Posted on 08/20/2005 8:15:09 AM PDT by kennedy
Two Salvadoran immigrants booted off a South Texas ranch in 2003 by the vigilante group Ranch Rescue were awarded a chunk of land from one of the participants in the clash that had spawned civil suits and criminal charges.
An attorney for the immigrants called it "poetic justice." The 70-acre ranch, near the Arizona-Mexico border, was believed to be used to train militias.
It belonged to Casey Nethercott, 37, who's serving a five-year sentence since a Jim Hogg county jury found him guilty of being a felon in possession of a firearm during the scuffle with the immigrants near Hebbronville.
The Salvadorans, Edwin Alfredo Mancia Gonzales, 26, and Fatima Del Socorro Leiva Medina, 30, testified that Nethercott pistol-whipped Mancia in the head, but the jury deadlocked on that allegation.
The pair then filed a lawsuit against Nethercott, Jack Foote, the founder of Ranch Rescue, and the owner of the Hebbronville ranch, Joe Sutton.
Sutton, who'd invited the border watch group to his land because he was fed up with drug-traffickers and immigrants passing through on their way north, settled for $100,000.
But Nethercott and Foote didn't respond to the suit, resulting in a combined $1.35 million default judgment against them.
Nethercott's ranch, which he bought in cash for $120,000, was signed over to the immigrants Aug. 11.
"That's pretty good given the way (Nethercott) handled people, the things he had done," said retired Texas Ranger Doyle Holdridge, who interviewed the immigrants before the criminal trial. "Something fair happened at the end and the people didn't get the complete shaft.
"What struck me is that when you looked at those two victims, you talk about harmless, docile people. I mean these people were so meek and mild."
The payout comes at time when the governors of Arizona and New Mexico are complaining about how the flow of illegal immigration along the border is out of control, which also was the motivation for the highly publicized Minuteman Project, another border watch group.
Marvin Rader, an attorney from the Houston area who previously represented Sutton, lambasted the outcome of the case.
"We need some legislation to make it so that these illegal aliens can't come in here and sue people," he said. "It's ridiculous for them to be suing the ranchers when they are trespassing on their property. We are not taking care of the borders."
But Morris Dees, chief trial counsel for the Alabama-based Southern Poverty Law Center, which represented the Salvadorans in the suit, said signing the ranch over to the immigrants is "poetic justice."
"I think it's an important resolution of this matter against Ranch Rescue because it first of all sends a message to legitimate ranchers and others that you don't just risk the condemnation of good people, but you might also risk your assets and your land," Dees said.
Rader said in response: "To me it's a bad message. We are basically taking the borderlands away from the people —— that rightfully own those lands —— by failing to protect them.
"If somebody moved into your house and the police wouldn't do anything about it, what would you do? You'd take the law into your own hands and start moving them out yourself."
According to court testimony in the criminal trial, Sutton complained the Border Patrol wasn't effective, yet he didn't give agents open access to his land.
Nethercott, a former bounty hunter, deeded his Arizona ranch property to his sister, Robin Albitz; however, the immigrants sued for fraudulent transfer. Albitz ultimately signed the property over to them, Dees said.
Neither Nethercott's attorney, Jay Jacobson, nor Albitz could be reached for comment.
Dees said it's unclear what the immigrants will do with the property, but they'll probably sell it. He said they are in the United States legally with temporary permits as they seek permanent status.
Mancia lives in Los Angeles and Leiva in Dallas.
They are both doing "work that migrants do. Work that's difficult to get Americans to do," Dees said.
That's not exactly what I would call it. In fact, if I called it what I am thinking I would probably get banned for obscenity.
Unbelievable...
The insanity continues.
And a TEXAS RANGER approves of this. . .???!!!
This is unbelieveable.
It's got to be fought.
How the West was Lost.
Work that's difficult to get American's to do for $2.00/hour.
American's will do any job for a wage that the free market supports.
None of them had the balls to fight. Easy to push around illegals when you have them at a disadvantage but when it comes to putting their case up to the light they ran. Nethercott had every opportunity to respond from prison. His personal appearance was not necessary in court and his jailhouse depositions are allowed.
I too would be banned for what I'm thinking about the judge and the ILLEGALS' attorney. This turns my stomach. One ranch today, the whole country tomorr--- oh, never mind, they already own the US.
Perhaps Bin Laden will hire this "attorney" if he is ever caught alive.
Maybe he will be awarded all of Manhattan.
The suicide bombers should go on vacation for a few years and let our lawyers do the job for them.
Similar to what is going on in the Gaza strip.
I can see our government telling citizens that they will have to leave their long time homes and vacate them for immigrants, ie (voters). The government has the law behind it now since the Supreme Court said it was OK.
They aren't immigrants. They're illegal aliens.
It is an injustice as Sutton, the ranch owner had to pay the whole verdict. The jury was not informed that by finding liability against Nethercott and Jack Foote, the other named defendant would also be liable. Sutton was the deep pocket and lost his ranch. Nethercott and Foote are judgment proof (broke).
"a lawsuit against Nethercott, Jack Foote, the founder of Ranch Rescue, and the owner of the Hebbronville ranch, Joe Sutton."
By the way Morris Dees and the Southern Pimp Law Center are well known to be not on the up and up. Do an Internet search on Dees and there is lots of info on him.
Another anti-American lawyer smells of butt juice.
is this 'Phase 2' of the LIBERALS quest to hand over our country to the illegals? Immigrants and otherwise?
Amen! Look around you - particularly if you live in Washington, DC, area and see all the Latinas working as maids and nannys (?how you can call someone a nanny when she has no education is beyond me; she is a maid). If you pay attention they are basically "slaves" - provided with room and board, paid a pittance for 24/7 duty just so they have something to send "Home". Many do not even speak English so they are isolated - can only communicate with their "employers" - have no friends and spend their day off (if they get one) in their room in a basement. It is certain you could not get a U.S. person to do this - even though there are many who would if they were paid properly.
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