How did I start my 50th birthday? Oh it was as special as the age upgrade. I got to go to truancy court again for my son, Leo. Bonus; the judge treated me and my husband like we were lieing scumbags. Our wonderful attorney called at 7pm last night to say he was "stuck in Manhattan" and wouldn't be able to go to court. Lovely. He told us that we could just ask for an adjournment and if they needed to talk to him they could call him. I called the courthouse this morning to find out what we had to do and the clerk said she didn't have an attorney recorded for us. I asked her how that information is recorded and she said the attorney has to write a letter of representation and present it to the court. I called our attorney back (Ralph Gerstein) and he said "Nobody asked me for one. Okay I'll write one." Incredulous! We went into the courtroom and got in line to talk to the Prosecutor (customary apparently) and told him about Ralph. The BOE attorney wasn't there yet so the prosecutor said we'd have to wait and see. The judge finally came into the courtroom and we were the first ones up. The prosecutor told the judge that our attorney was not present. The judge asked us to explain. We told him that our attorney called us last night and said he was stuck out of town and wouldn't be able to make it. The judge asked us who our attorney was because he didn't show one on record. I told him, "Ralph Gerstein". He then asked the BOE attorney if he's had contact with our attorney. The attorney said that yes he had, one time at 5pm the night before our last court appearance, when he called and asked for an adjournment so we could produce medical evidence. The judge asked where the medical evidence was and I said that the doctor hadn't given us a report yet. He said, "Well, that's your responsibility to make sure you get that." The judge then asked why our attorney wasn't there and why he had not filed a letter of representation. I told him that our attorney called us last night and said that he was stuck out of town but if anyone wanted to call him, he would be available. I said that I called him this morning and told him that the court did not have a letter of representation from him and he said, "Nobody asked me for one." The judge then said, "So it's always going to be someone else's fault. First it's the doctor, now it's the attorney". He asked the prosecutor if he was ready to proceed because, he said, "It's always going to be stories with these defendants." I wanted to die. He looked at us with such contempt, like we were dirt bags who lied and didn't send their kid to school. He said that every attorney knows that they have to file a letter of representation, nobody has to ask for it. The prosecutor said that he was ready to proceed but that he would agree to an adjournment. The judge then turned back to us and said, "Mr. Fasolo, this is NOT going to go away. Make sure you bring everything with you to court next time because ready or not, this is going to trial."
Is this unbelievable? Actually, no, not in my life. It's actually quite apropos that I celebrated my 50th birthday this way. God forbid....
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