.
Gold, Satz has wanted him out of Criminal for awhile so this was a favor to Satz.
Green stays in hiding and Ross goes on to confuse the big boys. I almost feel sorry for the civil guys.
Isn't Ro Po moving?
If you want to see confusion in action, hand Ross a case to read.
Say what you want but Tobin has finally brought about judicial rotation which is long overdue when you look at other circuits in the state. I guess the judges figure if they get switched around enough maybe they'll be forgotten come election time.
It's become all about being obscure in the present political environment when the bad ones are being singled out for ouster. Good thing too.
More like a dwarf toss.
Ok, I get that we want to talk about rotation, etc. and make our usual comments about things. Why not take those to the Welcome thread instead of sullying a congratulatory thread about Diane with it.
Congratulations Diane, given what has occurred in this County recently, I can think of nothing that can give us some pride in our legal community that you being recognized for your amazing and tireless work.
Rock on.
What about Ro-Po? is she moving? anyone know???
Congrats! Well deserved.
Another one for the Irish from Western New York
Some other judge wil be sitting in Rodriguez-Powell's seat on January 11
So is Tobin evicting Ross from his chambers??
Ha Ha Ha!
excellent choice..when i was a pd and a judge was giving me a hard time on an issue i'd run it by her and then drop her name in court..the judge would always back off.god bless.
It says "years of dedicated service." Do you have to reach a specific age to get this award?
You have to look old and frumpy!
BACDL did something right? It's amazing.
We couldn't have picked a better person than Diane.
If the good fight was real, I would join in the congratulatory comments. However, in the case of State v. Donald Baker, Diane was witness to the perjury of Asst. P.D. Madeleine Torres, who falsely testified against her own client in order to sabotage his habeas (Rule 3.850) proceeding. On the day before the habeas hearing at the law office of Melissa Minsk-Donoho (habeas counsel), Ms. Torres confessed malpractice in, inter alia, forcing her client to provide an Internal Affairs statement to the Hollywood Police, who considered the statement a "confession", and in allowing, without objection, IA Officer, Forest Jeffries of the Hollywood Police Department to charge the jury that a citizen does not have a right to resist excessive force and must fall down, curl up (and accept whatever torture, beating or death) the officer decides to deliver; and in failing to move to strike the comments, and in failing to request a jury instruction on self defense (where her client, Donald Baker) was mercilessly beaten and hospitalized for four days, and in failing to have a false charging video examined by an expert. Torres was set upon this case in violation of the hiring practices of the PD's office which require two years of criminal trial experience before being allowed to defend a case involving a criminal felony. On the day following Ms. Torres' confession, she was called as a witness for Mr. Baker. With arrogance and disdain in her voice, Ms. Torres testified falsely against Baker, testifying, inter alia, that it was Baker's idea to go to the Hollywood PD and provide a statement. Cf., Escobedo v. Illinois. Torres was Baker's witness; however, Assistant State Attorney, Scott Raft, in his opening statement gave extensive prologue as to the perjury that Ms. Torres was about to provide. Did Mr. Raft promise Ms. Torres immunity for her perjury? The transcript speaks volumes to provide an answer to that question. Counsel Donoho was so taken aback that when Torres left the stand, she advised Baker, "I can no longer be your attorney, because I have just become your witness." Ms. Donoho wrote a letter to Diane Cuddihy and explained the Torres Perjury. Diane ordered the transcript and apprised Mr. (Help-Me-Howard) Finkelstein of the Torres perjury. Because there was a conspiracy to deny Baker's const. right to access to the court, (e.g., the perjury and the prologue), there was a violation of Title 18 U.S.C. #241-242 (Cr. KKK Act). Simultaneously, those privy to the felony and failing to report the felony, are guilty of "Misprision of Felony" in violation of Title 18 U.S.C. #1. Note: Ms. Torres is still employed with the PD's Office. Apparently, she did a good job for Mr. Finkelstein in sabotaging Baker's rights and creating a Heck defense to suit against Hollywood and those responsible for falsifying video evidence and perjury. 183 Pg. Coram Vobis pending in DCA. To see proofs, write: lawservicescenter@comcast.net
John McNamara