VOL 4 No. 23
Phone: 281-980-6745
www.fbindependent.com .fbindependent.com ww
FORT BEND FAIR. BALANCED. INFORMATIVE. WEDNESDAY, JUNE 8, 2011
P. O.BOX 623, SUGAR LAND, TX 77487-0623
Official newspaper of Fort Bend County, Missouri City & Sugar Land
Quail Valley’s Yard of the month
The June Quail Valley Yard of the Month is the Jorge and Kara Quirch family home at 3411 La Costa. The Quirch’s received a certificate from the Quail Valley Garden Club and a flat of annuals and garden consultation from The Garden Guy, Todd Farber. The Quirch’s have taken full advantage of a corner lot with diagonal placement of the home with a circular drive-way. Using many varieties of scrubs and trees that wrap gracefully around the home, the garden furthers interest with red Begonias, blooming Society Garlic, rock, as well as several varieties of lilies and ferns to create texture, variety and curb appeal. Drive by the home, or you can view it at http:// traction.typepad.com/qvgc/yard-of-the-month.html .
Benign link earns sinister look “You can’t build a case on hate. You should build it on facts.” --Dr. Aafia Siddiqui (Trial Testimony, January 28, 2010) By SESHADRI KUMAR Silence is golden, most of the times, but in politics it may be due to cold, political calculations. In the Sugar Land City Council District 4 race, candidate Farha Ahmed has chosen to remain silent or being cryptic in her comments regarding her alleged link to a controversial and high-profile convict, Dr. Aafia Siddiqui. The fact is that Ahmed is not legally representing Siddiqui, though Siddiqui says so. Siddiqui has written a letter to the court firing her lawyers and naming Ahmed as her attorney. Siddiqui has spoken to Ahmed, as a “family friend,” after she was brought to New York in August 2008. Ahmed visited New York to meet with Siddiqui in August 2008, but Siddiqui declined the visit because she did not want to be strip-searched each time she made a call or met someone visiting her in the jail. Ahmed may not represent Siddiqui in criminal matters, but as a community activist, she may have offered help in finding the then-missing children of Siddiqui. Critics of Ahmed see her as “guilty by association.” Supporters of Ahmed look upon those who raise questions about Ahmed’s alleged links as “hate mongers.” Elizabeth M. Fink, the Criminal Justice Act Attorney on duty in the U.S. Federal Magistrate’s Court in New York on Aug. 5, 2008 was first appointed to represent Siddiqui. She was arrested in Afghanistan on Aug. 4, 2008 and brought to the U.S. On Sept. 4, 2008, Fink filed
a letter with the U.S. District Judge Richard M. Berman, in advance of his appearance in this case the following day. An excerpt from that letter reads: Dr. Siddiqui is completely isolated from counsel, psychological help, and her family. She is permitted one telephone call to her family every 30 days and one legal telephone call every two weeks, though MDC (Metropolitan Detention Center) Legal Department has facilitated weekly legal phone calls thus far. Arrangements have been made for Dr. Siddiqui to speak weekly with a family friend and attorney, Farha Ahmed. Ms. Ahmed is a Texas attorney and does not practice criminal law. The week before last, Ms. Ahmed traveled from Texas to visit with Dr. Siddiqui at MDC. Consistent with her refusal to be strip-searched, Dr. Siddiqui refused the visit…. I have heard from Ms. Ahmed that Dr. Siddiqui does not understand the charges against her…” Plenty of other evidence exists suggesting the connection, but there is more than one side to the story. If one knows the other face of Siddiqui, one may see Ahmed’s link with Siddiqui as benign. Ahmed could have played that card instead of trying to play a victim of smear campaign. International Justice Foundation, IJN, is a non-profit human rights organization that provides legal assistance to survivors of human rights abuses and their families. IJN says it serves as the Siddiqui family’s attorneys in the U.S., and previously assisted them with the repatriation of Siddiqui’s two eldest children. The son, who was repatriated in 2008, and daughter, repatriated in 2010,
both currently reside with their maternal grandmother and aunt in Karachi, Pakistan. According to IJN, “At trial, Dr. Siddiqui testified under oath that she never reached for or picked up the gun, much less fired any shots. Her version of events is supported by all forensic evidence presented in the case. … Despite the overwhelming weight of the physical evidence that demonstrated that Dr. Siddiqui never touched or fired a weapon, she was convicted of all of the charges brought against her, and was sentenced to 86 years in prison. Her court-appointed lawyers -who she attempted to fire several times throughout the course of the trial, and still does not recognize as her legal representatives -- have filed an appeal.” In the meantime, Siddiqui continues to be imprisoned in a maximum-security federal prison on a Naval base (FMC Carswell) in Fort Worth, TX. In a published report last week, Ahmed has been quoted as saying that the connection to Siddiqui could have been made through work she did a few years ago to help locate two missing American children who were believed to have been kidnapped overseas. “Because of my pro bono work with missing and abused children as well as my contacts in the Bush State Department, they believed I could be of help,” according to Ahmed. If Ahmed had given this response to the Express-Herald reporter in April, the lingering speculation may have been minimized. Or she could have explained it before the mailer surfaced because the issue has been making rounds on the Internet, like Act! for America blog and its Facebook page. See LINK, Page 3
Punitive damages in libel lawsuit reduced
Newspaper posts $14,000 against $350,000 demand By BARBARA FULENWIDER & SESHADRI KUMAR State District Judge Thomas Culver in Fort Bend County last week reduced the jury’s award of $1 million in punitive damages against the Fort Bend Star newspaper and the newspaper is obligated to pay a little more $350,000, including actual damages and attorney fees. In lieu of a bond, the Fort Bend Star newspaper on Friday posted a deposit of “a little over $14,000” with the Fort Bend County district clerk’s office, according to John Edwards, attorney for the Star. The Star posted bond a month after a jury returned a guilty verdict against it in a defamation lawsuit filed by Wade Brady, son of Fort Bend County Sheriff Chief Deputy Craig Brady. A jury in the 240th District Court awarded the plaintiff damages exceeding $1 million. The $14,000 deposited was calculated as half of the net worth of the defendant, which in this case was the Star, Edwards said. “Part of the rules for being able to post a deposit in lieu of a bond is you have to qualify. Sometimes bonds require collateral that’s worth the amount of the damage award, and sometimes that can be challenging for someone to come up with,” the attorney said. A
deposit is allowed so people of all means can appeal a judgment. Edwards filed an appeal to reduce the damages after the judge entered the final judgment. Judge Thomas Culver reduced the jury’s award of $1 million for damages to $200,000, which is the current highest amount the law allows for punitive damages. The total bill owed by the Star and co-defendant LeaAnne Klentzman, a Star reporter/ writer, is “about $350,000,” and includes $48,000 for a prior appeal the defendants lost in 2009, according to Edwards. “Right now we’re in a holding pattern until we file our motion for a new trial by the end of the month. If that is overruled, we’ll file an appeal that would either be heard in the First Court of Appeals or the 14th Court of Appeals in Houston. Whoever loses there will likely appeal to the Texas Supreme Court. It could be years before this could be resolved,” Edwards said. Brady’s attorney, Kinan Romman of the law firm Ahmed, Zavitsanos & Anaipakos, PC, said “We are contesting their right to post bond without hard assets/money. They are simply trying to avoid paying. They have done this at every juncture in this case, and they will continue to attempt to
evade their obligations under the law. This will not end until we beat them on appeal.” Romman said this past Thursday, the judge entered and formalized the $350,000 + obligation to plaintiff. The punitive damages portion was reduced to $230,000 from $1.03 million, Romman said. With the actual damages ($50,000), interest ($20,000), and attorney fees ($50,000), the total judgment is over $350,000. When some court costs are included it will likely make this figure around $360,000. A Fort Bend County jury on May 6 returned a guilty verdict against West Fort Bend Star dba Carter Publications and its reporter, LeaAnne Klentzman. The gist of the impugned article was that Wade was using his father to suppress the judicial process but, the article didn’t reference the part of the audiotape that directly contradicted the article’s “gist” asserting that Chief Deputy Brady was trying to “suppress” evidence for Wade’s benefit. Wade alleged that the Star published a story that injured his reputation by omitting material facts, thereby creating a misleading presentation of the factual circumstances regarding both his trial and the unrelated stop by the DPS trooper.
Missouri City’s Juneteenth festivities will have family focus “Families form formidable foundations of success,” is the theme of this year’s Juneteenth celebration. The theme will be the center of attention during the Missouri City Juneteenth Celebration Foundation’s 2011 commemoration events. The 9th Annual observance will also feature free, cultural and educational programs on history, health and community. “Strong family units are responsible for the strength of our past and for the promise of our future,” said Councilman Don Smith, who is founder and chairman of MCJCF. “We are excited about celebrating these pillars of society this year.” Festivities include: *Annual Golf Tournament on June 13 at Quail Valley Golf Course. Shotgun start at 9 a.m.; games will run until 3 p.m. *Annual Community Service Awards Gala on June 16 at the Sugar Land Marriott Town Square from 6 p.m. to 10 p.m. Visionary Pastor Byron C. Stevenson, who shepherds The Fort Bend Church on Eldridge Road will be the guest speaker. Stevenson, whose congregation numbers thousands, founded the church upon five pillars: trust, faith, kindness, compassion and liberal giving.
Hundreds of people came out to last year’s Community Health Awareness Exhibit to receive free screenings and advice. *Second Annual Community Health & Wellness Fair on June 18 at Covenant Glen United Methodist Church, 401 Present St., from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. The popular “One Mile of Smiles” Parade is set to wind down Texas Parkway once again. *Annual “One Mile of Smiles” Parade on June 18 along Texas Parkway starts at 6 p.m. To accommodate the parade, a portion of the roadway from Buffalo Run to Court Road will close at 5 p.m.
*Willowridge High School Alumni Flag Football and Basketball Tournaments on June 18 in Hunters Glen Park from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. *Festival Under the Stars concludes the week on June 18 in Hunters Glen Park from dusk to midnight. “MCJCF is so proud and thankful for support from the City of Missouri City, the citizens and area companies, who have contributed to our accomplishments over the past nine years,” Councilman Smith said. “I encourage everyone to come and enjoy one of the largest celebrations of its kind in the United States.”
10701 Corporate Drive, #282, Stafford, TX 77477 Mailing Address: P.O. Box 623, Sugar Land, TX 77487 Seshadri Kumar Publisher & Editor
www.fbindependent.com 281-980-6745
Fort Bend Independent, (USPS 025-572) is published every Wednesday (for a subscription rate of $20 per year) by Fort Bend Independent, LLC., 10701 Corporate Dr., #282, Stafford, Texas 77477. Periodicals Postage Paid at Stafford, Texas. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to Fort Bend Independent, P.O. Box 623, Sugar Land, Tx 77487.