ALAB Founder Charged

A recent complaint filed by the Illinois Administrator

Respondent has created and is the registered agent for several limited liability corporations in Missouri, including, but not limited to, LegalSolved, LLC, Control New MLSS, Inc., and Judiciocracy, LLC. Judiciocracy, LLC is a legal news media company, and consists of various news publications, including, but not limited to, ALAB news, which describes itself as “an independent news organization that covers attorney misconduct, in all its forms, to improve the practice of law.” At all times alleged in this complaint, Respondent served as the Chief Executive Officer of Judiciocracy, LLC, and reviewed all content before the content was published to the ALAB news website.

Between October 7, 2015, and September 23, 2022, the Hon. Judge Regina Scannicchio was assigned to the Domestic Relations Division of the Circuit Court of Cook County and presided over a domestic relations matter between Respondent and his former spouse. On September 23, 2022, after Judge Scannicchio was named the Acting Presiding Judge of the Domestic Relations Division, she no longer heard cases on the calendar to which Respondent’s matter was assigned, and she no longer had any direct involvement in that case. On May 22, 2024, Judge Scannicchio was named the Presiding Judge of the Domestic Relations Division.

Prior to April 18, 2023, Respondent was a plaintiff in a lawsuit involving a corporate dispute that was filed in the Chancery Division of the Circuit Court of Cook County. That case settled on or before April 18, 2023, with a judgment in the amount of $6,000,000 being entered against the defendants. The case was assigned to the Hon. Thaddeus L. Wilson, a Circuit Judge in the Chancery Division, and on April 18, 2023, Respondent’s counsel caused an agreed settlement order to be filed in the case and presented to Judge Wilson for signature and entry.

Respondent later used those settlement proceeds to create Children of the Court, a nonprofit organization that advocates for judicial reform in family law cases. The organization advocates that judges who have either never been parents or who are not actively a part of the foster care system, should not be assigned to or make decisions regarding parental issues in family law cases.

On or after April 18, 2023, Respondent caused a website to be created for Children of the Court, which included a webpage titled “Team,” that listed individuals associated with the organization and described their backgrounds and responsibilities.

On or after April 18, 2023, Respondent caused a picture of Judge Wilson to be uploaded to and included on the “Team” section of the Children of the Court webpage with the words “Nationwide Enforcer” below Judge Wilson’s name, and a short biography. The biography included the following statements:

“Although he sits on a bench in Cook County, Illinois, his order has created a national organization, advocating in every state. Judge Wilson is responsible for enforcing the funding of Children of the Court pursuant to his April 18, 2023 order in Cook County.”

Respondent is charged with knowingly or recklessly making false statements.

Respondent knew that his statements concerning Judge Wilson were false, or he made the statements with reckless disregard for their truth or falsity because he knew that Judge Wilson’s order did not create Children of the Court, that Judge Wilson was not a member of the organization’s “Team,” and that Judge Wilson had no ongoing responsibility over the organization’s funding or operation. Respondent also knew or should have known that the statements concerned Judge Wilson’s impartiality and therefore his qualifications or integrity.

Further

On December 12, 2023, Respondent caused an article to be posted on the ALAB news website titled “Breaking: Dastardly Chicago Divorce Attorneys Hurst Robin Kay & Allen Have Own Client Thrown in Jail According to Legal News Journal.” The article, while not related to Respondent’s own divorce proceedings, involved allegations of misconduct against one of his ex-spouse’s attorneys. The article included the following statement:

“In an unprecedented ‘slam’ on a fellow judge, another Cook County judge and leader the Hon. Thaddeus L. Wilson immediately ordered an organization be started to keep judges like [Judge Regina] Scannicchio away from cases involving children.”

Respondent faces charges for this post.

Respondent made the statement described above…knowing it was false or made it with reckless disregard to its truth or falsity concerning the qualifications or integrity of Judge Wilson and Judge Scannicchio because Judge Wilson had no part in the creation of Children of the Court, was not involved in its operations, did not direct it to take any action involving Judge Scannicchio, was not involved in a “slam” against her, and had no responsibility to affect her judicial assignments since, as a Circuit Judge in the Chancery Division, he had no authority over what cases were assigned to Judge Scannicchio, who was the Acting Presiding Judge of the Domestic Relations Division of the Circuit Court of Cook County at the time the article was published. Respondent also knew or should have known that the statements concerned Judge Wilson’s impartiality and therefore his qualifications or integrity and concerned the qualifications or integrity of Judge Scannicchio.

(Mike Frisch)