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It was a warm, just before Summer morning last Tuesday, June 14th, when I walked at a fast pace from the Spring Street at Cesar Chavez Boulevard parking lot to the Los Angeles Superior Court House at 111 No. Hill Street in Downtown Los Angeles. I was on my way to Department 74, on the seventh floor, where a hearing was taking place in the case of Frontline Medical vs. Marissa Schermbeck, Frontline’s former business administrator. I was dying to find out if the judge would see through Munir Uwaydah’s latest ruse--his most recent master scam to manipulate the court into believing he cannot leave Lebanon because of a court order there that forbids him from travelling and now holds his passports hostage.

Munir Uwaydah, M.D., the elusive, slippery, master manipulator, and quintessential gamesman of professional litigation, the majority shareholder and principal of Frontline Medical, now wants the Superior Court of Los Angeles to believe that he is embroiled in a family law matter in the Sharia Court in Lebanon and is forbidden by that court from traveling outside of Lebanon. So the fool actually thinks he can sell the idea to the Los Angeles Superior Court that he has had his passports seized, and cannot appear for his deposition in a case he has filed as the Plaintiff against his former business administrator.

What a joke. This is a tired old game. Uwaydah’s pattern and practice is well recognized by now. Everybody is on to him. And now we finally all know he is hanging out presently in Lebanon. That mystery is over.

Certainly he doesn’t want to come back to Los Angeles, as he is wanted for questioning in a murder case--the March 2008 murder of aspiring actress and model Juliana Redding. A murder which many believe he had a hand in. A murder which many believe he ordered murder suspect Kelly Soo Park to commit.

Uwaydah filed the Superior Court Complaint against Schermbeck, so now, hello!, he must cooperate with the rules of Discovery. He must appear for his Deposition. But Uwaydah never plays by the rules. He always wants to have his cake and eat it too. He wants to sue his former business administrator, but he has no intentions of playing by the rules of civil litigation. He wants to manipulate the Court, and use and abuse it until its blue in the face. And he’s done this many times before.

He did it in Prometheus Health Imaging (Uwaydah’s alter ego) vs. General Electric Medical Systems (2002--2006), and in Prometheus Health Imaging vs. Ghaled Ghandour (2008). It was exactly this same game. Uwaydah made excuses over and over as to why he couldn’t cooperate with discovery and show up for his depositions, until finally the Ohio court in Prometheus vs. General Electric just flat out called him a “fraudster” and stated in the court documents that they were sick of his “gamesmanship”. They were done.

In his civil case against Lebanese businessman Ghaled Ghandour, which was a totally fraudulent scam where he used an actor to pose as Ghandour in a Los Angeles court and agree to a three million dollar settlement, Uwaydah failed to appear at the hearings by claiming he had just had open heart surgery. He got a Lebanese doctor who is not even a surgeon to write a letter stating he had operated on Uwaydah’s heart recently and that due to the stress factor, Uwaydah could not travel in order to appear in court.

How could this be? None of Uwaydah's mistresses have ever mentioned Uwaydah ever having a heart condition or having any type of open heart surgery. None have mentioned a prominent scar bifurcating his chest plate, but one did allude to the fact that he was always ready for sexual activity, even when it was most inappropriate.

This doesn’t sound like a man with a heart condition or one recovering from major open heart surgery to me. I think it would have been mentioned to me, either a heart condition before or after the heart surgery. One recent mistress certainly mentioned so much else.

What I recall was her description of a man with boundless energy; so much energy that he was able to have a full-time mistress with whom he sired twins at the same time that he was about to make a baby with another, along with a full-time wife in Lebanon. Most men with optimally healthy hearts don’t usually have this much energy—or time—or the skill to time-manage such French exits and entrances with concubines.

Talk about stress in keeping one from finding out about the other. Alas, Uwaydah has always been very obsessed about keeping his women from crossing paths. And in perilously carving out their separate spheres, he clearly never worried about stress on his heart.

So, I reached the tiny court room. It was already packed with lawyers. An attractive woman judge was sitting on the bench. She was Teresa Sanchez-Gordon and she had long, just below shoulder length dark hair parted on the left side. She was slim and energetic, and when she called the Frontline vs. Schermbeck case she didn’t beat around the bush. She cut to the chase.

Judge Teresa Sanchez-Gordon: Motion from Defendant is granted. Plaintiff must produce Uwaydah. The court is going to order that date for deposition.

Marc Masters, Frontline’s attorney from Bird, Marella, Boxer, Wolpert, Nessim, Drooks, & Lincenberg (the Bird firm) responded by asking the Judge if the court reviewed all the experts’ statements and the latest writings. Judge Sanchez-Gordon replied that she certainly had. Plus, she stated she was imposing $7,165.00 in Sanctions against Frontline to be paid within 30 days.

Then, she cited a long litany of case law which made my head spin. She stated that the Plaintiff, Frontline Medical, had not established that Uwaydah could not travel in order to appear at his deposition. She stated that the travel restriction could be easily lifted.

Judge Teresa Sanchez-Gordon: Uwaydah and his wife are improperly represented by the same counsel. This court is not inclined to excuse Uwaydah from appearing at his deposition.

Then Marc Masters argued that he had provided a document stating that the writing that stated Dr. Uwaydah and his wife, Kadri Uwaydah, were represented by the same counsel, was a clerical error.

Counsel Ryan Saba (counsel representing the Defendant, Marissa Schermbeck and her husband): This is the translated document from the Arabic language. We rely on this translated document. Walid Choubair (the same counsel that represents Uwaydah) is the attorney for Kadri Uwaydah. There is nothing restricting Uwaydah from appearing here. The only authority that can restrict Uwaydah from travelling is the Lebanese Surete Generale. This is missing an order from the Lebanese Surete Generale.

Judge Teresa Sanchez-Gordon: Despite the clerical error about the attorney representing Kadri Uwaydah, the court’s ruling is not changing.

Counsel Marc Masters: He (Uwaydah) cannot come here. His passports were surrendered. He offered money to the court and the court said no.

Judge Teresa Sanchez-Gordon: If the Sharia Court fails to give Uwaydah back his passports, I want to hear from the Sharia Court.

Marc Masters then pleaded that he has offered to pay for Ryan Saba to travel to Lebanon to take Uwaydah’s deposition. He argued that Uwaydah is not a resident of California but a resident of Lebanon.

Counsel Marc Masters: There’s not a shred of evidence that Uwaydah can travel. We can take his deposition there (in Lebanon). Sanctions are not appropriate. We cannot force Uwaydah to violate a court order in Lebanon. My arguments are reasonable!

Judge Teresa Sanchez-Gordon: Okay. But, I want to know why they (the Sharia Court) are not going to respect this Court’s order.

Then, Ryan Saba got angry, in a controlled manner, but he got noticeably angry. He audibly expressed himself while rather heated up.

Counsel Ryan Saba: There’s no doubt he (Uwaydah) has a residence here. It’s evident from Uwaydah’s own medical license! I don’t feel safe going to Lebanon! I don’t want to go to Lebanon!

Judge Teresa Sanchez-Gordon: I want you to go into the jury deliberation room and set a date for the plaintiff’s deposition. It will take place in Mr. Saba’s office.

Counsel Ryan Saba: There’s no doubt Uwaydah has a residence in California. He’s the majority shareholder of Frontline!

Judge Teresa Sanchez-Gordon: I want to hear from the Sharia Court, not from Uwaydah, not from his lawyer. I want to hear directly from the Court.

Counsels Ryan Saba and Marc Masters then went into the jury deliberation room, and came out after only about 10 minutes. They are unable to agree on a date. Masters mentions the ongoing criminal investigation into Frontline. He expressed the Sharia Court matter should be resolved in September.

Judge Teresa Sanchez-Gordon: I want a date certain. The deposition will take place on or before September 30th in the office of Mr. Saba. I want to be very clear. I am not going to accept a declaration from any other person. I want to hear from the Sharia Court. Only. I want to know why they are not returning the passport to Uwaydah for the purpose of moving his case forward.

Judge Teresa Sanchez-Gordon: Let me see what I get from the Sharia Court. But I want to set a specific date. On or before September 30th.

Clearly Judge Teresa sees through this likely ruse. She demands Uwaydah appear for his deposition if he wants to pursue this case. If he’s not going to appear, then he can’t pursue this case. And that will be just tough toe nails.

If he’s too afraid to show up in Los Angeles because he’s afraid the FBI or other law enforcement agency will nab him, then he’s just shit out of luck in pursuing this case against Marissa.