I don't usually talk about -- or even read -- the many, many unpublished opinions issued by the California Court of Appeal. It's hard enough to read all the published ones front to cover. Not to mention the Ninth Circuit as well.
But I'll depart from that typical practice today. Because a "longtime reader, first time e-mailer" sent me a copy of this opinion by Justice Moore. When the first paragraph of the opinion reads as follows, I'm clearly under a moral (if not legal) duty to reprint (and thereby disseminate) it:
"This case is somewhat akin to deciding a dispute between Darth Vader and the Borg, or if you prefer a classical metaphor, Scylla and Charybdis. There is no justice to be done here. The parties conspired in a despicable scheme to hide assets during marital dissolution and child support proceedings. The defendants retained those assets; the plaintiff sued to get them back. Both now rely on arguments relating to unclean hands, the sanctity of the judicial process, and public policy, all of which are laughable, considering the circumstances."
Classic. I love it. Read the rest of the opinion for the details. But the first paragraph alone is awesome.
Way to go, Justice Moore. You rock.
