► Judge James Bates of Toledo - one of the good guys! Print

Judge James Bates of Toledo – one of the good guys!

Judge James Bates of Toledo is one of the good guys despite ruling against me, which cost me over $50,000 in attorney fees to effectuate a successful appeal.
 
I’m sure there are litigants in the greater Toledo, Ohio area that don’t agree with me when I say Judge James Bates is a dispenser of fair and equitable justice. Does Judge James Bates make mistakes in his rulings? You betcha! However, when and if he does the claimed error was not the result of judicial bias and/or prejudice. In fact, in my experience, any errors in judgment by Judge James Bates were the result of his honest application of and/or interpretation of the law and/or facts presented to him.
 
Several years ago, Judge James Bates made a ruling against me that cost me over $50,000 ($100,000 in today’s money) to have reversed by the Court of Appeals. Was I upset? Of course I was. However, shortly after the Court of Appeals reversed Judge James Bates’ adverse ruling, he displayed an uncommon ability to admit he was wrong. And he did so making this admission to a reporter for the Toledo Blade.
 
We are all human, and that includes members of the judiciary. And of course we are all prone to making mistakes. But it takes courage and fortitude to openly admit one’s mistakes to the press, which is exactly what Judge James Bates did. For that, I am forever grateful. In addition, when Judge James Bates admitted his error to the Toledo Blade I knew I was dealing with a man of integrity. That act in and of itself was proof in my mind that Judge James Bates was indeed more than worthy to sit in judgment of his fellow citizens in the greater Toledo area.
 
If we could just clone ol’ Jim I’m confident that the integrity level of the Ohio bench would increase by at least three-fold.
 
Oh by the way Jim, what’s the chance of you reimbursing me for the $50,000 I spent on the reversal? Just kiddin Jimmy!
 
And lastly, Judge Jim Bates isn’t the only jurist who consistently comports his or her conduct in accordance with their oath of office. Those stalwarts of the judiciary will be mentioned in future stories. As they say, stay tuned!