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CT Judge Nina Elgo honored with Edwin Archer Randolph Diversity Award
By Cristina DC Pastor Connecticut Judge Nina F. Elgo recently received the 2013 Edwin Archer Randolph Diversity Award given by the Lawyers Collaborative for Diversity. Like Randolph who was Connecticut’s first lawyer of color, Nina Frances Elgo is the state’s first Filipino and first Asian American judge. The daughter of a retired Navy officer and ...
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Lorna Schofield takes oath, becomes first FilAm Article III U.S. federal court judge
By Rio Guerrero The investiture of Lorna G. Schofield took place on March 28th, at the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York (SDNY), in its ceremonial court room on the ninth floor at 500 Pearl Street in Manhattan. Present were Lorna’s partner Stephan Landsman, and her daughter, as well as over ...
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Human trafficking and the rescue of Rina Hernandez
By Cristina DC Pastor Rina Hernandez was grateful to October superstorm Sandy. Somewhat. If not for the widespread destruction and chaos the hurricane brought on Staten Island, this nanny would not be able to plan her escape from her allegedly abusive Egyptian employers. “Nagpapasalamat po talaga ako sa Sandy,” Rina, 52, told reporters at a ...
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Newspaper publisher responds to trafficking charges
By Bert Pelayo You may have heard about a civil action filed against my daughter for alleged unpaid wages and false imprisonment. In a puzzling twist, Linda and I were also named defendants. Even more puzzling is the fact that the Philippine Consulate employee who brought her here legally as a domestic worker was not ...
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Human trafficking charges filed vs newspaper publisher’s family
By Cristina DC Pastor Two couples from New York, including a newspaper publisher, are being sued for human trafficking by a woman who filed charges of forced labor and false imprisonment against them. Rosenda Millabangco Gonzaga sued Joy and Chris McCarthy and Linda and Bert Pelayo, in Manhattan Federal Court, according to a report in ...
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Grace Grande: Modern-day concubine
By Cristina DC Pastor It’s been five years since Grace Grande left her common-law husband – a well-connected politician from Cagayan Valley – to make a new life for herself and their two boys in Los Angeles. But while she thought leaving the Philippines would put an end to her misery, it created more problems, ...
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Lorna Schofield is named federal judge in N.Y., first FilAm to hold position
The nomination of Lorna G. Schofield to serve on the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York was confirmed December 13th by the Senate, making her the first Filipino American to serve as an Article III federal judge. Schofield, who currently is Of Counsel to Debevoise & Plimpton LLP was a ...
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Hearing for Rene Ballenas’ grand larceny charges slated for Dec. 6
By Cristina DC Pastor A second hearing in the grand larceny and burglary case against Rene Ballenas is set for Dec 6 at 9:30 a.m. at the Manhattan Criminal Court at 100 Center Street, according to lawyer Oscar Michelen. “This is the second hearing already,” he told The FilAm. The first was on October 5 ...
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Trafficked maid wins settlement against diplomat, allowed to stay in U.S.
Deadema ‘Dema’ Ramos narrated her harrowing experience which began in 2009 when she arrived in New York City with her employer, a Kuwaiti diplomat assigned to the UN mission. On arrival, the diplomat confiscated her passport and confined her to the house. Dema said she was forced into often backbreaking work seven days a week, ...