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| Scene of the Burt Newsome car crash |
Documents revealed last week in Birmingham raise these troubling questions:
* Have representatives of the Matrix LLC consulting firm attempted to manipulate court cases in Alabama?
* If so, have serious crimes been committed and justice tarnished in "The Heart of Dixie" -- and perhaps, beyond?
The documents were filed on behalf of former Matrix CEO Jeff Pitts, who is suing founder Joe Perkins. For good measure, Perkins is suing Pitts.
Publisher K.B. Forbes addresses the issues in a post at banbalch.com. Writes Forbes:
In “Jittery Jeff” Pitts’ court filing [last] week, he outlines alleged misconduct by Matrix’s founder “Sloppy Joe” Perkins, including allegedly setting up phony groups and digital websites to intimidate individuals while influencing litigation.
Is Pitts referring to the North Birmingham Bribery Trial, David Roberson’s $75-million lawsuit, or the Newsome Conspiracy Case? Or all three?
All three litigated cases involve alleged criminal obstruction of justice.
Alabama Power and its sister-wife Balch & Bingham were involved in all three cases, two of which were sealed in their entirety, creating secret Star Chambers where no public information is available.
The Pitts revelations, Forbes note, shine unflattering light on Alabama Power CEO Mark Crosswhite and Jay Town, former U.S. attorney for the Northern District of Alabama:
Alabama Power was “unmentionable” during the North Birmingham Bribery Trial and ex-U.S. Attorney Jay E. Town allegedly let this travesty of justice occur.
More than 20 other Balch attorneys were allegedly involved in the North Birmingham Bribery Scandal and numerous Alabama Power executives were briefed regularly on the developments.
Now people are asking, was Town’s “lone wolves” theory a Matrix creation?
The Newsome case was disturbing in a number of ways. Court documents indicate it was an effort by Balch & Bingham to claim a chunk of Burt Newsome's banking practice. Newsome is a solo practitioner who appears to be no competitive threat to a firm the size of Balch. Writes Forbes:
Was Matrix involved in any way with the Newsome Conspiracy Case, as Sloppy Joe’s daughter claims?
Balch used all its political might and a counterfeit order to “beat” Newsome. In the end, Balch won a $242,000 judgment while losing tens of millions (if not $100 million) in client fees and lobbying fees, while legacy partners left in droves.
The Roberson matter grew out of of the North Birmingham quagmire. Forbes writes:
In Roberson’s civil case, Balch, Drummond Company, and Alabama Power panicked and vigorously sought protective orders. The case was sealed. While no information is available on the case or proceedings, David Roberson appears to have been set up as a “fall guy.” His lawyer, Burt Newsome of the Newsome Conspiracy Case, was hit head-on in a 2020 vehicle crash and his law firm’s bank checkbook was stolen in the middle of the night.
What to make of all this? Do Alabamians have a right to expect honest courts? Have some litigants been deprived of justice? Will the ugliness apparently tied to certain court cases ever end? Will Jeff Pitts' testimony help provide answers? Writes Forbes:
The tactics have utterly failed, and actually appear to have backfired.
As federal investigators probe these allegations of criminal obstruction of justice and the abuse of the judicial system in Alabama , the curiosity of what explosive developments could come to light during Jeff Pitts’ deposition becomes even more interesting.
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