Judge John Wiley of Los Angeles; incompetent boob

The state of California presented John W. Wiley with a law license in  1981 after he graduated from the University of California Berkeley School of Law.

Former Gov. Gray Davis was duped into appointing Johnny as a Los Angeles County Superior Court judge in 2002. Johnny didn’t receive the appointment because he was the most qualified attorney in the Los Angeles area. He received it because he had proven to be a reliable lackey for the local political hacks.

It should be noted that Johnny has had his significant snout firmly implanted in the public trough for the past thirty-nine (39) years. Apparently, no self-respecting law firm in the greater Los Angeles area was about to offer Johnny a good paying job.

In one matter, Johnny presided over an asbestos case involving Special Electric Co. who brokered purchases of crocidolite asbestos to Johns-Manville from a mine in South Africa. Special Electric supplied about 7,000 tons of the product, which is also called “blue” asbestos and has been shown to be particularly dangerous, to Johns-Manville.

William Webb, along with his wife filed suit due to his being diagnosed with mesothelioma, which he claimed to be a result, in part, of having handled Johns-Manville Transite pipe containing those fibers while working at Pyramid Pipe & Supply in Canoga Park.

A jury found damages in the amount of a little over $5 million, attributed 18 percent to Special Electric, 49 percent to Johns-Manville, and 33 percent to third parties. After Judge Wiley signed a judgment in favor of the Webbs, but before it was entered on the docket, Special Electric asked him to rule on its prior motions for a directed verdict and nonsuit. Wiley then granted the motion and entered an order of judgment in favor of defendant Special Electric.

Subsequently, the Webbs filed an appeal of Judge Wiley’s ignorant ruling with the local Court of Appeal. In reversing Wiley’s order, the Court stated in part:

• “Judgment NOV [Notwithstanding the verdict] was beyond the court’s authority to grant unless it acted within the legislatively imposed times.”
• “The court’s alternative orders granting nonsuit and directed verdict cannot overcome the court’s failure to provide the notice that the law requires before the court may grant judgment NOV.”

It goes without saying that Johnny doesn’t much give a damn when he’s overturned (rebuked in truth) by the appellate court since he is well aware that no California judge has ever been tossed off the bench for being incompetent.

As we speak (ca. April 2019) Johnny sits as an associate justice on the California Second District Court of Appeal, Division Eight , California