I've grown accustomed to strange requests in the BCS litigation. Recently, though, BCS served the District with Discovery on the attorney fees issue. One of the questions struck me as highly unusual: BCS is demanding of LASD to reveal the identity of Joan J Strong.
More accurately, they've asked us to "IDENTIFY the person [we] believe is posting on the Internet under the name "JJ Strong" or "Joan J. Strong" "
Honestly, people: I don't know who Joan J Strong is. My fellow trustees have confirmed that they don't know who she is either. Nor do the superintendent or various other personnel involved in this case. We provided this information to BCS in our Response to Interrogatories, delivered to BCS on 20 Feb 2013. Nevertheless, BCS counsel is still harassing our lawyers, demanding further information about how we investigated this question.
Seriously?
First off, there's a First Amendment issue here. JJS is entitled to say whatever he or she wants to say. I have no control over what s/he posts, and frankly it's not my business. Second, in their failed anti-SLAPP motion last year, they accused LASD of using litigation as a tool to chill public debate. I can't imagine the purpose of this inquiry, other than to seek to harass the real person being the JJS persona. And finally, is this really what we have to burn taxpayer funds asking and answering? Is there no more important issue to discuss?
Regardless, we don't know who Joan J Strong is. (But if s/he is reading this, s/he can consider herself/himself to have achieved a new level of notoriety.)
Respondents Responses to BCS Special Interrogatories
