My name is Vladek Filler. In 2007 I was falsely accused by my then wife when I sought to end our marriage and gain custody of our children. What followed were coached allegations, trumped up charges, prosecutions, false convictions, false imprisonment, appeals, my complete vindication, and a first of its kind Bar complaint and civil rights lawsuit.
I have appeared before Maine’s District Court, Superior Court, Supreme Court, Federal U.S. District Court, and the U.S. 1st Circuit Court of Appeals. At last count, some 22 judges were involved in this living nightmare which spanned 12 years. My case has been the subject of national media reports, legal case studies, and legislative discussions.
When my ordeal began, I was faced with a different reality where evidence of the truth did not matter to those pursuing the prosecution; nor did it matter to those responsible with oversight. I experienced officials ignoring the truth, violating laws and court orders, withholding and destroying exculpatory evidence, fabricating evidence, and openly lying to the court and jury with impunity.
The Federal District Court in its 2019 final judgment equated my “horrendous experience with the criminal justice system in Maine to [the novel] THE TRIAL by Franz Kafka.”
Despite court findings and my complaints to the attorney general, not a single Maine official was even fired for engaging in egregious misconduct in my case.
Repeatedly I urged State and Federal officials to fulfill their most basic oversight obligations. But no amount of court findings or evidence of crimes ever resulted in law enforcement officials initiating any action or investigation–let alone treat a protected class of offenders the same way innocent people were being destroyed for mere baseless accusations.
My horrendous experience was not unique. I was one of many men who was falsely accused and maliciously prosecuted in Maine courts. Countless lives were ruined.
Having fought 12 years of battles on numerous legal fronts in my case, it is my opinion that for average Americans the reality today is only getting worse. More people are finding themselves faced with a system that acts indifferently to truth and justice. State and Federal officials are often ignoring basic Constitutional Rights for their own personal and political agendas. It is clear the system is not going to hold itself to its own standards.
For the sake of this nation, people must fight by all means necessary to hold all government officials accountable for misconduct.
© Vladek Filler
Vladek Filler Blog 