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Martial law victims eyeing proceeds from sale of Imelda Marcos’s Monet painting
By Cristina DC Pastor A group of human rights victims are seeking to get their hands on the $32 million proceeds from the sale of a Claude Monet painting that once belonged to Imelda Marcos. A September 11 motion was filed by petitioner Jose Duran et al against Marcos’ former secretary Vilma Bautista, before the […]
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Family feuds over $6.2 M Park Avenue apartment
By Cristina DC Pastor Wealthy siblings are fighting over a Park Avenue co-op sold in July for $6.2 million, as well as an art and antique collection worth about $1 million that is currently being auctioned off by a Manhattan gallery. In an affidavit filed August 22, lawyer Pompeyo Realuyo, 79, is asking the Manhattan […]
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Judge Lorna Schofield: ‘I had no Filipino consciousness growing up’
By Cristina DC Pastor “I was an American baby.” Thus began the unambiguous narrative of Lorna Gail Tiangco Schofield, 57, recently confirmed judge of the Southern District of New York and first Filipino American federal judge in U.S. history. Born in Indiana, Schofield traced her roots to New Haven’s blue collar community. Her father left […]
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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, […]