http://www.insiderexclusive.com/show-titles/122-us-vs-fieger-a-johnson-bring-it-on-

In mid-August of 2007, the Detroit Free Press printed a huge headline, FIEGER VS. U.S. At the time, they got it wrong; the US Government had actually indicted Geoffrey Fieger, one of the nation’s most successful trial lawyers, and his partner, Ven Johnson, for violating campaign finance laws.

But on June 2, 2008, after a 20-day trial, with Fieger represented by famed defense attorney Gerry Spence, jurors unanimously rejected the government’s felony charges – and acquitted and vindicated Geoff Fieger and Ven Johnson, because prosecutors failed to prove that they illegally channeled money to the failed 2004 presidential campaign of Democrat John Edwards.

And, on that same day, the Detroit Free Press finally got it right and printed another huge headline, FIEGER IS CLEARED IN CAMPAIGN FUND CASE.

Today, The Insider Exclusive takes you behind the scenes of the indictment, the Bush Administration’s selective political prosecution of Geoffrey Fieger, the winning legal strategies employed by Gerry Spence and Steve Fishman to decisively defeat and crush the government at a Waterloo of their own making.

Power tends to corrupt, and absolute power corrupts absolutely.That fact is as valid oday, as it was when it was written in 1870 by Sir John Acton, who reminded Pope Pius IX that he was a mere mortal man! Today, Geoff Fieger walks taller and more resolute than ever before, for having taken on “Absolute Power” and won – a victory of the power of truth and justice. Ralph Waldo Emerson once said, “We acquire the strength we have overcome.” Geoff has overcome that strength, and today, he uses it for all those in need of justice.

http://www.insiderexclusive.com/show-titles/116-media-deaths-the-jenny-jones-tv-show-case-

The Jenny Jones Show was a popular talk show broadcast for 12 years, from September 1991 until the winter of 2003, one of the many media exploiting talk shows supposedly featuring real people with compelling personal stories. On an episode called "Same-Sex Secret Crushes" taped on March 6, 1995, a gay man named Scott Amedure confessed his love for his friend, Jonathan Schmitz. While on the show, Schmitz reacted with laughter, but he became disturbed by the incident later. He had a history of mental illness and alcohol/drug abuse. Three days after the show's taping, Schmitz killed Amedure, and was later convicted of second-degree murder and received a sentence of 25–50 years in prison. The episode was never aired. According to the testimony at the murder trial, three days after the taping, Amedure left a "suggestive" note at Schmitz's house. After finding the note, Schmitz withdrew money from the bank, purchased a shotgun, and then went to Amedure's mobile home. There, he questioned Amedure about the note, to which Amedure just smiled. Schmitz then returned to his car, got his gun and returned to Amedure's trailer. He then shot Amedure twice in the chest, killing him. After killing Amedure, Schmitz left the residence, called 911, and confessed to the killing. In 1999, Amedure's family then retained Geoffrey Fieger and sued the producers of The Jenny Jones Show, Telepictures, and Warner Brothers for the ambush tactics and negligent role that led to Amedure's death. Amedure's family won the initial ruling, and the show was ordered to pay them $25 million, after a jury found that the Jenny Jones Show was both irresponsible and negligent, contending that the show intentionally created an explosive situation without due concern for the possible consequences. The judgment was later overturned by the Michigan Court of Appeals in a 2 to 1 decision. The Michigan Supreme Court declined to hear the case. The case is now studied in law school tort classes because of the legal significance of saying the show's producers were not responsible for guests' safety after they had left the studio.

Today, The Insider Exclusive, along with Geoffrey Fieger and Ven Johnson of Fieger, Fieger, Kenney, Johnson & Giroux and Judge Gene Schnelz, who upheld the $25 million verdict, will examine:

- What it’s like to take on a major media company.
- Irresponsibility and accountability in the media.
- Rules and standards that would limit or prevent improper behavior.
- The court system.
- Reversing the verdict.
- Fighting for the Little Guy.
- The retailing of emotional conflict for the casual pleasure of viewers.
- Why free speech will always prevail

Geoffrey Fieger devotes himself to getting justice for his clients. He is a tireless and fearless champion for those whose rights have been violated. He was the Democratic Party nominee for Governor of the State of Michigan in 1998, and the Detroit College of Law at Michigan State University recently named its school for the education of trial lawyers The Geoffrey Fieger Trial Practice Institute. In June 2008 after almost three years, Geoffrey, represented by the legendary Gerry Spence in his final trial, won his own court battle against the Gonzales/Rove/Bush Justice Department when he was acquitted on all counts of alleged illegal campaign donations. Geoffrey has two degrees from the University of Michigan (B.A., 1974; M.A.,1976) and received his law degree from the Detroit College of Law-Michigan State University (J.D., 1979). He is a member of the Michigan and Florida Bar Associations.

Ven Johnson was named a partner at Fieger, Fieger, Kenney, Johnson & Giroux in 2001 after working six years at the firm. Since joining the firm in 1995 he has worked on a number of high-profile cases and obtained numerous multimillion-dollar verdicts. He specializes in the areas of civil litigation, product liability, medical malpractice, automobile negligence and police misconduct. Ven earned his undergraduate degree at Kalamazoo College with athletic honors in basketball and tennis. He received his Juris Doctor at the University of Detroit School of Law, served as a law clerk for a sports and entertainment law firm in Detroit, and was an intern to the late Michigan Court of Appeals Judge John Shephard. Ven has also lectured on relevant legal issues for the Institute of Continuing Legal Education, the National Business Institute and the Straker Bar Association. He has assisted law students with mock trial preparation at the University of Detroit Mercy Law School.

Judge Gene Schnelz has just recently retired as an Oakland County Circuit Judge after 28 years of service. He is a graduate of Alma College, Michigan State University-Detroit College of Law and the National Judicial College. Prior to his judgeship, Judge Schnelz was a former attorney for Walled Lake, Wixom, Wolverine Lake, Milford, Milford Township, and Walled Lake School District. He is a recipient of the State Bar’s two highest awards for service to public and profession, the Oakland County Bar Association’s Frances R. Avadenka Memorial Award for public service, Women’s Bar Association Award for outstanding contributions, Jewish Association for Residential Care Civil Rights Award, Join Resolution of Michigan Legislature for public service, Jewish Association for Special Children Civil Rights Award.

Fieger, Fieger, Kenney, Johnson & Giroux was founded over 50 years ago by Geoffrey’s father, Bernard Fieger, in a small house which still stands as the cornerstone of Fieger Law. Today, FFKJG is a 40,000-square-foot elegant edifice with 60 employees occupying a quarter mile of land in Southfield, Michigan—a near suburb of Detroit. Today, the Fieger Law Firm is the top personal injury firm in the country. People turn to Geoffrey Fieger and the other attorneys at the firm for help when they have been the victims of injustice, medical malpractice or personal injury.

You can contact Geoffrey Fieger at 248-355-5555, or www.fiegerlaw.com

http://www.insiderexclusive.com/component/content/article/1-shows/111-air-crash-alaska-airlines-a-the-faa-whistleblower-

Alaska Airlines Flight 261, a MD-83 aircraft, experienced a fatal accident on January 31, 2000, in the Pacific Ocean, about 2.7 miles north of Anacapa Island, California. Two hours into the flight, the pilots realized that the horizontal stabilizer was jammed. The two pilots, three cabin crewmembers, and 83 passengers on board were killed—the highest death toll of any aviation accident involving a MD-83 ever, and the aircraft was destroyed. This accident and other unsafe airline situations could have been easily avoided, if the FAA and Alaska Airlines had listened to Mary Diefenderfer, a former FAA Principal Operations Inspector, who from 1993 to 1997 oversaw the team of inspectors who regulated Alaska Airlines' operations/functions. In August 1993, Mary discovered that the Vice President of Flight Operations at Alaska Airlines had falsified his own pilot training records. Despite the accuracy of her reports, soon after her team exposed the violation by Alaska Airlines, FAA management reassigned her to another office and removed her from oversight of Alaska Airlines operations. The agency denied her grievances, revoked her pilot's license, revoked the Leave Without Pay that she had requested due to severe emotional distress, declared her AWOL, and issued a proposed suspension – all in the space of several weeks. These actions forced her involuntary resignation in November 1999. Today, The Insider Exclusive will go “Behind The Headlines” and meet former airline pilot and FAA Safety Inspector Mary Rose Diefenderfer and her lawyers, Judith Lonnquist and Mary Dryovage, to relate Mary's personal battle with the FAA, her pending lawsuit and how FAA managers actively retaliated against inspectors who tried to make a difference and save lives.

Judith Lonnquist specializes in plaintiffs' employment and civil rights law, with an occasional foray into traditional labor law and campaign finance law. She is a founder of the Northwest Women's Law Center and served as National Legal Vice President to the National Organization for Women, and as a member of Washington State's Gender & Justice Taskforce. Judith is a member of various Bar and legal associations and She served as President of the Washington Employment Lawyers Association, on the WSTLA Board of Governors and on the Executive Committee for the WSBA Litigation Section. She is a graduate of the Trial Lawyers College founded by Gerry Spence. She is a frequent speaker on plaintiff's employment law and trial and appellate procedure and strategies, and is listed in America's Best Lawyers, Seattle's Best Lawyers, and as a “Super Lawyer” by Washington Law and Politics. Judith is a graduate of Mount Holyoke College and the University of Chicago Law School.

The Law Offices of Judith A. Lonnquist, P.S. is a Seattle, Washington, plaintiff's civil rights and employment law firm. Founded in 1986, the firm currently has three lawyers who between them have over 70 years of employment law experience. The founder, Judith A. Lonnquist, has twice served as the Editor-in-Chief of the Washington Employment Law Deskbook and is consistently named by Law and Politics Magazine as a Top Washington Lawyer. The firm handles employment-related legal matters or claims for employees in Washington State.

You can contact Judith Lonnquist at 206-622-2086.