In a cave deep underneath and undisclosed railyard,ADM and GME/Trainlawyer are planning their additions to this thread. Do they rehash Riffinpast or just deal with Riffinpresent? Do they bring up the NJ connection? Could this thread divert attention from 261/RER Jr? Only time will tell. Bartender, another Grand Cru this is gonna be awhile!

:-) all in good fun,

Rob

My honest response:

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAUGH

[runs far, far away to console himself with cask-conditioned ale before even thinking of clicking on that damned link.......]

PS: Just got word that the Baltimore City Paper is on top of the story..... stay tuned...

This one was also posted:
http://www.leagle.com/unsecure/page.htm ... 0100105178

Maybe someone could explain what the two rulings mean. There are too many big words for me.

Who knows he might just end up as the beagle hound in the well worn joke who finally after years of trying caught the back bumper of the Greyhound bus between his teeth and could be heard mumbling " now what am I gonna do with it" as the bus dragged him out of town!!!

Ross Rowland

that referred to this

http://www.leagle.com/unsecure/page.htm ... 0090529151

Bob Harris has been trying to get Notre Dame to return to rail/coal operations, Notre Dame switched to truck delivery when some key rail abandonements shorted rail routes. Bob has the answer and the issue went public all over the news and politicalness and the City opposed it. Bob hopes to electrify the line and use a steeple cab electric running the coal, and run happy Notre Dame fans to the football games in the old Orange South Shore cars right into the campus.
Sounds like a great idea to me.

Why the uproar? dunno, people can't see their hide for the trees.

I think I shall quote and rephrase someone else on this matter......

"Most Heavenly Father, we beseech Thee, that however grievously your Most Humble Servants may have offended Thee in this or a prior lifetime and we doth beg leave to make his amends, Your Most Humble Servants doth beseech Thee that Thy servants are completely incapable of rendering sensible manifestations upon the continued actions of their fellow man James Riffin, and that whatever grievous offense Your Most Humble Servants hath cast upon Thee by thought, word, and deed against Thy Divine Majesty, provoking most justly thy wrath and indignation against us, thy Humble Servants do earnestly repent, and are heartily sorry for these his misdoings; the burden Thou hast cast upon us is intolerable. Have mercy upon us, Have mercy upon us, most merciful Father; for thy Son our Lord Jesus Christ's sake, forgive us all that is past; and grant that we may ever hereafter serve and please Thee In newness of life......."

(Can I get an "Amen"?)

do I hear the "cask-conditioned ale" speaking?...big grin!

sd 'doc' lewis

You get an "Amen" after you post the last chapter (obituary?) of the complete saga!

AMEN!
(From Legal Writing 507 approximately five and a half million years ago - "In this business Plagiarism is not only an occasional necessity, it is the sincerest form of flattery." This comment came from the same distinguished jurist who, upon finding a box of good cigars on his desk immediately prior to Christmas Break, announced that he was not allowed to accept gratuities from students and if who ever had left the parcel on his desk did not reclaim it during the next coffee break, he would be forced to take them home and burn them.)

I am in the strange position of agreeing with two court decisions which on their face appear to back Riffin. On careful reading neither of them actually do as they are commentaries on the means used by the lower tribunal to reach the decision which has been vacated, not the decision itself.

In Allegheny County The board needs to more fully develop its reasoning as to why the Cockeysville property is not part of a railroad if Maintenance -of-Way Equipment may be trucked to and from it. In Baltimore County, even though Maryland Law does not directly address the procedural questions raised by the decision to declare him a vexatious litigant, it was done in a manner which was contrary to both Common Law and the principles of Due Process.

During World War Two Winston Churchill was accused of being a Communist because he supported Franklin Roosevelt's decision to support the Russians. His reply was that he was not a Communist nor was he a Satanist, however if Hitler were to march into Hell he would certainly say a word on behalf of the Devil before the House of Commons. That is roughly how I feel here. A denial of Due Process compromises the system and places us all in jeopardy of the same denial. Riffin is certainly entitled to Due Process. Even though I feel that the end results in both Allegheny County and Baltimore County were correct, the apparent denial of due process justifies the reversal. I am afraid that I have to give this one to Riffin and hope that both the Board and the Baltimore Court cross all of their 'i's and dot all of their 't's this time.

I now retreat to an undisclosed secure location which has several comfortable chairs and a well stocked bar.

GME

I thought that's the gist of what I read: neither plaintiff nor defendant but attorneys for both sides have won this round, and get a chance to play again.

dave

Does anyone know the story of how Riffin has been funding his legal tab, which must be pretty substantial by this point?

And is he truly into this all to be a railroad? Or just to be a thorn in the side of various levels and flavors of government, while dragging railroad people into it?

I noticed the term, "pro se" in his various filings...which means he is representing himself.

Stephen

I was told this by someone who was or is still a friend of Mr. Riffin. "Mr. Riffin graduated law school and was on his way to take the Bar exam and was in some major auto accident putting him in the hospital for a while (month or 2) and when he came out he decided not go that direction anymore."
Don't know how true this is but it would help keep fees down to represent yourself given the supposed back ground.

Ah, ok, forgot about that!

Amazing the havoc that someone can cause with a legal degree and some free time... sheesh!