Judge David Belz of Orange County, California has disdain for open courtrooms
Check out what happened when I tried to watch in on a hearing today
Judge David Belz of Orange County, California really is a waste of space.
I was observing a hearing in the Flint matter in his courtroom today.
I wrote about that last month. In that story, I showed how a corrupt lawyer named Sandra DeMeo had illegally withdrawn $40,000 from the Flint trust while two financial institutions- Bank of New York and Edward Jones- have refused to fix the issue.
The Flint trust is an ongoing saga, and DeMeo’s malfeasance is only one part.
The latest chapter is playing out in Judge David Belz’s courtroom, even as I write this, but my audience will not know- right away at least- what will happen because Judge Belz has contempt for open courtrooms.
Check out what happened when I tried to observe.
Judge Belz quickly learned that there were as many observers as participants of this hearing.
He didn’t like that, so he abruptly removed all observers in violation of the open courtroom policy in California.
This is not the first time that an Orange County judge pulled a move like this.
In March 2023, Judge Ebrahim Baytieh similarly dismissed all observers from a hearing regarding the Marty Adair matter. Wayne Dolcefino, who tried to observe, made note of it when he released his report.
Both Wayne and I filed a complaint against Judge Baytieh after that hearing, but the Commission on Judicial Performance (CJP) told me that it was in Judge Baytieh’s discretion.
The CJP investigates judicial malfeasance in California: not very well I may add.
The thing is that this is not a hard and fast rule, even in Judge Belz courtroom.
Last July, I observed Judge Belz conduct court in the conservatorship of Gustave Verdult. He did not kick anyone out that day.
When the Flint matter was in front of another judge, Glenn Saiter, no one was kicked out that day.
Family court judges in Orange County have also not objected to me observing their hearings.
In fact, it appears that Judge Belz has noticed that the public has noticed how he has been conducting hearings.
He doesn’t like it, so he has dismissed the idea of open courtrooms, in open defiance of the States’ code of civil procedure.
I am not done covering the Flint matter, and Judge Belz will not stop me from providing the necessary transparency on this case.
Postscript:
Check out the previous articles on the series on Orange County. Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5, Part 6, Part 7, Part 8. Part 9, Part 10, Part 11, Part 12, Part 13, Part 14, Part 15, Part 16, Part 17, Part 18, Part 19, Part 20, Part 21, Part 22, Part 23, Part 24, Part 25. Part 26, Part 27, Part 28, Part 29, Part 30, Part 31, Part 33, Part 34, Part 35, Part 36, Part 37, Part 38, Part 39, Part 40, Part 41, Part 42, Part 43, Part 44, and Part 45.
The OC probate Mafia is on the ropes, but they are not out. Please consider contributing to the Orange County fundraiser so I can continue this investigation.
Not so right!