Last week, I was in Dallas, TX for a conference and unable to attend the hearing. From the article, the attorneys listed:

Sarah Covington Anderson- represented by the Cooper firm

Robert Lewis Walker, Jr. – represented by Matthew Cabe

Adam Bartley- represented by Robert Denton. Bartley was late and Judge Davis left his case open until he arrived.

Daniel Talbert – standing in for David Teddy, who will be representing Brooke Covington.

Justin Covington asked for a court appointed attorney and was appointed Krinn Evans.

Yes, folks. You just read that. From what I have heard, Brooke Covington dropped a pretty dime for the services of David Teddy. He comes with a reputation that precedes him. Justin- not so much. He had to reverse his course after refusing public counsel last year. After the Disqualification ORDER from last August and no access to the resources which Brooke apparently used, he is left with a public defender. Krinn Evans will do Justin a quality job, no doubt. He is a criminal defense attorney with an office in Marion, NC.

What does this tell us? Is it possible the resources for defense were not shared with Justin because he has no biological family inside Word of Faith Fellowship (WOFF)? Is there a suspicion he will join his family on the outside? Maybe he has already?

And to complete the circus for the day, Adam Bartley arrives much later in the afternoon according to our resource and was arrested on a misdemeanor probation violation. Well, his participation in any hearing going forward may be a logistical challenge.

Judge Davis lifting the stay allows the case to move forward. The next hearing is scheduled for July 29th; a day which could be warm inside the courtroom as well as outside. 2016 still promises changes for many surrounding the WOFF drama.

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Thank you, for taking time to visit and read this blog. Please, consume the information on this site responsibly. The author is not a licensed mental health professional and encourages those that need professional help to seek it. The intent of the material is to inform and be a resource. Be sure to tell every member that you know at WOFF about this blog. There are readers at WOFF. Jane told me and Josh confirmed it.

Comments are invited from all readers, including present or former members. Polls are not scientific and no private information is gathered.

Look on the right side of any post for the option to subscribe by email for notifications or RSS feeds notifying of new postings. It is a great feature. Also, find more posts by selecting “Categories”.

Guest posts reflect the opinions of the writers. Their opinions do not necessarily reflect the opinions of John Huddle or any other persons affiliated with this blog.

Please, take time to read the Terms of Use for this personal blog. As mentioned, for posts written by John Huddle, any information about WOFF is from his memories and recollections as perfect as that may be or not be.

Scripture references are Amplified Version unless otherwise noted. (Copyright © 1954, 1958, 1962, 1964, 1965, 1987 by The Lockman Foundation ) This is post number 571.

Rccatalyst.com posted news of the dismissal on Tuesday. In this article, Judge Davis is quoted from Thursday’s hearing as saying to Josh Farmer, “Why are you picking on this individual? Do you have a grudge against him?” Also, Judge Davis asked why Farmer was not suing the other involved parties such as the AP or the reporter, Mitch Weiss who wrote the article upon which Mr. Cooper commented with the statement-“True story.” Mr. Farmer said his clients still may have recourse against other parties. In brief, this lawsuit alleges damages from Jerry Cooper posting the comment “True story” in relation to an AP article stating the facts surrounding the Matthew Fenner criminal case. The Fenner case has five defendants from Word of Faith Fellowship (WOFF) facing charges including second degree kidnapping, assault. In addition, Sarah Anderson also faces a charge of assault by strangulation. These charges stem from incidents on January 27, 2013 in the sanctuary of WOFF.

The dismissal came to my attention around midday Tuesday. After attending to some required tasks, I made my way to the Rutherford County courthouse to obtain a copy of the dismissal. About 4:45PM, I entered the courthouse and witnessed several employees scurrying about getting ready to leave. The courthouse will be closed for the rest of the week and many were giddy in their preparation to enjoy their time off. A courteous employee in the civil clerk’s office offered the case file for my review. I found the dismissal on top and the Josh Farmer’s “Brief in Opposition to Defendant’s Motion for Summary Judgment.” I asked for a copy of this entry as well as the “Affidavit of Andra Lynn Prince.” The attached Exhibits for this document included the AP article and screen prints of the Facebook posting in question.

My time being limited, I also received copies of the “Notice of Deposition for Matthew Fenner”, which I had heard about. This was set for December 30th. Two other documents caught my eye. I only obtained a copy of one of them. This was the “Third Amended Notice of Deposition” for Richard Trey Hopper. This name was new to me. If my research is right, Patrolman Trey Hooper works for the Rutherford County Sheriff’s office on the Interdiction team. The term “K-9” is beside his name. (here) This deposition was to happen on November 23rd at 10:00AM at the Tomblin, Farmer, Morris office. His relationship to the “True story” allegation is unclear. Did he assist in the Fenner criminal case in any way? I don’t see him working for WRAL or Facebook or the AP. What could Farmer possibly have wanted with Mr. Hooper? Was this another tactic to covertly obtain information for the five defendants in the Fenner criminal case? Maybe I am wrong, but there is a lot of smoke yet to clear to understand the true motives for filing this case against Jerry Cooper. It is hard to reconcile the ORDER of Dismissal against Josh Farmer, Mark Morris and their associates in the Fenner case with their actions in this case against Jerry Cooper.

Another document which caught my eye was a subpoena for Joey Sisk, the details of which I did not have time to read. Again, I don’t believe Joey Sisk caused Jerry Cooper to type “True story.” Is this another attempt to bypass the spirit of the ORDER of Dismissal in the Fenner case? I do not know for sure, but from outward indications, it seems as such.

When I first heard of the dismissal on Tuesday, I considered it good for Jerry, for Matthew and Danielle Cordez. Now, I also believe Judge Davis did Josh Farmer a favor by closing this door. Yes, it appears as if at least some of the players in the investigation of the Fenner case may have been deposed. Those steps cannot be undone. However, if Josh Farmer had successfully been able to depose Matthew Fenner about the details of January 27, 2013 without any restraints, the fallout could have been disastrous for both Josh, his law firm and for Matthew. The results would be detrimental from different perspectives, but still not positive for either.

Judge Davis did Josh Farmer a favor. He did Josh a kindness in upholding the law and recognizing there was no genuine issue of material fact. The lawsuit was in essence –baseless. Davis did not make any further public comments. Josh and his team may have fifteen days to appeal. I am not sure what an appeal would gain for them, but more public scrutiny and more peering eyes watching their motions and their moves. Will Jane again say, let it go? This was her reply on May 29th of this year in response to her criminal charges against Jerry Cooper being dismissed. Will this contention over “True story” be dropped? We shall see. It is true; the story of Word of Faith Fellowship is not over. Many chapters have yet to be written.

Follow this blog on Twitter- @religiouscults and Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/johnhuddleauthor

Thank you, for taking time to visit and read this blog. Please, consume the information on this site responsibly. The author is not a licensed mental health professional and encourages those that need professional help to seek it. The intent of the material is to inform and be a resource. Be sure to tell every member that you know at WOFF about this blog. There are readers at WOFF. Jane told me and Josh confirmed it.

Comments are invited from all readers, including present or former members. Polls are not scientific and no private information is gathered.
Look on the right side of any post for the option to subscribe by email for notifications or RSS feeds notifying of new postings. It is a great feature. Also, find more posts by selecting “Categories”.

Guest posts reflect the opinions of the writers. Their opinions do not necessarily reflect the opinions of John Huddle or any other persons affiliated with this blog.

Please, take time to read the Terms of Use for this personal blog. As mentioned, for posts written by John Huddle, any information about WOFF is from his memories and recollections as perfect as that may be or not be.

Scripture references are Amplified Version unless otherwise noted. (Copyright © 1954, 1958, 1962, 1964, 1965, 1987 by The Lockman Foundation ) This is post number 556.

Thursday, December 17th; in Rutherford County Superior court, another drama played out surrounding Word of Faith Fellowship (WOFF) members- past and present. In review, the case involved a civil suit from present members Robert Lewis Walker, Jr and Sarah Anderson against former member, Jerry Cooper. Learning from verbal arguments, the suit alleges the Facebook comment Jerry Cooper posted- “True story” in response to a WRAL.com/AP article about the Matthew Fenner allegations has reportedly caused financial damages and constituted libel. Robert Lewis Walker, Jr. was said to have lost his job and suffered hardship over the indictments and according to attorney Josh Farmer- Cooper’s comment. Sarah Anderson is alleging the same and the (so far, undocumented) damages total $100,000.

The previous session involving this case was reviewed in a post… here. In that session, the subpoena of Matthew Fenner’s phone/voice/data records was quashed. However, there is an effort in Florida to depose former WOFF member, Danielle Cordez, in relation to this case. The effort is being aggressively contested and the outcome is yet known. Since the last court session, Matthew Fenner was also subpoenaed for a deposition December 30th in the Jerry Cooper case. As attorney Paul Ditz pointed out last time, any effort to access records of Fenner (and now a deposition of Matthew Fenner) is a back door effort to gain information involving the criminal case which names not only Robert Lewis Walker, Jr, Sarah Anderson as defendants, but also, Brooke Covington, Justin Covington and Adam Bartley. The case referenced as State vs. Covington is presently in review in the North Carolina Court of Appeals over pre-trial motions to disqualify Joshua Farmer, Mark Morris and any of their associates from representing any of the five defendants in the case.

Today, attorney Ditz led off summarizing the allegations and giving a definition of “libel.” He provided two cases which he believed addressed the issue at hand. He ended his first argument declaring Cooper comment “true story” did not meet the test of libel and thus, he moved to quash the case as baseless.

About 2:27PM, Josh led off declaring his beliefs of how the damages occurred and the exchanges between Judge Tommy Davis soon escalated and were difficult to follow for detail. Judge Davis questioned whether “True story” from Cooper would lend credence to the story. Farmer contended that if Fenner was standing in the courtroom and recounted the details in the article and Cooper was beside him and said- “True Story”- that would constitute libel. Judge Davis did not seem convinced. So, Farmer repeated the suggestion in a more emphatic way. In my opinion, Josh came off as a 6 year-old being refused his favorite lollipop. His became just as animated on Thursday, as when Judge Marvin Pope engaged him in a heated exchange back in August.

In a paraphrased recount, Judge Davis asked if he was missing something. Who had the deep pockets? Was Farmer stepping round the other three parties (Facebook, WRAL and the AP) to go after Jerry Cooper? Farmer replied; my clients may still have a course of action against them (the other three).

Farmer presented a North Carolina case which he believed applied. In his comments; attempting to answer several questions from Judge Davis, Farmer resolutely contended the average reader of the Facebook comment in question would believe Cooper’s affirmation of the story and assume guilt. When Judge Davis pointed out that the WRAL article included statements from Farmer denying the allegations- how would that affect opinions? Josh’s answer could not be clearly heard.

Theses exchanges were rapid and filled with as much emotion as would be allowed without things getting out of hand. Judge Davis ended discussions by agreeing to review the information presented by each attorney and issue a decision by next week. Quickly, I left and followed Paul Ditz out to ask more questions. In the foyer between the courtrooms, Josh emerged to talk to Paul Ditz. Stepping aside, but still in earshot, Josh asked if the case continued was the (deposition of Matthew Fenner) still on for December 30th. Ditz nodded.

Forget the banter and drama occurring in the courtroom, the lollipop, the prize, for Thursday, for Farmer was his hopes for the deposition of Matthew Fenner to survive and occur on December 30th. Farmer unsuccessfully covered a smirk and asked Ditz in an authority voice, do we have any more issues to discuss here? His goal of deposing Matthew Fenner about the events of January 27th 2013 had survived- for now. Judge Davis could torch the whole deal by granting the motion to dismiss/quash the case.

Does anyone else see the real purpose of the civil case? Paul Ditz called it a backdoor way to gain information that would affect the defense of not only Walker and Anderson, but any or all of the other three defendants in Fenner’s criminal case. Matthew Fenner and Danielle Cordez are not parties to the civil case. Farmer’s efforts to depose them are a BLATANT violation of the spirit of the ORDER of Disqualification by Judge Pope in the Fenner case earlier this year.

From page 7 of the PETITION FOR WRIT OF CERTIORARI filed by Farmer in the North Carolina Court of Appeals in State vs. Covington:

The undersigned counsel note to the Court that they proceed in this matter with an abundance of caution and with due deference to the trial court’s order of disqualification entered August 6, 2015. Since that time, counsel have limited their representation of Petitioners to seeking review of the disqualification order and related orders of the trial court. The undersigned have considered the ethical implications of representing Petitioners in seeking appellate review after having been disqualified in the trial tribunal and rely on N.C. R. Prof’l Conduct 3.4(c), which states: “A lawyer shall not … knowingly disobey … an obligation under the rules of a tribunal, except a lawyer acting in good faith may take appropriate steps to test the validity of such an obligation.” The undersigned sought guidance from the ethics counsel at the North Carolina State Bar who confirmed that this rule authorizes the actions of the undersigned in seeking review of the rulings below.

Josh, if you were not using the Cooper civil case to depose Matthew Fenner and Danielle Cordez, you would possibly be in compliance with your own stated “abundance of caution.” To date, your pretention of caution is only a lie you tell yourself and those in your firm. Are you “knowingly disobeying?” Regardless, if you admit it, what is the public perception of your “good faith” efforts “…to test the validity of such an obligation?” (the Disqualification) Did you in anyway disclose to the Court of Appeals your firm’s role in Walker, Anderson vs Cooper and the efforts to depose Fenner and Cordez regarding the events of January 27, 2013? Or are you attempting to hide under the “…related orders of trial court?” Ask yourself; is it worth the risk to your ability to practice law in North Carolina? Are you so blind with loyalty to Mother Jane?

If Judge Davis rules in favor of the motion to quash, the motions in this case will not evaporate. If he does not stop the deposition of Matthew Fenner; then proceed at your own risk, Mr. Farmer. You just may not like the flavor of the lollipop.

Season of Changes is upon us. When will there be snow in Spindale?

Follow this blog on Twitter- @religiouscults and Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/johnhuddleauthor

Thank you, for taking time to visit and read this blog. Please, consume the information on this site responsibly. The author is not a licensed mental health professional and encourages those that need professional help to seek it. The intent of the material is to inform and be a resource. Be sure to tell every member that you know at WOFF about this blog. There are readers at WOFF. Jane told me and Josh confirmed it.

Comments are invited from all readers, including present or former members. Polls are not scientific and no private information is gathered.

Look on the right side of any post for the option to subscribe by email for notifications or RSS feeds notifying of new postings. It is a great feature. Also, find more posts by selecting “Categories”.

Guest posts reflect the opinions of the writers. Their opinions do not necessarily reflect the opinions of John Huddle or any other persons affiliated with this blog.

Please, take time to read the Terms of Use for this personal blog. As mentioned, for posts written by John Huddle, any information about WOFF is from his memories and recollections as perfect as that may be or not be.

Scripture references are Amplified Version unless otherwise noted. (Copyright © 1954, 1958, 1962, 1964, 1965, 1987 by The Lockman Foundation ) This is post number 555.

One of the obvious differences on Thursday was the absence of any other WOFF members except Mark Morris, Hannah Davies and one other young WOFF member sitting in the attorney area. Mark Morris spoke as the lead attorney for Walker and Covington. Attorney Paul Ditz represented Jerry Cooper in this case.

About 2:12PM, Mark Morris leads off the session. The issues discussed included the requirements to obtain phone records from Ms. Cordez in Florida. In the end, this issue was not concluded as Judge Davis required more information from the attorneys. The process for an out of state party to obtain private records from a Florida resident is more involved than in North Carolina.

In the session, the definitions of libel and defamation were reviewed and rules quoted. During the discussion of the subpoena of Matthew Fenner’s records, Judge Davis asked, “Who Is Matthew Fenner?” In retrospect, the question did not mean, “I don’t know about Matthew Fenner.” I believe this was a way to get information into the court records about Mr. Fenner and related matters. Judge Davis presided over the initial hearings in the Fenner case as reported by Rccatatlyst.com.

Attorney Ditz objected to the broad nature of the subpoena which required phone calls information, texts and location of calls from two different time periods. Judge Davis questioned the broad scope of the subpoena as well. Morris justifies the scope as necessary to review Fenner’s actions and prove the allegations as false. Again, the Judge questions to timeline and Morris makes sweeping motions with his hands citing the posting of Cooper was a “statement to the world.”

In the discussion, Ditz states that the subpoena for Fenner’s records is a backdoor attempt to secure information which could be used in the criminal case of Fenner against the two plaintiffs. In the end, Judge Davis allows the motion to quash the subpoena of Fenner’s records and avoids making a decision on the Cordez subpoena until he receives more information. He will decide if the comment by Cooper was referring to the article or the events in the article. There is no definite time table for Judge Davis to make his ruling in this case.

At the end of the session, Morris reached out to shake Ditz’ hand in a very boisterous manner as if they were old lost friends. Does the reaction of Morris have to do with the outcome of Thursday’s session or his jubilation about other matters? Was he reflecting his ongoing affection for Ditz or his happiness surrounding another successful appearance before Judge Tommy Davis? If he was able, would he have shaken Judge Davis’ hand in the same manner? Are Morris and Davis truly the “old friends” in this scene? What do the court records show? What is Judge Davis’ record when ruling on WOFF cases?

In hindsight, did Judge Davis do Morris a favor by quashing the Fenner subpoena? While the State’s criminal case against Morris’ plaintiffs he represented on Thursday remains on hold in the NC Court of Appeals; if the Disqualification ORDER of Tomblin, Farmer and Morris by Judge Pope survives the appeal, could the acquisition of Fenner records in this civil case be deemed a violation of the spirit of the Disqualification ORDER and subject Tomblin, Farmer & Morris to sanctions or further penalties? Fortunately, for Morris this particular question was put to rest. Others remain.

Season of Changes is upon us. Will this be a cold winter in Spindale?

Follow this blog on Twitter- @religiouscults and Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/johnhuddleauthor

Thank you, for taking time to visit and read this blog. Please, consume the information on this site responsibly. The author is not a licensed mental health professional and encourages those that need professional help to seek it. The intent of the material is to inform and be a resource. Be sure to tell every member that you know at WOFF about this blog. There are readers at WOFF. Jane told me and Josh confirmed it.

Comments are invited from all readers, including present or former members. Polls are not scientific and no private information is gathered.

Look on the right side of any post for the option to subscribe by email for notifications or RSS feeds notifying of new postings. It is a great feature. Also, find more posts by selecting “Categories”.

Guest posts reflect the opinions of the writers. Their opinions do not necessarily reflect the opinions of John Huddle or any other persons affiliated with this blog.

Please, take time to read the Terms of Use for this personal blog. As mentioned, for posts written by John Huddle, any information about WOFF is from his memories and recollections as perfect as that may be or not be.

Scripture references are Amplified Version unless otherwise noted. (Copyright © 1954, 1958, 1962, 1964, 1965, 1987 by The Lockman Foundation ) This is post number 543.