NJ Judge orders return of firearms siezed in red Flag

A place for sharing news stories related to armed citizens, law enforcement & 2A/CCW topics.

Please note that when linking to an article you must cite the source URL and provide no more than a brief preview of the article to ensure fair-use standards are met.

NO DOCUMENT DUMPING.

Posts in violation of these rules are subject to immediate deletion without warning.

Moderators: Chuck, Mustang380gal, Coordinators, Moderators

Post Reply
User avatar
Bruenor
Posts: 7306
Joined: Mon Jul 24, 2006 3:03 pm
Location: Geneva, OH

NJ Judge orders return of firearms siezed in red Flag

Post by Bruenor »

Not the first state I would have expected to see this happen in. 9 months and a bunch of legal fees to get his own property back.

https://www.cnjfo.com/news/9008439" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
Middletown, New Jersey May 30, 2020 A New Jersey judge has ordered the return of Firearms seized under a red flag order. The Judge, Paul X. Escandon, found that Alfred Conti of Middletown never did threaten a doctor with whom he had a dispute, and that Conti’s guns never should have been taken.

In an abuse of the red flag law, on September 25, 2019, Conti’s firearms were seized from his home.

It all started when Mr. Conti had nerve decompression surgery performed by Dr. Matthew Kaufman. Dissatisfied with the results of the surgery, Mr. Conti posted negative online reviews which angered Dr. Kaufman. When Conti refused to take down the online reviews, Dr. Kaufman’s attorney, James Maggs, contacted the Rumson Police Department claiming they feared Conti and that he threatened them. The guns were then taken from Conti by the Police Department at 1 am. The doctor also filed a defamation suit against Mr. Conti.

In a decision dated May 20, 2020, Judge Escandon found that the state did not even meet a preponderance of the evidence standard, which is merely more than 50%. The judge also found that while Mr. Conti may have used expletives, no threat was made. The judge found that no threat of bodily harm was made, and there was no evidence to support that Mr. Conti is mentally ill, or a threat to himself or anyone else.

The judge also noted that Conti is a retiree with no criminal record. He is a certified RSO, and certified NRA instructor.
Μολὼν λαβέ

"Arms discourage and keep the invader and plunderer in awe, and preserve order in the world as well as property. . . Horrid mischief would ensue were the law-abiding deprived of the use of them."

- Thomas Paine

"Malo periculosam, libertatem quam quietam servitutem."

- Thomas Jefferson
User avatar
deanimator
Posts: 7863
Joined: Fri Mar 24, 2006 7:34 pm
Location: Rocky River

Re: NJ Judge orders return of firearms siezed in red Flag

Post by deanimator »

Bruenor wrote:Not the first state I would have expected to see this happen in. 9 months and a bunch of legal fees to get his own property back.

https://www.cnjfo.com/news/9008439" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
Middletown, New Jersey May 30, 2020 A New Jersey judge has ordered the return of Firearms seized under a red flag order. The Judge, Paul X. Escandon, found that Alfred Conti of Middletown never did threaten a doctor with whom he had a dispute, and that Conti’s guns never should have been taken.

In an abuse of the red flag law, on September 25, 2019, Conti’s firearms were seized from his home.

It all started when Mr. Conti had nerve decompression surgery performed by Dr. Matthew Kaufman. Dissatisfied with the results of the surgery, Mr. Conti posted negative online reviews which angered Dr. Kaufman. When Conti refused to take down the online reviews, Dr. Kaufman’s attorney, James Maggs, contacted the Rumson Police Department claiming they feared Conti and that he threatened them. The guns were then taken from Conti by the Police Department at 1 am. The doctor also filed a defamation suit against Mr. Conti.

In a decision dated May 20, 2020, Judge Escandon found that the state did not even meet a preponderance of the evidence standard, which is merely more than 50%. The judge also found that while Mr. Conti may have used expletives, no threat was made. The judge found that no threat of bodily harm was made, and there was no evidence to support that Mr. Conti is mentally ill, or a threat to himself or anyone else.

The judge also noted that Conti is a retiree with no criminal record. He is a certified RSO, and certified NRA instructor.
Cue the defamation suit against Doctor Mengele...
Life comes at you fast. Be prepared to shoot it in the head when it does.
User avatar
schmieg
OFCC Coordinator
OFCC Coordinator
Posts: 5751
Joined: Mon Jul 04, 2005 11:11 pm
Location: Madeira, Ohio

Re: NJ Judge orders return of firearms siezed in red Flag

Post by schmieg »

deanimator wrote:
Bruenor wrote:Not the first state I would have expected to see this happen in. 9 months and a bunch of legal fees to get his own property back.

https://www.cnjfo.com/news/9008439" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
Middletown, New Jersey May 30, 2020 A New Jersey judge has ordered the return of Firearms seized under a red flag order. The Judge, Paul X. Escandon, found that Alfred Conti of Middletown never did threaten a doctor with whom he had a dispute, and that Conti’s guns never should have been taken.

In an abuse of the red flag law, on September 25, 2019, Conti’s firearms were seized from his home.

It all started when Mr. Conti had nerve decompression surgery performed by Dr. Matthew Kaufman. Dissatisfied with the results of the surgery, Mr. Conti posted negative online reviews which angered Dr. Kaufman. When Conti refused to take down the online reviews, Dr. Kaufman’s attorney, James Maggs, contacted the Rumson Police Department claiming they feared Conti and that he threatened them. The guns were then taken from Conti by the Police Department at 1 am. The doctor also filed a defamation suit against Mr. Conti.

In a decision dated May 20, 2020, Judge Escandon found that the state did not even meet a preponderance of the evidence standard, which is merely more than 50%. The judge also found that while Mr. Conti may have used expletives, no threat was made. The judge found that no threat of bodily harm was made, and there was no evidence to support that Mr. Conti is mentally ill, or a threat to himself or anyone else.

The judge also noted that Conti is a retiree with no criminal record. He is a certified RSO, and certified NRA instructor.
Cue the defamation suit against Doctor Mengele...
This entire thing sounds like a scheme the attorney came up with to use the law to punish Conti for badmouthing his client. Someone should file an ethics complaint on that one.
-- Mike

"The smallest minority on earth is the individual. Those who deny individual rights cannot claim to be defenders of minorities." - Ayn Rand
User avatar
Bruenor
Posts: 7306
Joined: Mon Jul 24, 2006 3:03 pm
Location: Geneva, OH

Re: NJ Judge orders return of firearms siezed in red Flag

Post by Bruenor »

deanimator wrote: Cue the defamation suit against Doctor Mengele...
Actually the defemation suit was filed by the Dr. against Mr. Conti

from the Go Fund me page.
I need help paying my legal bills that are being accumulated because I’m being sued for defamation from a plastic surgeon and his attorney after I left the dr. a bad review.
Curious what hi legal bills were for getting his forearms back
Μολὼν λαβέ

"Arms discourage and keep the invader and plunderer in awe, and preserve order in the world as well as property. . . Horrid mischief would ensue were the law-abiding deprived of the use of them."

- Thomas Paine

"Malo periculosam, libertatem quam quietam servitutem."

- Thomas Jefferson
User avatar
deanimator
Posts: 7863
Joined: Fri Mar 24, 2006 7:34 pm
Location: Rocky River

Re: NJ Judge orders return of firearms siezed in red Flag

Post by deanimator »

Bruenor wrote:
deanimator wrote: Cue the defamation suit against Doctor Mengele...
Actually the defemation suit was filed by the Dr. against Mr. Conti

from the Go Fund me page.
I need help paying my legal bills that are being accumulated because I’m being sued for defamation from a plastic surgeon and his attorney after I left the dr. a bad review.
Curious what hi legal bills were for getting his forearms back
Any time the cops get involved, somebody can end up dead.

It's not only defamation against Conti, it's reckless endangerment at a minimum.
Life comes at you fast. Be prepared to shoot it in the head when it does.
Post Reply