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Libel/Slander Court Documents
| Date | Document Summary | Link |
| Oct. 17, 2000 | This is the profile written about Rod Sacharnoski and posted on Jeff Boler's web site, Budo Quackwatch. This was entered into court records when it was submitted by the plaintiff as an exhibit for his second amended complaint. (Note: The May 31, 2001, date shown on the web site is the date the visitor printed a copy from the Internet. It is not the original publication date of the material.) | Sacharnoski profile |
| December 2001 | Initial libel/slander complaint filed by Rod Sacharnoski (plaintiff) against Don Cunningham and Jeff Boler (defendants) in Cook County, IL. | Initial complaint |
| May 2002 | Amended complaint filed by Sacharnoski (plaintiff) in Cook County, IL. | Amended complaint |
| August 2002 | Motion for a summary judgment filed by Don Cunningham (defendant) in Cook County, IL. | Summary judgment |
| August 2002 | Memorandum in support of the motion for a summary judgment filed by Don Cunningham (defendant) in Cook County, IL. | Summary memo |
| Oct. 23, 2002 | Second amended complaint filed by Sacharnoski (plaintiff) in Cook County, IL. | Amended complaint 2 |
| Aug. 25, 2003 | Motion to dismiss libel/slander complaint filed by Don Cunningham (defendant) in Cook County, IL. | Motion to dismiss |
| Sept. 10, 2003 | Judge Peter Flynn orders Sacharnoski (plaintiff) to file written response by Oct. 1, 2003, to the motion to dismiss libel/slander complaint. | Judge's order |
| Dec. 9, 2003 | Second motion to dismiss libel/slander complaint since Sacharnoski (plaintiff) failed to comply with judge's orders. | Motion to dismiss 2 |
| Jan. 5, 2004 | Judge Peter Flynn ruled in favor of Don Cunningham's (defendant) motion, dismissing the libel/slander complaint filed by Sacharnoski (plaintiff) in Cook County, IL. | Order to dismiss |
| Jan. 14, 2004 | Rule 137 motion filed by Don Cunningham (defendant) for sanctions against Sacharnoski (plaintiff) and Champ Davis (plaintiff's attorney) for legal fees incurred in "defense of claims made entirely without basis in fact or law." | Rule 137 motion |
Related Exhibits
|
Link |
Document Summary |
| Hombu Warrior | Rod Sacharnoski attempted to personally profit from filing a complaint against Don Cunningham by soliciting $10,000 in cash from his followers, allegedly for legal expenses. Contributors' names and the respective amounts donated were published in the Hombu Warrior, Juko-Kai's official monthly newsletter, from December 2001 to July 2002. The front cover of the May 2002 issue lists several Juko-Kai members who apparently contributed money to his "legal defense fund." |
| USJF Letter 1 | Letter from Robert S. Fukuda, Executive Director, dated Dec. 12, 2001, regarding Rod Sacharnoski's judo rank status with the USJF. |
| Maine Letter 1 | Letter dated March 7, 2000, from Linda J. Conti, Assistant Attorney General, State of Maine referring inquiry regarding the University of Oriental Philosophy to Harry Osgood with the Maine Department of Education. |
| Maine Letter 2 | Letter dated April 28, 2000, from J. Duke Albanese, Commissioner, State of Maine Department of Education. |
| Maine Letter 3 | Letter dated June 18, 2001, from J. Duke Albanese, Commissioner, State of Maine Department of Education. |
| Rank
Certificate
Rank
Certificate |
Yudansha rank certificate issued by Kokusai Juko-Kai Shorin-Ryu Karate Renmai, International Juko-Kai Open Shorin-ryu Karate Division, and signed by Dr. Rod Sacharnoski, Soke/President/Director, and Shian Toma, Advisor/Sponsor. Click here for Japanese kanji definitions. |
| Successorship | Unsigned and undated English document provided by Rod Sacharnoski. It is purportedly written by Chijiro Koei Yokoto, a Japanese national and provided to support "soke" status and appointment as successor for Dai Yoshin ryu, a Japanese martial art style. |
| Black Belt Letter | Letter by Dr. R. Sacharnoski, Soke, President of Juko-Kai International, published in Black Belt Magazine "Letters to the Editor" section in March 1978, Vol. 16, No. 3, on page 6. In it, he denies ever being a student of Albert Church, Jr., and explains their relationship was "strictly business." |
| Juko-Kai Warrior | In the March 2005 issue of Juko-Kai Warrior, Sacharnoski eliminates several of his martial arts association's more dubious divisions and instructs Juko-Kai members to remove all former references to Dai Yoshin-ryu, Shinjo-ryu, and International Society of Traditional Judo (ISTJ). |
Attorney Correspondence
| Date | Letter | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Jan. 11, 2001 | First letter | The first
correspondence related to Rod Sacharnoski's complaints. Also
included copies of two letters, one to Concentric.Net, my personal
ISP, and one to EZBoard.Com. Note: Nothing referencing Rod Sacharnoski or Juko Kai, International was ever posted on any site or URL hosted by Concentric.Net. |
| Jan. 24, 2001 | First response | Response from my attorney to Kevin Thompson, requesting clarification regarding alleged false statements. Also instructed Rod Sacharnoski to cease threatening telephone calls and e-mails. |
| Feb. 2, 2001 | Second letter | Another letter from Kevin Thompson. In addition to alleging a "personal vendetta," he also claims I wrote to Rod Sacharnoski's publisher and I was selling Juko-Kai certificates on eBay. |
| Feb. 8, 2001 | Second response | In response, second letter pointing out that Kevin Thompson has yet failed to identify any false statements. |
| Sept. 30, 2002 | Settlement offer | Defendant's offer to settle case and Rule 137 petition seeking reimbursement of legal costs in defense of frivolous lawsuit. Offer rejected by plaintiff by filing of second amended complaint on Oct. 23, 2002. |
The Principal Characters
An
experienced judo instructor, kendo and jujutsu practitioner, and former
international tournament competitor, Don Cunningham is ranked by the
Kodokan Judo Institute in Tokyo. He has trained extensively in both Japan
and the U.S. and has coached several judo champions. Dr. Cunningham is a
respected university professor, renowned lecturer, and the acclaimed author of two
major books on aspects of Japanese feudal era culture and the history of
classical Japanese martial
arts.
The founder of Juko-Kai, International, a small, relatively insignificant Texas-based martial arts group, Rod Sacharnoski and his followers have frequently demonstrated the self-created style, "Combat Ki," by kicking and punching each other in the groin and throat for various television programs featuring eccentric and bizarre behaviors for public entertainment. Sacharnoski and Juko-Kai are also associated with the Bujinkan, a Japanese group led by Masaaki Hatsumi and based on ninja mythology.
"Striving for, and misuse of Judo rank is alien to the spirit of Judo; the substitution of Kodokan Judo rank by unofficial rank constitutes an act of expediency, which plays into the raw ego and stands as the antithesis of the essence of Kodokan Judo. It is understandable that there will always be a certain preoccupation with rank, but when the desire for recognition or reward becomes so compelling that individuals accept it on any terms, then they fall easy prey to the unprincipled who would use rank as a political or financial means to their own end."
Donn F. Draeger. "What is Rank: The
Matter of Integrity of Judo Ranks." Ed. Dennis Helms, AAU/USJF
Handbook, 1970.
