#Jennifer Bonjean

[yezzyyae]

I could never be a defense attorney. I could never lie for a murderer, rapist, or evil human being. The way these defense attorneys be lying for their clients because they were paid insane amounts of money is DISGUSTING. I think defense attorneys were created so the innocent can be defended & the guilty to be punished appropriately! Nothing else not getting the guilty acquitted or a mistrial because you are dismissing the oath of law.

I don’t know how these lawyers sleep at night knowing that a murderer, rapist, or evil person is free to wreak havoc on other’s lives. It’s disgusting to watch these trials while knowing the defendant is guilty. I could never become a liar for money. Defense lawyers are sociopaths it’s no other word to describe them. It’s no way they can have a normal home life if they are lying in the court of law everyday.

How could Johnny Cochran(OJ Simpson lawyer) sleep at night, how could Dick DeGuerin(Robert Durst lawyer) sleep at night, how could Jennifer Bonjean(Bill Cosby lawyer) sleep at night, & so many other lawyers like John Gotti’s lawyers.

It’s a disgrace to law. That’s why people don’t believe in the justice system. It’s so rigged & it’s stomach turning evil!

[oscarealejandro]

I just learned about this villain, Jennifer Bonjean, a defense lawyer who has represented R. Kelly, Bill Cosby, Harvey Weinstein, and potentially P. Diddy.

Earlier this year she filed a petition in case of her client R. Kelly for a writ of certiorari, a request that the Supreme Court order a lower court to send up the record of the case to review.

"The argument set forth by Kelly’s attorneys centers on the the 2003 PROTECT Act, which extended the federal statute of limitations for such cases. The petition for writ of certiorari states that the conduct for which the singer is convicted — specifically creating child pornography and enticing minors into illegal sexual activity — occurred prior to the law being passed. Because the acts date back to the Nineties, lawyers argue, the statute of limitations would have expired."

R. Kelly was sentenced to 20 years in prison for his sexual crimes against children (In a victory for the defense, the judge ruled that all but one year of the prison sentence would be served at the same time as a previous 30-year sentence that Mr. Kelly received after a jury in Brooklyn convicted him of racketeering and sex trafficking charges) and if those charges are overturned it would not only negate every victim who has had their lives severely traumatized, but also potentially allow R. Kelly to see the light of day much sooner than expected assuming he is granted parole. The basis for Bonjean filing this petition is that Kelly's actions exceed the statute of limitations and whether or not that is true would normally be important because it's the due diligence of the justice system to abide by the regulations they swore to enforce, but in this specific case we're arguing semantics. The man paraded around for decades and was praised as a cultural icon for a majority of my lifetime before he was punished for acts that everybody knew he was committing.

This clip from the renowned satirical series, The Boondocks, does a great job of touching on the cultural phenomenon that is R. Kelly and how we as a society played a role in him avoiding justice. I was in elementary school when I learned about R. Kelly's marriage to Aliyah and the video recording of him urinating on a 14-year old girl and even at ~8 years old I was curious as to why everyone was just okay with it.

This New York Times article discusses his accusations in further detail and why so many ignored the signs.

This is the man Bonjean is aggressively advocating to be released into society. I would advise that you save your breath before you gasp out of shock because this is far from unusual behavior for someone like her. As mentioned earlier, she represented Bill Cosby in his infamous case involving sexual misconduct, and also worked to overturn his conviction of 3-10 years in prison stemming from more than 50 women accusing Cosby of a range of sexual assault and misconduct, including rape.

Bonjean is a despicable, vile excuse of a person who lacks shame and is equally evil as the perverts she elects to represent. Another New York Times article writes that she "Called one woman who accused R. Kelly of sexual abuse 'a pathological liar.' She accused another of extortion. She tried to pick their accounts apart, and attacked prosecutors for stripping her client, the former R&B star, of 'every single bit of humanity that he has.'"

Bonjean's biography on her firm's website details what motivated her to attend law school:

Bonjean’s life took an unexpected turn when she began volunteering for the women’s services division of the YWCA of Metropolitan Chicago. At the YWCA, Bonjean was a rape crisis counselor and victim’s rights advocate for under-served and marginalized women who were victims of sexual assault and domestic violence.

One would think that the exposure to the suffering and traumatizing impact left on these victims would influence her to pursue a path where she could provide a sense of support, but not Bonjean..

While in law school, Bonjean quickly began to identify with the underdog, which in the criminal justice system is the accused.

I'll end this with a case that was lesser known to me. In June 2019, Keith Raniere, the founder and leader of Nxivm (a human trafficking cult disguised as a self help group), was tried and convicted of all seven counts of a superseding indictment charging him with racketeering and racketeering conspiracy (including predicate acts of extortion, identity theft, and production and possession of child pornography); sex trafficking, attempted sex trafficking and sex trafficking conspiracy; forced labor conspiracy and wire fraud conspiracy. On October 27, 2020 he was sentenced to 120 years in prison after 15 victims testified against Raniere in a Brooklyn federal courtroom. Less than 3 months after this sentencing, Bonjean joined Raniere's legal team to assist with the appeal. An appeal that was supported by the clam that by definition, the actions should not be considered a commercial sex act.

Raniere's arguments turn on the meaning of "commercial sex act," which the statute defines as "any sex act, on account of which anything of value is given to or received by any person." 18 U.S.C. § 1591(e)(3). He principally argues that to qualify as a "commercial sex act," there must be a monetary or financial component to the "[ ]thing of value" that is given or received, and the sexual exploitation must be for profit.

Bonjean did what she does best. She did not argue that her client was innocent, but rather that the justice system failed him. I believe the justice system is not perfect and there are shades of corruption but to use it as a primary source of defense multiple times when there's clear proof against you is asinine. This woman is a diabolical spawn of Satan and a walking ironic figure. To cry corruption as a way of freeing your client is proof of failure in so many areas, including the justice system itself.

Yes, the government conspires to put a lot of innocent black men in jail on fallacious charges but R. Kelly is not one of them... You want to help R. Kelly? Get some help for R. Kelly

[beardedmrbean]

R. Kelly’s sex-crime conviction and 20-year sentence in Chicago’s federal court will stand, an appeals court ruled Friday in a blistering opinion.

“For years, Robert Sylvester Kelly abused underage girls. By employing a complex scheme to keep victims quiet, he long evaded consequences. In recent years, though, those crimes caught up with him at last,” Judge Amy St. Eve of the 7th Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals wrote in the terse, 14-page ruling.

“But Kelly — interposing a statute-of-limitations defense — thinks he delayed the charges long enough to elude them entirely. The statute says otherwise, so we affirm his conviction.”

The appellate court also denied Kelly’s request for resentencing, saying they had no grounds to second-guess the 20-year prison term U.S. District Judge Harry Leinenweber handed down.

“An even-handed jury found Kelly guilty, acquitting him on several charges even after viewing those abhorrent tapes,” the appellate ruling states. “No statute of limitations saves him, and the resulting sentence was procedurally proper and — especially under these appalling circumstances — substantively fair.”

Kelly’s attorney, Jennifer Bonjean, told the Tribune Friday that they were still weighing whether to request a rehearing before the full 7th Circuit panel — a move that is rarely granted.

Meanwhile, Bonjean says she plans to petition the U.S. Supreme Court on the statute of limitations issue, which centers on whether a new law passed after the underlying crimes in Kelly’s case should have been applied.

“We believe that is an appropriate issue for review by the Supreme Court,” Bonjean said.

Kelly, 57, is serving his time at a medium-security facility in Butner, North Carolina. His current release date is Dec. 21, 2045, when he’d be a couple weeks shy of his 79th birthday, federal prison records show.

Bonjean said she just spoke to Kelly on Thursday and that he remained “optimistic” about his remaining appeals.

“He understands that this is a process, that the fight is not over and he’s optimistic that the truth will eventually prevail,” she said.

A federal jury in Chicago convicted Kelly in 2022 on child pornography charges for explicit videos he made of himself and his then 14-year-old goddaughter, “Jane.” Kelly was also found guilty of inappropriate sexual relations with Jane and two other teenage girls, “Pauline” and “Nia.” The jury acquitted Kelly on separate charges of conspiring to rig his prior Cook County child pornography trial.

Kelly abused the three girls in the 1990s, when the law allowed prosecutors to bring such charges until the victims turned 25. Congress in 2003 expanded the statute of limitations up until the victim’s death, but on appeal Kelly attorney Jennifer Bonjean argued lawmakers never intended that amendment to apply retroactively. Prosecutors could not have brought these charges any later than 2009, she said.

Kelly is also appealing his conviction in a separate federal case out of New York, where a jury found him guilty of broad racketeering charges. He was sentenced to 30 years in the case; most of his prison term for the Chicago conviction is to be served concurrently.

During arguments in February on the Chicago case, St. Eve seemed skeptical, noting that no federal circuit has yet sided with Bonjean’s position.

Prosecutors argued that Congress expanded the statute of limitations long before it otherwise would have expired for Jane, Nia and Pauline. That’s a deadline extension, not a retroactive application of the law, they argued.

Case law overwhelmingly rejects Kelly’s claims, the appellate court ruled in Friday’s order.

“(It) is not unconstitutional to apply a newer statute of limitations to old conduct when the defendant was subject to prosecution at the time of the change, as Kelly was in 2003,” the ruling states.

The higher court also shot down Kelly’s argument that the counts involving Jane, including the child pornography charges, should have been tried separately from the rest.

[rebeleden]

TIM NORMAN’S Lawyer Jennifer Bonjean Argued Appeal _ ORAL ARGUMENT

[dankusner]

Judge who banned clerk to undergo training

Committee also clarifies courthouse rules for cellphones

A Cook County judge who controversially banned a law clerk from the county’s main courthouse for using a cellphone in her courtroom will undergo training and mentoring, officials said.

The order comes after an executive committee convened by Chief Judge Tim Evans investigated the nine-month courthouse ban implemented by Judge Peggy Chiampas for Robert Almodóvar, an exoneree who was issued a certificate of innocence in 2018 and now clerks for a high-profile law group.

The ban was criticized as unlawful by Almodóvar’s employer, defense attorney Jennifer Bonjean, and his attorney, Steve Greenberg, who filed a motion asking for it to be lifted.

Almodóvar regularly had duties in the Southwest Side’s Leighton Criminal Court Building, including dropping off court documents and making inquiries at the clerk’s office, but had to pause his work there while fighting the ban.

“The Circuit Court is committed to ensuring our courtrooms operate in accordance with the law and we will continue to update our policies, orders and trainings as needed to best serve Cook County,” Evans said in a news release.

Chiampas will undergo training with Judge Erica Reddick, presiding judge of the criminal division, regarding “the enforcement of administrative orders governing the use of cellphones and other electronic devices in courtrooms,” according to the release.

The executive committee also clarified some long-confusing courthouse rules around cellphones, ordering that members of the media be allowed to use electronic devices in the courtroom to take notes and communicate with colleagues outside of court.

Chiampas did not immediately return a phone call seeking comment.

The dispute began on Oct. 4, 2023, when Almodóvar was observing proceedings in Chiampas’ courtroom.

During the court call, someone informed a deputy that Almodóvar had a cellphone in the courtroom, so the deputy asked him to go into the hallway and told him he would need to lock his phone downstairs, where members of the public generally have to secure any electronics.

Almodóvar replied that he believed he was authorized to have the phone as a law firm employee, but said he would comply nonetheless, according to a motion that sought to reverse the ban.

That’s when, the motion alleged, Chiampas “began screaming loudly from the bench ‘bring him in, bring him in, bring him in.’ ”

After questioning him in chambers, Chiampas wrote an order that banned Almodóvar from the courthouse, an unusual move in a public building with a mandate for transparent court proceedings.

The motion contended that Chiampas illegally detained Almodóvar in her courtroom for several hours and argued that she did not have the authority to bar him from a public building.

Judges are allowed to maintain decorum in their courtrooms with charges of contempt of court, the motion said, but no such charges were ever initiated.

After it was filed, the motion bounced around among several judges who seemed reluctant to wade into the matter.

Greenberg had sought to substitute Chiampas from making a decision because of her involvement in the issue.

Eventually, after multiple hearings before other judges, the motion landed back in front of Chiampas, who rescinded the ban earlier this month in a terse, one-sentence ruling.

Almodóvar, whose case rested on eyewitness reports obtained in part by disgraced Chicago police Detective Reynaldo Guevara, had his conviction overturned in 2017.

[labelleperfumery]

R. Kelly's Chicago Sex Abuse Conviction Upheld In Federal Court

8:47 AM PT — R. Kelly’s lawyer Jennifer Bonjean tells TMZ … “Our fight is not over. We will see review from the USSC (SCOTUS) on the statute of limitations questions at a minimum. And he has habeas remedies at his disposal. And if we win in NY.… from TMZ.com https://www.tmz.com/2024/04/26/r-kelly-chicago-sex-abuse-child-porn-conviction-sentence-upheld-appeal-rejected/

[cyarskaren52]

R. Kelly’s 30-year sentence was the end of a long downfall for the former superstar.

June 29, 2022Updated 5:25 p.m. ET

R. Kelly, the former R&B singer who had long escaped criminal penalties despite decades of sexual misconduct allegations, was sentenced to 30 years in prison Wednesday for sex trafficking and racketeering.

The sentencing in Brooklyn marks the culmination of a stunning downfall for Mr. Kelly, 55, from a superstar hitmaker who was known as the king of R&B, to a shunned artist whose musical legacy has become inextricable from his abuses.

The chart-topping artist was among the most successful American musicians in the 1990s and 2000s, known for hits like “I Believe I Can Fly.” But as his public image soared, he exploited his vast access to young fans and aspiring artists at concerts, luring them into sex with little regard for their age.

The multiplatinum singer was found guilty on nine counts of racketeering and other crimes in September, after his federal trial in New York shed light on how he used enablers and sycophants to ensnare fans and aspiring artists while controlling their lives.

The case was widely seen as a crucial milestone for the #MeToo movement, representing the first high-profile trial since the national reckoning around sexual misconduct to feature a powerful man whose victims were primarily Black women.

Before the sentence was read, Judge Donnelly listened to several accusers deliver vivid victim impact statements, detailing the ways their lives were marred by the singer.

The accounts added to the trial testimony of 11 accusers — nine women and two men — who often told jurors that Mr. Kelly had inflicted severe sexual, physical and emotional abuse. Several testified that they were minors when he first had sex with them.

Mr. Kelly’s lawyer, Jennifer Bonjean, had argued that the government’s understanding of the appropriate sentencing range was flawed — and asked for a sentence of under 10 years. But Judge Donnelly ultimately agreed with prosecutors, who asked for a term “in excess of 25 years.”

Federal prosecutors wrote in their sentencing letter that Mr. Kelly has shown no remorse and for decades “exhibited a callous disregard” for the effects of his abuse on victims. His actions seemed to have been “fueled by narcissism and a belief that his musical talent absolved him of any need to conform his conduct” to the law, they wrote in their argument for his sentence.

“He committed these crimes using his fame and stardom as both a shield, which prevented close scrutiny or condemnation of his actions,” prosecutors wrote. “And a sword, which gave him access to wealth and a network of enablers to facilitate his crimes, and an adoring fan base from which to cull his victims.”

Mr. Kelly, whose full name is Robert Sylvester Kelly, was first accused of having sex with underage girls in the 1990s, and his illegal marriage to the singer Aaliyah in 1994, who was 15 at the time, prompted questions about his behavior. A few years later, in 2002, Mr. Kelly was indicted on child pornography charges, but was acquitted in 2008 at a trial in Chicago.

It was not until the #MeToo movement renewed scrutiny of his conduct that a new wave of charges arrived — and a conviction finally stuck in New York.

In her sentencing letter, which was unsealed on Tuesday, Ms. Bonjean, Mr. Kelly’s lawyer, told the judge that prosecutors portrayed her client “as a one-dimensional villain, undeserving of any measure of humanity or dignity” and that “there is far more to the picture.”

She said that his “traumatic childhood,” which includes “severe history of sexual abuse” by relatives and others, warrants a lenient sentence. Mr. Kelly said in a 2016 interview with GQ that he was sexually abused while growing up.

“He is not an evil monster but a complex (unquestionably flawed) human-being who faced overwhelming challenges in childhood that shaped his adult life,” Ms. Bonjean wrote.

At trial, Mr. Kelly’s lawyers sought to frame his accusers as obsessive fans and opportunists who sought financial gain. But the jury ultimately believed the prosecution.

“The defendant’s victims aren’t groupies or gold diggers. They’re human beings,” Nadia Shihata, an assistant U.S. attorney, said at the end of the trial. “Daughters, sisters, some are now mothers. And their lives matter.”

Sent from my iPhone

[gamegill]

R. Kelly gets extra prison time after latest sex abuse conviction

Kelly’s defence attorney, Jennifer Bonjean, had asked the judge to allow Kelly to serve his latest sentence concurrently with the previous sentence, meaning he would have served them at the same time. She said a consecutive sentence would amount to a “second life sentence”. #Kelly #extra #prison #time #latest #sex #abuse #conviction

[thecitytimes]

R. Kelly Chicago: Cook County state's attorney drops 4 sex abuse cases against singer

R. Kelly Chicago: Cook County state's attorney drops 4 sex abuse cases against singer

R Kelly sentence in federal cases will likely be decades in prison

Cook County State's Attorney Kim Foxx dropped embattled singer R. Kelly's sex abuse charges in Illinois Tuesday.

"I can't imagine this is a good use of the judges' time the prosecutors' time or the taxpayers', so we are pleased with that decision," said Jennifer Bonjean, Kelly's attorney.

During a status hearing in R. Kelly's Cook County cases Tuesday morning, members of the Cook County State's Attorney's Office asked a judge to dismiss the four sex abuse cases against him.

"I'm very pleased about the charges being dropped, so we can go ahead and focus on the next step, which is the appeal process. Hopefully, we can get that done," said DeAngelo Brister, Kelly's friend.

Kelly was already convicted in two federal cases, one in New York, and other in Illinois. The cases stem from sex abuse and, in some cases, child sex abuse.

One of Kelly's sisters spoke with ABC7 from out of state.

"I'm glad for Robert... to finally get a positive outcome like this," Lisa Kelly said.

As for Kelly, he is serving a 30 year sentence for the New York case and is currently being held in Chicago, as sentencing for the federal Illinois case is next month.

"This doesn't bring any relief to Mr. Kelly. He is still looking at decades in prison," Bonjean said.

Bonjean said they are appealing the New York verdict.

At the center of the Cook County cases dropped Tuesday are four women. Two of the accusers were part of the resolved federal litigation. The other two will not have their days in court. The attorney for one of the woman would not comment, and ABC7 could not reach the other woman for comment.

for more information visit: The City Times

[hiphopraisedmetheblog]

R. KELLYFEELING NO 'RELIEF'As Chicago Sex Abuse Charges Dropped

R. Kelly is no longer facing sex-abuse charges in Chicago, where a prosecutor’s decided to drop several pending charges, but that news isn’t swinging his mood … the singer still has plenty of other troubles Kelly’s attorney, Jennifer Bonjean, tells us she spoke with Kelly after Cook County State’s Attorney Kim Foxx announced she no longer would pursue the case because the disgraced R&B star has…

[tallmantall]

#JamesDonaldson On #MentalHealth - #R.Kelly Placed On #SuicideWatch Days After Prison Sentencing, #Lawyer Says

Darreonna Davis Former Contributor - TOPLINE #R&B singer #R.Kelly has been wrongly placed on #suicidewatch at Brooklyn’s Metropolitan Detention Center, his #lawyer Jennifer Bonjean said Friday, and he is being “irreparably harmed” because of it, she claimed, after the 55-year-old was sentenced to 30 years in prison Wednesday for racketeering and sex trafficking. Singer #R.Kelly placed under #suicidewatch, his #lawyer says, after being sentenced to 30 years KEY FACTS According to Bonjean, the prison psychology department told her, “he is on psych alert for various reasons, such as age, crime, publicity and sentencing.” According to the Federal Bureau of Prisons, its psychology services staff perform psychological intake “only on inmates who are suspected of being suicidal or appear psychologically unstable (e.g., #mentalillness or significant #substanceabuse withdrawal), or who request services via the Psychology Services Inmate Questionnaire.” Bonjean said Kelly is not suicidal. The Federal Bureau of Prisons told Forbes it does not share the "conditions of confinement or internal security practices for any particular inmate." Kelly was previously placed on #suicidewatch after he was convicted last September. #James Donaldson notes:Welcome to the “next chapter” of my life… being a voice and an advocate for #mentalhealthawarenessandsuicideprevention, especially pertaining to our younger generation of students and student-athletes.Getting men to speak up and reach out for help and assistance is one of my passions. Us men need to not suffer in silence or drown our sorrows in alcohol, hang out at bars and strip joints, or get involved with drug use.Having gone through a recent bout of #depression and #suicidalthoughts myself, I realize now, that I can make a huge difference in the lives of so many by sharing my story, and by sharing various resources I come across as I work in this space.  #http://bit.ly/JamesMentalHealthArticleOrder your copy of James Donaldson's latest book,#CelebratingYourGiftofLife:From The Verge of Suicide to a Life of Purpose and Joy www.celebratingyourgiftoflife.com CRUCIAL QUOTE “He’s being irreparably harmed as we speak… .It’s not as if they’re doing this for his psychological benefit, and by placing him under these extremely harsh conditions…it is actually cruel and unusual punishment,” Bonjean said. TANGENT #GhislaineMaxwell, the socialite who was sentenced to 20 years on June 28 for sex trafficking her ex-boyfriend, financier #JeffreyEpstein’s, victims, was also placed on #suicidewatch at MDC after she said she didn’t feel safe among the Brooklyn jail’s staff. WHAT TO WATCH FOR Bonjean told Forbes she is filing an order to show cause for placing him under #suicidewatch. FURTHER READING #R.Kelly Sentenced To 30 Years For Sex Trafficking And Racketeering (Forbes) #R&B Singer #R.Kelly Found Guilty Of Sex Trafficking, Racketeering (Forbes) #R.Kelly placed on #suicidewatch after being sentenced to 30 years in prison, his #lawyer says (CNN) Read the full article

[euro-journal-english-news]

R. Kelly Denies Involvement with New ‘I Admit It’ Album – Rolling Stone

R. Kelly Denies Involvement with New ‘I Admit It’ Album – Rolling Stone

The disgraced singer claimed he had no involvement with the album’s release, according to a new report A new R. Kelly album titled I Admit It appeared on streaming services on Friday but R. Kelly has denied involvement with its release, calling it a plot to undermine him in court, according to audio obtained by EuroJournal. Kelly’s attorney, Jennifer Bonjean, claimed that Kelly recorded the…

[shqiperialive]

Albumi 'I Admit It' i R. Kelly u publikua pa autorizimin e tij, avokatët kërkojnë fajtorin!

Albumi ‘I Admit It’ i R. Kelly u publikua pa autorizimin e tij, avokatët kërkojnë fajtorin!

Avokatët e R. Kelly janë në kërkim të personit përgjegjës për hedhjen e një albumi të quajtur “I Admit It”, pasi duket se artisti nuk ka dhënë leje për publikimin e albumit. Jennifer Bonjean, avokatja e mbrojtjes penale të Kelly, tha për TMZ se ata kanë një ekip të plotë njerëzish, duke përfshirë miqtë e besuar të artistit, duke kërkuar se kush e publikoi projektin. Sipas Bonjean, ata tashmë kanë…

[dankusner]

Cook County judge unlawfully banned exoneree turned law clerk from courthouse over a phone, lawyers allege

Last fall, an exoneree who is now employed by a high-profile law group was sitting in a Cook County courtroom with a cellphone, court documents say, when a deputy asked him to step outside to ask about the device.

That’s when, a motion alleges, Judge Peggy Chiampas “began screaming loudly from the bench ‘bring him in, bring him in, bring him in.'”

After questioning him in chambers, Chiampas wrote an order that banned Robert Almodovar, who was issued a certificate of innocence in 2018, from the Leighton Criminal Court Building, an unusual move in a public building with a mandate for transparent court proceedings.

Now, Almodovar, through his attorney, is contesting the ban and asking that a judge other than Chiampas hear the matter, which has spurred a bizarre, monthslong process in which the matter has been tossed around to multiple judges who seem reluctant to touch the issue and roped in assistant state’s attorneys, even though there are no criminal or contempt of court charges.

“Here, the state has not leveled any charges against Mr. Almodovar,” said Judge Neera Walsh during a hearing Thursday.

“The court believes it lacks jurisdiction.”

Walsh dismissed a pending motion to substitute Chiampas in the matter and suggested to Almodovar’s attorney Steve Greenberg that he appear before Chiampas next week.

The chief judge’s office declined to comment, and a message left in Chiampas’ chambers was not returned.

The dispute began more than nine months ago during an Oct. 4, 2023, court call presided over by Chiampas.

Almodovar was in Chiampas’ courtroom as an observer, according to a motion to vacate the ban filed in March, but had work-related responsibilities in the building that day, including dropping off court documents and making inquiries at the clerk’s office.

Almodovar is employed by the Bonjean Law Group, owned by Jennifer Bonjean, an attorney who has litigated wrongful conviction cases in Cook County and has been involved in a number of highly-publicized cases.

Chiampas is named as a defendant in a lawsuit brought by Bonjean that alleges misconduct on the part of police, prosecutors and the judge in connection with the handling of a case against men who were previously accused of killing Chicago police Officer Clifton Lewis in December 2011.

In a statement, Bonjean said the order is “illegal. Full stop,” and added that the ban has left Almodovar unable to do his work, as he advocates for the wrongly convicted as a law clerk for Bonjean and other firms.

“Judge Chiampas then stripped him of that, banning him from the criminal court building in a secret order that was not entered on any docket or even provided to Mr. Almodovar himself,” she said. “Judges cannot ban citizens from public buildings, even if they think (wrongly) that the citizen has violated some administrative order.”

During the court call, someone informed a deputy that Almodovar had a cellphone in the courtroom, so the deputy asked him to go into the hallway and informed him he would need to lock his phone downstairs, where members of the public generally have to secure any electronics.

Almodovar replied that he believed he was authorized to have the phone as a law firm employee, but said he would comply nonetheless, the motion said.

Before he could do so, Chiampas called out from the bench and confiscated his phone “without determining whether Robert had the authority to have a cellphone in his possession,” the motion said.

She told him to sit, and said she would hold him in criminal contempt of court if he left the courtroom.

“The judge never determined if Robert could possess the cellphone within the courthouse; she just assumed he could not — apparently Robert did not look like someone who would be allowed to have a phone,” the motion said.

The motion contended that Chiampas “illegally detained” Almodovar in the courtroom for four hours because he was not free to leave without being held in contempt.

She told him if he consented to a search of his phone, he could avoid a criminal charge, the motion said.

“Not wanting to go to jail, which for Robert is particularly traumatic having been a victim of a wrongful conviction, he allowed the coerced search,” the motion said.

Almodovar, whose case rested on eyewitness reports obtained in part by disgraced Chicago police Detective Reynaldo Guevara, had his conviction overturned in 2017.

Chiampas interrogated him, according to the motion, then banned him from the building and threatened him with incarceration if he returned.

The motion to lift the ban argues that it is unlawful for a number of reasons, including that the courthouse is a public space, and that Chiampas does not have the authority to implement bans.

The motion says that judges are allowed to maintain decorum in their courtrooms with charges of contempt of court, but no such charges have been initiated for Almodovar.

Greenberg, who represents Almodovar, has sought to have the matter heard before a different judge, and the case has bounced between Chiampas, Walsh, Judge Kenneth Wadas and Presiding Judge Erica Reddick.

“It is obvious that judges in this building have some reluctance to wade into this matter,” said a motion on the issue filed in June.

During a short hearing Thursday, Greenberg argued that Chiampas is prejudiced in the matter, and is also a witness.

“She’s not in a position to resolve this matter,” he said.

Still, Walsh determined she did not have authority, given no criminal charges have been filed.

The matter will likely again be heard before Chiampas next week.

[labelleperfumery]

R. Kelly Feels No 'Relief' After Catching Break in Chicago Sex Abuse Case

R. Kelly is no longer facing sex-abuse charges in Chicago, where a prosecutor’s decided to drop several pending charges, but that news isn’t swinging his mood … the singer still has plenty of other troubles. Kelly’s attorney, Jennifer Bonjean,… from TMZ.com https://www.tmz.com/2023/01/31/r-kelly-jennifer-bonjean-relief-chicago-kim-foxx/