This Lawyer No Fan of Judge Hunter

I believe the article in the Jan. 29 issue concerning Judge John Hunter of the Ventura Municipal Court warrants a number of comments.

My practice is limited to civil matters. Since 1992 I have had occasion to appear before Judge Hunter more than 30 times. Thus, I have had the opportunity to evaluate him based upon his pattern of conduct and not simply one or two isolated instances. My experience leads me to conclude that he is far from “redeemed.” In point of fact, I find him to be the most narrow-minded, uninformed judge in Ventura.

Based upon my experience, Judge Hunter is either ignorant of the law regarding matters that he is handling or simply ignores it. I also know that he is so petty as to take retaliatory action against attorneys who dare disagree with him and successfully appeal his decisions.

In one case, I obtained a reversal of a dismissal. Within days, Judge Hunter issued an order requiring me to explain why the case should not be dismissed once more (the obvious reason being that an appellate court determined it should not). I was put to the time and expense of petitioning a higher court for an order before Judge Hunter revoked this obviously improper order.

You also write positively about Judge Hunter’s ability to resolve cases rapidly. If Judge Hunter was an executive at a large corporation who met or exceeded his sales quotas, then I believe he would warrant praise. However, what Judge Hunter does affects people’s lives. In Superior Court, the amounts involved could cause a person to go into bankruptcy. Speeding to a resolution before a case is ready does not necessarily benefit the parties.

About the only thing in the article that pleased me was the statement of Judge Hunter that he will be leaving at the end of the year. Though it is four years too late for those litigants and attorneys who have suffered at his narrow-minded policies, at least there is the hope that things will improve next year.

JOEL DRUM

Toluca Lake

Joel Drum is an attorney at law at Davis & Drum.