Complaint Review: CLIFFORD WOOSLEY - VAN NUYS California

The Injustice of California’s Faulty Systems IF YOU NEED THE ACTAUL CERTIFIED DEPOSTION OR PSYCHIATRIC RECORDS SHOWING CLIFFORD H WOOSLEY WAS PERMANETLY MENTALLY DISABLED  - ( REQUEST) 

 A chance opportunity for a young woman to become a lawyer under the tutelage and mentorship of a prominent Los Angeles law firm, ultimately culminated in an extramarital affair; an unplanned pregnancy; coercion, emotional distress, and blackmail; and a slanderous arrest that unjustly placed a young, mother of with three children behind bars.

The case first attracted media attention in 1996, when it was revealed that the victim’s perpetrator, Clifford Woolsey, was not only her  boss—a partner in the prominent Los Angeles law firm for which Saret-Cook had been employed—but also an Elder at the Hollywood Presbyterian Church. The ensuing allegations and legal frenzy resulted in shattered lives and defamed reputations for all those involved—including the very systems designed to protect against victimization.

Now, 15 years later, the case that had finally been quieted has once again crept back into the lap of the media, dragging with it further proof that our protective “systems” are faulty, and that power and prestige is not always earned, nor is it always well-governed.  Right now you may be asking, why is a 15 year old law suit demanding media attention.

The answer lies with following the career of Clifford Woolsey,  former partner of the prominent law firm cited in the case. Today, Clifford H. Woosley is an Administrative Law Judge (ALJ) in the Van Nuys regional Office of Administrative Hearings (OAH), where he's been employed since February of 2009. “Judge” Woosley received his bachelor degree from the University of Wisconsin, Madison, in Journalism. He received his law degree from Loyola Law School. Before coming to the OAH, he was in private practice and served as an ALJ pro tem for four years, completing the required training necessary to conduct mediations and administrative hearings. During his tenure with the prestigious downtown Los Angeles law firm when he was still in private practice, his psychiatrist, UCLA Dr. Leonard Kram,  had diagnosed Woosley as suffering from depression. For a brief period of time, Woosley underwent treatments and then decided to discontinue them against the advise of his treating medical psychiatrist. As a consequence, Woosley was eventually asked to step down from his partnership.

In February 1996, he resumed psychiatric care. He lost over 30 pounds, could not sleep and suffered from anxiety muscle spasms, restlessness, and suicidal thoughts. He was diagnosed as having major depression, placed on permanent disability, and was prescribed anti-depressant and anti-anxiety medications.

Woosley admitted in his deposition on May 10, 2010 he was on Supplemental Security Income (SSI)  for 10.5 years because he qualified for a total permanent emotional disability, which he himself coined the phrase describing it as “post traumatic stress syndrome”.

According to Woosley at a 5150 evaluation he stated he had Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD) and  Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disordera(ADHD)  is something that can be outgrown in 6 months.  Here we have it, a comprehensive medical understanding about psychiatric disorders directly from from a judge.  Most recently Woosley admits to not providing his daughter with the medically necessary Dr. prescribed  ADHD medications, because he believed that those medications were not medically necessary.

Woosley testified in the same deposition he owed Social Security for his SSI  permanent Disability a repayment $48,000 because they made a determination in February of 2009 he was making more income than he was allowed to. Hmmmm…. Sounds suspicious doesn’t it? It looks like we have a judge, who makes educational decisions for special need school children directly affecting not only their lives but also those of their families’ and he can’t seem to calculate whether or not he is entitled to receive SSI benefits!

Later we discover from Woosley’s own blog; he was employed in January of 2009 and was entitled to receive Social Security benefits on the basis of being permanently disabled when he was employed 60% of the time with the state of California. How many people do you know are working and receive permanent disability benefits?

"Expense items to 3 decimals

Posted by: Clifford H. Woosley on Jan 05, 2009 5:34pm

Strange as it may seem, the State of California's mileage reimbursement rates is $0.585/mile. In Expense Types, I added the CA Mileage type for my contract work with the State.  However, the cost per item [unit price] only goes to 2 decimal points.  When I put in .585, it rounds up to .59.

Believe it or not, the State returned one of my invoices last year because my billing system indicated it was billing at 1/2 of one cent too much. [At first, could not get the unit price to 3 decimals. Is it a big deal to have expense types' unti prices go to 3 decimals?  Otherwise, I will have to find a billing system that will.  CA state is 60% of my business.    Cliff Woosley"

Woosley’s very colorful history.  During his tenure with the large downtown law firm , his resume his reflected his attendance at USC. A subpoena of Woosley’s official transcript from USC shows he enrolled and withdrew without ever attending any classes. Woosley continues to misrepresent his educational achievements. Recently he informed the Department of Children’s and Family Services (DFCS) he attended classes for “6 weeks" at USC. This is in direct contradiction to his official USC transcript. Conveniently this is not on his ALJ online resume.

Woosley’s resume at the ALJ online claims he was a partner at a major downtown Los Angeles law firm while true it omits important facts:  He was in fact asked to step down. At the time Woosley had an affair with his paralegal,  Elizabeth he was a general partner at this law firm as well as an elder of his church.

Even his geni.com site is in question it lists his father as Arnold Woosley but doesn’t include his second wife Helen (who uses the last name of Woosley and has been with him over 20 years) nor does it include his wife’s ex-husband or his wife’s true and correct name. Woosley claims his father Arnold Woosley adopted his two stepbrothers but yet again more lies?  The site lists their father as someone other than Arnold Woosley. He was the executor and trustee of his deceased brothers estate ( however he claimed during the family law case he actually borrowed 25k from his brother).  Then in deposition he claimed to be entitled to 40% and the other 40% to his other half-brother.  The remaining 20% split at 5% each to his son and his wife's son and his remaining half brothers two sons.  Nothing was designated for this childborthers ( NOT 4% to each of the 5 nieces and nephews) Just the 5% to woosley's "two sons" and his remaining brothers two children..

 Here are some of the facts about Woosley:

* General partnership and job focus. At one time Woosley was one of 16 general partners . He was the head of his section and had oversight over all the paralegals and law clerks. As an elder in his church Hollywood Presbyterian he insisted on providing counseling Unfortunately, Woosley did not take his job or counseling seriously enough. He involved himself in extracurricular extramarital activities and got one of his paralegal’s pregnant. In a voicemail message produced at trial, he stated that he had power over her and that he had hired her because she had great legs.

* As a general partner making over 200k a year he borrowed from his paralegal 10K in a written note promising to pay her back to satisfy an ( IRS)  tax lien against him.  We have located no proof of repayment of these funds ( she made 36k a year and emptied her savings to help him).  This was not the first or last of his IRS tax liens is this okay as an Administrative Law Judge.

* Instigated the felony arrest of the mother of his child more than 15 years ago for mistakenly cashing an original paycheck check for $1000.00 instead of a replacement check she was told by office personal a stop payment had been placed on.

a) This occurred following the birth of her child by emergency caesarean section, and a broken leg at 8.5 months into her pregnancy from an injury sustained during the January 1994 earthquake.

b) The arrest four police officers drew guns in front of her three minor children. The case was promptly dismissed in the interest of justice once the judge realized it was a frivolous case based on Woosley's ongoing efforts to obtain a civil advantage in the sexual harassment suit filed against him.

c) In March of 2010 regarding the felony arrest case a motion was made for expungement. Not only was the case expunged but the judge issued a rare factual finding of innocence.  She found Woosley’s conduct in this arrest was willful and done with intent to gain a civil advantage.  The judge ordered everything with this case to be destroyed.  The case no longer exists and despite this, Woosley continues to tell others she was arrested for a felony. This includes informing DPCS about her arrest.

 * Woolsey claimed he attended USC - . He also reaffirmed this during a recent interview with a recent DCFS even though not true. He said, it gave him credability - he never attended a single day of classes.  See supoened USC records he enrolled and withdrew even leaving the state to pursue his education.

* 1996 he received the first private disability under the law firm’s policy Republic when this ran out he then continuing until he revived SSI under the strict guidelines of social security for permanent disability for more than 10.5 years.

 * He withdrew $80,000 January 1997 from his   pension depositing it at Home Savings, shortly after going on disability. At the time his pension was in excess of $230,000.

* In 1996 Woosley received a settlement from the law firm with a cover letter signed by the managing partner, Thomas Viola to Woosley.

* Collected Supplemental Security Income (SSI) for disability starting around January of 1997. Question: Was his pension in excess of $230,000? Was the $80,000 withdrawal disclosed to SSI at the time he left the law firm? Was the 100,000 disposable income the judge found he had from his pension disclosed to SSI, the loan from his brothers Stephen Woosley in the amount of 25,000 and finally the monies he started receiving in 2008 as executor and beneficiary of his deceased brothers Stephan Woosleys estate (which consisted on a home in Covina in excess of 400,00 owed free and clear) Woosley admitted in his deposition he had received over 120,000 and was still owed another 60,000.  Instead of paying SSI the 48,000 he owed or putting money away for his child’s education he purchased a new car for 40,000 cash.

*In 2000, the judge who determined child support found Woosley had a disposable income of $100,000.

*In 2008, Woosley who was the executor and beneficiary of his deceased brother Stephen Woosley’s estate - received according to his depositions $120,000 of which he spent $40,000 on a new car for his wife - $40,000 on his private debts and then put away $40,000. Woosley contends in his deposition he is still owed $40,000. Question: How could Woosley continue to collect and receive SSI payments for disability when he had large sums of money coming to him from earnings and inheritances?

*Testified to having to pay back SSI over $48,000 but when asked for proof of payment on this claim, it is learned that he is required to make payments of $500 a month starting supposedly April 2010 then when asked yet again for proof of this and ordered by the judge to produce documentation it then the payments were to start June 1 of 2011. One wonders if (Social Security) is aware of Woosley’s monetary windfalls, which include a 1996 loan from Stephen Woolsey for $25,000.   HE even withheld a student loan he is paying.  Why is this important because he claimed to be “BROKE” Yes, that is the exact word he used and his college aged would have to go to a community college even though he and his wife made over 150,000 jointly.  Was it mentioned Woosley pays Citibank for student loans for his older child? Taking home a salary in excess of 84,000 a year along with his wife’s salary of 50,000 and a pension allows him the right to tell DFCS he is “BROKE” .

* Violation of Court Orders. Manipulated his knowledge of the law to gain access to confidential court sealed depositions. He himself acknowledged they were under protective orders and should not have remained in his possession. He purports to have destroyed these, and later quotes verbatim from the documents, which he claimed in written letter he no longer has copies of and is aware he's not entitled to them.

 * Assisted in helping others obtain SSI benefits and answered questions regarding how to best approach the administrative judge assigned to the case. In fact he asked to have the paper work faxed to him so he could review it before the appeal hearing on two SSI children’s cases.

* As of April of 2011 Woosley had not even filed his 2009 tax return.

* Woosley’s personal biography states t he was in private practice years before becoming an ALJ full-time in February of 2009. Question: How can an employed person receive SSI benefits from 2005 through February of 2009 under the classification of permanent disability?

 * Woosley continues to manipulate and now he has managed to manipulate by lying repeatedly to the DFCS to gain unfair advantage over the mother of his child in another frivolous lawsuit. See below for a direct discussion of his interference with the parenting of his child, whom he did not raise. 

The DCFS Failed to Investigate the Woosley’s Fitness to Parent his child with Elizabeth. The source of the child's emotional stress is pertinent to this jurisdictional hearing and yet obvious potential sources of this emotional stress have not been appropriately investigated. Against the child's psychiatrist’s recommendations, the Woosley’s have changed for the worse and taken away virtually every aspect of the child's life, including  school,  academic success in school, friends,relationships with their siblings,  mental health providers, physical health providers,  tutors, religion, and even their name.

How sad when the child's established parental relationships with their step-dad a former award winning child actor who went on to create a TV series and produced celebrity sports events that raised millions of dollars for important charities raised this child as their own" and they treated as him their ONLY DAD" in every sense of the definition of FATHER from before even being born until age 16 now has aggressive prostate cancer and osteoporosis affecting the bones. He has not seen his child in over a year.

Woolsey continues to repeatedly disobey court orders for two monthly visits with her " DAD".  Woosley was ordered to facilitate these visits instead has ignored repeated requests to make these happen.  

How will the child deal with all the lost time she could have spent with "Dad"  now forever lost because of his aggressive probate cancer. ***contempt proceedings are being considered against Woosley for not facilitating court ordered sibling and "Dad" visits as this is written).  

The failure to investigate the Woosley’s’ impact on the children's mental and emotional health conditions is a fundamental flaw in the DCFS’s jurisdictional investigation instigated by Woosley's failure to disclose at every step his own mental health issues. Instead, Woosley directed DCFS investigators to hyper focused on Elizabeth’s mental history – to the point of dredging up the old Gilbert-Kelly case –  they are now evaluating the risks to the child presented by the long mental health history of Woosley.

For well over a decade, Woosley was permanently and totally disabled under stringent Social Security Administration (SSA) Guidelines for mental health disability and allegedly unable to handle any stress. It belies common sense that the DCFS would fail to investigate whether the man who presently has custody of their child is mentally and emotionally fit to raise a child in a stable, loving and safe home.

Woosley sadly is still an elder after 15 years ago after stepping down as one at First Presbyterian Church, in Hollywood.  He is now back as an elder on the Ministry Board counseling those in need of truth at Pasadena Lake Church.

We must question how Woosley having had his own extra marital affair and then ripping the child away from its entire family can resume counseling others ethically or morally? Woosley’s belief no matter how many times you knowingly turn your back on what’s right all that’s required is to pray for forgiveness.  It’s time Woosley stops his lies and steps down as an Elder and is not allowed put others in the same place he did Elizabeth. 

Sadder is his blaming Elizabeth for finding out during the time she was pregnant with his child his own wife Sonja Woosley aka Brown aka Harrelson aka Burrier whose legal name is not even Sonja but “Theresa” the women he had married waited 15 years to tell Woosley she had an affair with her boss and their then 15 year old son was likely not biologically his.  Testimony at trial concurs Woosely told others he was having a blood test done to determine paternity.  How does one do this to a 15 year old child?  Woosely was the only father his son had ever known.  The note Woosley sent Elizabeth clearly goes to the depth of who “Theresa” is.  

Theresa told Woosely the difference in their affairs was she had sex with her then boss and Woosley had made love to his paralegal.  Sonja a role model for Elizabeth’s child!  Sonja married at age 15 – never disclosing it to her own family her prior marriage to “Michael Burrier”.  Kept her affair with her boss and the paternity questions of her son hidden until she had no choice but to disclose. She fails to use her legal first name “Theresa” for unknown reasons.  She herself had no relationship with her father nor completed even high school.  She met Woosely on a public bus, knowing he was involved and sleeping with other women at the time stating she could not get pregnant. 7 months later shows up you guessed it? Pregnant demanding marriage. 

Sonja actually told her step-child at 15 they never should have been born. Her own grown son apologizing for his mother's behavior.

Ironically, Woosely told Kathleen Leonard the first love of his life Elizabeth was his sole mate and thru it all Kathleen and Woosely still promised each other they would someday end up together even when Woosley repeatedly recommitted thru god to his wife while starting stopping and then resuming his affair with Elizabeth.  Sonja not even realizing she is still in love with Woosely.  Sonja refused to allow Woosley to even communicate with his only friend Ms. Leonard who found herself in a very similar situation to Woosley’s.  Woolsey a very sad lonely man trapped in a loveless marriage looking for any excuse out.  

The real question why has Woosley been given so much power?  He has been able to completely alienate this mother and her entire family from the child and continues to do so without any consequences.  We must consider the  total and utter destruction to the mother and her family by not being able to reunite in over a year with the child now 17.  The lies continue this man even told the Department social worker - the reason his daughter was given rifampin for two months was because he was allergic to penicillin ( there is no parental genetic connection with such an allergy) everything this man says has been proven to be a lie. 

Now he claims his daughter sees a therapist according to a written letter from the "supposed therapist" 2 to 3 times a month insurance states there were 7 visits total over a period of 7 months EVEN THOUGH THE "explanation of benefits" ( EOB) shows payments for each billed visit at 225.00 wit ha 20.00 co-payment billing started in feb and was billed thru the end of July.  He now claims all were denied BUT there is nothing under the denial code stating such.  He even went as far as claiming there was a co-ordination of benefits when the insurance company stated there was NOT.  It is all lies on Woosley's part and he is an administrative law judge and an elder of a church who makes decisions affecting all of our children.  His lies continue not only regarding the child's court ordered therapy but to her medications as well.  

He has gone to an extreme to alienate this child from her mother by telling not only the child BUT everyone involved in the mother and child's life the mothers "Parental Rights"  were terminated.  This statement is backed up by DCFS as being completely untrue and he still continues to persist with it even though the department told Woosley he himself knew this was false.  DPCS Title 20's reflect how Woosley telling this lie to the child along with others severely impacted them.

All this mother even wanted was the truth and for her past not to equal her present nor her future.  I asked Elizabeth what she wants now " her child to know she will always love her".  

*** In 1995 Woosley brought a motion for sole custody the judge ordered custody would remain with the mother and nothing would change until a 730 evaluation was done.  Woosley refused this evaluation ( Was it because he was on permeant mental disability and the history of his realtionhip with his wife and the paretnage of her second son) NO determination of paternity was ever adjudicated.  Elizabeth maintained sole legal and physical custody as clearly referenced by woosley.  In 1996 Woosley appeared before Judge Arnold Gold and when asked who was representing him in the family law matter for he stated on the record ( see attached transcript) I am in Pro Per.  Judge Gold then asked Woosley if a determination of paternity had ever been established woosley replied " NO".  

FOURTEEN  years later Woosley intentionally misled the dependency court into believing a determination of paternity had been established simply because DNA testing had been done.  Woosley was well aware a determination of paternity had never been established as he had refused the family law judge's  order for a 730 evaluation.   Woosley never returned to family court until years later in 1999  when he requested a reduction in child support ( LISTING HIS OWN VISITATION AS ZERO) .  THERE was never  a court order for determination of paternity in Family Law Court.   However, Woosley repeatedly continued to manipulate the depedentcy court into believing a determination of paternity had established years before in family law court.  Elizabeth's husband at the time of conception was the presumed father pursuant to California Family Law.

UPDATE  - Woosley has continued to pursue this child's mother all the way into criminal court  -where he is now attempting to completely alienate any relationship between mother and daughter with a criminal no contact order.  How long will the system designed to protect families allow this one to be destroyed?  

UPDATE  - Woosley has continued to pursue this child's mother all the way into criminal court. He is now attempting to completely alienate any relationship between mother and daughter with a criminal no contact order.  How long will the system designed to protect families allow this one to be destroyed?   Woosley stated to a supervisor a DPCS " This is his last chance to get Elizabeth" by fighting to have yet another restraining order this time criminal for 3 years placed on her and stopping her from being able to parent her three boys without restrictions.  All based on Woosley heresy  this mother over emailed and over text her child NOW 18.  The mother never sent the emails and finally in an effort to protect her child from not having to testify she decided to accept a deal.  Can you imagine a mother for supposedly over texting ( YES THAT'S RIGHT) her child benign text messages having a 3 year CPO added on to the already 3 year TRO ( issued without any evidence witnesses or testimony) woolsey could not even produce one single text or email sent by the mother to her child when in depedentcy court ( oops he forgot those to) Thats because she sent none.  

A DFCS head of department stated Woosley pulled the wool over the departments eyes and they knew he was a liar." THAT WAS THE ACTUAL WORDS HE USED" in describing the Woosley situation. FURTHER DFCS did on their own an internal affairs  investigation and asked the supervisors on this case  THE REAL QUESTION  HOW DID THIS HAPPEN.????  EVERYONE KNOWS THE TRUTH HOW WOOSLEY COMPLETELY ALIENATED THIS MOTHER FROM HER CHILD BY TELLING OTHERS THE MOTHERS PARENTAL RIGHTS WERE TERMINATED.  EVEN AFTER Woosley WAS  YELLED AT BY A DFCS SUPERVISOR  TO STOP LYING to others including THE CHILD that the MOTHERS PARENTAL RIGHTS WERE TERMINATED WHEN THEY WERE NOT HE CONTINUED TO TELLING EVERYONE THEY WERE TERMINATED. 

I  saw a promissory note from Woosley to Elizabeth  he borrowed (he was a partner making 200k ) from her a paralegal making 36k a year  he never paid it back,  Supposedly for IRS liens ( obtained prior to Elizabeth) - he  claimed in family law case he had no ability to pay child support his only income the firms disability policy when that ran out only SSI ( he was not working and had no income this was as late as 1999).  However,  his  ALJ resume ( bio) states he worked for a large downtown LA law firm as a partner ( then went into private practice,  then worked part time as an ALJ for 4 years prior to his actual full-time starting date of Feb 2009) He never informed the Family Law Court  by filing an updated income and expense declaration ( a change in income) as required by law.  If his ALJ resume is truthful  clear Woosley had income other than SSI ( as a private practicing attorney then as a part time employee for the ALJ before being hired full-time)

THE TRUTH - he did work for a large downtown LA law firm as a partner- he was fired and lied to his partners about the affair resuming was unable to face them.  then he claimed in family law case he was not working at all - see declaration of woolsey ( but on his alj resume he claimed he was in private practice) then he claimed he had no income other than SSI for permanent mental disability ( see attached declaration) but he was working part time according to his ALJ resume for 4 year prior to his  full-time ADMINISTRATIVE LAW JUDGE employment in Feb 2009.  He testified by declaration and in his deposition in 2010 he had to repay SSI 48K because his income was not calculated correctly - when asked for proof of this in his depo he then claimed he had to repay the 48k at 500.00 monthly payments ( he wanted a child support credit) wonder if he re paid SSi the money he was not entitled to ( for not as he testified to calculating his income correctly).  Can you receive income working part-time for the state and prior to that in private practice and not be able to properly calculate whether you are entitled to SSI benefits?

Now it has come to our attention woosley requested discovery produced documents on a case with a confidential order placed on it - further, the attorney representing the plaintiff requested in  writing Woosley  return any and all documents he had ( in fact defense counsel was so upset at woosley's  deposition in this case he made it clear he was intending to file in court for a violation of the confidentiality order because woosley had the depositions of plaintiff.) Woosley obtained educational records without a subpoena or any notice to the person whose records he obtained.  These were again obtained from a case he was not the atty of record on, had no interest in, and obtained no subpoena.

The saddest part was as an atty and an educational judge he told others that a one time visit with a defense expert doctor ( who Elizabeth saw one time for ONLY  50 mins)  see deposition attached he prepared the report on her based on what woosley,  attys and their experts  told him BUT seeing her was just a necessary formality  ( ELIZABETH MAINTAINED THE ACTUAL TAPE RECORDINGS OF THIS INTERVIEW ALL THESE YEARS )- again one visit at a charge of 275.00. However he saw woosley and the attys numerous times a was paid a fee of  approximately of 10K -  Everyone interviewed regarding this was clear woosley had given them this defense expert DS report leading them to believe he was her treating doctor HE WAS NOT HE WAS NOTHING MORE  THAN A DEFNSE EXPERT WHO PREFORMED AN IME - " HE WAS NOTHING MORE THAN A HIRED????

Woosley failed to disclose anywhere he was permanently mentally disabled for more than 15 years - exhausting his firms policy and then being overpaid by SSI for failing to properly calculate his income and owed them 48K.  He was also removed as an elder at Hollywood Presbyterian church

Was the affair consensual you decide:  Woosley was a general partner - the head of her section and the head of the paralegals/law clerks.  He also counseled her a nice Jewish girl as an elder of his church in weekly meetings.  Power what choice did she have ?????   He left her a voicemail message telling her " HE HIRED HER FOR HER GREAT LEGS" then when she left on vacation trying to make sure her marriage would hold together he sent her a fax in South America "THE WORK and DESK await your return.  Telling her he would call her voicemail just to hear her voice.  She was scared and alone and had no where to turn.  

The truth is an absolute defense - can you imagine getting calls for others about his outrageous rulings - He actually told Drs. at UCLA  - ADHD could be cured in 6 months  using the example of his wife's son with his OCD ( and how it went away in 6 months).  He would only give his child with Elizabeth their ADHD medication when it was needed/wanted   not as scheduled by the prescription. Of course the child would be affected by this as he made up his own rules.  This man is an an administrative law ALJ (educational judge) in the capacity as  a last resort for our school children.