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LEAR JET JUSTICE

Lear Jet Justice
Timeline of Events
  • August 2011: Personal injury attorney Michael Fuller and his law firm win a massive $91.5 million verdict in Kanawha County, West Virginia. One of the largest verdicts in the United States that year. 
     

  • September 2011: Scott Segal, the husband of Supreme Court Justice Robin Davis listed his private jet for sale. 
     

  • December 2011: Michael Fuller purchases Scott Segal's private jet for $1.3 million.
     

  • November 2012: Contributions from Fuller’s out-of-state personal injury firm and those with personal connections to him dramatically increased in recent years from $2,000 in 2008 to over $80,000 in 2012, the year this high profile case was being appealed. Justice Robin Davis’ campaign, which she largely self-funds, received nearly $40,000 of that $80,000. 
     

  • August 2013: The $91.5 million dollar Kanawha County verdict is appealed to the Supreme Court of Appeals of West Virginia. Justice Robin Davis never discloses the million-dollar airplane transaction to anyone, the court, or the defendants.   
     

  • March 2014: The Supreme Court of Appeals of West Virginia announces the courts decision, which was authored by Chief Justice Robin Davis favoring personal injury attorney Michael Fuller's client.
     

  • June 2014: Justice Allen Loughry says in his dissent the majority's ruling in the $91.5 million appeal case was "shockingly results-oriented."
     

  • December 2014: ABC News Nightline aired an investigative story entitled “Lear Jet Justice in West Virginia? A 'Circus Masquerading as a Court,’ which exposed the airplane and contribution transactions between Justice Robin Davis’ husband and Michael Fuller.
     

  • February 2015: An attorney who had a case pending before the Supreme Court of Appeals of West Virginia requested that Justice Robin Davis be disqualified because of her connections with the case’s opposing counsel, Mr. Michael Fuller. 
     

  • April 2015: A private citizen filed a complaint against Justice Davis with the Judicial Investigation Commission whose three members are, in fact appointed by the Supreme Court, setting up another inherent conflict of interest. 
     

  • July 2015: Media reports that one of the three members of the Supreme Court of Appeals of West Virginia’s Judicial Investigation Commission is Robert Fitzsimmons who raised and donated $10,000 for Robin Jean Davis’ campaign in 2012. 
     

  • July 2015: The Judicial Investigation Commission found no merit in the ethics complaint against Judge Davis and dismissed it. 
     

  • March 2017: The Daily Caller published a story entitled “New Evidence Of Illegal Campaign Donations To West Virginia Judge Emerges” that highlighted numerous contributions made to Justice Robin Davis’ 2012 re-election campaign that may have been made utilizing a straw donor scheme. All the donors have connections to Mississippi based personal injury lawyer Michael Fuller. 
     

  • April 2017: Roman Stauffer, Executive Director of WV CALA files an election complaint with West Virginia Secretary of State Mac Warner regarding potential election law violations that occurred during 2012.
     

  • June 2017: Stephen Connolly, Chief Legal Counsel for the West Virginia Secretary of State’s office, presented a report on his investigation to the State Elections Commission. Connolly’s reported indicated such offenses as forgery, uttering, identity theft, falsifying accounts, computer fraud, and similar felonious violations of West Virginia law may have occurred. Connolly’s report was turned over to the Kanawha County Prosecutor Charles Miller for possible prosecution.
     

  • August 2017: Kanawha County Prosecutor Charles Miller confirmed that such offenses as forgery, uttering, identity theft, falsifying accounts, computer fraud, and similar felonious violations of West Virginia law might have occurred. However, Miller viewed the events through “the sieve of West Virginia election regulation statutes,” which has a five-year limitation of action for the allegation in WV CALA’s election complaint. 
     

  • September 2017: The West Virginia Secretary of State’s office responded to the WV CALA election complaint and provided an update on their investigation and declared the election complaint dismissed.
     

  • September 2017: Roman Stauffer, Executive Director of WV CALA, filed a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) Request with Kanawha County Prosecutor Charles Miller’s office seeking any letters, memorandum, email, reports, or other communications with the Office of Secretary of State regarding the investigation into political donations made to Justice Robin Davis of the Supreme Court of Appeals of West Virginia by people with connections to Mississippi personal injury lawyer Michael Fuller. 
     

  • October 2017: Office of Prosecuting Attorney Charles Miller responded to WV CALA’s FOIA request and provided over one thousand documents, including photos, video and audio exhibits. 
     

  • December 2017: "West Virginia campaign finance probe ends amid questions," Associated Press, December 19, 2017. 

WATCH: ABC News Nightline: Lear Jet Justice in West Virginia? A 'Circus Masquerading as a Court'
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