cRaZy Court with Mezzacappa

Most who visit a courthouse go for a doe license. Then a wedding license. A few years later, after the divorce, it's a gun permit, quickly followed by a passport. Some even drop by to pay taxes. Few ever enter a courtroom. I was in one yesterday. Over the past three years, I've been in court more often than I was when I was practicing law. This is mostly due to West Easton wingnut Tricia Mezzacappa. She's tried everything. Restraining order requests. Protection From Abuse (PFA) Act applications. Even private criminal complaints. Her goal is to shut me up, but she's failed every time because she makes up such goofy stories that nobody believes her, thank God. After my defamation verdict against her, she filed a retaliatory defamation suit against me.That was dismissed because she never paid the filing fees. She then filed the exact same lawsuit, this time paying for it. I was in court because of that suit. It's called argument court, but I call it cRaZy court.

I filed motions to dismiss her complaint on various grounds, along with preliminary objections and supporting briefs. My matter was among about 100 cases that would be argued before judges. Mezzacappa was there for two disputes, her case against me and another against The Express Times.

And a Deputy Sheriff was there for her. During a break in proceedings, he approached her about the writ of execution I've filed against her. He's tried repeatedly to levy on her property, but she won't answer the door. She's also hidden her car. Yesterday, he tried to make an appointment. From what I'm told, she first claimed she's too busy. Then she said that she would allow Lehigh County Deputies to serve the writ, but not Northampton County Sheriffs. She claims they are biased because they won't issue her a license to carry, thank God.

The case was assigned to President Judge Stephen Baratta. As I made my way down the hall to his courtroom, she was walking the other way, but of course made a gratuitous threatening remark. As her eyes spun in her head like flying saucers, she said, "You fat fuck, if you come near my house again, I'll shoot you."

Alrighty then.

When she returned and Judge Baratta was ready for us, I learned that she failed to file a brief, even though she had since June 3 to do so. She claimed she had just filed an Amended Complaint, but did not seek leave of court or my agreement, and Judge Baratta told her that her pleading is a nullity. He gave her until Friday to file a brief. She wanted longer.

Before leaving, she asked Judge Baratta to issue a Court Order that would ban me from mentioning her name. He told her he couldn't think of any judge who would issue such an order.

I understand she also failed to file a brief in her case against The Express Times. Judge Craig Dally has that case, and I believe he gave her some time to file one as well.

We have depositions scheduled for Mezzacappa next week. If she fails to appear or cooperate in allowing her assets to be levied, we will ask for a Court Order. The next step after that is contempt.

This is not going away.

Incidentally, I believe this is the first case in which the Decency Communications Act, Section 230, is being tested in Northampton County. That's a federal law that gives bloggers and even news sites like The Express Times immunity for the crap that readers sometimes post. While I can be held responsible for what I say, I what my readers post is their problem, not mine. Judge Baratta wondered whether this would be more appropriate in a motion for summary judgment, but I referred to a federal case pointing out that the whole point of Section 230 is to avoid protracted and costly litigation.