By Eric Beasley
During the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, Magistrate Joanie Raymond (a.k.a Jray Brubaker, Joanmarie Brubaker) performed special favors for attorneys.
The initial COVID-19 Lockdown order issued by the Maryland Court of Appeals delineated five phases for reopening.
Phase one lasted from March 16 to June 5, 2020. A description of the first phase is listed on pages 13-15 of the Court of Appeals lockdown order.
Note: Only emergency matters were to be heard before the court during the lockdown period; uncontested divorce proceedings are not listed.
On May 1st, 2020, the Court of Appeals issued an order allowing for remote proceedings to occur in courthouses that have supporting technology. The order did not change the hearing that would occur.
However, Magistrate Joanie Raymond, on April 13, 2020, sent the following e-mail to Lorraine Prete of Kaslick & Prete.
Prete responded to Raymond’s email in less than an hour.
Based on the email exchanges above, Raymond ostensibly offered to violate the Maryland Court of Appeals COVID-19 Lockdown Orders.
A Miner Detail did not reach out to either party for comment.
Eric Beasley is Deputy Editor of A Miner Detail. He can be reached at Eric@AMinerDetail.com.
