Image provided by: University of Oregon Libraries; Eugene, OR
About Just out. (Portland, OR) 1983-2013 | View Entire Issue (Oct. 20, 2000)
October 20.2000 * fWT!T7TP7Rnnews OCA IOU Lon and Bonnie Mabon await judge's final ruling T he duo at the center of the Oregon Citizens Alliance, Lon and Bonnie Mahon, both were called .to a Multnomah County Court to answer allegations of wrongdoing Oct. 16. The couple gave sworn testimony in front of Judge Marshall Amiton. At issue is a restraining order placed on the O C A Educational Foundation bank account. Catherine Stauffer, who has an 8-year-old judg ment against the foundation, asked her attor neys for the order, which essentially froze the account Sept. 13. Bonnie Mahon wrote a check to her compa ny, BMJ Technical Support, for $200 from the account that same afternoon. She also has returned about $840 in checks donated to the educational foundation since the order was delivered. Stauffers attorneys claim that those actions are in violation of the restraining order and that the Mabons should be held in contempt of court. The attorneys asked Amiton to hold the couple in contempt and to instruct them to pay the money owed, penalties and appropriate legal fees. Bonnie Mabon testified that she wasn’t aware of the restraining order Sept. 13 because she didn’t read it when it was delivered. She also said she didn’t think it was right that donors’ gifts he used to satisfy Stauffer’s judgment with out their knowledge. Bonnie Mabon said she didn’t think that returning the checks was in violation of the by Jonathan Kipp order. She said she thought it was her “fiduciary duty” to donors to do so. Stauffer’s lawyers think Bonnie Mabon returned the checks with intent for the donors to rewrite the checks to the Yes on 9 commit tee— leaving the funds out of Stauffer’s reach. The checks were returned to donors in Yes on 9 envelopes and with a note written on Yes on 9 letterhead. Bonnie Mabon denies the allegation. Although Amiton dismissed two of Stauffer’s contempt-of-court claims against the couple, he will not give a final ruling for several days. The judgment was awarded to Stauffer after she accused Scott Lively, then the O CA ’s com munications director, of assaulting her in 1991. T he educational foundation also was found to be liable for the assault. Stauffer is a photogra pher and periodic contributor to Just Out. Lively paid Stauffer $10,000 of the outstand ing balance last December. Bonnie Mabon testi fied that she thought he personally was handling the remainder of the outstanding debt. More than $36,000 now is owed to Stauffer because of mounting interest. Regardless of the judge’s pending ruling, the Mahons’ legal difficulties might just be starting. Stauffer’s attorneys filed a 30-page lawsuit O ct. 16 against the couple and several of the entities they control, including their personal business, accusing them of fraud. The lawsuit claims the Mabons illegally trans ferred money between accounts to avoid paying her outstanding judgment. It seeks $36,000 as well as puni tive damages. But Stauffer is running short of money. Just the gener al expenses of the lawsuit, including the taking of deposi tions and filing fees, are adding up. Stauffer hopes people in the community will donate money to the cause. She has said that she isn’t interested in keeping the O CA’s money hut that she looks forward to giving most of it to the opposition. Stauffer’s attorneys claim more than $ 1 million has been funneled through the OCA’s organizations— most run by the Mabons— since a jury handed down the original $32,000 judgment against Lively and the educational foundation in 1992. The couple say the organization has been broke and remains unable to pay the debt. The Yes on 9 organiza tion, they maintain, is a sepa rate entity not connected to the foundation and thus is not liable for the judgment. To donate money for Stauf- fe r ’s legal fund, send checks made out to “Tienson in trust for Catherine Stauffer” to Thane Tienson, Wells Fargo Tower, Suite 3500, 1300 S.W. Fifth A ve., Portland, OR 97201. 5 | “ 5 * Catherine Stauffer 24 years of professional expertise in representing your best interests... Deborah Betron Broker, CRB, GRI Office: 503/287.9370 v mail: 503/699.80.61 H — tä EÜÄ It’s the way we live... and it’s the way we bank. glbank.com 77V\j öc L Internet Dank FW C^ EQUAL NOUUM LENDER d b @ b rid g e to w n re a lty .c o m A Trusted Nume in Reni Estate Since IV7V We make the impossible possible. While we can't promise to save you every time a deadline changes, we can usually find a solution - like digital printing. With digital printing, you can have a finished four color printed piece - in no time at all. Use it for rush reprints of your product sheets or a quick run of your brochures. With digital printing, you can afford to print without huge runs or long lead times. So the next time you need anything from copies to full-color printing, come to the experts at PIP Printing. 424 NE Broadway • Portland, OR 97232 503.281.8666 • Fax 503.249.1440 • sales@pippdx.com • www.pippdx.com PRINTING The Right Printer. The Right P eople*
