“Grooming the Bench: How Arizona Protects its Own”
In Arizona, Presiding Judges appoint Commissioners from local attorney ranks. Serving “at the pleasure” of the bench under A.R.S 12-213 These appointees form the “infantry” of the judiciary, handling high-conflict cases where rules are most likely bent. In Maricopa County, this creates a “loyalty loop”. These appointees handle complex litigation, such as Case No. CV2017-055490, often without the constitutional authority of an elected judge.
Arizona Supreme Court Rule 96
Under Rule 96 and Arizona Constitution Article 6, Section 24, a commissioner cannot preside over a civil trial without written consent from both parties. In this case, consent was never granted by either party. Yet, commissioner Christine Mulleneaux conducted the trial and signed a life-altering judgment—acting as a judge without a commission.
A Trial Stripped of Rights
The proceedings were marked by severe procedural failures:
Lack of Standing: Attorney Bryan Eastin filed this lawsuit in violation of A.R.S. § 29-3502. His clients, the Johansons, used an outdated, out-of-state “assignment of claim” to personally take over an LLC’s interest, effectively removing their legal standing. All claims involved property or damages belonging to Garpdon LLC, not the Johansons.
ADA Violations: When the defendants faced a medical emergency on the third day of trial, Mulleneaux refused an extension, violating ADA laws. She ruled the defendants “self-absented” and continued the trial to an empty defense table, stripping their constitutional right to participate in their defense
Christine Mulleneaux read jury instructions to the jury with a ‘Guilty” verdict. Essentially stating what Verdict the court was looking for. No mention of a not guilty verdict was mentioned to the jury.
The Forensic Paradox: The 11:45 AM “Ghost” Verdict
The most damning evidence exists in the metadata of the court’s filing system. On April 30, 2024, a temporal impossibility occurred:
11:45 AM: Courtroom Clerk E. Wolf stamped an unsigned Jury Verdict Form.
11:50 AM: The jury returned to the courtroom.
The court recorded a “guilty” outcome five minutes before the jury delivered it. To mask this, a black “X” was struck through the 11:45 AM stamp, and a second stamp was applied at 5:00 PM to retroactively align the paperwork with reality
The “Signature Unavailable” Deception
Fourteen days later, the court issued a minute entry claiming the “original verdict” was lost. They replaced it with a “DUPLICATE ORIGINAL,” a document that is a legal void. Under ARCP Rule 49(d)(2), a verdict must be signed by the foreperson or individual jurors. The “duplicate” filed against the Casavellis contains no juror IDs or initials—only the typed notation: “SIGNATURE UNAVAILABLE”. In law, an “unavailable” signature is a verdict that does not exist.
The Private Coup
The final breach occurred when the judgment bypassed the Clerk of the Superior Court.
The Architect: Bryan L. Eastin of Provident Law
Drafted the $1.67M judgment. Christine Mulleneaux signed the Final Judgment then turned it over to Bryan Eastin who then filed the Final Judgment on TurboCourt, not through proper channels through the Arizona Superior Court Clerk where they then apply the Official Court Seal and the Official Court Clerk Stamp. A.R.S. Sup.Ct.Rules, Rule 94 (c)(d)(e)(f)
The Missing Seal: Because it bypassed independent verification, the judgment lacks the official Court Seal and Clerk’s Stamp required for a valid instrument of the state
The Extraction Economy
While the case was on appeal, the plaintiffs rushed to liquidate the assets. Once Filed on TurboCourt, Bryan Eastin had the judgment recorded with the County Recorder.
The Fire: On March 30th 2024 Bryan Eastin issued an eviction letter giving the elderly defendants five days to vacate their remodeled home; On April 8, 2024, the Casavellis home was destroyed by fire.
The unexpected Twist The Eviction Court informed Bryan Eastin that the eviction was Not Valid due to not having the Superior Court Clerk Signature.
What this means is the Casavellis home was still Legally in their name when the eviction was filed, and when the fire occurred on April 8, 2024.
The Johanson’s immediately started remodeling the home, clearing out all possessions destroyed and those that were not. No information was given about the Casavellis personal property whereabouts.
The Closed-Loop: A contractor and realtor, a married couple, Joseph Knepper of Far Superior Builders and Cari Knepper of Keller Williams Realty handled the post-fire cleanup and sale. Joseph does the remodel and Cari sells the property. They removed the Casavellis personal property, including high-value tools and appliances that were never part of the judgment and not destroyed by the fire. Some would say that is a convenient arrangement.
As public records show, this took place while the Appeal was pending and before an Appellate Court Decision. A Stay was filed to stop the sale but was not granted.
Conclusion: The Fight for Accountability
This case represents massive constitutional violations and structural errors. The Arizona judicial system expected Nick and Niki to walk away; they haven’t.
The matter is now before the United States Supreme Court.
The Reaper Times exists to keep these records safe and expose the corruption. The truth is not alleged—it is documented.
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