July 08
Dogs play an important role at ALO. Of course the office is located at Old Friendly Dog Farm, named after our first lead dog more than 30 years ago. During that time there have been a few office dogs that have greeted, or growled at, legal visitors. In July ALO said goodbye to one of its best staff members ever when Freckles died. She was 15, and spent weekdays in the office since she was a puppy. Many customers never saw her because she preferred to sleep in a hidden spot, often behind Sue’s desk. Many times it would be late evening before someone would remember that Freck was still in the office. Freckles, a Corgi, was one of the funniest looking animals on the farm. In recent years, Freckles lost much of her sight and hearing, but was still able to jump on the couch to rest in her last week. Freckles was the second canine friend to die this year. Former Iditarod champion and Bethel “Best in Show” dog Angus died in January, also at 15. He ran with a puppy team a couple of weeks before he died, and is the father of many dogs now in the OFDF team. He led teams for Sarah and Andy when they each won Rookie of the Year honors in the Kuskokwim 300. He was old and slow by then, but always ready to go. Happy Trails to two old friends.
Much of July was spent preparing for three August trials, two of which were continued leaving one trial which is now the focus. That trial is the Denali Park moose case involving Jeff King. Myron flew his plane to the Park area in July to see the location where Jeff hunted last September. The location is quite some distance from the road, and involved some backcountry travel. It is always good practice to have a look at locations which figure into trials so there is less chance of getting confused by testimony which describes the scene. The plane ride to Denali was spectacular, skirting the back side of the Park past Kantishna, Wonder Lake and the big mountain. The trial promises to be a good one. Details next month.
The cabin project is once again underway. The two migrant workers in charge of the building project, Tomas and Csaba, are back in the mountains, and keeping them supplied is one of the daily tasks at ALO. Some folks have figured out there is a new place to stop in the wilderness. Bill Eggiman and Jane McClure stopped for a visit in July, and Sue Flensberg of Dillingham (formerly Sue Maddox of Aniak) also stopped by. The project is in the finishing stages, and now has a functional outhouse, a guest shelter, and deck furniture. If you’re in the area, stop by.
George spent most of July in Texas taking the bar exam, and Andy has been busy learning to fly. He did his first solo flight recently, and hopes to have a license by September. He will be leaving ALO at that time in pursuit of a master’s degree.
June 08
June was spent at the elk farm in Minnesota, where farm work was the main order of business. June is the month for harvesting first crop alfalfa, and this year’s crop was the best in recent years. 71 large round bales were stored, which is about double last year’s first crop count. Haying has evolved from one of the most back breaking chores on a farm to a mostly enjoyable effort because of modern equipment that eliminates much of the work. The extra hay will be needed as the elk have produced more calves than normal as well, 10 at last count.
Trail maintenance, prairie planting, and brush removal were the other main chores. 70 to 80 degree temperatures were common in June, and with abundant rain, the farm was green and growing. The State of Minnesota awarded the farm Century status for being in the Angstman family for more than 100 years. Jacob and Emma Angstman arrived at the farm in 1904 by horse and buggy with their 13 children, livestock and equipment. Subsequent owners were son Ezra and his wife Edna, and later their son Spencer with his wife Shirley, and Spencer’s brother Myron and his wife Suzanne. With most of the farm enrolled in the Minnesota Land Trust, the farm will remain intact forever, with no subdivision possible.
A shortage of dogs at ALO resulted in the purchase of a new dog, and English cocker spaniel named . English cockers retain a strong hunting instinct, and this dog is a partially trained bird dog. He is a wonderful retriever already, and after a couple of weeks on the farm showed excellent skill at flushing birds. Tanner is about 20 pounds, and at 16 months won’t get any bigger.
Two civil cases were settled. A Bethel woman received $17,500 for injuries suffered in a car accident, and a client in Minnesota recovered $83,000 for an accident near Princeton. ALO handles a few cases out of state from time to time. That can only happen in matters that don’t reach court, or by working with local counsel if they do.
Summer promises to be extremely busy, with a number of trials scheduled along with visits from family and friends. Add to that the completion of the cabin project planned for August and September, and things will be hopping. To that end, a replacement airplane is now parked at Hangar Lake. It has already logged a number of hours in Alaska, and appears to be an upgrade from the prior aircraft despite being two years older. Brand new floats has a lot to do with the improvement. Along with a new plane, ALO will soon have a new pilot as Andy is about 15 hours into his flight training in Bethel.
May 2008
This month’s update comes from Minnesota, where elk are being born in heavy rains and cool temperatures. May was graduation month for many, and ALO took part in a few. First was Sarah, who received her PHD from University of Montana. Several past and present Bethelites made their way to the party, including Bob and Mary Rearden, Rich and Jen Gannon, Mike and Jill Hoffman(in Missoula for Jamie’s graduation),and Mike and Christy Nerby. The graduation was big news, but Sarah and Ben saved the even bigger news for a bit, announcing a plan to get married a few days later. This comes after years of denial that such an event was even possible. Date, location and dowry amount have not been determined. 10 adult elk is the suggested amount.
Bethel high school graduation was next, with too many parties to count. One group of graduates celebrated with a trip to Hawaii. Another, dog racer Jessica Klejka, didn’t make Hawaii but instead started a job toting tourists by dog sled on the glacier above Juneau. The dog tour industry generates big money, and Jessica will be making a bundle while living free on the mountain. Meanwhile, the OFDF dogs are on lease to a Skagway tour outfit where they will pull carts 5 times a day for one mile.
One final graduation note, a second Andy Angstman graduated from Princeton High School in Minnesota. Bethel’s Andy Angstman was in Minnesota for a college reunion and attended with his parents as cousin Andy celebrated. Angstmans have been graduating from PHS for over 100 years now.
In legal news, Matt settled two claims before trial. One was a Bethel car accident case which settled for $27,500 for a man driving a cab which was struck by another car. Matt also settled a medical malpractice case for $50,000, which involved a delayed diagnosis of appendicitis for a Teller man.
Matt had a tough civil trial in Bethel. He represented the City of Chevak in a case brought by a child who injured himself on a city playground which had been donated by the local school. Chevak had no insurance, and attempted to defend itself without an attorney at the outset, answering the lawsuit by admitting responsibility for the accident, but pointing out that the city was without funds to pay anything. The case went forward anyway, our office became involved and the jury awarded $40,000 to the child. In its answer, Chevak mentioned bankruptcy was an option, and that still is the case. Many communities in rural Alaska cannot afford insurance, attorneys, or civil judgements. For some, the option of simply going out of business is becoming more appealing right along.
ALO also was involved in a settlement of a slip and fall case from a Bethel area village. Regular readers of this report know that this office has complained about some settlements made by clients in cases ALO was prepared to defend. This was another such case. The claimant fell on a step that contained, at most, a half inch of snow. She complains now of a sore back, a complaint she had for years before the recent fall. Her medical records reveal substantial suspected abuse of pain medication before and after the fall. No one observed the fall. The insurance company paid $30,000 to settle.
The biggest news in criminal law grows out of the Kuskokwim 300. Earlier it was noted that Myron was the acting K300 race manager after the previous manager was fired. In May the former manager Staci Gillilan was indicted for felony theft. That case is now pending in Bethel. She is represented by the law firm of Power Brown. Some readers of this page will note a certain irony in that.
Finally, at the elk farm.
April 2008
A cold April put the finishing touches on a long winter in Western Alaska, but spring has finally started as this is written in early May. Some of the staff bailed out for some relief, Dolly and her husband David in Hawaii, and Sue and Myron in New York City. Dolly’s trip meant an extended period of grandkid time for Sue and Myron.
Airfare to NYC was courtesy of the Kuskokwim 300 and Alaska Airlines, as a result of Myron’s winning the Best in the West award during this year’s race. With such a title in hand, one would surely expect special recognition in the city, but somehow that was overlooked. The only recognition came as a result of Cathy Baldwin, who called and arranged a free bottle of wine at a restaurant where her daughter Katie and boyfriend Paul Basile were meeting the Angstmans for dinner. The wine steward delivered the bottle, and made small talk about the Best in the West award and dog mushing at Cathy’s suggestion. Anything for a tip.
On a side trip by train to Connecticut, former Bethelite and nephew Keith Holton gave a tour of the Canterbury boarding school where he is admissions director. The school’s most famous drop out was Paris Hilton. She played hockey there a few years back. That must be compared with Sarah’s high school in Minnesota, Shattuck St. Mary’s where the most famous drop out was Marlon Brando. Not many knew that Brando’s son Christian once lived in Bethel and roomed with Richard Trotto. Both of them worked at Kemp-Paulucci fisheries.
As for the big city, what a place! For a rural person, its hard not to look up at the skyscrapers when walking in New York City. The average distance walked each day was about 5 miles. While there, an attempt was made to add culture to a basic country hick. The result: no apparent change despite visits to several museums, a Broadway performance, and several nice restaurants. One thing is clear after a week in New York. They have Alaska outnumbered. The people of rural Alaska could fit in a block or two of New York City. Its scary to think that a city as large as New York isn’t even among the top ten largest cities in the world anymore.
Of course, legal work has to continue so that the credit card bills from New York can be paid when they come in. Only one civil case settled, an employment case from Dillingham, for an undisclosed amount. Matt obtained a dismissal of a DUI case on the eve of trial in Bethel. One new case came in worth noting. Iditarod and Kuskowkim 300 champion Jeff King employed ALO to defend a moose hunting case which was in the news state wide. King was charged in Fairbanks federal court with taking a moose within the boundary of Denali Park and Preserve last fall. The case presents many interesting issues, including the fact that the boundaries are very lightly marked in most areas.
ALO learned that staff member George is a professional artist. He promises to have an example of his work hanging in the office before long. Andy finished off the dog race season in early April with a win in the Larry Chase race in Bethel. The 45 mile race was sponsored by the Bethel Sprint Club. Later in the month, 19 dogs from Old Friendly Dog Farm were shipped to Skagway to be tourist dogs for the summer. The dog yard hasn’t been this quiet in 30 years.
The Kuskokwim 300 continues to emerge from its financial crisis of the past winter. A new fund raising effort was announced in April, which has already produced good results. If you want a mile, drop us an email. One brief piece of legal advice last week resulted in no fee charged, but instead the purchase of one mile.
Finally, several people correctly identified the people in last month’s old time Bethel photo. Those pictured were John McDonald and Bev Hoffman with little Colin, and Thom and Torie Foote, the newlyweds. None of the lucky winners wanted their half price divorce just yet. There are several more photos from the wedding here . World famous National Public Radio news anchor Corey Flintoff performed the ceremony , which raises the legal question of whether Thom and Torie are actually married. Identify the people in the pictures and those names will be posted next month.
March 2008
Sometimes cases settle for reasons that leave ALO unhappy. In March there were two such cases. One was an Anchorage criminal case involving a felony sex assault charge against a Chevak man. The case had an interesting history. Myron handled a trial in the case a couple of months ago that ended in a mistrial when the District Attorney mentioned some things in front of the jury that he shouldn’t have. A mistrial is not a very clean result, because it means that you start over, with considerable wasted time and expense for both sides. In this case, our client had limited resources, so a second trial in Anchorage was not that appealing. The state apparently felt the same way, offering a misdemeanor harassment charge which was a major reduction from the Class B felony charge that would have involved many years in prison from our client if the jury convicted him. Why was the result unhappy for ALO? The case was very defendable, and a win was quite likely. The victim, also a Chevak person, claimed she was assaulted when she passed out in the defendant’s hotel room after a night of drinking. And what a night it was. The woman, who was in Anchorage on business, went with the defendant and others to dinner, where she had a couple of beers. Then she accepted an invitation to go to PJ’s, a strip club with the defendant, where she had about 8 more drinks, mostly beers and a margarita. At that point the pair returned to the hotel where both were staying in separate rooms, but instead of calling it a night, they joined another friend for more drinks in the bar. After the lady had two more drinks, the three left the bar when it closed, and both men offered to see the lady (a married woman with several kids) to her room. She declined, instead asking if either man had more drinks in their room. The defendant said he did, and all three went there to drink more. The lady claims to remember nothing that happened after leaving the bar, but when she woke up in the morning she believed she had engaged in sex during the night. She confronted the defendant, who avoided the question, and then she contacted police. DNA evidence showed that the two had engaged in sex. There were no witnesses to the events that happened after the third person left the room around 1 am.
The defendant denied that the woman was incapacitated, and the woman had no memory of what happened. If you have thoughts on this case and its outcome, email them to ALO.
The other unhappy settlement involved a four wheeler wreck in Emmonak. A young man drove a four wheeler at a high rate of speed with his sister and niece on board over a newly constructed ramp-roadway near the airport. Witnesses described his speed as 30-40 mph. He claimed 15 mph. He ran through a dip in the road and tipped over. The young girl suffered a serious arm injury. This office represented the company that built the roadway for the state. The state was also a defendant. The driver was a plaintiff, but dropped out of the suit after his deposition. The defendants combined to pay a substantial seven figure settlement to the girl, despite advice that most if not all of the fault would be given to the driver.
Matt got two nice wins in Bethel criminal cases where he filed motions which were granted by the court, ending the cases. He spent part of the month in Hawaii, shortly after he was promoted to a new level of responsibility at ALO. Matt will be assuming an increased role in the management of ALO and share in future profits, a change that he earned through 2 1⁄2 years of solid performance.
There were three correct votes and one incorrect vote for last month’s Bethel history quiz. The incorrect vote was from Ireland and had . The contestant, who used to be a Bethel public defender before defecting, claimed the contest was rigged and demanded a recount. Two of the winners, Scott Angstman and Kevin Wesloh are family members, and four family members were at least partially visible in the picture, Myron, Sue, Dolly and Carol Angstman (next to Sue) The others are Jim Plasman(scraggly beard and hair) Mike Bell and Pat Harrington. Plasman is currently a judge in Micronesia, and Bell-Harrington are married and live in Maine. The local winner was Cindy Andrechek.
March is Iditarod month in Alaska, and what better to time to dredge up the video of Andy finishing last year’s race, which was shown on the Iditarod web page. ( Download Video. -sorry MAC users) Other than the winner, it was the loudest finish in the race, thanks to the rowdy Bethel crew on hand.
Dog racing dominated the scene at ALO during March, as the newly assumed K-300 race manager duties occupied most of the staff. The race is in a mess, financially and otherwise, and it will take some doing to pull off a successful race in 2009, which will be the 30th annual event. This mess is a developing story which can’t be detailed here at this time, but watch future reports for a complete account of a disgusting chapter in one of Alaska’s top sporting events.
Finally, another early Bethel photo with a quiz. depicts one of Bethel’s most infamous weddings and parties. It was held in October of 1982, at the unfinished Angstman log house. It was a combination Halloween costume party, wedding and reception. Name the pictured folks, plus the person who conducted the ceremony, and win a half price divorce from ALO.
February 2008
Criminal law cases dominated the month of February at ALO. Matt and Myron combined efforts on several cases, including a first degree murder case from a Yukon River village that was set for trial in March. The case was resolved as a second degree murder, with a jail sentence of 10 to 20 years, to be decided by the judge at a sentencing hearing in May. Many less serious charges came up for trial as well. There was a crowded Dillingham calendar, and ALO’s clients fared well. A series of assaults against a Dillingham man and his girlfriend were all dismissed on the eve of trial. Another case, involving a violation of conditions of release, was also dismissed. Finally in Dillingham, an assault charge was reduced to disorderly conduct, with a 10 day suspended sentence.
On the civil side, the biggest news was the bankruptcy filing by the Catholic Bishop of Northern Alaska, a client of ALO. That case involved about 140 claims against the Fairbanks diocese, many of which were uninsured. The cases had just been placed on a fast track for trial when the bankruptcy decision was made. .
That was not the only ALO case making headlines. A case reported here last month as a confidential settlement made the Anchorage paper as part of ongoing coverage of political corruption, . Needless to say, that case offers a lot of intrigue. ALO still has two claims pending against Mr. Boehm.
Other civil cases resolved as well. A Bethel client received a settlement of $150,000 for injuries he suffered when the bike he was riding was struck by a cab. A 4- wheeler accident in White Mountain resulted in a $100,000 settlement for a young boy represented by ALO. The child was run over during a 4th of July celebration.
ALO welcomed a new staff member, a young man from the University of Houston law school. George Mirzashvili was born in the former Soviet nation of Georgia but came to live in the US as a boy because of political unrest in his home country. He stayed on for college and law school, and is a welcome addition to our staff. Click here for a .
Dog racing season is in full swing, and Old Friendly Dog Farm secured a win at the Norton Sound Portage 200, which starts and ends in Unalakleet, with a run over the portage to the Yukon River at Kaltag. Dean Painter raced the dogs, and won $4,000 for his effort. The Dog Farm would like to recognize several folks who helped Dean race, including his host family George and Elvina Turner, Yute Air , Wade Renfro and ATS for transportation, with other help from Dimitri’s Restaurant, VIP restaurant, AC Store, and Swanson’s Store.
from 1977, taken at the community festival that was held across from Swanson’s store in what was then Bethel’s first softball field, reveals several people who might be hard to remember. This month’s quiz: name four people in the photo, email your answer to angstmanlaw@alaska.com, and Angstman Law Office will prepare your will for free. (if you are old enough to remember, you need one).
February has seen a continuation of very cold weather in the Bethel area. While actual temps have not been record setting, the steady wind has made for some nasty wind-chills. was emailed from Tok, Alaska in early February.
And finally, a word about how to treat your lawyer. A client from Quinhagak stopped by the office this week, for the first time in over a year. When she came in she stated “Everything looks different around here. Andy looks taller and Myron looks younger.” That called for a party, and two pizzas were ordered within minutes. Of course, that begs the question, younger than what?
January 2008
January 18th was quite a day at Angstman Law Office. The Kuskokwim 300 started at 6:30 p.m. that day, with Myron scheduled to leave home around 5:45 to make it to the starting line. The office was open all day, and business was hopping. Two modest cases settled by mid-day, a slip and fall case in Kotzebue and a rear end collision in Bethel which we defended. At 4 p.m. ALO learned of a major settlement involving three young female clients who were the victims of sexual misconduct. The terms of that case are confidential. ALO has additional clients with claims against the same defendant, and negotiations continue.
With that out of the way, it was on to the dog race. next to Jessica Klejka, Myron had a smooth run to Kalskag in fresh soft snow, which meant slower times for the first 100 mile run. After a six hour break, conditions went downhill, as powerful winds swept through the Kuskokwim Valley. Most of the wind was either headwind or crosswind, and exceeded 50 mph much of the time which made for tough going to Aniak and around the Pike Lake loop. The wind was so heavy at Pike Lake that checker Eric Hoffman couldn’t be heard from a distance of five feet. Now that’s a lot of wind. The breeze continued all the way back to Aniak when it finally subsided. In the process the temps had warmed into the 40's near Bethel, and most of the snow had melted, creating slushy trail to Tuluksak. The racers were warned of water on the trail, and the final fifty miles of the race left everyone’s boots well washed, with several water holes more than knee deep. Read more about the race from the . For full results visit . For 11th place, Myron got $2900 and the Best in the West award, which is two free tickets on Alaska Airlines for being the highest finisher from the local area. New York City is the likely destination. Other unofficial awards: Top finishing elder, top finishing amateur, and most snow machines sunk by kennel helpers. This last award involved Andy and Dean Painter sinking two machines on the last night of the race 9 miles from home in about three feet of water. They were a lonely looking pair standing in the middle of the river at about 4 a.m. Monday. After a brief conference with a couple of mushers who came by, the pair walked to Bethel. Total tally of sleep for the 2 1/2 day race: 20 minutes of restless sleep in Aniak. Minnesotan Dave Price, who helps with the elk farm, made the trip to Aniak and back by snowmachine, and decided dog races, and racers, are nuts. He could be right. To read accounts of the race from other racers, see these racers websites, , .
Post race, more business was conducted. An oil spill case in Steamboat Slough near Bethel was settled for a confidential amount. This was the second installment of that case, and involved 18 people who were not included in an earlier settlement two years ago. Finally, this office represented a local plumber who was sued by a cab driver for a rear end collision. Witnesses observed the cab slam on the brakes to avoid hitting a drunk pedestrian in front of the AC store. My client was observed to lightly tap the back of the cab at the same time. The cab driver claimed he had injuries, which closely resembled injuries he had in a previous accident a few months earlier which resulted in a settlement for him. This office suggested no payment this time, but the insurance company finally agreed to pay $5,000, a small fraction of the amount requested earlier. For those of you who keep track, we call that a win.
