Civil Rights Violation Alleged in Harassment of a Salem Condo Owner Jody Elliott LMHC
My Unfortunate Encounter with Terrence Kennedy and Judge Honor Segal
I learned a lot from my defamation suit against Karen Andreas, publisher of Salem News, regarding her newspaper’s article (1). The Salem News published an extensive, damaging article about me with the knowledge that much of what was published was false.
I learned that a newspaper is free from a defamation suit if it can prove that the article is founded on a credible source. The Salem News article is almost verbatim of the police complaint filed against me by Attorney Honor Segal.
Attorney Honor Segal is a credible source. She is a former Assistant District Attorney (ADA) at Salem District Court. When I met her and the article was published, she was working as an Attorney for the Executive Office of Labor and Work Development (EOLWD). Currently, she is a Judge for the State of Massachusetts. Why would this highly credible woman file such a life-destroying false complaint against me? I’ll provide the facts and evidence and leave it to the reader to decide her motive.
This is an honest account of the events that took place and is written in a narrative form to aid the reader in understanding how and why these events unfolded. This method also allows me to support statements I make with concrete evidence. Occasionally I will comment in RT (Real Time). As a former evidence-based therapist, I believe that evidence is crucial in conveying the truth. Karen Andreas has seen all the evidence I present here but chose to disregard it. I believe evidence conveys the story in an unbiased and truthful manner.
My story is unbelievable without the evidence to support it. One might state I was in the wrong place at the wrong time when I became the target of one of the most powerful politicians in Massachusetts. It started in July 2013 and continues to this date in 2023.
It is in their own words that they tell of their harassment and abuse of me. When the abuse became too great of a threat to their positions in our MA Government, they used their power to discredit me through slander and the use of the Salem Police Department (SPD). Unfortunately, I am not easily silenced, so the pattern of abuse continues to date. This site is my voice. Much of the evidence I present was obtained from first-hand experience. I also received a troth of evidence from the Attorney that Honor Segal hired to represent her and even more from discovery in my court proceedings.
All the evidence: paper and audio, is legitimate and for the public. I believe in transparency and that the public should be informed of the internal workings of our Massachusetts government: The court system, police, elected officials, etc. With transparency, the public is better able to educate themselves when faced with the choice when voting for individuals or laws. Massachusetts is not a state that practices transparency; in fact, so much is intentionally kept hidden from the public, as the evidence will demonstrate.
I support transparency, and anyone who wants to engage in this site is welcome. I know that my story is not unique to me, and there are many others who have been subject to similar atrocities, so do share. One voice is strong, but when they are joined with others, they are unstoppable.
The Beginning
K Ward Handy Association, North St. Salem, MA.
I moved to Salem, MA, at age 55. I was working as a Mental Health Clinician (LMHC) at a Central MA nonprofit and lived in rural NH. On March 17th, 2012, I suffered a devastating heart attack and had open heart surgery at Dartmouth Hospital in NH (I highly recommend this amazing medical facility). Unfortunately, as a type 1 diabetic, there were complications. When I was finally released from Dartmouth, I knew that I had to move from my rural home; I needed to be somewhere that offered public transportation and easy access to medical facilities. Living in the NH woods, regardless of how beautiful, was not practical when you’ve lost your vision (complication: Hypertensive Retinopathy’), and everything is a long drive away. Fortunately, within 6 months of my heart surgery, I regained my vision and could drive.
I chose Salem because I am originally from central MA, and my family has a history here in Salem. Also, I desperately wanted to be near the ocean; water is healing to me, and being able to walk to the ocean shore and sit and view this majestic body of water is therapeutic. In 2012 the housing market was good for buyers. Prices were reasonable, and having been forced into early retirement for my health, I could close out my 401K and purchase a home without selling my home in NH. My husband needed to stay in NH during the week as it was closer to his employment.
Single-family homes were hard to come by in Salem. Developers were quickly buying the old buildings and breaking them into condos. If I found a house I liked, it was quickly purchased before I could even get a showing. Many of the condos I viewed were oddly broken up by the developers, and that division took away the beauty of these old buildings.
I finally found a condo I loved in Aug. 2012. It was an old building, built in 1870, with the beautiful accessories of the time: High ceilings with decorative tin, hardwood floors, and surprisingly amble closet space. The building was broken into 3 condo units. My Unit #3 was big, 2000 + sq ft. The two other units in the building were small, both less than 800 sq ft. each.
I have never owned a condo and had no experience in shared ownership. I did know that owning the largest unit would mean I would be responsible for a larger portion of the costs: I would be responsible for 44% of costs while unit 2 was 29% and Unit 1 was 27%. I was OK with that monetary division but under estimated the disadvantage that a 3-unit condo would put me in.
In August 2012, I put in an offer, and it was accepted. As it was a short sale and under bank control, I did not take possession until December 2012.
When I moved in, Unit 1 was owned by Doug Hein, a middle-aged man, set in his ways and trust manger for the association. Unit 2 was owned by a young couple, Mike and Erin, who had recently had a baby and were planning on selling their unit as they needed more space for a family of 3.
In March 2013, they sold Unit 2, and everything began to change.
Attorney Honor Segal
Doug informed me in March 2013 that Erin and Mike had sold their Unit. Doug did not know much about the new owner, but things began to change very quickly at the association. Through out April and May, men were working in the building daily and stressing Doug out. The new Owner was aggressively moving into the association.
April 3rd, 2013: (2) from Doug Hein:
“Hi, One of my recycling bins from under the black table is missing, I wonder if you folks are using it…I’m aware the new owner of Unit 2 had her closing last week and might have taken it….I haven’t met the new owner and have no contact information for her. She’s having her apartment painted. Last night I came home to find the downstairs back hallway had been sanded and painted. I don’t know whats going on. Two possibilities: 1) she decided to have her painters do this as part of her project or 2) We’ll be presented with a bill at some point. The spirit of this work was potentially well-intended but it’s forbidden in the trust-by-laws for any work to be done in common areas…without the consent of all owners…If presented with a bill, she will have to pay for it.”
April 4 2013: (3) from Doug Hein:
“…I would never make a decision about improvements in the common areas without talking to you and Jeff. The new owner (or her contractors) are making quite a mess outside her unit. Im not happy so far with the way she’s handling things…”
May 8, 2013: (4) from Doug Hein:
“The jamb to the cellar door is broken and cannot lock. It looks like it was forced open as the wood is split and a piece of the lock assembly is on the steps. I used the door yesterday morning exiting the building and it was intact. It was broken when I got home last night around 6 pm. I don’t think this was a typical break-in as nothing seemed out of order in the basement. So it was either a workman or owner, but the main thing to know is that the building is not secure…”
I must note here that following the May 8th e-mail, Doug left for his father’s funeral in Pennsylvania. This was devastating for Doug as his father raised him as a single parent. Doug was extremely close to his father, and when he returned back to MA, it was clear he was grieving. Things continued with the aggressive workmen, and I believe Honor Segal moved in at the end of June 2013. At that time, my daughter informed me that the new owner stopped by with an older man, and they asked to speak with me. My daughter was living with me, working full time, and enrolled at Salem State for the fall semester. She was not involved in the association in any manner.
Doug sent me an e-mail at the end of June stating that the new owner had called for an association meeting on July 8th, 2013, and that she was bringing Attorney Terrence Kennedy, a member of the MA Governor’s Council, to help with any questions the association may have. I didn’t question Terrence Kennedy’s attendance; I am naive. I was looking forward to the meeting so I could get to know the new owner.
July 8, 2013, K Ward Handy Association Meeting, Attorney Honor Segal and Attorney Terrence Kennedy – The Birth of Slander
RT: If you do not know what the Massachusetts Governors Council is, take a moment to google it. I didn’t have a full understanding of who they were or the power they possessed until they targeted me. I have since learned that they are one of the most powerful agencies in the state. Governors come and go, but the members of the council do not have term limits. Attorney Terrence Kennedy has been a member since 2010, 13 years and counting. He has appointed a generation of Judges and Politicians and continues to do so.
Doug had scheduled the meeting to be held at Panera Bread in Swampscott because they had a small, private backroom that could be used for the meeting. When my husband and I arrived, Doug was outside and explained that we would have to remain outside because Panera was having an employee meeting. It was July and nice weather, so no complaints. We found a table on the sidewalk, and although there were people walking around, it offered a place to sit and hold the meeting.
Honor Segal arrived, and a few minutes later, Terrence Kennedy. Honor Segal introduced Terrence Kennedy, explaining that he was a lawyer who was a member of the Governor’s Council and that he would be running the meeting. Attorney Terrence Kennedy quickly took control, instructing Honor Segal to take the meeting notes. Attorney Kennedy was seated opposite me, with Honor Segal at his right and Doug on his left. My husband sat between me and Honor Segal.
Terrence Kennedy started the meeting by stating that He and Honor Segal were suing Mike and Erin for failing to disclose something about their Unit. This was not the opening I was expecting, and I was sad as Erin and Mike had lost money on their unit. Terrence Kennedy went on to say that as lawyers, it is easy for Honor Segal and himself to take legal action against individuals. I understood this as it was intended: a method to intimidate.
Note: As a therapist who has worked with adolescents, children, and families, I really, really dislike bullies.
The evening continued on that note. I will quote from the 8 pages of Meeting Notes that Honor Segal recorded. (5) These notes capture dishonest statements made by Honor Segal and unethical decisions by Terrence Kennedy.
In the notes, I am listed as a co-owner of Unit 3 and not the Trustee. When I bought the condo, my husband signed the sale forms before I did. We did not realize at the time that the first signature on the form was designated as the Trustee. When we learned of this fact, we agreed to amend the form as Salem was my primary residence, and my husband was in NH during the week.
Meeting Notes. Unit 1= Doug Unit 2 = Honor Segal Unit 3 = me and my husband.
- Role of Trust Manager: Honor Segal stated I asked her to be Trust Manager: “ Coowner of Unit 3 inquires whether the Trustee of Unit 2 would accept the role of Trust Manager. Unit 2 Trustee states that she will accept the role/responsibility.” No. I did not ask her to be the Trust Manager; I barely spoke at all. I was overwhelmed by Terrence Kennedy’s introduction to say much.
- Waste Pipe Trap Removal and Re-Line/Replacement: This was a discussion regarding the problem we were having with the building’s waste pipe (the reason for their lawsuit). “Unit 2 states that the kitchen sink drain in Unit 2 is slow. Unit 1 Trustee described a similar problem when he purchased Unit 1, and that the problem was resolved by trap removal, which he paid for himself at the time, but it is a Trust responsibility.” Doug is right; a Units kitchen sink piping is their responsibility; however, following the meeting, I was made to contribute 44% ($880.00) for Honor Segal’s sink repair.
- Fence:“Unit 2 Trustee suggests replacement of broken, wooden fence with white vinyl fence and extension of fence across back of the driveway. Unit 2 Trustee relays that she has a friend who owns a fence company and has offered to replace and extend the fence for a total cost of labor and materials of $1,500. “
Our Association by-laws state that to change the exterior of the association, all three Units must agree to the changes. I liked the wood: not a fan of vinyl on this 1870-year-old home. Also, extending the fence is an improvement, and again all members must agree. When I mentioned I wanted to remain with the wood; I was quickly informed by Honor Segal that I was being disruptive to the meeting. Terrence Kennedy took control. “Terrence Kennedy Esq. states that the existing fence is in disrepair and is broken in spots.” Honor Segal quickly agreed and added, “leaving Unit 2 vulnerable to break-ins….dogs are defecating in the backyard, and she has to pick up dog feces almost daily…etc.”
My husband, being an engineer and a man of peace, offered to repair the fence and extend it with the same wooden fencing original to our current fence. This angered Honor Segal, as she wanted the vinyl. She records, “ Unit 3 Trustee states that he thinks $1,500.00 is a lot of money for the fence and says that he will rig up some kind of fencing across the back part of the driveway.”
Terrence Kennedy determined that we had to put up the vinyl and extend the fence because: “Terrence Kennedy Esq. states that there is a safety issue and the replacement and extension are needed to stop people from cutting through the property behind the building.”
Forget the by-laws. I would have to accept and pay for the Vinyl fence because that is what Honor Segal desired and what Terrence Kennedy decided. I did pay my contribution to the fence. However, Honor Segal refused to tell me where the fence was purchased and what the final cost was. To this day, I have no idea how much the fence cost or who her friend was.
How does Terrence Kennedy have this power over my money and my home? Terrence Kennedy is not an owner or invested in this property in any manner, and Salem isn’t in the district he represents in the Governor’s Council.
It continued and got worse.
- Outside Maintenance: “Unit 2 Trustee states that it is unfair that she has done all of the lawn mowing this spring/summer and that she doesn’t mind doing yard work and outside maintenance, but she refuses to do all of it anymore” This statement is untrue.
My husband had been mowing all spring, and I have been doing the yard work, pruning, weeding, etc. Honor Segal didn’t move into her Unit until late June 2013, so how was she doing yard work all spring? I began to understand that this woman possessed an alternative view of reality.
When I stated that I would like to continue to garden, that it’s enjoyable to me, Honor Segal got angry and said I was disrupting the meeting again. Terrence Kennedy intervened: “Terrence Kennedy Esq . states that it’s been settled that by agreement of all, Unit 2 Trustee (Honor Segal) will do the backyard and Unit 1 Trustee (Doug) will be responsible for front areas” I did not agree to this. Terrence Kennedy took away my right to garden and tend the yard and gave it to Honor Segal and Doug, who didn’t want it. I understood why a few weeks later when the two decided to hire a landscaper because they didn’t want to do the yard work. I was now responsible for paying 44% of landscaping costs and was not allowed to do the work myself. Clever and so Unethical. And finally…
- “Terrence Kennedy, Esq. states that he is of the opinion that the fees are too low and the reserve is too low and that he advised Unit 2 Trustee of this at the time of purchase of that Unit.”
30% increase in monthly condo dues.
My husband and I left the meeting shell-shocked. What had just happened?
The Abuse Begins
Following the meeting, I kept to myself, and Doug and Honor Segal formed a close relationship. My husband took a more active role in the association. My husband sent an e-mail to Doug regarding the fence. This was Doug’s response: (6)
“Jeff,
I can neither send nor receive e-mails to the Unit 3 co-owner’s e-mail address. I’ve blocked her from my G-mail account. Here is the list of the reasons why I did this:
– her behavior at the Annual Meeting was embarrassing, belligerent, mendacious, and counter-productive. What’s more, there were witnesses, so it’s not my word against hers. – She has created a hostile environment…… Doug”
To this day, I do not know why Doug would adopt this behavior. I can theorize that the loss of his father and the admiration he felt for Terrence Kennedy may have played a part. Doug was also employed by the state of Massachusetts and may have felt loyalty to Terrence Kennedy. Things deteriorated quickly at the association. Doug and Honor Segal would insult me as I walked past and would make crude comments about me to my husband. No matter what intervention we took, the abuse would not stop. We paid the increased fees, we provided the money for the sink and the fence, and we did everything we could to ease tensions, but the name-calling and abuse continued.
A year had passed since my heart attack and surgery, but the constant harassment was impacting negatively on my health. Three weeks following the meeting and the abuse, I went to my doctor. My medical report states: ’PT here for f/u but also reports she has been having a lot of anxiety, states she has been under a lot of stress related to housing issues…She is very jittery, worrying a lot, and having a hard time sleeping…”
By mid-August, the abuse was making it hard for me to function. I decided I needed to engage an Attorney to aid in making it stop. I went to the offices of Attorney Jeffrey Shribman, and we decided to send a cease and desist order to stop the abuse. We sent it to the Trust Manager, Doug.
Aug. 19th, 2013 (7)
“ Dear Mr. Hein,
Please be advised that this office represents Ms. Jody Elliott, the owner of Unit 3 at the K Ward Handy condominium. This letter should serve as notice to cease and desist from making slanderous comments about my client and otherwise harassing her. Ms. Elliott is perfectly happy to have neighborly conversations with you but will not take verbal harassment, nor will Mr. Elliott listen as you disparage his wife. This is obviously a small condominium that will run smoother if the owners deal with each other in a civilized manner. In the event that slanderous comments continue to be made, she has authorized me to take whatever action is necessary in order to protect her reputation and not feel intimidated in her home.
Please also be aware that I will be preparing the necessary documentation to have Ms.
Elliott replace Mr. Elliott on the board of the condominium trust. If you wish to discuss this matter, please feel free to contact me.”
Simple, polite, and hopefully effective.
Note: The letter formally informs the association that I will be taking legal action to name myself as Trustee.
The letter made Doug and Honor Segal angrier. The two hired Attorney Keck to respond and paid him with association funds. I was forced to pay 44% of Attorney Keck’s fee. Their response:
Note: I inserted Terrence Kennedy’s name where the attorney states a lawyer was present. Also, all bold is my doing.
(8) “Dear Attorney Shribman,
I am in receipt of your letter addressed to Douglas Hein, whom I represent. I have also acted on behalf of the condominium and trustees in the past.
First, my client categorically denies making any slander comments about Ms. Elliott, and he denies that he has been harassing her. He has communicated with both Mr. Elliott and Ms. Elliott in person and by e-mail, much of it regarding issues of noise from their unit within the condominium and with the business of operating the condominium. No communication by my clients has been published in a manner that could be considered slanderous. Ms. Elliott did attend a condo Trustees meeting in July and was Disruptive in the presence of the other unit owner and an Attorney. (Terrence Kennedy) My client has reported complaints of noise caused by the occupants of Unit 3 and their dog to Mr. and Mrs. Elliott and has experienced retaliation from them. He has not gone beyond making requests to be respectful of all occupants in the condo.
I have advised my client that if he fells threatened, intimidated, or disturbed by the noise caused by Ms. Elliott or the occupants of her unit, to contact the appropriate authorities to intervene. In such situations, it is often a “he said, she said” problem. Here, there have been other witnesses to Ms. Elliott’s behavior which would not portray her in a favor light. I have also advised my client to avoid having contact with her as much as possible.
I have been informed by the association that there was an assessment levied on all owners for the necessary replacement of the building sewer drain that will need to be completed soon. A concern has been raised that the Unit 3 owners, who did not support the assessment, will not pay their assessment when it is time to collect it. Their lack of support of a necessary repair and expenditure may have caused them to feel they are being harassed, as often happens condo situations when a unit owner is out voted on an issue. Maintaining the condo building and grounds are not issues of a personal nature and should not be confused as such. I am happy to discuss this matter with you to see if we ca collectively offer a path of coexistence for all parties. Thank You”
There are many problems with their response. First, both Doug and Honor Segal were aware that not only was I supporting the repair of the drainpipe, but I wanted to go one step further and replace it at an even greater expense. On June 29th, 2013 (9), Honor Segal e-mailed: “ I was not aware that Jody and Jeff wanted to replace the drain pipe; I am not opposed to a replacement but would like to review and discuss our options before making a decision on behalf of Unit 2…”
To state that I did not support the repair and would refuse to pay is false and additional slander.
Also, “their dog”: As my stress and anxiety grew, my resistance to my daughter’s pleas for a dog decreased, and I agreed to rescue a dog. My daughter and I went to North Shore Animal Rescue and adopted an adorable mixed-breed puppy. She was the only female of a 6 litter birth brought to MA from Georgia. She was the last to be adopted, but we believe the best, and Georgia was a fitting name. When we brought her into our car, she sat on my daughter’s lap and claimed ownership. Welcome home, Georgia Elliott.
I sent a copy of Keck’s letter to Terrence Kennedy as he was referenced as a witness to my ‘disruptive’ behavior.’
Terrence Kennedy responded with an e-mail on Oct. 7th, 2013 (10)
“ I received your letter today. where you attached an attorney letter sent to you…I attended one trustee meeting to offer my assistance. I arrived late and left early. I believed it was a productive meeting and everyone acted civilly. I have had nothing to do with the condo association since that date other than the communications I received from you. I can assure you what ever is going on has nothing to do with me nor am I aware of the issues going on between the Unit 1 and Unit 2 owners. I do not intend to nor did I intend to be involved beyond one meeting. I wish you the best and hope all of you are able to resolve the issues. Terrence Kennedy.”
Terrence Kennedy involved himself in depth and continues to involve himself to this day.
I did not have my lawyer respond to Attorney Keck’s letter. It was clear that Honor Segal and Doug were not interested in resolving any problems and chose to double down on their slander and abuse. Also, their letter sounded threatening: Would not portray her in a favorable light. I decided to keep a low profile and went on with life.
Three months later, their hostility would come to a head and change the structure of K Ward Handy.
November 6, 2013: (11) It was early evening, and I was sitting in the parlor watching TV. All of a sudden, my doorbell rings over and over, and there is heavy banging on my door. I went downstairs and looked out the window. It’s Doug, in a rage, banging on my door and ringing my bell. I am too afraid to open the door, so I yell, “What do you want?”
He screams that I am flooding his unit. I have no idea what he is talking about and yell that I am not doing anything to his unit. This infuriated him more, and he continued to scream at me, using profanity. Georgia is standing at the top of the stairs barking (good girl), and I don’t know what to do. I tell him again that I haven’t done anything to his unit, and he bangs on my door with his fists. I looked up at Georgia again, and my daughter was standing next to her with her phone; she was calling the Salem Police Department. We went upstairs to wait.
The banging stopped, and I realized the Police had arrived. A few minutes later, my doorbell rang, and it was a Police Officer asking if he could come in and speak with me. I let him in. The Officer informed me he spoke with Doug and that Doug stated there was water in his kitchen cupboard and that I had flooded his Unit. I explained I had no issue with water in my unit and gave the Officer permission to screen my Unit for any source of water. The Officer accepted my offer and checked my pantry, kitchen, and bathroom but found no water damage. I explained that the day before, there were workmen in the cellar for one of the units, and that may be the cause of the water damage. (12)
The officer left, and the Police Report stated that Doug was trying to get my attention. Heck of a way to get someone’s attention. The following week Doug listed his unit for sale.
The Unit sold quickly, and in December 2013, Christopher Patzke moved in.
Note: By the time Patzke purchased his Unit, I was listed as the Trustee of Unit 3 with the Essex Registry of Deeds. My lawyer had filed the paperwork appropriately and notified Doug and Honor Segal of the change.
Christopher Patzke
Christopher Patzke was similar to Doug but much younger. I believe he is Honor Segal’s age. Patzke moved in immediately. For the brief period following Doug’s departure, my husband was voted in as Trust Manager and was preparing the required documents to get the association up and running. He also had everyone sign the Management Agreement that the bank required that listed me as the Trustee of Unit 3. (13) All Trustees signed.
The Association was quiet. It was winter, and when it snowed, my husband and I would shovel. I was hoping that the past would be left behind and the association would remain calm, but the honeymoon didn’t last.
Patzke had a housewarming party in January 2014, and my husband and I were invited. We stopped by to formally introduce ourselves. Patzke informed us he was a landscape designer, and I asked if he would be interested in helping maintain the associate grounds. He expressed interest. Just as we were leaving, Honor Segal arrived with a man whom she introduced as her fiancé, Ryan Noonan.
In his e-mail regarding the landscaping, Patzke mentions my washing machine in the cellar. As I was now living full-time in Salem, I had bought a new washer. Our deed states that Unit 3’s washer and dryer hookups are in-unit, while the other 2 units have hookups in the cellar. Prior to my purchase, there was a damaging flood from Unit 3 that impacted the other units. As a result, the Insurance Company did an inspection and discovered that the drain pipes attached to the in-unit washer in Unit 3 were too small to handle the water flow. Repairing the pipes was a big, expensive project that impacted other units. The previous owner could not afford the repair (short sale), so the association voted to amend the deed and have Unit 3’s laundry established in the cellar with the other units. Doug explained this to me in an e-mail when I first moved in:
(14)
“ Jody and I spoke last week about the washer/dryer hook-up in your unit. We had an insurance inspection several months ago by a licensed plumber in Peabody (Al Leone) …As it stands now, you can not use the washer/dryer hookup in your Unit because it’s unsafe. This should have been disclosed….You do have a washer/dryer hookup in the basement but Jody said she preferred not to use it”.
At the time of his e-mail, I was still commuting from Salem to NH and used the washer there. Once I was full-time in Salem (Dec 2013), I bought a washer around the same time that Patzke moved in.
When I purchased Unit 3, the washer/dryer hookups were already established in the cellar by the previous administration for the use of Unit 3.
Laundry, Arbitration, Embezzlement, and Mental Illness
Patzke e-mailed Jan 27, 2014 (15): “ I do have a concern about the house that we should talk about. I noticed that there is a new washing machine in the basement to the left of mine. That washer is on my electric. The other washer in the corner (Honor Segal’s) is on my hot water.. I’d like to come up with a solution for either running services to the proper owners utilities or finding some way to quantify and reimbursed me for the utilities used. Should we plan a condo meeting.”
Salem News Article states: “Both neighbors said Elliott violated the condo’s bylaws, including hooking up a washer and dryer so that it used one neighbor’s electricity and both neighbor’s hot water.”
The Salem News states it can publish this fact because its source (Honor Segal) says it’s true.
I was horrified. It appeared that the previous association had done a makeshift job of hooking up both my washer and Honor Segal’s. As Trust Manager, my husband set up a meeting to discuss the problem and hire the appropriate professionals to fix it.
I felt bad about the electricity and put $20.00 in an envelope and left it on Patzke’s washing machine. I left another $20.00 (16) a few days later, figuring that $40.00 was enough to cover 3 weeks of electrical use.
The plumbing happened quickly, but the electrical took longer. Finally, the electrician’s invoice came, and there were additional problems: some cable/internet connections ran through Honor Segal’s electrical system. My washing machine had opened a Pandora’s box of problems. As the hot water repair of Honor Segal’s washer was paid for by the association’s funds as well as the internet connections, I asked that the electricity repair for my washer be paid for by the funds as well. Honor Segal was upset and said No:
“…Unit 2 is objecting to the use of Condo Trust Funds for the set up of Unit 3’s laundry machines. Unit 2’s position is that since the machines placement and hook up are in violation of the deed and recordings, that Unit 3 should bear the cost alone.”
Fine, I paid for the repair.
Honor Segal and Patzke had developed a friendship, and Patzke was angry that I upset Honor Segal by asking her to contribute to my repair. Both stated I shouldn’t use the cellar for my laundry as it was in violation of the by-laws.
I didn’t want to escalate the problem, so I informed them (17) I would wash my clothes at the laundry mat until I could repair the piping in my unit. My dryer was in my storage unit and used my electricity, so they could not object to its use. I washed my clothes at the laundry mat and brought them home to dry.
My husband and I hired Al Leone to estimate the work needed to install the washer and dryer in our Unit. The bill was broken into 2 parts: the first part was the cost to repair the pipes in our unit ($3,000), and the second part was the cost to repair the sewerage pipes in the cellar ($1,000), an association cost.
Patzke was adamant that the association would not pay for the drainage pipe repair. My husband explained the precedent set 9 months earlier by Honor Segal regarding her pipes and showed him the association documentation. Patzke stated that was before he was an owner and that he would not comply with it. There was a discussion between my husband and Patzke until Honor Segal sided with Patzke stating that pipes in the cellar were the responsibility of the unit owner. 2 against 1. Her statement clearly clashed with her statement 9 months early when we had to pay for her sink repair and cellar piping.
In a condo association where 2 units are the majority against a third Unit, it can be costly for the ‘outsider’ Unit. When a favored Unit needs repairs (Honor Segal), the majority agrees and votes that the association pay, and when the less favored Unit (me) needs repairs, the majority votes that it is the unit owner’s cost.
The only way to stop this flip-flopping and extortion is outlined in the Association by-laws: Arbitration. An Arbitrator would read the deed/by-laws and determine who is responsible for what pipes. The arbitrator’s decision would be final and recorded and could not be altered by a majority vote. A simple, unbiased solution for the good of all.
I filed for Arbitration: (18) I notified the other Trustees that I filed to resolve the ongoing dispute regarding our external pipes and added other concerns. I believed it was a good idea to be proactive so if problems arose in the future, like the ones in the past, the solution would already be written into the by-laws.
My predictions proved true; those very requests I made for Arbitration became important issues within a month. The next day we received a response from Honor Segal and Patzke: (19) “…The Trustees of Unit 1 and Unit 2 hereby remove Jeff Elliott as manager of the Trust finances effective immediately….The transfer of Trustee of Unit 3 is invalid…Unit 1 and Unit 2 will not accept any further communication form Jody Elliott…”
A few problems with their response. 1. To change management, the Association must hold a meeting and vote on it. Even if the majority rules, a formal meeting must be held, allowing all trustees to vote. 2. My role as a trustee is on file at the Essex Registry of Deeds and was filed appropriately by my Attorney. It is Valid. (see earlier documentation). The majority can not choose who they want as a Trustee.
I understand that Honor Segal and Patzke may have been concerned that my husband would use Trust funds for Arbitration, but to take that course of action, we would have to hold a formal meeting, and the cost of Arbitration would have to be voted on. I am an ethical person and follow the by-laws. When I spoke with the American Arbitration Association, I informed them that I would pay all the initial costs (20), and if Arbitration decided my filing was appropriate, based on the evidence, they would determine who was responsible for the cost.
My husband explained this to Honor Segal and Patzke and tried to reason with them, but it did not go well. The two insisted that the majority ruled, and they were removing me as Trustee. Following this exchange, my husband and I decided that the best course of action at this time was to keep our monthly dues in a K Ward Handy Escrow account. If we were required to pay 44% of all costs, we had a right to vote and have a voice in the association. I was not allowed to vote, and my husband could not vote because he was not legally a Trustee. We notified the two and stated that we would pay our share of utilities and other monthly costs, but any remaining money would be held in a K Ward Handy Escrow account until we were allowed a voice in the association and Arbitration determined if I was a Trustee. (21) We needed a lawyer.
Patzkie, who the two appointed as Trust manager, makes a rough draft of a response to my husband and I. (22) Honor Segal assists him (23) “ Chris, your response is terrific! Thanks for setting the records straight. One of the most frustrating thing for me is when they rewrite a selfserving history.” Honor Segal takes a moment to correct his mistakes and finishes with: “ Again, a really great response, I appreciate it so much.”
After Patzke polished his draft, Honor Segal responded: (24) “Chris, I don’t know how you did it, but this e-mail is even better than before…”.
Patzke’s e-mail to my husband: (25) “ Jeff, …Unit 3 installed their washer in the basement without consent…in order two do so Unit 3 willfully stole electrical service from Unit 1. Jodi at that time confronted me several times in the basement and acted in an extremely odd manner.”
Complete fabrication. I was never alone with Patzke in the cellar.
He continues: “During the period of harassment including threats of unnecessary arbitration, presentations of irrelevant arguments and vindictive declarations of low-priority aesthetic issues….Since Unit 3 has a long and very well documentation history of disruptive behavior which will not serve her will in the future..”
Honor Segal’s Slander is becoming more dominant. Patzke finishes with:
“Unit 3 has destroyed the peace in our collective home…this is our home too and I certainly do not appreciate the deceptive and manipulative behavior Unit 3 continues to engage in…”
Patzke had lived at the association for 4 months, and I had spoken to him once or twice. This was Honor Segal grooming Patzke; she praised him when he acted aggressively toward us and provided him with the words to use against us.
When Honor Segal was helping Patzke with this e-mail, she told him:
“…I think this e-mail is really good, I’ll let you know if the murder-suicide happens.” (26)
Honor Segal’s wish for my husband and me: a murder/suicide pack.
We needed a lawyer ASAP.
I walked back to the offices of Shirbman, located in a large professional building in downtown Salem. I was feeling anxious, so I took the stairs to get rid of my nervous energy. I walked past the law office of State Senator Joan B Lovely.
My daughter had met Joan B Lovely when she campaigned at my daughter’s place of employment in a downtown restaurant. My daughter was impressed when Senator Lovely shook her hand and introduced herself. As I stood outside Joan B Lovely’s door, I was wondering if I should ask her to represent me. After my daughter had told me about her meeting with Joan B Lovely, I looked her up. As a MA State Senator, she had proposed MA Bill 604 to address bullying in public housing.
The bill states, “bullying is the inappropriate (because unsanctioned by law or consent) use of power…involves an imbalance of power or strength…Social bullying (also relational bulling, mobbing) consists of members of a group hurting someone’s reputation or relationships.” This was exactly the problem I was dealing with.
While I stood outside her door debating if I should enter, a man walked by and opened the office door. He smiled at me and asked if he could help me. I explained briefly how my daughter met Joan B Lovely and admired her. I continued on to say that I needed a lawyer and was wondering if she was accepting new clients. She was not. The man introduced himself as Attorney Stephen Lovely and stated he appreciated the good things I said about his wife. I asked if he was accepting clients, and he smiled and said yes.
Years later, after all the damage that has occurred, I think of this moment and feel the saddest of regrets. Stephan Lovely would be slandered too.
My husband and I met with Attorney Lovely and engaged his services for arbitration to help us navigate the difficulties going on at the association.
The following week Honor Segal and Patzke, without a meeting, voted to fine my husband and me; they decided on $50.00 dollars per day until we returned the dues that were held in Escrow, and they also fined us $50.00 dollars per day until my husband provided all the association’s paperwork to Patzke. (27) My husband had provided all the paperwork, but some of the statements had yet to arrive. (28) We would have to pay $50.00 per day until the invoices arrived in the mail. Honor Segal and Patzke also determined that my husband had committed embezzlement by opening an Escrow account. The fines added up quickly. No matter how much my husband tried to reason with them, they would not budge.
The two purchased a corkboard and hung it in the common area of the building for all to see. (29) On this board, they would post that we embezzled Trust Funds and the amount of money we owed for fines at $100.00 per day. They would update the board monthly.
Honor Segal and Patzke ran into some problems with their decision to remove me as Trustee. To assume management of the association: to open accounts, bank, and other services, they needed the signatures of all 3 Trustees. My husband could not sign because, legally, he was not the Trustee, and I could not sign because, according to them, I was not the Trustee. I had not spoken to either party since their response to Arbitration, but when they left me legal documents outside my backdoor to sign, I responded. (30) A few hours after I sent the e-mail Honor Segal Responded. (31) She sent a notice of a Trustee meeting with an Agenda. Item #1. Acceptance of Jody Elliott as a Trustee. Honor Segal realized she needed my signature on various legal documents and now wanted me as Trustee so I could sign.
I was not OK with this request. First, I could not vote to make myself a Trustee, and second, if they believed the majority had the power to dismiss me as Trustee, what would happen after I signed the documents? I would wait until Arbitration determined if I was a Trustee or not. Also on their meeting agenda was #4. Levying of fines and #5. Retainment of legal services to represent them in Arbitration.
I did not attend the meeting. I could not vote, and I was frightened that if I attended the meeting, they would record false statements about me being disruptive. I did request that the meeting be recorded, but when they refused, I did not go.
The two held a meeting, voted to restore me as Trustee, voted that the fines would continue, and voted that the Trust would pay for a lawyer to represent them in Arbitration. I would be responsible for 44% of their lawyer’s fee.
I never signed any legal documents, and I wonder to this day how they opened the account at Salem Bank. (32) and other services.
As Honor Segal and Patzke had reinstated my role as Trustee, my husband and I provided the funds from the Escrow Account. (33)
The abuse didn’t stop. Honor Segal responded by helping Patzke with his writing again. (34) Honor Segal writes: “Thanks, I think she wants to create conflict so that Jeff (or either of us) is forced to talk to her. It’s attention seeking behavior and part of her mental illness…”
This was the onset of Honor Segal’s slander that I was mentally ill.
I remained calm because Arbitration was moving forward. I had amended my complaint to address my role as Trustee and the fines that were placed against us. The Arbitration complaint was getting longer, but if it clarified the by-laws, it would be worth the expense.
Landscaping and Religion
The two called another meeting, an Owners meeting (so Jeff could attend). Again they refused to record it, so Jeff declined to attend. During this meeting, the two voted on a landscaping schedule and the funding for the Attorney. Their Attorney was expensive, $5,000.00 upfront. (35) We were paying our Attorney by the hour. I received their schedule for landscaping. (36) The schedule shows that Unit 1: Patzke has 7 days of scheduled work. Unit 2: Honor Segal has 6 days of scheduled work, and Unit 3: I had 15 days of scheduled work. I like to garden and had missed it, but this demand was outrageous. Patzke had assigned us specific weeks. When I stated this was unfair, Patzke responded (37) that if I didn’t complete the landscaping, I would be fined. “Unit 3 will participate in the maintenance of the landscape or a motion be put to the trust to vote on fines…”
Patzke continues in the e-mail: “the assessment is outstanding…” ($2,200 due for their attorney) “and so are the fines. The next step in the process is to place a lien on your home for full payment.” This Lien would become the Super Lien and used to threaten me over and over. (38)
I remained calm as I had an Attorney, and Arbitration was moving forward.
The landscaping was a nightmare. I would work outside with Patzke overseeing me. One day I told him I couldn’t work because it was too hot, I used to love the heat, but my newly repaired heart didn’t. I explained this to Patzke, who stated I was lying. I ignored him and went inside. Patzke must have complained to Honor Segal as this is her response: (39) “Thank you for sending the e-mails to me. It’s not like weeding is particularly straining…and it’s certainly not more physically demanding than pulling on tight booty shorts. She was adamant about her love of gardening and wanting to do yard work up until now and suddenly and conveniently a health concern arises, which in no way is negatively effected by bike riding, kayaking, or walking that big dog that pulls her around? Also, XXXXX (my daughter) is a full-grown women who lives in the house and barely leaves. She could most certainly pitch in. TOTAL LOAD OF SHIT. Great job calling her out.”
It is very concerning that in this vile e-mail, Honor Segal is mentioning my daughter. She is bringing my daughter to the attention of Patzke. When the abuse began, Honor Segal and Doug targeted me as their victim. When it was Honor Segal and Patzke, they expanded the abuse to include my husband, and now Honor Segal was directing Patzke’s anger toward my daughter. My daughter was a student at Salem State University and worked full-time. I was not going to involve her in the association and subject her to abuse.
Honor Segal continues 20 min later. (40) “ The bottom line is that we can’t force her to do the physical labor in the yard…there’s nothing stopping her from hiring and paying a landscaper…
She is mental and we pay the price for it. Not Fair.”
Again calling me mental. I, too, was thinking of paying a landscaper.
The two were having weekly meetings, and both my husband and I would not attend without a recording. I did submit to Patzke that we reinstate landscaping services through e-mail (41), but he denied my request. (42) “you wanted it! You got it! “
I followed the landscaping schedule, but Patzke would say my work was not good enough. My husband helped when he was home, but his work wasn’t good enough either. Patzke would mark the landscaping schedule on the corkboard as not completed. (43) submitting that day for fines: $50.00.
Honor Segal and Patzke hired Attorney Michael McCarthy as their lawyer for Arbitration. They continued to demand that I pay his fees, but I stated Arbitration would determine what I owed. They had already removed the $5,000 from the Trust to pay him, so I had already contributed 44%. But they wanted me to give them a check for $2,200, and the bulletin board was updated to include my debt. (44)
McCarthy, like Keck, accepted the Trust money but refused to communicate with me; all communication had to go through my Attorney. For my lawyer to work on Arbitration, he had to speak with Attorney McCarthy, Attorney Gediman (Honor Segal’s personal attorney), and next Attorney Terrence Kennedy, who was back. Three lawyers for Honor Segal and Patzke and I paid by the hour. It was expensive. Honor Segal wanted Arbitration dismissed (45a), and both McCarthy (45b) and Terrence Kennedy wrote to AA Arbitration to have the case dismissed, stating there was no existing problem: the issue of the pipes had been resolved as well as all the other issues I’d put forth. They also stated that Honor Segal and Patzke had never received notification that Unit 3 was filing for Arbitration. Despite their efforts, Arbitration was moving forward.
McCarthy did help me in two ways: First, he informed Honor Segal and Patzke that my husband had not committed embezzlement, and they had to stop posting it on the bulletin board or stating it verbally. In response, Honor Segal and Patzke changed their language to misappropriation of funds. (46)
The Salem News would state: “there was also disputes about condo finances and accusations of misappropriation.”
The Second thing McCarthy did was to provide my Attorney with an Association Communication Log. (47) Much of this log contained retracted statements: Honor Segal and Patzke had blackened out most of their incriminating statements about me, but they left enough for me to know their opinion of me.
Honor Segal and Patzke decided they wanted more space in the cellar and decided to change the deed to my unit, making my storage space much smaller. My deeded basement storage area before and after their change. (48)(49) I wondered why they needed my space but learned quickly enough when Patzke informed me that due to this new change, I would have to move my heating system and hot water heater, which was NOW in the common area, back into my storage unit (50) at a potential cost between $15,000 and $20,000. I now understood why Terrence Kennedy, when leaving the meeting, looked at me and said, “Owning a home can bankrupt people.” Terrence Kennedy knew Honor Segal’s character well.
The photos of their change of my storage unit (51) show how the new design that Patzke created cuts off the access to the Gas meters and (52) how they stacked debris to block the entrance.
The Salem News would state: stacking debris in front of meters to make them inaccessible…
I ignored them both as what they were doing was illegal, and they could not enforce it. Arbitration would fix all these problems.
My dryer, in my storage area, has an old sticker on the side of it: “Jesus saves with Love, not Laws.” (53). I had stuck it on years ago when California was flip-flopping with their same-sex marriage laws, and my friend and I were protesting. I had forgotten about the sticker until Honor Segal and Patzke saw it and reported it was hate speech. The dryer was in my storage area and not visible to the common area, so the only way they saw it was when they went into my storage area to make it smaller. Trespassing.
I believe this sticker prompted their harassment of me through my religion. I came home a few days later to find that on the front porch, they had posted a sign (54) stating Bible Quotes (55) (56) condemning me. For example: “If anyone thinks he’s religious and does not bridle his tongue but deceives his heart, this person’s religion is worthless.”
To have negative Bible Quotes posted on my front porch for all to see was too much. I walked to the Salem Police Department and spoke with the Officer at the window. I explained about the ongoing harassment and the religious posting. He left to speak with someone in the back, and when he returned, he informed me that Honor Segal and Patzke had the right to post on their building and that Catholics were not a protected group. The post would remain for months until they posted a new one.
Following the posting, Honor Segal writes to Patzke and ends her e-mail with, ‘Your Loving child n Christ” (57)
Patzke responds with (58), “That last line has me LOLing at the coffee shop.”
Honor Segal, who told the police she is Jewish, has no respect for her family’s history. When I think of the Holocaust and the Millions of Jewish men, women, and children whose lives may have been saved by uttering those 5 words, it makes me sad. Honor Segal expressed claims of loving Christ as a joke.
RT: I am going on from one offense to another, and I’m sure the readers may be getting tired of hearing about this daily harassment, but I am providing the foundation for the readers to understand how events escalated to where I find myself today. If, after a while, reading these offenses stimulates little interest or emotion, you are becoming desensitized to the abuse. Unfortunately, this happens when listening to long-term abuse, but, unfortunately, when you experience abuse for a long period of time, you don’t become desensitized; you become traumatized.
I couldn’t remove the poster from the porch because Patzke had posted it behind the glass in his door.
A few days later, my daughter pointed out that Patzke had installed a camera in his bedroom window that directly faced our front door. (59) She didn’t like it. Patzke was keeping track of our comings and goings, for what reason, I do not know. Maybe he was just enjoying our frustration at having the bible quotes on the porch for all to see.
From that point on, things began to escalate, and the Salem Police Department (SPD) began to take an active role in the harassment.
Parking, Police, and Puppies
K Ward Handy has a driveway in which 3 cars can park side by side comfortably. There is also room for vehicles to park behind the one in front: tangent parking. I park on the left, along my neighbor’s wire fence. Patzke parked in the middle. Honor Segal parked on the Right. Patzke began parking extremely close to my car and at odd angles, making it difficult for me to pull out.
One night I was leaving to drive my daughter to her co-worker’s housewarming party and noticed Patzke had parked in an odd manner, but that was usual; what made me nervous was his driver’s side window was down. My first thought was he was going to say I stole something from his car. That was my new daily life, anxiety about what I was going to be accused of and what right I was going to lose. My daughter carefully moved past his car, but when she opened the passenger side door, Patzke’s alarm went off. I ignored it, told her to get in, and we drove away. I knew this was going to end badly.
When I got home, there was an e-mail from Patzke (60) “Jody and Jeff, if either of you or a member of your family touch my car again, enough to make my car alarm go off, I will immediately call the police and file a complaint, Is that clear?”
This e-mail frightened me. First, he states that we touched his car, we did not, and second he says a member of your family. He is now involving my daughter. I called the police. (61) I waited outside for the Officer, then explained what had happened. I showed him the e-mail and stated that neither I nor my daughter had touched Patzke’s car. The officer was supportive and went to talk to Patzke. I was in the driveway and saw the Police Officer approach Patzke. I thought they were going to look at the parking spaces, so I followed, but instead, they entered Honor Segal’s unit. They were in there for a long time. When the Officer and Chris exited Honor Segal’s unit, Patzke stated, “Don’t touch my car again.” and the Officer said we should stop e-mailing each other. The Officer’s mood had changed, and he was not supportive of me anymore.
This night was enlightening. I e-mailed my lawyer. (62)
I informed him I might have been reactive in calling the police, but since my older daughter died, my anxiety skyrockets when I perceive threats against my living daughter. I did not want my daughter involved with the Salem Police Department, and Patzke’s threat of reporting her frightened me.
The Salem News would report: Elliott or someone in her family would repeatedly set off car alarms…
What concerned me about this event was that the Officer and Patzke went to Honor Segal for assistance, and whatever information was exchanged between them altered the Officer’s opinion of the situation. My lawyer informed me that when Honor Segal was the ADA at Salem District Court, she worked closely with Police Lt. Conrad Prosniewski. Honor Segal was connected with the SPD and had influence with Senior Officers. Patzke was so comfortable in his harassment of my family and me because he knew Honor Segal had power.
On Sunday, two days after the alarm incident, I was sitting watching TV with my daughter when the electricity went out. I looked outside and saw a service van in the driveway, so I walked outside to see what the problem was. Patzke was standing on the sidewalk in front of the driveway, and as I walked toward the service van, he physically blocked my path. I attempted to move past him, and he blocked me again. I told him I needed to know what was going on with the electricity, and he responded, “If you want to know what is happening, have your lawyer call my lawyer.” (63). It’s Sunday, and I can’t call my lawyer. Again I try to walk past him, and he again blocks me. I looked over at the workman and recognized him as the electrician who repaired my washing machine. The electrician looked sympathetic and started to walk toward me, but Patzke turned and blocked his path, saying: “Don’t speak to her or answer any of her questions, you are working for me.” I could tell the electrician was frustrated and didn’t know what to do. I wasn’t aware that my daughter had come outside and was standing behind me until I heard her crying. I turned to her and said I’m Ok, everything’s Ok, I thought she was upset about Patzke blocking me. Then I looked over and saw Honor Segal and some man (not Ryan Noonan) in the yard, filming us and laughing. The man had his phone up and directed it at my daughter, filming her crying. I would later learn that Honor Segal and Patzke were posting clips of me and my daughter on YouTube. (see 45a)
I took her hand and started walking to the Salem Police Department. My car was parked behind the service van, and I knew Patzke would not let me get it. We walked to the Police station, met with Officer Johnson, and explained what happened. (64) Homeowners, by law, have a right to know why and how long their utilities will be shut off. After taking our report, Office Johnson gave us a ride home as the weather had turned and it was raining. When we got back to the building, the van was gone, and the electricity was on.
My lawyer spoke with McCarthy about the incident, and McCarthy informed him that, although a grown man, Patzke was immature. That’s one way to define it.
It’s been 4 months since I filed for Arbitration, which was slowly proceeding, and the environment continued to escalate. One August afternoon, I was returning home from a walk with Georgia. I could see Patzke on our front porch going through my mailbox. He was taking my mail out of the box, looking at it, and then placing it back. As I approached, Georgia started barking, and Patzke turned and saw me. He put the remaining mail in my box and went into his Unit.
I went upstairs and wrote on an index card, “Please do not touch my mail,” and posted it next to my mailbox.
The next day there was a new poster on the front porch (65)
“Your delusional, psychotic and fallacious insinuation that someone is going through your mail is both amusing and disturbing. Please seek help for your emotional/mental/personality issues. Read, comprehend and obey the master deed and condo rules and regulations. Be on notice that if another complaint is heard about the dog the police will be called immediately. A tribunal will be called per master deed and the association has the right to have the dog removed from the premises.”
The Salem News would report: …went through their mail…
What did Georgia do to warrant such a threat?
By now, I was used to being called mentally ill, but this posting was over the top. I ignored it – what other choice did I have?
Patzke’s parking became a bigger problem. Many times I would go out and be nervous about getting past his car without hitting it. Fortunately, I am a good driver. My daughter, who shared the car with me, would frequently come upstairs and ask me to pull it out for her. On Sept 7th, 2014, I came out, and Patzke had parked so close I thought it would be impossible to pull out my car without hitting his car. (66)
As the tires were turned in toward my car, showing this was a deliberate act, I called the Salem Police. (67) I asked the Officer if he would pull out the car for me, but he said no. He did stay until I pulled out, so if there was an accident, he could testify it wasn’t intentional. The police report states ‘Tight Parking”. When my husband was home, Patzke would do the same to his truck (68), and his little car would look like a gnat next to my husband’s truck. Yup, an annoying little insect. Despite the Police report, Patzke continued to block my car. (69)
The Salem News would report: …and park in a way that made it impossible for the other owners to get in and out of their spaces.”
After the Tight Parking incident, I began to park my car on the street in front of the building. My daughter liked this solution as it was easier for her to get in and out without asking for my help. When my daughter met Joan B Lovely, she was employed downtown and walked back and forth to work, but by this time, she was employed at a Doctor’s office and required a car to get back and forth to work. She would come home in the evening and park outside our building. One day she mentioned to me that Patzke kept watching her from his front window. She said it was creepy. This happened a few more times, and she complained that the looks he was giving her made her feel uncomfortable. After a few weeks of this harassment, she started to call me from the car when she arrived home, asking me or her father to come downstairs and walk her into the building. She was getting increasingly frightened and worried that he was going to come out and confront her. This became our new routine: She returned home from work, called her dad or me, and we would go downstairs and escort her into the building. So sad. But Arbitration was moving forward, and we could address the parking; at least, that’s how I comforted myself. Why didn’t I move? I had canceled my 401K following my heart surgery and invested a lot of money into repairing and furnishing my unit: it was a short sale and in desperate need of repair.
Funds were low, and I was unemployed. I loved the location because I could walk to everything, and I loved my doctors. Although my sight had improved, I was still worried that my vision problems would return. I had invested a lot of money in legal fees, and I believed Arbitration would resolve so many of my problems. I didn’t want to be forced out of my home by the maladaptive behavior of two mean-spirited bullies.
Patzke’s aggression toward my daughter increased. As my husband and I ignored him, he looked to the most vulnerable member of our family: my young, innocent adult daughter. One night she was at a local restaurant waiting for a friend, and Patzke entered. Salem is relatively small, and running into someone at a local establishment is common, but Patzke looked at my daughter and chose the seat next to her at the bar. She got up and moved to a table. Patzke continued to watch her. This happened a few more times, and at this point, she realized this was not a coincidence; he was stalking her.
My daughter’s new job was with an eye specialist. Patzke made an appointment, talking to her on the phone. My daughter was stressed as there were plenty of other eye specialists in close proximity to her site. She had a coworker cover her shift for the day of his appointment. My daughter had become jumpy and anxious, and the SPD would not help us, so we made an appointment with our lawyer.
My daughter, my lawyer, and I discussed the option of a restraining order. The police are not helping us, and Patzke is growing bolder. My lawyer agreed and provided the paperwork to fill out. He reminded us to stay far away from Patzke as possible.
October 2014 Dogs to Nazis
October 6th 2014;
One afternoon I was in the cellar getting my clothes out of the dryer. I had not closed my unit door appropriately because there was Georgia next to me, wagging her tail, looking at me with pride; such a big girl. I Panic. Did anyone see her come down? As I escorted her back upstairs, past Honor Segal’s door, I heard a bang on her door and some muttering. Damn, Honor Segal knew my dog got out. I called the Police. (70) I didn’t want a tribunal and Georgia removed from the premises; we loved her. When the Officer arrived, I pointed out the poster on the front porch that said I was mentally ill and that they would take my dog from me. I explained Georgia got out for a minute, so I called the Police to document that no damage was done and no one was hurt due to my dog. I walked him through the back hall where Georgia had followed me. Honor Segal did not answer her door when the Officer knocked. When he was reading the poster on the front porch, I asked him, “Isn’t this harassment” but he was reluctant to answer, just telling me not to stoop to their level. His Police report stated that there was a poster on the front porch stating I was mentally ill. The Salem Police Department was fully aware of the harassment I was suffering at K Ward Handy and allowed it to continue.
October 8th, 2014, 8 AM:
It’s early morning, and I just returned home from the laundry mat. As I gathered the laundry from the back of my car Honor Segal walked by with her dog. She approached me and said: “You are a mess, a really big mess.” she stood there, but I ignored her, gathered my clothes, and went into the house. I was very nervous. Since Patzke had arrived, Honor Segal did not speak with me; she had Patzke do it. For her to have approached me and actually made a statement, something must be coming. I e-mailed my lawyer immediately. (71a)
That evening as I was taking out the trash, I could hear Honor Segal speaking with Patzke. I stopped in my tracks. I peeked around the corner and up the driveway and saw her speaking with Patzke and an unknown man. (Not Ryan Noonan or the film guy) They are talking about me. They are talking about having me arrested, and Patzke stated: “Yeah, get her off the street” I remained where I was feeling at this time; I needed to know what they were planning to do to me. Unfortunately, I am too far away and can’t hear all of what they are saying. (71b) A few minutes passed, and Honor Segal and the man walked to his car and told Patzke they were off to the Topsfield Fair, Fun.
What really frighted me was their sincerity; they really believed in what they were about to do. Me, arrested, for what? I had never sent a nasty e-mail or called anyone names, or done anything to hurt someone; I’ve always been respectful. I reviewed the past and could not identify one thing that I had done wrong except to call the police and file for arbitration. I called my lawyer.
My lawyer calmed me down. I asked about Honor Segal’s new boyfriend, but he didn’t know his name, just that he was a police officer, but not for Salem; he thought his name was Kyle. Thank heaven I have a lawyer; I felt better after speaking with him.
October 10th, 2014:
I walked out my front door that morning and stepped in dog poop. Really? I called the Police (72 ). They came. Honor Segal owned a dog, but she didn’t answer the door when the Officer knocked.
The Salem News would state: a bag of waste…and from a dog… October 13th, 2014:
In my mail, I received a Cease and Desist Notice from Honor Segal’s attorney Gediman. (73 ) In one section, he states: “the most recent incident perpetrated was on October 8th, 2014 and is believed to have been caught on camera and recorded on a filming device maintained by Unit 1.” Patzke.
Patzke must have installed another camera facing the street when we began to park there. That camera was positioned on my car: no wonder my daughter was so creeped out when he watched her; he had been filming her. I was glad the encounter with Honor Segal had been caught on tape as it would show her approaching me, saying something to me, and me ignoring her and walking away. This recording was also good for my restraining order against Patzke because filming my daughter was part of his stalking. Unfortunately, Attorney Gediman refused to provide the tape to my lawyer and later the state Prosecutor.
My lawyer responded: (74) “…it is, in fact, both your client and her neighbor, Christopher Patzke, who are attempting to intimate my clients, both Jeff and Jody Elliott as well as their daughter… …This response to your letter is also to simply acknowledge the allegations as another bald attempt to further harass my clients. Your attempt to disguise through these blatantly false allegations your inartful attempt to establish a pattern of conduct through false allegations is unseemly…Thank you, Stephan Lovely.
Wow. Thank you, Stephan Lovely, for your ethics and support.
Following my attorney’s response Honor Segal left the association for a few days. It is my belief that she had never been called out on her unethical and inappropriate behaviors before, and my Attorney’s letter was a shock to her. I was hoping it was a successful intervention, but it only made her really, really angry.
October 19th, 2014:
I went outside and noticed that the poster stating I was mentally ill had been removed from the front porch. Yeah, things were improving. I e-mailed my lawyer. (75)
October 20th, 2014:
Honor Segal and Patzke called the police and (76) told the Officers that Patzke had discovered a painting of a Nazi on a door in the cellar and that I had painted it.
Following their meeting with Honor Segal and Patzke, the police came to my unit and pounded on my door. It was late, and my daughter and I were getting ready for bed. The Police banged loudly on our door, and when I answered, they immediately and aggressively entered without invitation. Officer Zinn accused me of painting a Nazi to target and hurt poor Honor Segal. The older Officer calmed him down, physically holding him back. It was extremely frightening. I was in shock. What was happening? Now I understood why they removed the poster from the front porch; they had been carefully preparing this in advance and did not want the Police to see their harassment of me.
The police report taken that night states: “There have been many issues recently with Elliott. Problems with storage space in the shared basement, mail stealing incidents, parking complaints in the driveway, and issues with Segal’s and Elliott’s dogs are among the few. The final issue being the discovery of a Nazi painting wearing a swastika and saluting.. This action has made them scared and they felt that acting needed to be done.” Honor Segal and Patzke included both my husband And my daughter in their complaint.
The only thing that Honor Segal feared was being held accountable for her actions. Honor Segal’s and Patzke’s false allegations that I painted a Nazi were a ploy to protect her from scrutiny and to protect him from my restraining order. They needed to blame me for their actions. Projection.
Honor Segal states she is Jewish, and her false claims that I painted a Nazi are profiting off the tragic history of her ancestors. Honor Segal has no understanding or compassion for the suffering her ancestors went through and instead uses it to hurt an innocent individual. Following their complaint, I had to call the police on numerous other harassments. When the police came, it was clear that they had no interest in helping me. I told my lawyer, no more delays; we needed to move forward on the restraining order and Arbitration. Everything was taking too long, and we were suffering daily.
When my lawyer became more aggressive and informed McCarthy, Gediman, and Terrence
Kennedy that we were moving forward with all the legal actions, Terrence Kennedy responded: if I filed the complaint against Patzke, he would have the Salem Police Department Charge me with a Hate Crime and 2 counts of criminal harassment.
I was aware of the Power that Terrence Kennedy and Honor Segal had with the Salem Police Department, but I was Naive- I still believed in Justice and that an investigation would clear me. Foolish me, there was never an investigation.
The Salem Police Department
When I was pulled into this web of corruption, the SPD was already in the news for Double Dipping: Two captains of the SPD were clocking in at the department and then leaving to perform Private Duty. In this manner, they were collecting both financial payments from the Department as well as the private sector for the same hours worked. Quite profitable. This investigation into double dipping also exposed numerous problems within the Salem Police Department. (77) “inadequate record keeping…absence of reliable documents…similar conduct was discovered in other departments…” Another article reports (78), “Tucker acknowledged that his 5 day suspension of Gilligan was too lenient,” and “Tucker did not mention other mistakes that were attributed to him by an outside investigator, including his failure to seek the approval of the mayor for Gilligan’s discipline as is required by city ordinance” This article also identifies the problem with supportive relationships within the department. “the police details scandal has brought attention to Chief Paul Tuckers relationship with Capt. Brian Gillian.’ Friendships within the SPD are more important than the laws they are hired to enforce. RT: After he resigned from being Salem’s Police Chief, Paul Tucker was elected as a state rep for Salem, and in 2022, he was elected as Essex County District Attorney.
After the scandal and Tuckers leaving, Mary Butler was named acting Chief. She was SPD Chief when I was falsely charged, but she would not remain for long because her husband, a Salem Police Officer, would be charged with rape. (79) “DA suggests Salem Officer charged with rape may have thought wife would ignore incident.” Yeah, that sums up the Salem Police Department when I was falsely charged.
A few days after the Police came to my home and accused me of painting a Nazi, Honor Segal and Patzke met with Detective Eric Connolly to formalize their complaint. Eric Connolly began to build his case against me.
The only evidence that Eric Connolly had or would need was Honor Segal’s statement. The numerous calls I made to the Salem Police were considered null and void.
In Eric Connollys investigative report, he states:(80) “I did speak with Attorney Stephan Lovely about speaking with Jody Elliott, as of this writing of this report I have still not heard back from him” This is a false statement. Both my lawyer and I tried several times to make an appointment to speak with Eric Connolly. After my lawyer stopped trying, I continued. Every time I called the police to schedule an appointment, they told me Eric Connolly was much too busy to see me and referred me to other Officers. To this date, I have never met Detective Eric Connolly. It may have been intentional on his part.
First, I was directed toward Sargent Rochevylie (81), who referred me to Officer Burke. Officer Burke took the time to speak with me. We reviewed what was happening at the association and the police report documenting it, and Officer Burke listened. He tried to speak with Eric Connolly on my behalf but was quickly shut down. I can honestly state that I believe Officer Burke is a valuable asset to the Salem Police Department, and I hope he does not suffer negative consequences for his ethical behavior.
The White Jeep
The weekend the Nazi was painted in the cellar, Honor Segal and her current boyfriend Kyle left early Saturday morning. About an hour later, a white Jeep arrived and parked in her spot. By this time, I’m taking down the license plate number of any car parked in the driveway; White Jeep, registered in MA 2014, Lic. Plate #89T-J30. The Jeep remained parked in her space until Sunday night. I knew the driver was a male as I saw him walking into the back hall. I don’t know where he stayed overnight, whether in Honor Segal’s or Patzke’s unit. My lawyer and I informed Eric Connolly of the Jeep and provided the license number. Eric Connolly said there was no need to investigate the owner of the Jeep as he had determined I was responsible for the painting. The painting was very juvenile (82). I saw it for the first time when it was presented to me at Patzke’s restraining order trial.
Despite Terrence Kennedy’s threat, my lawyer filed a restraining order complaint for me and my daughter. In my daughter’s affidavit, she tells of Patzke’s assault on my husband. (83) and the police report (84) of this assault records Patzke trying to hit my husband with his car (in front of my daughter) and also states: “a short time later Christopher Patzke arrived at the Salem Station wishing to speak with this officer. Patzke relayed the same story. However, he stated that he did not rev his engine and drive at Elliott. Patzke stated he waited until he thought Elliott was in the house and then began to drive down the driveway. Patzke (error) stated he had stopped halfway down the drive way because Elliott was standing there. Patzke stated that Elliott threw his hands in the airing yelled,’ What?’ in the direction of Patzke’s MV…” Patzke tangles himself up in his lies, first stating my husband was on the porch and then stating my husband was in the driveway. That’s the problem with lying; it tangles you up.
How did Patzke know that my husband had filed a police complaint and who the officer was?
It was because Honor Segal had a direct line into the Salem Police Department.
During July, about a week after they shut off my electricity, Honor Segal and Patzke complained to the Salem Police Department that I still had NH plates on my car. This was true. I was contacted by Officer Michael Page (85), who was polite and understanding and requested that I change them ASAP. I did. Here is an exchange between Honor Segal and Patzke talking about the incident and showing how Honor Segal is connected to the SPD and has power there. Patzke (86) “On a side note, what will the letter from the Salem Police to Jody say? Is there some fine involved (I hope) ?” Patzke and his fines.
Honor Segal responded: (87)
“…the letter will say that she needs to register the car properly. Nothing too fancy. I’ll find out if they gave her a date to do it by. I found out there is no record of her going to Salem PD the other day about her car (I had someone check the …day), and everything gets logged, so I’m certain she bullshitted us on that. I’m wondering if she got the letter yesterday and that was the reason Jeff came down. I’ve noticed that he only visits in response to specific events, situations, and major holidays, which is why I think she always wants controversies in the building…”
Honor Segal had the ability to pick up the phone and speak to important members of the SPD who were willing to do her bidding and provide her with any information she wanted.
Patzke had e-mailed me (88) and told me that the police, RMV, and Salem Revenue Department (for excise tax evasion) had been notified of my fraudulent plates, and until they were changed, I could not park in the driveway. I became nervous and walked to the SPD to find out what action they were planning to take against me. This is the visit to the SPD that Honor Segal was referencing. The Officer said someone would contact me. I can honestly state the SPD does not keep logs of everything that happens because when I tried to get confirmation of their telling me that Catholics are not a protected group, there was no record of my visiting the station and complaining. SPD control what they want to put forth and what they do not want to put forth. The previous newspaper articles I referenced also stated that an outside investigator had found problems with missing data and records.
Within a few days of my lawyer filing the anti-harassment order, I received a summons (89) from the Salem Police Prosecutor Conrad Prosniewski to appear at Salem District Court on January 9th, 2015, for my arraignment in being formally charged with a Hate Crime and 2 counts of Criminal Harassment: one against Honor Segal and One against Patzke, just as Terrence Kennedy had promised. I called my lawyer.
My lawyer was enraged. Once the Police were informed that he was my legal representative, all communication should go through him. My lawyer should’ve been informed that I was being formally charged and that an arraignment was scheduled. Conrad wanted me to get the summons without my lawyer’s knowledge because that way, the impact would be emotionally damaging to me. Conrad, like Honor Segal, is unethical and bends the law to his advantage.
A day before my arraignment on the 9th, my lawyer informed me that the hearing was canceled. Terrence Kennedy had canceled it. (90) and scheduled a show cause hearing for May 1st, 4 months away. A show cause hearing is to determine if the police have enough evidence to charge you with a crime, and I should have had one before being formally charged and arraigned. The purpose of Conrad’s summons was to threaten me to drop my case against Patzke. It didn’t work. I would later learn the 4-month delay for the show cause hearing was for the purpose of allowing both Honor Segal and Patzke to sell their Units and move away. Our anti-harassment hearing was scheduled for Feb. 3rd, 2015, and on that date, my daughter and I arrived ready to testify: In my daughter’s letter to Attorney Lovely the day before the hearing, she ends with: “I don’t have any escape from this guy. He’s in my home; he’s at my work; he’s trying to hurt people I love. I no longer want a restraining order. I need one. Please, this cannot go on any longer. After the incident with the car, I do feel like my family is in serious danger,”
My lawyer was at the Courthouse when we arrived, and I was pretty confident we had a good case. Things had continued to be abusive at the association.
We sat at the courthouse for a few hours until Patzke’s attorney, Marc Salinas, informed us that the hearing would have to be postponed due to Terrence Kennedy being unavailable that day. Marc Salinas informed us Terrence Kennedy was going to testify on behalf of Patzke: Terrence Kennedy wanted to testify that Patzke had done nothing wrong and, in fact, was the true victim. My lawyer agreed to the postponement.
The new hearing date was the 26th of February, and Terrence Kennedy was present. Marc Salinas informed my lawyer that although Terrence Kennedy was here to support Patzke, he had decided not to testify. When we went into the courtroom, my lawyer informed the Judge that since Terrence Kennedy would not be testifying, he should not remain for the hearing because Terrence Kennedy was intimidating to his client. The judge overruled his request, and Terrence Kennedy was allowed to remain. Terrence Kennedy sat across from me, and when the Nazi painting was introduced, he looked over at me and smiled. I really, really do not like Terrence Kennedy; he is not an ethical man.
Marc Salinas finished up Patzke s defense by informing the Judge that the Salem Police were charging me with a hate crime and Harassment of Patzke under the guise that my daughter and I had falsely brought this case to court as retaliation for his filing charges against me. The judge agreed, and the case was dismissed. Evidence has no value in a biased court.
I talked with my lawyer following the dismissal and Thanked him for all his help. I was done with everything. I was paying my lawyer to help me, but he was up against one of the most powerful and unethical politicians in Massachusetts. It was hopeless. Arbitration would be dismissed as the other Trustees had moved out, and I would attend the show cause hearing on my own. My lawyer didn’t argue. I think Conrad’s and Terrence Kennedy’s recent behavior made him realize they were not going to play by the rules. To this day, I have gratitude and admiration for Attorney Stephan Lovely. Even though he wasn’t my lawyer anymore, I still called on occasion, and he helped me.
Following the dismissal, Patzke was out of control, doing whatever he chose to hurt us. We tried to ignore him. I did call the police a few more times, but when they came, Patzke would tell them to check with Eric Connolly, and they would not help me. I gave up.
Show Cause Hearing Salem District Court ‘Secret Hearings’
Statehouse reporter Christian M. Wade wrote an informative article about Massachusetts secret court hearings: (91) “Bill seeks to open secret court hearings.” Christian M. Wade wrote this article on Feb. 20, 2019, 4 years after my own secret hearing at Salem District Court. In 2019 two State legislators, Bruce Tarr (R) and Margaret Ferrante (D,) both of Gloucester, were proposing a new law that would mandate a stenographic or audio record of what transpired during those proceedings. The Boston Globe Spotlight team would conduct an investigation into these “secret court hearings” From the Globe article: “Many of these cases that go before the hearings- known as show-cause hearings…Massachusetts is the only state in the nation where court clerks decide in private hearings to pursue criminal charges against adults. Open government groups say the state and local court clerks shouldn’t be deliberating on criminal hearings behind closed doors or without keeping a record of the proceedings.”
I arrived at Salem Courthouse with a lot of evidence to dispute Honor Segal and Eric Connolly’s claims. Photos, e-mails, witness statements, and the Association by-laws. When I entered the room where the hearing would take place, Conrad was there, as well as Ann Cocci and a young man I did not know. He was never introduced. I knew Ann Cocci from a previous exchange at the Court. (there are a lot of events and information I am leaving out of this narrative at this time but will address in the future.) Conrad had the Two victim statements: Honor Segal’s and Patzke’s, and presented them to Ann Cocci. Ann Cocci scanned them and stated to me, “your action is a serious offense,” and continued on, “Honor Segal is a member of the Bar and members of the Bar do not lie.” and “Due to the severity of the crime, this case will move forward.” (92) I was not allowed to defend myself or present my evidence. The next day I formally complained to Chief Justice of the District Court, Paul Dawley, about not being able to defend myself, and 5 months later, I received a response: (93) “It appears that you chose not to do so at that time and that a complaint issued against you.” Secret hearings serve a purpose.
Both Honor Segal and Patzke put their units up for sale. Patzke notified us that he would not communicate with us anymore (94), and although that was welcome news, we did not have access to the Salem Bank account; we had been paying our monthly dues directly to Patzke. McCarthy and the other lawyers would not give us any information. We opened another K Ward Handy Escrow Account and placed our dues there. As people were viewing the units, I removed the bulletin board postings that stated we misappropriated funds, owed thousands of dollars in fines, and removed the landscape schedule that stated we didn’t do the work and owed more money in fines for that violation. Patzke called the Police on me for vandalism (95). Although Patzke had moved out, and this latest Police complaint stated he lived on Chestnut St. in Salem, he would visit our building weekly to harass us. The same abuse but from a different location. Patzke continued to stalk my daughter, slowly driving by our house and showing up at various locations where my daughter was in attendance. It appears Patzke had developed a liking for this aggressive behavior toward her and knew the State of MA would protect him.
K Ward Handy New Owners
Patzke sold his unit to a married couple. I met them briefly when the real estate agent, who I knew, was walking them through the building. He introduced us, and they appeared friendly, so I welcomed them into the Association. Three days later, they would be pulled into Honor Segal’s hate-filled world and confront me with her slander and the “fact” that I was mentally ill and a thief. On the morning of April 13th, 2015, I went outside with my dog and saw an unfamiliar car parked in my space. I approached the car and explained that he was in my parking space, and he replied he would move his car eventually. I asked why he was there, and he replied that he was a Salem Police Officer and he was here to ensure that Honor Segal’s move would remain peaceful considering the harassment she had been experiencing. I walked into the yard so my dog could pee, and Honor Segal came out on her porch and started screaming that I could not be in the yard. The Police Officer exited his car and supported her, telling me that I needed to leave the yard. I stood there while they yelled at me, and Georgia was looking at me for reassurance. My daughter heard their yelling and came out to see what was happening. My daughter, by this time, had developed hypervigilance, always fearful and checking to make sure I wasn’t being hurt. My daughter joined me, and the Officer continued to yell as he walked aggressively toward us; he physically did not touch us but kept moving toward us, forcing us to walk backward away from him. Georgia began to growl. My daughter asked if he was a Police Officer and a friend to Honor Segal, and the Officer started to answer, but I waved my hand in a “whatever” motion and walked away. The Officer became angry, yelling, “Don’t dismiss me, I’m a Police Officer,” and continued to follow us as we walked down the driveway.
My daughter and I walked Georgia for a while, calming her down, and as we returned, I could see the new owner of Patzke’s Unit exiting Honor Segal’s unit with a large bookbinder. My daughter walked Georgia into our unit, but I approached the new owner and asked if Honor Segal had given him the binder. He replied, “yes, it’s the association information and you can’t see it because you are not a Trustee and you and your husband owe the Associaton thousands of dollars and you’ve done horrible things to the people who live here.” As he spoke, he walked onto the front porch, and his wife walked out of their unit and told him: “Don’t talk to her she’s mentally unstable.” I replied, “Unstable ?” Honor Segal had left her legacy of hate and lies. I went inside my unit and found documentation that I was the Trustee and some photos of Honor Segal’s postings, and I left them in their mailbox.
The couple later informed my husband that at their real estate closing (96), they had been provided with the association bank funds and informed that ‘Unit 3 could not be involved in the association as Jody Elliott was mentally ill and both her and her husband had stolen thousands of dollars from the association. This should be illegal.
My husband talked to the new owners and provided more documentation to show that what Honor Segal had stated was false. They believed him and even voted for him as Trust manager. My relationship with the couple was respectful, but there was always a certain awkwardness between us. A young firefighter, Michael Gay, bought the second Unit, and things remained quiet for a few years until Sarah Coffey moved in.
The Salem News
Following the show cause secret hearing, I was speaking with my old attorney when he mentioned the Salem News Article. What article? I don’t read the Salem News, so I had no idea what he was talking about. I googled my name, and the Salem News Article came up. (1) Written by Julie Manganis, a court reporter who worked with Honor Segal in the past, the Expose, which shows a picture of my home, states, “two neighbors stating they were forced to sell their units… A third neighbor, Jody Elliott, 57 – is due in Salem District Court to face criminal harassment and civil rights charges. Police say she painted an image of Adolf Hitler and a swastika on a door in the common area of the three-unit condo…The Hitler image came after months of what police say was a campaign of harassment against the two condo owners. Police say Elliott let her pitbull (97) loose near them…and called police on them repeatedly.” All my calls for help to the SPD were now considered an act of harassment. She continues, “One of her neighbors, a former district attorney in Essex County, described being followed by Elliott and seeing Elliott kick her elderly dog…” All false.
I do have to address the last line: “On Oct 20th Salem Police took a call about the Hitler drawing …the police subsequently took the door down and brought it to the Police Station.” When the SPD arrived at Patzke’s Unit for the criminal complaint against me, the door was already in Patzke’s unit. He told the Police that he took it down to help them. The Police never saw the door in the cellar or took it down.
As a Salem Court reporter, Julie Manganis is fully aware that my daughter and I had filed for a restraining order against Patzke and that many of the police reports clearly stated I was asking for help. Ms. Manganis’s failure to note these important facts in her article demonstrates that she acted with bias, unethically, and in bad faith when she published her article. Code of Ethics for Journalists (SPJ) Society of Professional Journalists:
- Seek truth and report it: Ethical journalism should be accurate and fair…”
- Minimize harm: Ethical journalism treats sources, subjects…as human beings deserving of respect.”
- Act independently…”
- Be accountable and transparent: Ethical Journalism means taking responsibility for ones work and explaining ones decisions to the public.”
Ms. Manganis is proud of her false article but, to this day, refuses to explain why she misrepresented the truth.
One might state that Ms. Manganis followed the Salem News Culture. After I read the article, I called the editor, David Olson, and asked if he wanted to know the truth, and he replied, “No.” The article, which is still online today, impacted my life greatly. Professional colleagues quickly distanced themselves from me, and friends didn’t return calls. The article was picked up by other sites. My daughter responded to one site, and they took it down (98). I responded to another, and they, too, took it down, but the Salem News refused to remove it or rewrite it, even when I filed for defamation. It appears Karen Andreas knows how much dishonesty she is allowed to publish legally.
RT: As I review all these documents, my anxiety increases. Reliving the trauma. When I read this e-mail that my daughter sent to the website, I felt sick. Patzke used to call us Trash all the time, but he never called me a C*unt. This was a name he used for my daughter when he confronted her socially. I told her that I was so sorry that I didn’t handle her abuse better and that I was self-involved in trying to fix things. She forgave me, but this stitched-together heart can still break.
The Essex District Attorney’s Office refused to accept my case, claiming bias. I was informed that until an unbiased prosecutor in another district could be found, Conrad Prosniewski would act as a prosecutor for the state. I was representing myself at this point, and although I do not have any experience with the court or legal proceedings, I relied on the evidence, witnesses, and an unbiased jury to prove my innocence. Unfortunately, Salem District Court does not work that way.
I called Eric Connolly to get information about my charges, but as always, Eric Connolly refused to speak with me. I spoke with Chief Butler’s secretary, and she informed me that I could have the victim’s statements, but any other information must go through Discovery.
Projection Honor Segal’s Police Complaint
Both Honor Segal and Patzke filed formal criminal complaints. I am focusing on Honor Segal’s because Patzke’s is redundant and petty.
Honor Segal’s Police Complaint: (99)
Her first paragraph: “ Below are bullet points as well as a narrative background of some of the events perpetrated by Jody And Jeff Elliott. I believe Jody Elliott is the one behind all of the events and pushes her family members to do things to disrupt the peace/intimidate and scare me (Chris and previously Doug). I believe she has some obvious and serious mental health issues. Doug Hein and Chris Patzke believe that she has mental health issues too.”
I believe most people have an understanding of what projection means: Basically blaming other people for one’s own choices and actions. Because Honor Segal groomed and used Patzke as a tool for her actions, she now projects that action onto me: I am making my family members do bad things to her.
Mental Illness: I have been a Licensed Mental Health Counselor for a long time (101). For years, the state of MA has allowed me to diagnose and create treatment plans for people suffering from mental health issues. It would be unethical for me to diagnose Honor Segal, but I will state that her: Chronic lying, her lack of empathy for others and her pleasure in their suffering, her feelings of being persecuted and the need to be a victim, her lack of remorse and accountability and her willingness to use others to do her bidding, are not signs of a mentally healthy individual.
I’m not going to review the 8 pages of her complaint, you can read it, but I will point out some of the false statements she made. (evidence)
BULLET POINT PHYSICAL INTIMIDATION EVENTS
PG 1. #5: “Jody walked up to me and stood 2 inches away from me and kneed my 12-year-old dog in the behind as he was urinating.” (Oct 8) First, I don’t think it is physically possible to be 2 inches next to an individual and still be able to knee a dog. Second, this was on Oct. 8th, the date her lawyer says I confronted her and that it was filmed by Patzke’s camera. If this is a true statement, why did her lawyer refuse to provide the footage?
Something to keep in mind when reading Honor Segal’s Police complaint: she frequently states, “My boyfriend.” In the event, she lists there are numerous boyfriends, at least 3 different individuals, and Honor Segal did refuse to provide the names of these men as well as the names of all the “witnesses” that saw me commit these acts.
HARASSING E-MAILS/TRYING TO SCAM WORK OUT OF CONTRACTORS
Honor Segal states more than once that I am pretending to be my husband. Again, projecting her writing Patzke’s e-mails onto me. The one name she is willing to provide is the plumber Al Leone, who installed the new sewerage pipe at the Association. One day when he was working, my shower began to leak. I went into the cellar and asked if he would look at it, and he agreed. He quickly fixed it for a small fee, $200.00. I was happy to pay for the quick repair. Following Al’s repair, I received an e-mail from Chris: (102 ) “Please refrain from harassing the plumber.” I didn’t understand what the problem was, so I e-mailed Al. (103), and he responded (104), “Who is Mr. Patzke ?” Al must have mentioned his repairing my valve to Honor Segal, who had Patzke email me. Al Leone would not support me when the newspaper article came out.
DENIAL/LIE ABOUT DAMAGE TO THE BUILDING
Honor Segal alters the facts to say Doug called the Police for help regarding the leak when the Police Report states my daughter called.
DECIEPT TO CONDO ASSOCIATION/POSSIBLE THEFT OF FUNDS/FINES OWED
By this time, McCarthy had informed Honor Segal that there was no embezzlement, and if there was no embezzlement, there should be no fines. Honor Segal continues to state I am not a Trustee even though she recorded her vote that I was, and Essex County Record of Deeds says I am, and she ‘voted’ me in.
MANIPULATION/POOP AT CHRIS’S DOOR
“ I had taken care of all the outside maintain in 2013 because Jody and Jeff never did anything around the property.” The meeting notes of 2013 clearly demonstrated that Terrence Kennedy removed my right to work in the yard, and Honor Segal failed to state that after the meeting, she and Doug hired outside landscaping, for which I paid 44%. Honor Segal went on to state that she was too sick to do the yard work, and her mother and boyfriend had to do it. Completely false. Honor Segal’s mother did begin to spend time at the Association, but that was in the winter of 2014/15, and all she did was clean the snow off Patzke’s car: she liked Patzke.
Honor Segal contradicts herself in the same paragraph when she states that she did not tell us she had health issues that prevented her from doing yard work and then states that I knew she had health issues. That’s the problem with lying. You can tangle yourself up.
She ends with, “Jody or Jeff put a grocery bag of weeds with dog poop at Chris door.” Honor Segal is projecting the fact she put dog feces on my front doormat.
THEFT OF CHRIS’S ELECTRICITY/ADW (DOG)
Honor Segal stated I would follow her down to the cellar. This never happened. She is correct when she states she could hear someone go downstairs to the basement, as her front door is next to the entrance to the cellar. My unit is a flight up, and there is no possibility I would hear someone enter the cellar unless they wanted me to. Honor Segal wrote: “I felt unsafe with her following me, so I had to wait to have my boyfriend come with me to do it on weekends. Jody let her dog (1-year-old pit bull) loose on my boyfriend and me in the basement one night. She came downstairs after the dog and did nothing to get it away from us. She then walked up to my boyfriend as he was holding my laundry and got about 5 inches away from the front of him, and said, ‘Oh, hi’ to him. He and I went upstairs, and Jody’s dog followed us up, and she didn’t do anything to stop the dog. We couldn’t get into my Unit because of the dog.”
There is so much wrong with this story. The boyfriend she is referencing is Ryan Noonan. She is trying to establish that I have weaponized my dog. I met Ryan Noonan twice, first at Patzke’s party and a second time when I was in the yard with Georgia watching Patzke prune our tree. (the reference to her story) Mr. Noonan came up to me and asked what breed of dog Georgia was. I explained a Boxer, Australian Shepard mix, but as a rescue, probably a lot more too. Mr. Noonan petted Georgia and briefly chatted: he told us he was employed as a Federal Agent for Homeland Security. WOW. To visualize a Homeland Security Federal Agent cowering in our back hall, frightened to move because of Georgia’s waging tail, is unbelievable.
Honor Segal, again, stating I came within 5 inches of her boyfriend while he was holding a laundry basket, is evidence that Honor Segal does not possess spatial awareness.
When I filed for Arbitration, I added Ryan Noonan’s name to individuals who may be in a conflict of interest. Honor Segal had introduced him as her fiancé, and his name was on their mailbox (105). Part of the Arbitration process is listing names of potential witnesses so any Arbitrator, who has a connection with that individual, can recuse themselves. Honor Segal was angry that I included him (106). “I can only assume you are looking for my boyfriend’s name and address, although he is not a Trustee, owner, or resident of the building. That is somewhat concerning to me in sight of your past inhibitions and advances toward him. His name is Will Hunting. He lives in South Boston and is a janitor at MIT. On an interesting note, he does really hard math problems that no one else can do.” Honor Segal resides in an alternative reality.
Honor Segal continues in her complaint, “Chris and I thought Jody was going through our mail when we were at work, so Chris put a webcam in his window…This is just another example of her doing something and then trying to make it seem as though it were the other way around.” Honor Segal is describing projection, and this statement is the closest she will come to confessing her acts.
FALSE REPORT TO POLICE/ELECTRIC EMERGENCY
Honor Segal writes: “…My boyfriend than took his phone out to protect Chris from any accusations by Jody. The next day, Jody sent a letter to the Condo association lawyer and my lawyer complaining that my boyfriend was taking pictures of her daughter. He was videotaping to protect Chris when Chris went up to try to settle things down when Jody and XXXXX confronted the electrician.”
Again, so much is wrong with this statement. If this man was Honor Segal’s boyfriend, it was short-lived: that was the only time he was at the Association, and a week later, she had a new boyfriend. Honor Segal continues: “Officer Johnson said to me that what she told him was very different than what I said.” Office Johnson would go on to tell Eric Connolly that my daughter and I lied to him, and Officer Johnson would go on to physically assault me in my home because I caused Honor Segal so much distress.
Honor Segal’s last line: “I can give you the name/contact information for my boyfriend and the electrician to verify what happened that day…” This statement is false. Honor Segal refused to provide any names/contact information when requested by the State Prosecutor.
Salem District Court
My first court appearance in my criminal trial was on June 12, 2015, for my arraignment. (107) I arrived at Salem District Court and sat with numerous others, waiting for my case to be called.
The clerk called my name, and I walked to the podium. An ADA (?) stated, “the court finds no Abuse in this case so the state is not seeking bail.” Judge Lauranzano asked me, “Do you know what harassment means ?” and I replied, yes. Judge Laurenazano stated, “Don’t harass the victims anymore, stay away from them.” and that was it.
My next court date was June 26th, and on June 23rd, I filed a motion with the Court for a change of Venue and to provide me with Discovery: the SPD investigative report. My 26th Court date was postponed to the 30th, and on that date, I arrived at the court prepared. When my case was called, an ADA informed the Judge that the motions I filed were with an ADA in another courtroom and we would have to wait until that case was finished. Who was this ADA, and where was Conrad? I walked down to the DA’s office to find out where Conrad was and was told that he was out of the office, and another Prosecutor was filling in for him. I returned to the courtroom and waited hours. Finally, my case was called, and the ADA told the judge that the prosecutor had gone home sick. My case was postponed until July. A full day in court wasted for nothing. I would soon learn that this is a regular occurrence, and it is unfortunate for defendants to keep taking time off to come to court only to be told to go home hours later with nothing accomplished but another day mandated to be in court.
My next court date of July 17th was postponed until July 31st, and on that date, I went before Judge Machera and supported my motions for the Salem Police Reports (discovery) and for a change of venue. Conrad, again, did not show up. Judge Machera listened to what I had to say, really listened, and he granted my motion for discovery. (108) Judge Machera informed me that my motion for change of venue was under consideration with Judge Brennan, Chief Justice of Salem District Court. Judge Machera had the court clerk call down to the DA’s office, and a young woman appeared a few mins later. Her name was Katlynn, and she was an ADA. Judge Machera told Katlynn to provide me with all the information that the DA’s Office had, and then he ended the hearing. I waited outside the courtroom for Katlynn, and an hour later, she returned and told me she didn’t have the information and asked if she could mail it to me. I agreed.
Lt. Conrad Prosniewski
Conrad’s continued absence concerned me, so I e-mailed Chief Butler’s secretary, Sharyn Lubas, and asked if he was still my state prosecutor. Sharyn Lubas responded, stating that, yes, he was still the prosecutor, but he was out of the office for a short period of time and was being replaced by “various officers.” (109) Days passed, and I still had not received anything from the DA’s office so I tried again to contact Conrad so I could obtain Discovery, but he still was not available. I e-mailed Ms Lubas again, and (110) she replied, “As of today Lt. Prosniewski is back.” I finally connected with Conrad via e-mail and explained about Judge Machera’s order and ADA Katlynn’s statement and that I had already provided the DA’s office with my many pages of Discovery. Conrad responded (111), “I was informed by the District Attorneys office that you can pick up Discovery at the Office inside District Court.” Excited, I called Conrad and left a message that I would be at the Courthouse at 10 AM the following day to pick up Discovery.
When I arrived at the Courthouse, I went to the Clerks office to obtain the paperwork I needed to get Discovery (self-representation). As I was waiting for the form, Patzke walked into the Clerks Office and stood behind me. I immediately left and headed downstairs to the DA’s office without the form. Conrad wasn’t there, so I asked to speak with a DA. Two DAs came out and approached me. I started to tell them about Conrad’s e-mail, but they cut me off. They told me they could not speak with me as they were not directly involved in my case. I told them that Judge Machera granted my motion for Discovery and requested that Katlynn provide me with Discovery. They replied that they did not know a Katlynn and that no Judge had granted the order because they would have been informed. Frustrated, I said, let’s contact Judge Machera, and he will verify that I am telling the truth. The two DAs heard enough and told me that if I did not immediately leave their office, they would have Court Security come and remove me. I left. Conrad had set me up, informing Patzke when I would be at the courthouse and lying about talking with the DA.
The DA’s notes: (112) “…shows up requesting copies of some report she claims another Judge allowed…and we need to turn over. (I see no note in file of this) Alex Grimes and I try to tell her we won’t discuss the reports w/her b/c case is on for 8/20 and Motion for change of Venue will be heard then. I point out this….^has raised Bias concerns and @ this point it would be best to just wait until 8/20 and bring this …and keeps talking about another…”
I return home frustrated. The DA had all my evidence, and I had nothing. On top of Conrad lying about the DA’s willingness to give me Discovery, he had contacted Patzke to show up at the court to intimidate me. What motive did Conrad have for such unethical behaviors? I emailed Conrad and told him I would not speak with him anymore. (113)
I called Mayor Driscoll’s office and spoke with Jeff Cox: Constituents Services and Special Projects, and explained that I was having difficulty with the SPD. The Mayor is responsible for her police department, and I assumed that as the SPD were currently in the news regarding their double dipping scandal and failure to follow the Mayor’s guidelines, Mayor Driscoll would want to stay on top of any more problems. I was wrong. After speaking with me, Jeff Cox hung up and e-mailed Chief Baker’s secretary, stating: (114) “As a heads up, Jody Elliott calls mayors Office to tell me that PD, DA and Mayor are in conspiracy against he regarding her charges in May.
She said she has spoken with you. She said she was ‘humiliated ‘this morning when she went to the courthouse to get some documents.”
Heads up, that’s what the Mayor’s special projects employee tells the Salem Police Dept. I never said anything about the Mayor, but I could not make that same claim today. To tell the Salem Police Department that someone is complaining about them is putting that individual at risk for harm. And harm did happen.
Sharyn Lubas responded: to Jeff Cox (115) “…she is not familiar with the court practices and protocols of discovery and has misinterpreted a lot of the delays to be associated with bias…” Sharyn Lubas is correct that I do not understand all the practices and protocols of discovery, but when Judge Machera granted my motion and informed the DA’s office to provide all documentation they had in their possession, I assumed they would. What I didn’t know was that the DA could choose to ignore a judge’s order. This is not a problem with misinterpretation; it’s a problem with the court system.
Sharyn Lubas e-mails Prosniewski (116) to keep him up to speed.
On Sept 4th, I was granted a change of Venue (117). Good, I was leaving the biased court of Salem.
RT: Mayor Kimberly Driscoll is currently the LT. Governor of Massachusetts and, in that role, chairs the Governor’s Council. It’s interesting how many Salem Politicians move up the political ladder.
Newbury District Court ADA Samual Miller
My hopes for Newbury District Court were quickly destroyed; I had gone from the frying pan directly into the fire.
After I was granted a change of Venue, ADA Samuel Miller from Middlesex County was assigned as my State Prosecutor. (118) Sam Miller met with me and disclosed that he read all the documents regarding my case (my Discovery) and found the case interesting. He was easy to talk to, and I got the impression he was fair and unbiased as he told me of his wife, a teacher, and their two children. Following our first meeting, I actually went home and thanked God for providing me with an ethical ADA. Sam Miller provided me with the DA’s Discovery: (119) Which consisted of 5 items:
- Eric Connolly’s investigative report.
- Salem Police Officers Report.
- Photographs (5) of the Nazi painting.
- Written Statement by Honor Segal
- Written Statement by Christopher Patzke.
I already possessed the 2 victim statements, the Salem Police Offices report, and the Nazi pictures I had seen at my restraining order trial. The only thing new was Eric Connolly’s investigative report which was less than 2 pages long and told of his speaking with Honor Segal. In this report, Honor Segal introduced a new narrative, “I recently spoke with Segal about how things were going. She stated that on November 30th, 2014, she left XXXNorth St. to walk her dog at the cemetery. When she got to the area of the cemetery she noticed that Jody was there at the entrance by Liberty Hill Ave. and let her dog of it’s leash. She thinks Jody left after she did and went the other way to the cemetery and is following her again. Segal said she walked her dog another way to avoid Jody. While heading back home, she said that Jody was out front waiting for her to come back.” …So much is wrong with this statement. It is physically impossible to see Liberty Hill entrance from the other entrances of the cemetery, especially as Salem had just experienced a severe snowstorm. High Snow Bankings. (120) Nov. 30th was the Sunday following Thanksgiving. I was with my family in NH until Sunday night, celebrating the holiday. Snow is a lot more fun in the woods of NH. I didn’t get home until late Sunday night, and the cemetery was closed by then. Eric Connolly never allowed me to dispute Honor Segal’s lie and finished his report with: “Due to the ongoing harassment of both Segal and Patzke, a clerks hearing will be requested for the following charges, 1 count civil rights violation and one count criminal harassment for Segal and one count criminal harassment for Patzke.” As you know, no clerk’s hearing took place, and Conrad sent me a summons. This is Detective Eric Connollys complete, professional investigation into a very serious crime. Eric Connolly intentionally ignored reports that did not support his narrative and refused to allow me time to defend myself. Where was the evidence, the interviews, the film footage, the names of witnesses, and Honor Segal’s boyfriends, and Where was the information regarding the White Jeep?
I comforted myself with the knowledge that Eric Connolly would have to testify at my trial and explain to the jury why he refused to speak with me or allow me to defend myself. I could provide the jury with the evidence to show that I could not have committed these acts that Honor Segal claimed, and in fact, she had committed those acts against me. I was looking forward to the trial. The photo of Hitler was barely recognizable; even Sam Miller had difficulty with them: the Nazi drawing looked like a water stain on an old door. One needed quite the imagination to see Hitler.
I e-mailed Sam Miller and Eric Connolly, demanding their evidence. I wanted the names of the witnesses and especially the boyfriend, Kyle, who had planned my arrest with Honor Segal. Officer Connolly never responded, of course, but Sam Miller replied: (121) In his e-mail Sam Miller explains his role as a State Prosecutor in my case and that he, too, is trying to obtain more evidence. Reading his e-mail, one can understand how I began to Trust him; he sounds like he’s looking for the truth. On page 2 of his e-mail, he states: “I did speak briefly with Honor Segal, and she declined to provided her boyfriends name. I can only give you what I have..” It appears that the DA’s Office did not have the power to compel Honor Segal, the victim, to provide information to support her accusations. I believed that the MA Court system mandated my right to such information as it could prove to be exculpatory evidence that would prove my innocence. Sam Miller later explained that, as a victim, Honor Segal could refuse to provide any information that would be too distressing for her to recall her traumatizing events would cause harm. Well, she would have to recall those events when she testified.
Sam Miller did state: “ I agree with you that when we go to Court on 11/17 we should go ahead and set a date for trial, also, on that date, we can have the Judge help us go over any remaining discovery issues…”
The 17th was pushed to the 30th, and on that date, I arrived at Newbury Courthouse confident that I was attending a hearing in which we would discuss further discovery and set a trial date. I am excited. I am sitting in the Courtroom of Judge Doyle when Sam Miller begins his speech to Judge Doyle with, “I would like to bring in the victim’s lawyer, Attorney Terrence Kennedy.”
Judge Doyle responds, “yes, I am aware of who Terence Kennedy is, bring him in.”
As Terrence Kennedy walks toward Sam Miller, Judge Doyle says, “Here comes a reputable man.” Sam Miller introduces Terrence Kennedy to the court, and Judge Doyle invites him to speak. Terrence Kennedy informs Judge Doyle that he represents Honor Segal and that his client is willing to drop all charges if the defendant (me) agrees to never harass her again and promises to keep a safe distance from her. I start to speak, objection, but Judge Doyle tells me to be quiet and that my speaking is damaging my case. Terrence Kennedy continues on to state that if I choose to continue to harass Honor Segal, we can return to this court and revisit the charges. Sam Miller is listening and then tells Judge Doyle that the other victim, Christopher Patzke, does not want to pursue charges either. Again, I start to speak, and Judge Doyle looks at me and says, “If Terrence Kennedy says it’s over, it’s over.” He dismissed the case with the stipulation that I was not allowed in any building that either victim was in. Whatever happened to innocent until proven guilty and the right to a fair trial? Judge Doyle’s dismissal and order would prove harmful to me: if Judge Doyle is dismissing the case, he should not be allowed to add a stipulation that is founded on guilt. It’s unethical and should be illegal.
When the hearing was over, I tried to catch up to Terrence Kennedy, but he ran down the court steps to his car. I did catch up with Sam Miller as he was leaving the courthouse and asked him, WHY? and he replied, “I gave you what you wanted,” and walked away. Attorney Sam Miller is not the ethical man I thought he was. I was denied my opportunity to prove myself innocent. My holidays were dim. It was such a disappointment that I had been denied a trial: after all the abuse my family had suffered: the loss of large sums of money for arbitration and legal fees, and the Salem News article destroying my reputation, Terrence Kennedy had walked into the courtroom knowing Judge Doyle would do exactly what he told him to do and denied me my day in Court. If anything unnatural happens to me, Terrence Kennedy will be involved. I was slipping into sadness and decided I needed to do something to make my life better. I started looking for a job.
LMHC Career
I found an employment opportunity that was perfect for me. It was with a company that was launching a new paradigm of mental health: TeleHealth, the beginning of computer-based counseling services. I could work from home, which would allow me to address my medical concerns. This practice would take off and be the best choice of treatment during the pandemic. I applied for a position, and after the application process, I had an hour-long conversation with Steve Locke, MD, a psychiatrist who helped develop the new agency. It was a rewarding conversation, and I was excited about the company and the challenges it would present. Following our phone call, I was contacted by Tom Hunter, CEO, for a second interview. (122) During my interview with Tom Hunter, I was offered a position at their agency as an adolescent therapist: we agreed to a 30-hour work week with a very decent salary. I was thrilled; I enjoyed working with the adolescent population and have had success with their engagement and treatment. My next step was to work with Susan Brown, HR, and to undergo a CORI (Criminal Offense Record Information (123 a/b)) screening.
When the agency learned that I had been charged with a Hate Crime and 2 counts of criminal harassment, they rescinded their offer. My career was over. This was hard for me to accept. I might not be knowledgeable about the court system, but I am good at what I do: Developmental Mental Health Therapy.
I had invested 4 years of College, 3 years of Graduate School, 1 year of an unpaid internship, and years of experience in obtaining my LMHC, and now it was worthless.
I decided I needed to rectify the problem and make things right. I would sue Honor Segal and Patzke for defamation. I would prove that the two intentionally lied to the SPD to cover their own harassing behavior and civil rights violations: posting religious signs. I informed my husband of my intentions, but it didn’t go well. “Nothing good is going to come of this.” He was right.
I started by looking for an affordable Attorney, but every time I mentioned Honor Segal or Terrence Kennedy, they quickly shut the door. If I had approached a high-end law firm, they might have taken the case, but I did not have $500 + per hour to spare. By this point, I knew that cases drag out and billed hours add up. As a last resort, I called the names of recent law school graduates that the MA Bar Association had provided; I assumed a newly minted lawyer might want a client and not be too expensive. On Reflection, that wasn’t the fairest of solutions; I shouldn’t pit a new law graduate against a powerful politician without ethics. I finally connected with a young attorney in Salem who wouldn’t officially represent me but would guide me through the process. Perfect. I filed suit. Unfortunately, the Attorney, after our second meeting, decided he didn’t want to continue with his assistance. I understood completely. Terrence Kennedy and Honor Segal are vindictive individuals.
RT: I want to state here that I am not wholly in conflict with Honor Segal or Terrence Kennedy; I am in conflict with a corrupted system. These two individuals could not have accomplished all that they did without the assurance they had support: The SPD, the Court system, etc. This corruption has been entrenched in MA for a long time and is resistant to change. Look at the history of MA, and you will find corruption at all levels. Look at MA today, and you will find that the corruption is still ongoing.
Proposing Police Reform
I thought about filing a civil suit against the SPD for their bias against me and their failure to provide Equal Protection under the law but decided that Arbitration would be a better method. I was not looking for financial damages for their behavior; I wanted education and reform as I believed I was not the only one who had suffered from unethical behavior by the SPD. I wrote to Sharyn Lubas on Dec. 28th, 2015 (124), exploring options on how to resolve this matter in the best possible manner. I put forth the idea that Eric Connolly and Conrad be mandated to take courses on ethics, bias, and empathy for the lives they ruin. I explained that I didn’t want to file a civil suit, but some action had to be taken to stop this type of behavior from continuing. No Response from Sharyn Lubas or the SPD. I followed up with a letter to Mayor Driscoll on Feb. 18th, 2016, requesting the same education or arbitration to address the inappropriate behavior that I experienced with the SPD. As Mayor, Driscoll oversees the SPD, and with all their recent infractions, she should be monitoring them for other inappropriate actions. Mayor Driscoll did not acknowledge my communication, but Jeff Cox e-mailed Sharyn Lubas: (125) “Sharyn, I’m not sure who you would want to forward this to or just have it for your records. You, Dominick, and I communicated regarding this lady.” That was the extent that the Mayor of Salem gave to me in regard to my request for Police Reform and education. That lady was causing trouble again, and who was Dominick?
RT: Dominick is Dominick Pangallo, chief of staff for Mayor Driscoll and the current 2023 candidate for Mayor of Salem. Coincidentally, as I am writing this: Feb 20th, 2023, there is a knock on my door, and it’s a gentleman handing out flyers and advocating for Dominick for Mayor. No thanks, says “this lady’.
Although Mayor Driscoll didn’t have time to respond to my concerns about the SPD, 3 weeks later, the Salem News reported: “Mayor Kim Driscoll swore in veteran Salem Police spokesman Conrad Prosniewski as the department’s newest captain. (126) This is how corruption continues: Mayor Driscoll: Reform: NO Raise and Promotion: YES
As no one was responding to my concerns, I decided to file a civil suit against the SPD. Again, no lawyer, but the cost of filing is reasonable, and honestly, all I wanted was a Jury. To this day, I have never been allowed a Jury. I truly believed a jury would be sympathetic to my cause and willing to look at all the evidence I presented. Unfortunately, Judges allow few people to move on to a Jury. Our Constitutional Right to a jury of our peers is denied more than it’s granted. Our Court system is not designed for the common people seeking justice; it is designed for Attorneys.
I filed a civil suit against Honor Segal and Christopher Patzke but extended my suit to include the Salem News, the systems approach. Before I filed, I wrote to Chief Justice Brennan of my intent to file in Salem Court and asked him to help me keep Terrence Kennedy from becoming involved (127). Judge Brennan never responded or took any action to intervene. My civil complaint was in Salem Superior Court and presided over by Judge Lang. (128)
Judge Lang, formally a Federal Judge, was appointed by the Governor’s Council in December
2012, the same year I bought my condo. Terrence Kennedy, as a member of the Governor’s Council, recused himself from voting for Judge Lang. Terrence Kennedy and Judge Lang attended Boston University Law School together, although Kennedy was 2 years his senior. The two may have a personal relationship which would be an overt conflict of interest, and Judge Lang held Terrence Kennedy in high regard.
I have made many mistakes in my years of seeking Justice through the Court system, but bias does exist in the MA court. I am not going into great detail about my cases as they are public, and the information is easily obtained.
My original complaint was filed on April 15th, 2016. On May 17th, Marc Salinas filed that he was representing Patzke and the following day, Terrence Kennedy filed that he was representing Honor Segal. This was the problem I feared. I was calling Terence Kennedy as a witness to testify about the Association meeting where the slander of me originated. He could not be Honor Segal’s attorney and my witness.
On June 2nd, I submitted a motion to the court to recognize that Terrence Kennedy had a Conflict of Interest, as he was a witness in the case. Terrence Kennedy also had a conflict of interest being in a personal relationship with Judge Lang.
Judge Lang immediately dismissed my motion and stated he would allow Terrence Kennedy to represent Honor Segal and thus could not be called as a witness. Also, because he was legal representation for Honor Segal in the case, his involvement in the association meeting, slander, and unethical decisions could not be included in my suit. His communication to me that directly contradicted Honor Segal’s statements that I was disruptive at the meeting could not be presented to the Jury.
At this time, I was so over Terrence Kennedy. I WANTED THIS MAN OUT OF MY LIFE. I never invited him into my life: he forced his way in and continued to intentionally harm me. Terrence Kennedy had used his power as a Member of the Governor’s Council to destroy my life for no other purpose than to protect his protege: Honor Segal. I went down to Boston.
Courthouse and filed a complaint against him. Terrence Kennedy quickly quit his representation of Honor Segal, and I dismissed my Boston complaint. Gediman, who was Honor Segal’s earlier lawyer and partner to Terrence Kennedy, took over for him. Even though this was a minor success, I knew Judge Lang would not be on my side for interfering with his case. I lost all hope in the case. I decided that the best thing for me was to remove myself from MA State Courts and take my complaints to Federal Court instead. I figured Federal Court would be a different realm altogether. I am naive.
NAIVE: Showing a lack of experience, wisdom, or judgment. Yeah, that correctly explains my behavior at the time. Also, I wanted so badly for Someone to recognize that my experience was traumatic and unethical and that the MA government was targeting me for their own benefit. Judge Lang dismissed my case, although some good came from it. The Attorney for the Salem News provided Discovery, and there was information from the SPD that I had never seen before (129) and was not in the discovery provided to me.
One of the new items provided to me was a communication that Honor Segal sent to Eric Connolly (130). In this e-mail, Honor Segal tells of her moving out of her unit and how the new neighbor thought I was crazy and that Patrolman Jennings “had to basically chase Jody back into her house.”. Other communications were between Honor Segal and Conrad regarding a meeting the two had: “I will relay this at the hearing.” What was he going to relay, and why did the Salem News have all this discovery and I didn’t?
Federal District Court 1 Boston
I know that Federal Court Judges are not appointed by the MA Governors Council but are appointed by the president. However, most of the candidates are chosen from the MA Political pool: DAs and Attorneys, State appointed Officials, etc. In 2016 when I entered into Federal Court, there were 15 Judges: 8 of those Judges were educated at Harvard, 1 from Suffolk (Honor Segal), and 2 from Boston University (Terrence Kennedy). Only 4 of the Judges were educated outside of Boston. Many of those Judges were employed by the state of MA before being appointed. Even though they are Federal Judges, who are appointed by the president, they still have a direct history, connection, and investment in the State of Massachusetts’s Political System.
Before I entered Federal Court, I had to find legal representation, so I expanded my search outside MA. I wrote to the ADL (Anti Defamation League) No response. I wrote to other nonprofits and law firms that offered defamation lawyers, and the few that responded told me that I needed to find a lawyer in MA. I was on my own.
Both cases were heard by Judge Cabell, and both were dismissed. In my case against Honor Segal, Judge Cabell states: “It would be concerning if it were true.” It was true, and the evidence verified it was true, but Judge Cabell could not or would not believe it. One important factor that may have influenced his decision was that, during my case, the MA Governors Council Approved Honor Segal for Judgeship.
I was browsing online and happened on a youtube video by the Governor’s Council: Judicial Hearing for Attorney Honor Segal. (131) I was shocked. I had written to all the members of the
Governor’s Council when I entered Federal Court asking them to aid me in restraining Terrence
Kennedy’s involvement, just as I had done with Judge Brennen. I included my Federal Court Complaint against Honor Segal with my letter. Every member of the Governor’s Council was fully aware of all the atrocities that Honor Segal had done to me, and yet they chose to make her a Judge. I left a comment on the video, “…A very concerning appointment. Attorney
Honor Segal is currently named a defendant in Federal District Court Boston for Civil Right Violations, Libel, and Slander, and the State of MA empowers her to Judge others… “The Governors Council responded, “ I read through the Comm. of MA Constitution a lot, and the statehouse bookstore has free copies for the asking the next time you are in the neighborhood…” the author goes on to educate me on the role of the Governor’s Council and states that it’s OK for the Counselors to vote for their friends and continues on.”I doubt if Baker has any opinions about Segal or the Council at all, the last time Baker was here, Jubinville wasted the Governor’s time stupidly grandstanding and ignoring the Governor’s suggestion of a private meeting to discuss the topic of Opioids. Jubinville instead put his foot in his mouth and deliberately ignored the Governor’s suggestion. Few people will overlook the deliberate insult of a fool, let alone encourage the insult.”
No one signed this posting, but I knew it was Terrence Kennedy. His disdain for Jubinville was common knowledge, and his statement that people shouldn’t overlook insults speaks to his vindictiveness. Good for Jubinville for demanding Baker give attention to Opioids. Terrence Kennedy continues, “As for your allegation of some civil lawsuit in Federal Court, I can’t find a thing…” My case in Federal Court is public, but the media didn’t give it any attention; one would have to go to the Court records to learn about it. Kennedy goes on to cite cases regarding corruption, “…My favorite was Ceaser’s corruption allegation that was thrown out, then Ceaser’s filed for bankruptcy. And the CEO of the fill-ing lost his position.” Terrence Kennedy is referring to a federal case regarding the building of a casino in the Boston Area. Terrence Kennedy is from Everett, MA, and wanted to have the Casino in his hometown. As always, Terrence Kennedy got what he wanted and expressed joy that someone who dared to oppose him suffered. Terrence Kennedy continues, “However, my searches did find some no doubt coincidental names associated with Civil Suits in Salem,”….and he posts the link to the Salem News Article. The Governors Council of Massachusetts posted a link to the Salem News article while I was in Federal Court for defamation…isn’t that interfering or intimidation of a witness? When I bought this publication to the attention of Judge Cabell, he waved away my concern and said it wasn’t important, then dismissed the case. Governor Baker appointed Honor Segal as a judge within a month.
I was appalled. The Governors Council approved Honor Segal for Judgeship knowing full well of her unethical behaviors: A new Judge for the people of Massachusetts.
Coincidence #2: Here I am writing about the loss of Ethics in our MA Government and Courts, and I read this statement on Twitter by US Rep. Jamie Raskin in regard to House Speaker
Kevin McCarthy provided 44000 hours of our Government’s Jan. 6th video tapes to Tucker Carlson and Fox News, who are -Defendants in a defamation suit in Federal Court. Similar. “McCarthy giving 40,000 hours of Jan 6 tape to a pro Putin journalist is an astounding ethical collapse…” I admire Jamie Raskin and wish him a fast recovery. Ethical Collapse is exactly what is happening in the State of Massachusetts Government.
Our Country is eliminating ethics. Many things are legal but unethical, and we need ethics to maintain moral behavior. As a therapist, I am highly ethical: Mental Health treatment is a profession full of gray areas, and if you don’t act ethically, you can cause harm. Politics is the same and requires ethics to protect the people. Currently, our Supreme Court is being asked to implement a code of ethics due to the Judges lying under oath.
ETHICS: moral principles that govern a person’s behavior or the conducting of an activity.
Why would the Governor’s Council want to appoint Judges that do not respect the rule of law? Honor Segal does not respect truth or justice; she only respects her needs and desires. Why does the Governor’s Council see that as a positive trait for a Judge?
The Boston Herald published an article that helps answer that question. The law allows attorneys on Governor’s Council to face judges they voted on. Nov. 17, 2018. (131 )
Before 2010 members of the Governor’s Council, who are lawyers, could not go before a judge in cases; it was a conflict of interest as they are the ones who approve who becomes a Judge. That law changed in 2010, the same year Terrence Kennedy was elected. He was actually interviewed for this article and said it was OK because “…there are about a dozen judges who recused themselves from my cases.” Member Hurley states, “ They have an ethical duty to say, “No I won’t hear it”. An ethical duty. Is that why unethical Judges are favored? It makes it easier for all involved. So the Governor’s Council approve a Judge, tell the Governor to appoint them, and then go before that Judge to argue their case. If the Judge they appointed, like Honor Segal, does not respect the rule of law and will comply with the requests of the Attorney that appointed her, both the Judge and the member can profit greatly.
MA Lawyers Weekly, Jan. 2017 shows (132) that Terrence Kennedy and his partner Gediman, in 2016, had $ Million-Plus settlements in the Courts. WOW. Lucrative. A profitable unethical system in the MA Courts. No wonder I was and still am perceived as a threat to this lucrative income by Terrence Kennedy and the Governor’s Council. Maybe it’s time we implement ethics. I filed a suit against Terrence Kennedy and the Governor’s Council for targeting me by posting the link to the Salem News Article while I was a plaintiff in Federal Court. That case was heard by Judge Patti Saris and quickly dismissed with prejudice: I could not file suits against Terrence Kennedy anymore. Judge Patti Saris said that my suits were frivolous and must stop. While I was a plaintiff in Judge Saris’s Federal Court with my suit against Terence Kennedy, the EOLWD sent me a certified letter (133) stating that they had determined I was a security risk and that if I entered their building, I would be arrested. I brought this letter to the attention of Judge Saris: isn’t this threatening a witness while in Court? Don’t I have a right to due process? Don’t they have to identify a cause before they can identify me as a security threat? Judge Saris, like Judge Cabell, waved it away, stating it wasn’t important.
I also contacted the office of the Attorney General: Maura Healy, and spoke with Attorney Hartnett. I followed up with a letter (134). Attorney Hartnett told me if I had a problem, “Get a lawyer.”
Honestly, I have never contacted the EOLWD or interacted with them in any manner; how can they determine that I was a Security Risk? Researching the EOLWD, I discovered that Judge Honor Segal was still employed there, but as a new Judge and she worked closely with Rosalyn Acosta, Secretary of the EOLWD. Based on the Governor’s Council’s response to me and their support of the Salem News Article as proof of my crimes, I was determined by the EOLWD to be a Security threat. Although those crimes had never been proven, and by MA standards, I had a right to defend myself, the EOLWD determined that I was not entitled to due process. So, I filed charges against Honor Segal and Rosalyn Acosta, and Karen Andreas for defamation and denying me due process.
I know, so foolish of me. My reasoning was that the MA Politicians were building such a case against me that with a parking ticket at the wrong location, I would find myself in prison. I wanted to have everything on record. Also, with fragile hope, I thought someone would object to this unethical standard: the State of MA was saying these actions were an appropriate practice, and the Federal Court was in agreement. Judge Allison Burroughs was assigned to my case and actually relied on the Salem News Article for her decision: “The height of the conflict between Plaintiff and Judge Segal appears to have occurred in Oct. 2014…an Attorney representing Judge Segal sent a cease and desist notice to Plaintiff….demanding she cease and desist from all physical intimidation and physical contact…On Oct. 20th 2014, a painting of what appears to be Hitler, holding his hand up with a swastika on his chest, was found on the common basement door.” Although my case regarding those charges was dismissed by Terence Kennedy, Judge Burroughs implied that I was guilty of those charges and that the State of MA was correct in stating I was a security risk and denying me the use of public buildings. This is Justice in Massachusetts. I appealed.
Police Assault
While my case was in the Federal Court of Appeals, I was physically assaulted in my home by Officer Johnson of the SPD; remember him? He told Eric Connolly I lied to him about Honor Segal. I am a type 1 diabetic, and 2 days prior to the assault, on Aug. 27th, 2019, my daughter came home from work and found me on the floor, unconscious. She tried to help me, but when I didn’t respond, she called 911. Medics arrived and administered medication to aid in raising my blood sugar. After a few minutes, I regained consciousness. On a side note, I have to state that there is some truth to the myth that you fall in love with the medical professional who saves your life. I was gaining consciousness, and the EMT was above me, watching for my responses, and when he saw I was coming to, he said, “There she is.” I looked at him and Fell in love. It had been so long since a stranger was kind and helped me. It didn’t last long, as I never saw him again.
The EMT crew was wonderful and kind. They did tell my daughter she should not try to revive me if my sugar was low and instead should call 911 immediately. My daughter was cautious, and two days later, when I got up early and said my sugar was low, she called 911 from her bedroom. On occasion, my sugar is low, but it is no big deal; I just drink a boost, and everything is OK in a few minutes. When she told me she called 911, I told her to call back and cancel. The Medics arrived at our home quickly, and so did the SPD. My daughter went outside and informed them that I was OK, it was a mistake, but Officer Johnson told her, ‘That’s not the way it works.’
The Medics said it was OK, but Officer Johnson insisted that they come into my home and verify with me that I was OK. When they entered, I told them I was fine; false alarm. The Medics began to leave, but Officer Johnson said they could not leave until they tested my blood. The Medics appeared confused but followed Officer Johnson’s command and walked up the stairs. Officer Johnson then told my daughter she could not remain with me and had to leave, so my daughter went upstairs: my daughter is understandably frightened of the SPD. I told Officer Johnson I would not comply by giving my blood; it was unnecessary, this was an invasion of my privacy and home, and I could address the problem myself. Officer Johnson stated that he would call an ambulance, and they would forcefully remove me if I didn’t comply. I agreed; what could happen? My blood sugar would be low, and I would drink a boost, and they would leave. My blood sugar was low, and Officer Johnson told the medics to take it again. Next thing I know, Officer Johnson walks into the kitchen where I am sitting with a medic and hands me a phone, and I am talking to a doctor at the Hospital. I explain that my sugar is low, but I will drink a boost and be fine. Officer Johnson leaves the room and then returns, telling me the Doctor determined I should be brought to the hospital. I got up and left the kitchen, walking into the parlor to think about the best way to manage this situation.
Officer Johnson follows me into the parlor, grabs my arm, and tells me he’s taking me to the hospital. I instinctively push his hand off my arm, and he grabs my right arm, twists it up my back, and states I have just assaulted a Police Officer. As he drags me to the stairs, I ask if I am under arrest, but he refuses to answer. I ask where he’s taking me, and again, he refuses to answer, just dragging me by my twisted arm. I grab hold of the stair post with my left arm and refuse to let go until he tells me if I am under arrest. If I’m going to jail, I need to have the boost first, or I will die in the cell. Officer Johnson does not answer me and starts to pound on my left arm to release it from the stair post.
I am amazingly strong- fear and adrenaline. He keeps pounding my arm (135), and when that doesn’t work, he twists my right arm further up my back until I scream and let go. My scream brings my daughter downstairs, and she yells for him to stop. The medics are standing watching, not knowing what to do. When Officer Johnson twisted my right arm, I let go of the post and fell onto the stairs.
Officer Johnson kneels on my back (I think most people have seen cops in this position)(135) and slams my face onto the stairs. I have totally given up resistance and allowed him to drag me face-first down the stairs. At this moment, all my energy is directed toward trying to calm my heart which is racing and threatening to explode. I am fearful that I am going to die on these stairs. There is an ambulance outside, and they restrain me into a gurney. Officer Johnson tells the ambulance driver that I assaulted him and to record it in my medical records. A medic rides with me in the ambulance to the hospital, saying over and over, “I didn’t touch you.” When I got to the hospital, I told the doctor what happened. He tests my sugar, and yes, it’s low, but they immediately release me from the hospital because I am coherent and able to make my own medical decisions. I did accept a glass of apple juice as I walked out of Salem Hospital barefoot and in my nightgown. My daughter pulled up as I was exiting the lot.
I filed a complaint, but the case was dismissed under MA LAW Chapter 123, Section 22: Which grants immunity to police officers and others from civil suits regarding harm that occurred when transporting mentally ill patients. Officer Johnson stated that because both Honor Segal and the SPD had stated that I was mentally Ill, he believed this to be true and acted under that belief. He had told the Doctor during their phone call that I was mentally ill, which is why the doctor instructed him to bring me to the hospital. The ER Doctor recognized this was not the case and discharged me. Judge Lang agreed with Officer Johnson, and the complaint was eventually dismissed. Unethical. MA Courts should require proof to support SPD statements and actions. My appeals case was dismissed a year and a half later, in Jan. 2021. I have to state that the Boston Federal Court of Appeals gave more time and attention to my case than the lower courts did. Even though they dismissed the case, they reduced the area that Judge Burroughs had restricted with her prejudice.
Living through 2 years of emotional and physical harassment and having a newspaper publicly destroy your reputation by claiming you kicked old dogs and painted a Nazi, etc., is traumatizing.
But being physically assaulted in your home by a Police Officer is another realm altogether. Honor Segal’s and Patzke’s harassment and slander can be externalized: there are aggressive, unethical people outside of yourself that are acting badly, telling lies, and hurting you, but there is a part of you that remains apart from that trauma, but a Police Officer, sitting on top of you, beating you, threatening your very existence is different. You can’t separate from it. It’s too personal and life-threatening. Looking at Officer Johnson’s face and seeing his rage and Hatred for me while he was beating me was traumatizing. When Officer Johnson was smashing my face on the stairs, he said, “Leave it. Leave her alone,” and for the first time since this drama started, I wanted to leave it. I wanted to live. I had lost; I accepted that I had lost. As an LMHC, I’ve been strong. Throughout everything, I had held onto my basic belief that Justice would prevail and that there was good to be found. Following my assault, I lost that belief. I was frightened all the time; I had nightmares and intrusive thoughts: flashbacks. I was in a supermarket, checking out my groceries, and a man came up behind me, a little too close, and I panicked. I walked out of the store, leaving my groceries on the counter. I had PTSD.
I tried to heal. The condominium was quiet, and I had a pretty good relationship with the other owners. It was time for me to rest and let go. Then the couple in Unit 1 sold their Unit to Sara Coffey.
Sarah Coffey purchased Unit 1 in Oct. 2019, 2 months after Officers Johnson’s assault on me.
Sarah Coffey Malice
During the years following Honor Segal and Patzke moving out and before Sarah Coffey moved in, the Association was productive and quiet. Although I was working on my lawsuits, I was also working on repairing the building. The association held a meeting, and it was agreed by all that I would assume all costs of repairing the falling porch roof (136) and granted the right to build a deck above it. (137) The Association also agreed to allow me access to my pipes in order to bring my laundry into the unit. The bylaws state that I have the right of way to my pipes that run through the other units, but I wanted association approval to ensure things went smoothly. As the pipes from the original site proved too small and restrictive, we had to relocate the washer/dryer to another area. I decided to alter a small bedroom, which was located directly above my bathroom, and the established plumbing into a laundry/bathroom. I hired a company to complete all the work, and I paid in full. I bought all the needed products: a washer/dryer, bathtub, vanity, etc.
Good to go. I was ready to complete the project when Sarah Coffey moved in.
I spoke with Sarah Coffey about the need for my workmen to view where the access point was in her Unit and explained the project: that it would impose a minor inconvenience and that I would pay for all the work to restore her unit back to its original state. Sarah Coffey said NO. I reminded her that the bylaws allowed me access to my pipes and that the Association had agreed to this project, and that it would be quick and any damage would be immediately repaired at my cost. Sarah Coffey informed me that my workmen entering her unit and ‘purposely damaging’ it; it was an act of harassment, and since I had a long history of harassment, she would not allow it. I knew then that Sarah Coffey had read the Salem News article and believed every word.
I spoke with my contractors, explaining the problem, and they were able to reroute the electrical through the walls of the common area without disturbing the structure; there was minor damage which the workmen fixed after completing the wiring.
Rerouting the plumbing proved to be more difficult. When the plumber provided the work diagram, I realized that it was not viable. (138a and b) The additional expense would be a lot of money, but that wasn’t the problem; as you can see from the diagram, the plumber would have to run the piping along the exterior walls of the common areas. Building new walls to enclose the pipes would result in the narrowing of the halls of the common area. Our old building’s halls are narrow enough, and this adjustment would restrict movement. The Second problem was when the Salem City inspector came to review the project, and he informed my plumber that the pipes that ran through Unit 1 (Sarah Coffey) needed to be repaired to proceed with the project. Again, this building’s plumbing is old and vulnerable (remember previous drainage repairs with Segal). I explained all this to Sarah Coffey, and again she said NO. I told her I understood that she did not want to be inconvenienced, but my repairs would actually be protection for her unit: to avoid future damage. No. With Sarah Coffey’s refusal, I had to pause the project, and to this day, I live with a tub in my foyer (139), a gutted bedroom (140), and a vanity/washer/dryer in my guest bedroom (141), which my grandson is using. I was denied my association rights due to my long history of harassment.
Sarah Coffey is a single, middle-aged woman who Works for the State of Massachusetts. She reminded me of Patzke, physically resembling him and with the same presentation. I was not going to file for Arbitration; I was still recovering from the last assault that I experienced from filing. I tried to explain to Sarah Coffey that the article wasn’t true and that I could prove it, but she wasn’t interested in my stories.
Let’s review Sarah Coffey’s police complaint that resulted in the SPD immediately granting her a restraining order against me. (142a/b) Whereas I spent months and legal fees trying to get a restraining order, Sarah Coffey got it in minutes.
In her Complaint, Sarah Coffey states:
- On August 19th, the Defendant “became very agitated during a condo association meeting”:
- “The topic was external management which she requested (True) because she claimed someone in the building was touching her things. (false)
- “She became visibly agitated and upset and began accusing my neighbor…of not taking her concerns seriously.” (Distortion of the truth).
- “At this point I asked if I could record the meeting on my phone and she said yes and added that she was already recording” …(Projection).
- “She asked me if I had tampered with her washing machine settings.” (True)
- “She accused me of making threats.” (Distortion of the truth). “She had previously become very upset when I put a fern on our …shared porch:” (False) – “Jody Elliott became increasingly combative”… (False).
“After this incident I became concerned about Jody Elliott’s behavior and visited the Salem Police to let them know my concerns. I was especially concerned because it has been well documented in the court system that Jody Elliott has had previous incidents with previous condo association members. She has filed multiple frivolous lawsuits against a variety of community members all stemming from a single event. (Quoting Judge Borroughs) Since then I have received nine letters from Jody Eliiott she has tried to block condo association business from continuing. (false) Each letter has become increasingly accusatory and threatening.” (false) … “She has threatened the association with arbitration if I am made condo manager (true) …..starting repairs on the building without her permission even though she agreed in writing (false)…….Due to her behavior, her accusations, and the constant letters in my mailbox, I no longer feel safe in my home and fear what would happen if I do meet Jody Elliott in any of the common areas of the building.”
There is a lot to digest here, and I will. But before I break down her accusations, listen to the Salem District Court hearing on Sarah Coffey vs. Jody Elliott: harassment case against me (143), where the Judge tells Sarah Coffey that she can not continue the restraining order as there was No Harassment. Sarah Coffey had been relying on my Long documented history of Harassment to have the Court take away the last of my rights.
A little background so you understand how things escalated to yet another abuse of power.
After Sarah Coffey had told me I could not access my pipes, I kept a safe distance from her. A lot of the problems I had with Sarah Coffey contributed to poor boundaries.
BOUNDARY: a personal property line that marks those things for which we are responsible. In other words. boundaries define who we are and who we are not.
So a boundary is both a physical state: my storage area has a boundary, as well as an emotional state; my privacy is a boundary, my personal space is a boundary, etc. Sarah Coffey and I have different definitions of Boundaries. I have clear and defined boundaries, my storage space: (144). Sarah Coffey has a more fluid style, and her storage space: (145a/b). When Sarah Coffey stated I accused her and Michael of touching my property, she was distorting the truth. When my property began to be moved and misplaced, I reminded the association that we needed good boundaries.
My letter: April 23, 2021 (146) “Just a reminder……We all reside in the same building and to make it work we must have respect for the other owners as well as their property. Good boundaries are required. One owner should not touch another owners property without consent even if they believe they have a good reason -they don’t. If we ALL practice good boundaries we can live together in the same building without tensions emerging and everyone feeling valued and respected. Thanks.” Sarah Coffey stated this was a threatening letter.
In her Police Complaint, Sarah Coffey stated that I asked her if she tampered with my Washing Machine settings. I did. Sarah Coffey believed that asking someone if they tampered with their property was an act of aggression and harassment. Recently, on my way to the cellar, I opened my backdoor and saw that a package I had ordered through the mail was open and lying at the bottom of my stairs. I asked the new owner of Unit 2 (by letter) if he had taken my package and opened it, and he replied yes, (by letter) (147). I believe an owner has a right to ask another owner if they have touched their property. I do not believe this is an act of harassment. Lucky for me, the owner of Unit 2 did not report me to the police. When did it become a crime to ask about your property and not a crime to take someone’s property and damage it? This lack of respect for my property continues to this day. On the corner, our building is a small, narrow area where we keep the lawn mower or snow blower (whatever season) and my HVAC system. This area was designated as our HVAC area during the meeting with Segal. As long as I have lived here, the Association has designated this area as the place to store Associaton tools/products. Sarah Coffey brought a hand-pushed mower (I don’t know why, as I was mowing the lawn with our electric mower) and put it in the storage area, placing it on top of my HVAC. (148) I moved it to her garden area, and the next day, it was back. I didn’t want my HVAC damaged, so, again, I moved it. The next day it was back, so I put up a small sign in the area stating that personal property should not be stored there. Sarah Coffey responded: (149) “The attached notice was posted on the fence…No single owner should be posting signs purporting to be from the K Ward Condo Association without consulting with the two other owners about it…Also, no owner should be moving another owner’s property without their permission (what I’ve been saying for months). Jodi has moved the mower 4 times (3) over the past three days. This behavior needs to stop. I will move my mover to the basement but will be calling a vote for everyone to decide as an association over whether or not the push mower can be stored by the side of the building…” This was at the time I was restricted from communicating with the association.
Following my April Letter, we had a meeting.
May 6th, 2021: We had an association meeting to address building repairs and management.
Agenda (150) My husband, as Trust Manager, ran the meeting. In attendance were me, Michael Gay, Unit 2 owner, who has resided at the building for 6 years, and Sarah Coffey. Agenda item 1: painting the exterior of the building. Our building was half painted: two sides were done a couple of years ago, and 2 sides needed to be completed. When we originally started the painting (Expensive), Michael could not afford the full assessment, so we decided to paint the most damaged sides and put off painting the other two sides until funding was available. It was time.
All units voted to finish the painting and to obtain estimates.
Agenda 2. Porches; we began a discussion of the need to fix the porches, and all voted to get estimates but that we would wait until the painting was done.
Agenda 3. Minor problem fixed.
Agenda 4: My husband announced to the association that we were getting divorced. After 32 years of marriage, we decided that it would be best for us. The years of trauma and abuse had taken had impacted negatively on our relationship, and honestly, I was not the woman he married: I couldn’t find employment; the Salem News article had alienated me from his friend group as well as mine: An old friend’s daughter was getting married, and my husband and daughter were invited, I was not. This alienation, as well as my PTSD, took its toll on our relationship. I loved my husband and Trusted him completely. Even though we were divorcing, I knew I could rely on him to help me and manage my assets if needed. My husband informed the group that he would stay on as Trust Manager until we decided on another option.
End of Meeting.
In the following weeks, I spoke briefly with the two of them regarding management. Unfortunately, Michael wasn’t too interested. I wanted Michael to be a manager because I had known him for 6 years, and I felt we had a respectful relationship. During his 6 years living at the Association, Michael had gone through some serious situations, and I had been supportive of him; I considered him a friend. Sarah Coffey wanted to be manager, but I didn’t trust her: she had denied me my right to access my pipes, had formed a negative opinion of me, and had been aggressive to me on a few occasions. I understood that she believed me to be this horrible person, but I still deserved my rights as a paying member of the association. When she started advocating to be a manager, I did state that if she assumed the role, I would have to go to arbitration to ensure that I could exercise my rights despite her discrimination against me. She put this in her Police Complaint.
All members explored estimates for the painting and porches. We briefly discussed management. In June 2021, we had another meeting and decided that Glen Doko had provided the best estimate. The Associaton voted to hire Glen Doko. My (ex) husband, as Trust Manager, hired Glen to complete the painting of the building.
Glen Doko stripped the back of our building, and it came to light that before he could paint, the clapboards needed to be replaced. My (ex) husband had been replacing clapboards periodically (151) during the last few years at no cost, so when Glen’s estimate came in, I was surprised. Glen stated his company could replace the clapboards for an additional $8,250. I believed this estimate was too high and felt the Associaton needed to address it. I called a meeting. Note: I found Glen’s company from a project he was working on nearby and contacted him for an estimate. All unit owners participate in this exploration for services. My speaking with Glen or being a contact person does not give me any power to engage his services. Only a formal vote can approve work, and only the Trust Manager can enter into a contract on behalf of the association.
Agenda: August 19th, 2021 Meeting. (152) This is the meeting that Sarah Coffey references in her Police Complaint.
Agenda 1: painting and repair
- Assessments
- Clapboards and estimate requests. 4. Porches 5. External Management. External Management. As you know, I am responsible for 44% of the building costs due to having more square footage in my unit. External Management is a service that all units benefit from equally. I knew it was going to be expensive, so I put forth the idea that we divide the cost equally. As an association member, I can make this suggestion, but a vote must be taken, and the associate can deny my request.
The meeting started off OK. We agreed to get estimates regarding the Clapboards. We discussed in-house management, but again, Michael wasn’t interested. I brought forth external management and suggested that we divide the cost equally. Their response was unexpected. Sarah Coffey said No immediately, as is her right, but they both went on to tell me that I should not be expecting any considerations from the Association with my History of Harassment and Abuse.
Sarah Coffey stated I was currently harassing her, and Michael replied that no one liked me and that the previous owners moved out because of their dislike of me. What? Sarah Coffey’s aggression I expected but Michael’s was hurtful. After 6 years of friendship and support, he was now attacking me with the same language that Sarah Coffey and Segal, and Patzke had used. Michael went on, saying that in the past, I called him names (I have never called Michael names) and that my concerns regarding my property were my own fault: that I caused all the problems at the association. I started to cry. I don’t usually cry, I’m pretty calm and reasonable, but as Michael went on and on with Sarah agreeing, I started to cry. It was both the PTSD and the betrayal of someone I thought was a friend. The two ganging up on me and falsely accusing me was too much; too many years of this, and now it was all starting again. I got up and walked away. (avoidance, a symptom of PTSD.) I don’t remember Sarah stating she wanted to record the meeting, and I don’t remember if I replied. I might have said something as I was leaving. I just wanted to leave. I went upstairs and calmed myself, and a few hours later, I wrote a letter to them. (153)
I apologized for my emotional reactivity and stated that I was vulnerable to the harsh language and the hurtful statements they made. (this should not be allowed at Association meetings) I stated that I would pay 44% for the external management and that we needed good boundaries. I also stated that all communication in the future needs to be through a letter until external management is established. I wished them well. Sarah Coffey would tell the Police that because of my behavior, she needed a restraining order.
I thought about the best way to protect my property and decided to enclose my storage area so I could lock it. I informed them both the following day of my intent through a letter (154) and provided a copy of my basement deed.
Following the meeting, the two did not speak with me, and that was OK, but they were having meetings on their own. I’m sure all this sounds familiar. The same events of Segal and Patzke are replaying in current times.
On September 19th, Sarah Coffey sent a letter to me (155) and signed it Unit 1 and Unit 2. Item #1. In this letter, Sarah Coffey states Jeff Elliott has resigned as condo manager and that the association needs to hire external management. This made me nervous. I hadn’t heard anything about Jeff resigning; I was not involved in their text chain. She references Jeff’s communication of August 27th, condo fiancé report, which I did receive, but there is no mention of resigning, only that he was hoping he would be allocated $50.00 per month to cover costs:
Jeff is always driving back and forth to cover the needs of the Associaton.
#2. Sarah Coffey states, “After the condo communication on August 27th, the Association voted to move forward…with Glen Doko and his carpenter. I did not vote on Glen Doko’s carpenter. Last I knew, at the August 19th meeting, we voted on getting estimates.”
Sarah Coffey finishes with: “Unit 2 frequently out of the building, all future communication should be done via e-mail.”
What was going on? Jeff had resigned. Sarah was temporarily taking over. They had a meeting I did not know about.
Two days later (Sept 21st, 2021), I received a letter from Michael. (156) stating he was selling his unit. Michael went on to state that not proceeding with the repairs shows a lack of respect for all parties involved. Michael states that we should VOTE on an Interim manager. Michael also informs that Jeff states he is still the manager.
Communication at the Association was unreliable, but I understood why Michael may have been so aggressive toward me at the meeting: He wanted to move, and my asking for estimates was delaying his progress. I responded to Michael: (Sept 22, 2021) (157). Even though he had verbally assaulted me at the meeting, I still considered him a friend, 6 years of friendship is not easily destroyed by one event. I informed Michael that “because you are selling I will support all the repairs. I dislike that I am not going to be able to choose the least expensive option, but again, I want to help you with your transition.” I cc’d Unit 1 (Sarah Coffey) because I believe in Transparency.
In his e-mail, Michael clearly states that he is aware that we have to formally vote on matters. I.e., Interim Manager. Sarah Coffey, on the other hand, decided to appoint herself interim manager. I CC’d her my letter to Michael as an informal way of informing her we should schedule a meeting Immediately and that I would vote to appoint Glen Doko’s carpenter for repairs.
Three days later, on Sept 25th, 2021, without a meeting or a vote, Sarah Coffey acted as a trust manager and illegally entered a Contract with Glen Doko, committing thousands of dollars of my money without my vote, knowledge, or permission. (158)
“Hi, Glen- Good news! The Association has agreed to move on with the repairs & painting.
Please let me know how you would like to proceed. Thank you! – Sarah Coffey XXXNorth Street.”
I didn’t know about her contracting with Glen until I came home from running errands and saw Glen’s workmen replacing the clapboards. I asked Glen what was going on, and he explained that Sarah Coffey had hired him. I asked him to forward the agreement, and he did. That night I wrote to Michael and Sarah, informing them that I was filing for arbitration. (159) I had informally agreed to the assessments because I wanted Michael’s move to go forward quickly and easily, but I did not agree to Sarah Coffey becoming Trust Manager.
Jeff was the Trust Manager and the only one who could legally enter a contract on behalf of the Association. Her disregard for the Bylaws now involved Contract Fraud and my money. I disliked involving Michael in this, but Arbitration requires all members of the Association, and Michael was still a member. I did not know if Michael was supporting Sarah Coffey’s actions, but I didn’t think so. He’d referenced Jeff as being the Trust Manger and wanted to vote on the new manager, so I thought he just wanted to move. (In 2021, the housing market was unbelievable, with units selling well above their value). In my notification of Arbitration, I also stated that I was going to bring past concerns into Arbitration: My bathroom pipes! In the letter, I also informed them that they would be receiving a formal, certified letter re: Arbitration. As you know from the past, I need proof that they received a notification.
I found out about the bylaw violation on Saturday and notified them of Arbitration that evening. Monday morning, Sept. 27th, 2021, Sarah Coffey went to the Salem Police Department and filed a criminal complaint against me. Does this sound familiar?
It was granted immediately. I don’t know if she told the Police that I had just informed her I was filing for Arbitration due to her Contract fraud, but the SPD did provide her with my Social Security number to make things easier. See # 142.
Despite the order, I did follow through with Arbitration. Why? Michael had already moved out of the building but was still receiving mail. I didn’t know where he had moved to, so I was on a time restraint. I also believed I was protected: The letter, which Sarah Coffey knew she was going to receive, was certified. Thus, I was not contacting her; the Post Office was notifying her. The letter was also part of a legal process that the Association was now involved in and was addressed to all Board Members. The restraining order stated me personally but did not mention the Association. I believed that as a member of the Association, I had the legal right to proceed with my legal action.
I underestimated Sarah Coffey’s maliciousness: Sarah Coffey went to the Post Office, signed the letter, returned home, called the Police, and had me arrested. The arrest was brutal and traumatic.
I learned following my arrest that Sarah Coffey had communicated with Jeff (160), “ Hi Jeff, Thanks again for agreeing to act as condo manager this transition. Mike and I have decided that it would be best if the two of us play for the repair work on our own since Jody is currently contesting it…I also wanted to let you know that I have served Jody with a Protection from Harassment order due to her actions and communications over the past month. Unfortunately, I have found this to be my only recourse.
After Mike notified the Association of his intent to sell his condo, Jody wrote us with her agreement…Even once Mike sells his condo and new owners move in, I am not sure how the condo association will continue to function, given her current state of mind. I think having an external management company would be helpful in this type of situation but I’m no longer confident Jody will agree to one……Thanks Sarah.”
A lot to digest. First, it is clear that Jeff is still the Trust Manager and was at the time Sarah Coffey entered into the contract. Reminder, all her comments regarding harassment were quickly dismissed by a Salem District Court Judge who read the letters Sarah Coffey provided and stated that there was no harassment. Sarah stated I wrote to her when I cc’d her my letter to Michael with the intention of voting at a meeting, etc. Also, this is another reason why my husband and I divorced; my (ex) husband is so tired of people telling him what a terrible person I am.
But the worse thing about this letter is that Sarah Coffey never Told me about her and Mike’s decision to pay for the repairs. Sarah Coffey knew I was going to send her a certified letter regarding Arbitration to address this. Her paying for the repairs would have made Arbitration unnecessary. Sarah Coffey intentionally denied me this valuable information so I would proceed with Arbitration and she could have me arrested when she got the letter. Sarah Coffey is as clever as she is cruel.