Marinkovic's case goes kerplunk

In a judge's decision filed September 29 in the Western District of Pennsylvania (embracing Pittsburgh and Erie), Oceanside's La Paloma Healthcare Center and XETV 6 were decisive victors.

The plaintiff was Mel Marin, also known as Melvin Marinkovic, who filed on his own behalf. He was filing an action against those who allegedly harmed his campaign for Congress. But, noted the judge, Marin has been named a vexatious litigant, or one filing many groundless lawsuits, in San Diego. Marin "uses different addresses in different states to maintain his pending cases," said the judge, noting that Marin had filed more than 70 cases in other jurisdictions.

Marin did not file this complaint in a timely fashion, and mail sent to every address he provided came back "with a label indicating the address is no longer valid and a forwarding address is not available," noted judge David Steward Cercone.

"More than three years have passed since the events in question and defendants have not even been made aware of the existence" of Marin's claims, wrote Cercone.

La Paloma was named because Marin placed his mother there. Marin's sister showed up and sought to remove Marin as the party in control. After some difficulty, Marin removed his mother. Marin charged that La Paloma caused XETV to report the incident.

Nationwide publicity resulting from XETV's broadcast harmed Marin's attempt to be the Democratic candidate for Congress in his Pennsylvania district, he claimed, saying he was damaged to the tune of $75 million.

Said Cercone in dismissing Marin's suit, "The factual allegations of the complaint are fanciful and the legal theories are indisputably meritless."