Comment #: CA55029
Rating:1.0
Comments:
My name is Donald Norman and I'm willing to speak on the record and substantiate my claims if contacted. You can find evidence to the claims below in this post by searching for an article I have written called A Tale of Two Judges.

During a mandatory settlement conference, Kahn repeated that if I failed to accept a settlement offer the case would be fixed against me for wasting the court's time by bringing the case to trial. He didn't use the word "fixed" but used euphemisms ad nauseam like saying what happens in the settlement conferences "always gets leaked" and that the trial judge "would not be happy" and would find against me specifically because I turned down a settlement offer.

My three attorneys were witnesses and have substantiated these claims.

I was incredulous that a judge was committing extortion against me but you can find evidence to these actions as they happened in front of three attorney witnesses who substantiate these events. Ridiculously, I thought "if the corruption is so bad why isn't Kahn a vocal advocate against this type of corruption?" My incredulity that a judge would do this caused me to not fully get the hint that I was being extorted and is probably why Kahn repeated his extortionary threats over and over.

When Kahn realized he went too far due to his repetition of the threat to coerce a settlement by undermining my faith in the justice system, he pulled back his words for fear of his own liability at least saying that he wouldn't be the one that leaks it.

After which, Kahn turned to shaming tactics saying that I "don't have the right to a trial" and that I should be ashamed of myself for choosing to take a lawsuit all the way to trial because of how backed up the courts are. He even tried to shame me saying I would be taking away a courtroom from a paraplegic. I have no idea if there was any paraplegic that I was in line in front of.

To complicate matters, he wouldn't even transmit my request for a company audit to the defendant saying that such a request was "off the table". Because of evidence uncovered during discovery, evidence which would have to remain classified if I accepted a settlement, I felt I needed to bring the case to trial.

My own attorneys I believe, while they substantiated these claims later, failed to file a 170.6 out of fear of professional retribution.

When I brought the case to trial, the defendant admitted to owing 10s of millions of dollars worth of crypto assets to over 5,000 people. He admitted in the past 8 years to having only paid 12 people (we now know he even lied about that too). This is all on record.

Still, I have many reasons to believe Kahn did make good on his threats and when I reentered settlement negotiations after these facts hit the public record, Kahn was willing to attempt to settle the case in a way where the defendant could keep client funds... essentially Kahn was willing to negotiate a conspiracy to embezzle where I would be awarded more from the defendant in exchange for allowing him to keep client funds.

I detailed this and provided a lot of evidence. You can find the article by searching Harold Kahn corruption.

I am willing to give statements/testimony/declaration to anyone who has similarly been wronged by Kahn. Please feel free to contact me.

Comment #: CA54089
Rating:9.0
Comments:
I just concluded a criminal case as a member of the jury in Judge Kahn's case. It was my impression that he did an excellent job.

In general, his explanations and expectations were good and not rushed.

He invited us to ask questions of the witnesses after the lawyers took their first turns. We asked some pretty good questions, and some of them prompted a new line of questioning from the lawyers.

In general, he overruled most objections about witness testimony. I felt that was useful in determining the truth.

He directed the lawyers to correct their wording or behavior several times, and it seemed to be in the spirit of making them better lawyers.

Comment #: CA38664
Rating:1.0
Comments:
what a moron. awarded a 5k judgment on a 500 dollar dispute in small claims. small claims may only be granted actual damages. he actually violated the rules of civil procedure. I would expect an actual Judge to follow the rules of civil procedure.

Comment #: CA36810
Rating:3.6
Comments:
This judge represents one of the worst that San Francisco has to offer. While he comes prepared it is with an agenda. He is dangerously deceptive in his appearance of objectivity all the while backslapping with his former colleagues. He is a rogue judge injecting himself into matters that he does not even preside and represents a paradigm for why there need to be more checks on the judiciary. If you can .6 this judge since once he picks sides (which he will do) he will burn you and your clients.

Comment #: CA35875
Rating:9.7
Comments:
I found him to be a thoughtful judge in my personal experience with him. He issued a tentative decision against my client, but during oral argument, he listened to my points and did additional research afterwards. That led to him issuing a reasoned decision explaining in detail why he was granting my client's motion. It was a refreshing change from how many judges are loath to move off their tentative decisions and often view oral argument as a pro forma exercise.

Comment #: CA25545
Rating:1.0
Comments:
Judge Kahn is a unethical judge.

I am a litigator with nearly 15-years of litigation experience.

I had a recent case before Judge Kahn. I began receiving some unusual decisions from the bench. One, for example, was the court questioning the need for me to name the lead defendant in my case, when it was not before the court. We were in court on my motion to compel when the court questioned why I had named the lead defendant in my case. In my litigation experience, it is unusual for a court to sua sponte raise an issue when that issue is not before the court.

I started to look into Judge Kahn's connections with the defendant. After performing some research, I found that Judge Kahn and the wife of the lead defendant were very politically connected. In fact, the wife of the lead defendant, a very politically connected individual, had advocated repeatedly for one of Judge Kahn's judicial initiatives known as the “Community Justice Court.”

Judges are actually held to a higher standard than attorneys. Judges are required to disclose possible conflicts of interests on the record. Judge Kahn did not disclose anything. Judges are also supposed to be neutral. Here, the court questioning the need for me to name the lead defendant to my case, when that issue was not before the court, was a clear indication of bias.

At the conclusion of the case, I filed a complaint against Judge Kahn with the Commission on Judicial Performance, along with a supporting declaration and evidence.

I have since heard from other attorneys who have had similar experiences in front of Judge Kahn. He is a dishonest judge and is not to be trusted.

Comment #: CA19354
Rating:3.8
Comments:
Not great. Close minded, bad temperament. If you didn't already get him by the tentative ruling, you will have an extremely hard time convincing him - far more than usual.

Comment #: CA16576
Rating:1.3
Comments:
Rude, impatient and ill-tempered.

Comment #: CA13157
Rating:9.2
Comments:
Judge Kahn was assigned as our settlement judge in an intensely litigated employment case. I was counsel for defendants. A previous private mediation was unsuccessful. He listened and was actively engaged throughout the afternoon; and he settled the case. I would strongly recommend him to both plaintiff and defense counsel.

Comment #: CA13053
Rating:9.0
Comments:
very fair, seems to care, actually read the arguments from both attorneys and no matter how hard the other attorney argued, he stood his ground.

Comment #: CA11900
Rating:9.3
Comments:
Judge Kahn is a brilliant, hardworking judge who should be on the Court of Appeal. Maybe he will be some day. I was very impressed with him. He's not very patient and does get angry, but I thought with good reason. Just be polite and prepared.

Comment #: CA11886
Rating:1.0
Comments:
The last time I was in Judge Kahn's courtroom was during hearing of ex parte applications, and he was literally yelling at lawyers about how overworked he was and how improper their applications were. I found that to be utterly inappropriate behavior, and thought he badly needed a long vacation.

Comment #: CA10013
Rating:2.5
Comments:
In my last two appearances before Judge Kahn, his tentative rulings made absolutely no sense. One was literally nonsensical, the other was so brief as to make no sense in light of the issues.

On both matters it became clear at oral argument that Judge Kahn had not read the papers, formed a shoot-from-hip view of the motion and had issued his tentative ruling on that basis. At both oral arguments, he announced reasoning that was simply wrong -- on the first hearing badly wrong on undisputed facts, and on the second hearing flat wrong on what was a very basic question of law. What one commenter here describes as a judicial demeanor "that can be a little snarky" was, in my view, more like arrogant in light of Judge Kahn's clear lack of understanding of the facts and the law.

When corrected on his misunderstandings, on both occasions Judge Kahn skipped from one rationale to the next (including one that even he immediately realized was a non-starter, and quickly abandoned), looking for a way to justify his tentative ruling. I agree with the comments here that Judge Kahn is smart -- both times he kept going from rationale to rationale until he finally landed on one that arguably involved some exercise of discretion and would therefore difficult, if not impossible to challenge in the Court of Appeal. (The lesson here is that if you lose in front of Judge Kahn on an issue of law or undisputed fact, don't argue, stop right then and there and take your appeal on that record.)

These were not iffy, or even reasonably debatable motions. Both should have been slam dunks. Both rulings implicated expenditure of time, attorney's fees, and judicial resources for one his fellow judges to try an issue that should have been disposed of. In my view, these outcomes represent an abject failure of the legal system, not just for my clients but for the court itself at a time when it continues to complain of overwork and underfunding. I expect Judge Kahn himself would say that his law and motion department is overwhelmed with work.

But, being overworked does not excuse hasty, uninformed rulings. I am deeply disappointed in Judge Kahn.

Comment #: CA8125
Rating:9.7
Comments:
I am always impressed by Judge Kahn, and I've both won and lost issues he has decided. Willing to be procedurally flexible as appropriate, but never in a way that shortcuts justice. Really a top flight judge.

Comment #: CA2812
Rating:10.0
Comments:
This guy is fabulous. Always reads your stuff, is completely fair, will cut you a break, and if he rules against you he does it for a good reason. Also so smart it is scary.

Comment #: CA2471
Rating:8.2
Comments:
SF Superior has found a gem in Judge Kahn and I wish he could stay on law and motion longer than this rotation. He is always extremely well prepared, cuts away b.s. argument, and maintains firm control over the issues and the courtroom. He also truly loves taking oral argument. It's such a pleasure to argue in front of a judge who is as engaged as the parties. He can be a little snarky, but I think his sense of humor is a welcome addition to the courtroom.