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
|
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*
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
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live...
and it’s the
way we bank.
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