Kevin M Hudson

From: Kevin Hudson for State Assembly 98th District

Apparently, the Times Herald-Record (THR) can “dish it out” but can’t seem to take it in equal measure. It has come to the attention of the campaign to elect Kevin M. Hudson to the 98th District of the NYS Assembly, from sources that have requested to remain anonymous out of concern for professional and business reprisal, that copies of the smaller local papers reporting on the Thirty Million Dollar lawsuit filed by Kevin M. Hudson against the THR have been mysteriously vanishing from the newsstands. Sources have indicated these local papers, once set out for sale to the general public, are being bought up in bulk.

Other as yet unconfirmed sources within the journalist sphere have reported that pressure is being exerted behind the scenes not to carry news items regarding Hudson’s lawsuit against the THR and not to report upon the issues related to the same as the matter moves forward.

It seems the THR wants to control the news reporting regarding matters concerning Kevin M. Hudson, his legal action against the THR, and his candidacy for the 98th District of the NYS Assembly, but people are talking about this off the record and are referring to the THR as being “in a state of damage control” ever since Hudson filed his lawsuit. Which seems to mean, in part, that the THR has started to publish “stories” re-alleging certain of the defamatory and libelous statements cited in Hudson’s previously filed complaint designed to damage Hudson and his candidacy (refer THR “story” Ex-Mayor Hudson Sues Timed Herald-Record in the Saturday, August 30th, 2014 edition of the THR).

If the foregoing allegations prove to be correct, the campaign to elect Kevin M. Hudson to the 98th District of the NYS Assembly condemns any such efforts and/or attempts to control or manipulate news reporting and openly solicits anyone with personal knowledge regarding the bulk buying of local papers or any behind the scenes efforts to suppress news reporting regarding or related to Hudson’s Thirty Million Dollar lawsuit against the THR to contact the Hudson campaign and explain what you know to be true. Kevin Hudson, fighting for you like he fights for himself. Vote for and elect Kevin Hudson to the State Assembly 98th District.

Campaign for Kevin M. Hudson for State Assembly 98th District: (914) 755-4358

Follow Kevin Hudson on Facebook or go to kevinmhudson.com

From: Kevin Hudson for State Assembly 98th District

File this under the heading of “Dumb and Dumber” Part II. Aside from Times Herald-Record (THR) “reporter” Chris McKenna, on August 27th, 2014, previously having accepted, on behalf of the THR and its employees, service of a Thirty Million Dollar lawsuit filed by Kevin M. Hudson against the THR for defamation and libel, initiated by McKenna sending an e-mail to Hudson actually asking to be provided with a copy of the filed lawsuit; the THR suffered another self-inflicted wound today when it published a story in the Saturday, August 30th, 2014 edition of the THR credited to “reporter” Steve Israel entitled: Ex-Mayor Hudson Sues Times Herald-Record. Wherein Israel repeated certain of the same defamatory and libelous allegations that, in part, form the basis of Hudson’s Thirty Million Dollar lawsuit which “reporter” Israel’s “story” pretends to report on, but which so-called “story”, in reality, is used to libel and defame Hudson again in the guise of “reporting” on Hudson’s lawsuit against the THR while reminding the public that Hudson is a candidate for the 98th District of the NYS Assembly after libeling and defaming Hudson anew in a blatant attempt by the THR to “poison the well” regarding Hudson’s candidacy just ahead of the primary elections scheduled for Tuesday, September 9th, 2014.

After “reporter” Israel re-alleges the defamatory and libelous false statements Hudson previously complained of in his lawsuit, Israel ends the story with the disingenuous representation: “Record management declined comment.” As if readers lack the intelligence to figure out this so-called “story” was, in fact, the THR “comment” by management since THR mid-level and executive editors must first approve this story for publication, especially a purported “story” allegedly “reporting” on an active lawsuit against the paper. Such is the contempt the THR holds its readers in as the THR attempts to get out in front of a real news story that will flush out and expose the culture of corrupt journalism existent at the THR which has managed to transition from the old to the new ownership of the paper.

It seems extremely likely that the newly published defamatory and libelous statements made by “reporter” Steve Israel in the Saturday, August 30th, 2014 edition of the THR will form the basis of a second Thirty Million Dollar lawsuit again brought by Hudson against the THR.

Kevin Hudson, fighting for you like he fights for himself. Vote for and elect Kevin Hudson to the State Assembly 98th District.

Campaign for Kevin M. Hudson for State Assembly 98th District: (914) 755-4358

Follow Kevin Hudson on Facebook or go to kevinmhudson.com

From: Kevin Hudson for State Assembly 98th District

File this under the heading of “Dumb and Dumber”, but all attributable to the same hapless individual blinded by his own rage and bias in continuation of the Times Herald-Record’s demonstrated mission to “get” Hudson. On August 27th, 2014 at approximately 4:45 PM, in the lobby and reception area of the building housing the Times Herald-Record (THR) offices at 40 Mulberry Street, Middletown, New York, “reporter” Chris McKenna facilitated and accepted service of a Thirty Million Dollar lawsuit against his own paper.

Background of Events

On August 21st, 2014 it was widely reported by press release that former Mayor of the Village of Washingtonville, Kevin M. Hudson, had filed a Thirty Million Dollar lawsuit against the THR alleging defamation and libel which allegations emanated from a nine page smear of Hudson appearing in the August 25th, 2013 Sunday Edition of the THR masquerading as a “Special Report” as opposed to the “hit piece” it actually was.

Hudson is currently a Republican candidate running for the position of State Assemblyman for the 98th District.

On August 26th, 2014 at 3:27 PM THR “reporter” Chris McKenna called candidate Hudson’s cell phone under the guise of wanting to interview Hudson for the upcoming August 31st, Sunday Edition of the THR featuring all of the candidates from both sides of the aisle running for office in the upcoming primaries.

While Hudson was in a meeting and did not take McKenna’s call, Hudson did call McKenna back later that same day at 4:15 PM. When McKenna got on the phone, rather than discuss Hudson’s candidacy, McKenna challenged Hudson, among other things, over whether or not Hudson had actually filed a Thirty Million Dollar lawsuit against the paper or not. Repulsed by McKenna’s subterfuge, Hudson ended the phone conversation indicating that he would e-mail some campaign literature to McKenna for the upcoming THR Sunday Edition reporting on the candidates running for local office.

Accordingly, on August 26th, 2014 at 6:00 PM, Hudson e-mailed McKenna indicating that it was improper for McKenna to contact Hudson regarding Hudson’s candidacy as a false pretext to question Hudson about the earlier filed defamation and libel lawsuit seeking Thirty Million Dollars in damages. But Hudson attached to his e-mail the campaign literature Hudson had promised to send McKenna. This e-mail and attachments are a matter of time and date stamped record.

The following day on August 27th, 2014 at 1:07 PM, THR “reporter” Chris McKenna sent a return e-mail to Hudson wherein McKenna defensively attempted to justify his questioning of Hudson that failed to even once inquire of Hudson’s political positions regarding Hudson’s candidacy. But the standout sentence in McKenna’s e-mail read as follows: “The other reason I asked about your lawsuit is that I haven’t found it on the state court website, and I wanted to verify that you actually filed it and ask you for a copy.” (underlined emphasis added). This e-mail and its contents are also a matter of time and date stamped record.

For those of you unfamiliar with due process, a civil lawsuit must first be filed with the Clerk of the Court (in this case the Orange County Clerk) after which copies of the complaint must be served upon the named defendants. With such an irresistible invitation from THR “reporter” Chris McKenna to provide him with a copy of the complaint, an individual not a party to Hudson’s action and over the age of eighteen years (service cannot be effectuated by a minor) went directly to the THR offices and asked for McKenna to come out to receive the complaint copies McKenna had requested Hudson provide.

McKenna promptly appeared to receive the complaint copies which he physically took into his hands and started to examine. It was pointed out to McKenna that he was being provided with multiple copies of Hudson’s complaint for the paper and for each of the THR employees, all named as defendants in the complaint which McKenna accepted without question. McKenna was then informed and thanked for accepting service of Hudson’s complaint, leaving a dumbfounded McKenna standing in the lobby of the THR offices.

THR “reporter” McKenna was left with the unappealing task of going to his superiors and explaining how he had asked, in writing no less, to receive copies of Hudson’s complaint and how McKenna had just accepted service of Hudson’s Thirty Million Dollar lawsuit on behalf of the THR and certain of its employees. We wonder aloud if McKenna is still employed by the THR this morning. Yes, truth is stranger than fiction and you just can’t make this kind of stuff up.

Kevin Hudson, fighting for you like he fights for himself. Vote for and elect Kevin Hudson to the State Assembly 98th District.

Campaign for Kevin M. Hudson for State Assembly 98th District: (914) 755-4358

Follow Kevin Hudson on Facebook or go to kevinmhudson.com

From: Kevin Hudson for State Assembly 98th District

“The truth is out there” and the truth finally came crashing down on the newspaper Times Herald-Record in the form of a Thirty Million Dollar lawsuit for defamation and libel filed by the former Mayor of the Village of Washingtonville, New York, Kevin M. Hudson, in response to a vicious and completely contrived nine page smear passed off as a “Special Report” which appeared on the front page of the August 25th, 2013 Sunday Edition of the Times Herald-Record. This unprecedented coverage continued within the Sunday paper, nine pages in all devoid of advertising, at pages six, seven, eight, nine, ten, eleven, twelve and thirteen.

Hudson served as Village Mayor from April 1st, 2011 to April 1st, 2013. During his tenure, Hudson discovered and continued to uncover ongoing graft and criminal conduct within the governmental body of the Village which included connections to organized crime. The more criminal wrongdoing Mayor Hudson discovered during his conduct of Village business, the more opposition the Mayor received and experienced from certain well entrenched members of the Village government body, each of whom sought to protect their particular interests. When Village matters got to the point wherein Mayor Hudson could not obtain the lawful cooperation of these particular members of the Village government body and determined the conduct of said members to be unlawful, Mayor Hudson went to the (former) Orange County District Attorney, Francis (Frank) Phillips, for assistance. However, these certain well entrenched and well connected members of the Village government body had already made their phone calls, called in their favors, and encouraged (former) Orange County District Attorney, Frank Phillips, to commence an “investigation” of Mayor Hudson and certain key members of his staff which included, but was not limited to, the Village Deputy Mayor, Treasurer, Deputy Clerk, Building Inspector and D.P.W. Superintendents. This so-called “investigation” found no evidence of any wrongdoing whatsoever by Mayor Hudson and his other aforementioned key staff members.

This alleged investigation did however serve to create “controversy” around Mayor Hudson’s administration, distracting and deflecting, as intended, attention away from the well entrenched and well connected members of the Village government body who persisted in their ongoing criminal conduct that Mayor Hudson continued to discover and openly complain of since taking office. While (former) Orange County District Attorney, Frank Phillips, for reasons still unknown, seemingly failed to investigate Mayor Hudson’s complaints, despite D.A. Phillips being provided with documentary evidence of the illegal conduct Mayor Hudson complained of.

As the well entrenched and well connected members of the Village government body continued to rally their forces to destroy the creditability of Mayor Hudson’s allegations and his repeated public calls for D.A. Phillips to “do his job” and investigate the criminal conduct and scams for financial gain endemic to Village government, the newspaper Times Herald-Record was called upon to assist and participate in the complete character assassination of Mayor Hudson, subjecting Hudson to unprecedented and withering but unfounded criticism throughout Hudson’s mayoral term.

The onslaught of the triad comprised of the well entrenched and well connected members of the Village government body, the apparent inaction of (former) Orange County D.A. Phillips, who Mayor Hudson openly and publicly challenged to do the job he was elected to do, and the defamatory and libelous stories repeatedly published by the Times Herald-Record, resulted in Kevin Hudson losing his bid for re-election.

But the defamatory and libelous assaults against Mayor Hudson did not end when Hudson was not reelected in April 2013. While it is a documented fact set forth in a State Comptroller’s audit that former Mayor Hudson brought the Village out of insolvency and placed the Village back on a sound financial footing with a cash surplus, the incoming administration favored by the well entrenched and well connected members of the Village government body continued their misconduct and again ran the Village finances into the ground and well back into the red.

To cover their mismanagement of Village finances (that financially benefited the few and the expense of the many), more specifically, to cover the diversion of Village cash, services and other resources so that the well entrenched and well connected members of the Village government body could continue pilfering and profiting to the detriment of the Village residents, a post 2013 Village mayoral election campaign was pursued in the newspaper Times Herald-Record to sully, discredit, defame and libel former Mayor Hudson as a scapegoat upon which to blame the renewed financial and other problems the incoming Village Mayor’s administration had again placed itself in.

The so-called “Special Report” published by the Times Herald-Record about four months after Hudson left office as Mayor in the August 25th, 2013, Sunday edition defaming and libeling Hudson’s personal and business character and his tenure as a public servant was the last straw. Hudson now, as plaintiff in a Supreme Court civil proceeding, seeks his redress and remedies at law against the Times Herald-Record, certain of its employees, operators, and its former and current owners for defamation and libel seeking Thirty Million Dollars in damages.

Kevin Hudson, fighting for you like he fights for himself.

Vote for and elect Kevin Hudson to the State Assembly 98th District.

Campaign for Kevin Hudson for State Assembly 98th District Contact: (914) 755-4358

Kevin M. Hudson

Former Mayor, Village of Washingtonville, New York