Attorney Maria Elena Gonzalez Lichten Plays Along With the DOE At 3020-a Says A Former Client

Charged with misconduct, tenured teachers have been reporting to me and others for years about being verbally abused by their NYSUT Attorneys before, during and after their 3020-a Hearing. My first hand experience with this phenomenon was in a public hearing I was asked to attend in 2007 where Mitch Rubenstein was the NYSUT Attorney. The teacher could not even ask a question without being treated as if she was too stupid to understand what was going on, so just dont ask, was the approach taken by Mr. Rubenstein.
Then, when another teacher was terminated after a hearing where his NYSUT Attorney was Melinda Gordon, he complained so much about her verbal abuse and incompetence that he asked Attorney Ed Wolf to read the transcripts. Ed read the transcripts of this terminated teacher and was furious. I was at 51 Chambers Street when Ed saw NYSUT head honcho Claude Hersh, went over to him, and confronted him with the horrible statements and job that Melinda Gordon did in the case of this particular teacher. Claude made excuses.
Ive heard many teachers talk in despair about NYSUT Attorney Maria Elena Gonzalez, but as far as I know, the video and audiotapes posted on Youtube and on this blog below are the first examples documenting Maria Elena playing along with the false charges filed against her client. By the way, it seems to be a nice family deal to have Maria Elena lose the case of a teacher, then recommend that the teacher appeal the penalty, whatever it is after the 3020-a Arbitrator makes a determination, with her husband, Attorney Stuart Lichten of Schwartz, Lichten &  Bright.

Attorney Stuart Lichten

I have heard that Lichten is a good Attorney, so I'm not commenting on his ability to represent someone. I have heard that he tells his clients at 3020-a that they cannot, or must not have an open and public hearing. As most of the readers of this blog know, I believe that the only way to win a 3020-a is to have an open hearing where as many people as possible come to watch all the people involved. I have volunteered my time to attend all 3020-a hearings to which I am invited, since 2003, and it did not occur to the Attorneys there that I was watching them, until about 2008 or 2009. Now, they threaten any UFT member who asks for an open and public hearing. And, it is simply natural that they abuse me for believing its the best way to go.
It is also interesting to notice that Attorney Arthur Schwartz, the Schwartz of Schwartz, Lichten & Bright, is the very same Attorney who represents the NYC Parents Union, who supposedly decided to give UFT President Michael Mulgrew an Award on November 4, 2011, for "all his help". I cant help but wonder about the validity of that award....

Attorney Arthur Schwartz

Anyway, the 3020-a YouTube videos and the taped conversation with the terminated teacher and Maria elena Gonzalez lichten are below, with comments by the teacher who was terminated:

October 26 2010 3020-a Hearing Video #1(Maria Elena Gonzalez Lichten, Richard Washington, Cheryl Smith, Hadee Rosario)
October 26 2010 3020-a Hearing video #2 (Maria Elena Gonzalez Lichten, Rich Washington, Cheryl Smith, Arbitrator Haydee Rosario)
Maria Elena Gonzalez Lichten conversation with EF