In a recent case heard by Judge Patrick M. Pekin, he caused me to lose out on over $7,000 when he refused to understand what I was suing over. Right at the beginning of the hearing, he asked what I was suing for. Even though it's all in the paperwork. Nevertheless, I broke it down for him. One aspect of my case, I was suing for constructive eviction because the landlords forced me to leave by giving me an illegal 48-hour move-out notice with threats of calling the Willits Police and Mendocino County Sheriffs on me for trespassing.
I had paid these people 6 months rent in advance. I got that money back, but was suing for the constructive eviction. I even gave the judge an on-point precedent case for stare decisis. He ignored it. So I sued for constructive eviction and reimbursement of materials I had paid for to fix up this shoddy piece of property and for my labor. It was a husband and wife, and the husband told me I would receive one month free rent when the work was done and he would pay for the materials. When the work was done, I get the 48-hour move-out notice taped on the door. I got my 6 months rent I had paid in advance returned, but I was out over $1,000 for the materials and received nothing for my labor.
The husband denied he had made the agreement. Hello! Do you think he might have a reason to lie? Cha ching! He sure did. And there was me and my co-tenant and the husband there when the agreement was made. Two honest plaintiffs and one lying, cheating defendant. Judge Pekin believed the defendants' lies even though I brought before and after pictures of the work I did, which the defendant admitted he knew I was doing the work. This contradicts him saying earlier in the hearing that he didn't give me permission to do any work at the property. So once a liar, always a liar. But for some reason, the judge took the defendants' side, even though it's ON THE RECORD that their countersuit against me was frivolous just so they could offset what I was asking for. in damages.
I had to ask the judge SIX TIMES to look at the photographs I brought. It's like he didn't even want to see my evidence. And after he did look at them. He didn't even make one comment about what they showed or said. He misapplied the law on accord and satisfaction and all he could say over and over throughout the case was that I was suing for double damages. Hello!! Have you ever heard of anything stupider? Why would I sue someone for money I had already been paid? I feel he purposely refused to understand what pretty much a kindergartner could figure out to intentionally screw me. This man is not fair or impartial (in my own personal opinion, from my own personal experience as described above).
May 17, 2026 by Phillips:
I agree if you have a case and you think you're going to win think again if you don't have an attorney because they don't even let you talk they don't even let you show your evidence they only give you your due process especially this judge he dismisses you like you're nobody
May 17, 2026 by Laurie808:
The same here he would not even let us produce our evidence and did not want to hear anything we had to say in our answer he said that we put we were using the place for an income that was never put in our answer and we went to say that and he dismissed us like we were nobody like we were scums this man it is really sad but there is a lot of mendocino county judges that are the same if you don't have money you don't have an attorney you're nobody they dismiss you like your nobody we had evidence and we had witnesses it was not okay what happened to us we did not even get our due process that we were supposed to get That's our constitutional rights and we didn't even get that and I said something in court about that and was still dismissed like I didn't matter so please don't vote for him again because he's not a man that needs to be a judge
May 15, 2026 by s6s:
When I went before Pekin, he was biased and unfair. At the beginning of my hearing, he started with a comment that favored the defendant I was suing. It was mentioned that she filed something right before court (which isn't allowed) and that I guess influenced the judge. When I asked him to see what it was so I could respond to it, he wouldn't allow that. A couple weeks later, when I went to the clerks office and asked for a copy of what the defendant filed that morning, there was nothing there. She even turned her computer screen around to show me all the filings in the case. So she somehow got a communication to Judge Pekin that influenced his decision and made him prejudice against me, is all I can guess. That shouldn't be allowed to happen.
5/27/2026 by Private32:
PEKIN IS A PIECE OF BAD WORK!!!! WHO LOVES CRIMINALS !!!!!HE SHOULD HAVE STUCK TO DEFENDING THEM, HIM AND ALEX THE FORMER ASSISTANT DA SHOULD HAVE STARTED A COMPANY CALLED DO WE CHEAT EM AND HOW!!!! I HAVE NEVER SEEN A JUDGE BE SO BIASED IN MY LIFE! SAW THAT AN ATTORNEY STOLE HIS CLIENTS MONEY FROM HER HOUSES IN A DIVORCE BY CHANGING JUDGE PEKINS ORDERS AND LEAVING HER HOMELESS......AND THE JUDGE JUST PATTED HIM ON THE BACK TODAY FOR IT!!!! WAY TO GO JUDGE PEKIN, I HOPE YOU GET YOUR OWN KHARMA SOON!!!! VOTE HIM OUT!!!!!
5/27/2026 by KDH:
time to vote him out!