I guess Judge Stanley Ott, of the Montgomery County (Pa.) Orphans Court, doesn’t like to be challenged. Last week, he slapped the Friends of the Barnes Foundation with a $25,000 sanction for having the audacity to petition to have their case re-heard, based on what they said was new evidence.
This reaffirms his previous sentiments toward the group and its challenges.
If you recall, the Friends — who oppose the move of the Barnes to downtown Philadelphia from Lower Merion –Â Â engaged Attorney Samuel C. Stretton to take their case back to the court, which had ruled against them. Ott had already declared that the group has no legal standing.
Stretton, who argued in Objections to the Sanctions and in Court on February 2, says that there is no legal basis for sanctions. He stressed, the press release says, that “the objections that the Friends’ Petition brought new information and serious legal issues to the Court’s attention concerning the role of the then-Pennsylvania Attorney General in the case.”
The Friends think they are being persecuted. Judge Ott’s assessment only “reinforces the impression that those responsible for moving the Barnes art collection to Philadelphia will stop at nothing to cloak the shady facts behind the move,†says  Jenkintown resident Suzanne Hunter, a member. Steering Committee member Evelyn Yaari, of Bala Cynwyd, called the fine “typical” of the past actions of the court and the proponents of the move.
It’s pretty hard to disagree with them. The fine does seem heavy-handed.
The press release is here, and Ott’s order is here.
Meantime, the new Barnes is set to open on May 19.