🎬 Clerked Out: The Heather Benedict Story

One signature. Eight years. Still missing.

I can finally share something I’ve been holding back:
My story is being documented.

That’s right — a filmmaker has picked up the case. For the past several months, I’ve been followed as I fight to get one missing court order entered into the record — and in doing so, expose a pattern of misconduct, obstruction, and institutional betrayal at the highest levels of Pierce County government.

This isn’t fiction. It’s not dramatized. And it’s not over.

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📜 Clerked Out — What It’s About

In 2012, I lost my mom.
In 2016, I stood before the Pierce County Superior Court with a final signed probate order.
But the order was never entered. Never docketed. It vanished.

Since then, I’ve fought alone:

• Filing motions

• Researching statutes

• Uncovering unauthorized government interference in private probate

• Confronting a court system that turned inward to protect itself instead of the public

The Clerk’s Office crumbled around me. Staff quit. Whistleblowers were silenced. State audits revealed financial chaos. Then, a political insider — not publicly confirmed — was installed as interim clerk without any lawful vote.

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🎥 Why Clerked Out Matters Now

It’s not about just one court order anymore.
It’s about what happens when courts won’t obey their own rules — and what it takes for one woman to hold them accountable.

This documentary, tentatively titled Clerked Out: The Heather Benedict Story, follows my real journey — not just in courtrooms, but across every forum I’ve used to demand justice:
🎙️ Pierce County Council
📜 Federal courts
📬 Public complaints
📽️ And now, the public eye

The County can no longer deny what I’ve documented:

• A missing record

• A violated Constitution

• A clerk's office run by political appointment, not public authority

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👀 What Comes Next

The cameras are rolling. The record is clear. The public is waking up.

I’ll be releasing behind-the-scenes updates and early clips from filming as this project develops. Until then, Pierce County should know:

I am still here.
I am still pro se.
And I am no longer alone.

#ClerkedOut
#HeatherBenedictStory
#PierceCountyAccountability #RyanMello #PierceCounty 

#OneSignatureStillMissing

Clerked Out, Called Back

Two orders gone, they thought I’d fade

A silent clerk, a rigged parade

But I got louder every year

I made the truth what they all fear

(Chorus)

I’m not done

I’m not backing down

Clerked out — but I wear the crown

One voice, no robe, no spin

This time I get docketed in

Still standing

Still calling them out

This is the part where I turn it around

Mello Knew. Mello Ignored. — The Song They Can’t Silence

Eight years ago, I stepped into a Pierce County courtroom expecting justice. My mother’s final probate orders were signed by Commissioner Karena Kirkendoll in open court—stamped “Filed.” But they vanished. Never entered. Never recorded. And I’ve been searching for answers ever since.

What followed was a cover-up. Denial. Silence. I was gaslit. Locked out of court. Punished by unlawful orders that never should’ve existed.

This isn’t just about one document. It’s about Pierce County’s failure to protect the rights of the dead—and the living.

In May 2025, County Executive Ryan Mello authorized over $1 million in taxpayer dollars to quietly pay off the Clerk Constance White who failed to fix this mess—without accountability, without transparency, and without justice for the families left in the wreckage.

So I created something they can’t ignore.

🎥 Watch the music video:
👉 “Mello Knew. Mello Ignored.”

This anthem is more than a song. It’s a voice for every family who trusted the courts. It’s a battle cry for every daughter who watched the system erase her mother’s name from history. And yes—it’s personal.

Because I am the great-granddaughter of Elsie Lincoln Benedict, a suffragist who spent eight years traveling the country demanding that women be given the right to vote. I’ve now spent eight years demanding this county give my mother a rightful record in death.

Like Elsie, I will not go home until the fight is done.

Thank you for listening.
Thank you for sharing.
And thank you for standing with me in restoring justice in Pierce County.

#PierceCounty #RyanMello #ProbateCorruption #PublicRecords #MelloKnewMelloIgnored #ClerkCoverUp #WashingtonState #TaxpayerJustice #MissingProbateOrder #JusticeForFamilies  #PierceCountyCouncil #TransparencyMatters #MusicAsActivism

 

Judge Recusal

April 27, 2025: Tonight, I'm not writing about quiet moments of self-care. Instead, I'm writing about the stark realization that true justice might not be possible in Pierce County Superior Court—not without calling out the problematic ties that undermine it.

Today, I formally demanded that Visiting Judge Cadine Ferguson-Brown recuse herself from presiding over the case involving the Estate of Leeanna Ruth Mickelson. Why? Because ethical lines have been crossed, impartiality has been compromised, and the interconnected web of relationships in Pierce County's judicial system is too tangled to ignore.

Here’s the troubling reality:

Back in October 2017, Judge Frank Cuthbertson recused himself from my mom's probate case, explicitly citing impartiality concerns and calling for a visiting judge.  I recall my own ex parte communication with him May of 2016, as then presiding judge, when the final decree of my late mom's went missing; he had never heard of that happening in the clerk's office and promised he would look into it. Later, he would be assigned the matter, rule a visiting judge to be assigned, then recused himself entirely; the issue was never fixed. In March 2025, it was determined by presiding judge Susan Adams that a visiting judge would need to be assigned and as a result, Kitsap County Superior Court Judge Ferguson-Brown was assigned. Yet, despite this clear recognition of conflict, Judge Cuthbertson recently made a campaign contribution to Judge Cadine Ferguson-Brown—the same visiting judge now presiding over the identical, unresolved issue he once stepped away from. This connection creates an undeniable appearance of bias.

Further complicating matters, Judge Clarence Henderson—who succeeded Judge Cuthbertson upon his retirement over Department 21—is overseeing the reassignment of my case, even though he has openly expressed admiration and mentorship ties to Judge Cuthbertson. The court’s own policy calls for impartiality, yet here we are, with layers of personal and professional connections that can't be brushed aside.

How can anyone expect fairness in such a situation?

The Pierce County Superior Court itself acknowledged, through a letter from Judicial Coordinator Cristina Platt, that no local judge could impartially hear this case, thus assigning a visiting judge. Yet, inexplicably, Judge Ferguson-Brown was chosen, despite receiving recent financial backing from Judge Cuthbertson.

These aren’t just technicalities; they're ethical breaches that erode trust and integrity in our judicial system. I'm fighting not just for myself, but for anyone navigating the courts in Pierce County, hoping for fairness, transparency, and genuine impartiality.

Justice isn’t possible when the system itself is compromised by personal connections and campaign contributions. Enough is enough.

So tonight, I'm standing up, speaking out, and demanding accountability—starting with Judge Ferguson-Brown's immediate recusal. The integrity of our courts is too important to overlook these conflicts.

If you've ever felt silenced by a tangled web of connections, know you're not alone. Real change begins when we shine a light on the places where fairness has faded. 

– Heather

Recused Judge Frank Cuthbertson donated $200 to the "Committee to Retain Cadine Ferguson-Brown" on April 19, 2025, to which she presides over a matter in Pierce County that he recused himself in 2017.

Recused Judge Frank Cuthbertson, replaced by Judge Henderson who looks up to Judge Cuthbertson, donated to Kitsap County Superior Court Judge Ferguson-Brown's campaign in April 2023, who in April of 2025 is presiding over the same probate motion he recused himself from and ruled for a visiting judge. There needs to be zero ties to Judge Cuthbertson, as he failed to fix the error in the clerk's office of a hearing failing to demand the public record to show a clerk's minute entry and file two orders from May 16, 2016.  I don't believe Judge Ferguson-Brown can be impartial, sadly, given the $200 receipt.

A Balcony, A Taco, and the First Breath of Peace in 9 Years

Tonight, I made wild-caught cod tacos, poured a glass of white wine, and sat outside on my balcony.

That probably sounds small—but for me, it was monumental. It was the first time in over two years that I’ve sat outside at home, eaten something I made with care, and felt safe enough to be still.

For the past nine years, I’ve been stuck in a relentless loop of fight-or-flight. Probate court battles, attorneys gaslighting me, and the lingering ache of losing my mom turned my nervous system into a battleground. My focus has been survival—mentally, legally, emotionally. Not healing. Not joy. Not dinner on the balcony.

But tonight, I chose different.

I walked to Trader Joe’s. I picked the cod because it looked clean, wild, fresh—like the version of me I want back. I seasoned it simply, crisped it in a pan, and added slaw, avocado, and lime on corn tortillas. Then I stepped out onto the balcony with my plate and a chilled glass of wine, and I just... sat.

I listened to birds. I felt the breeze. My dog Scooter sat nearby, quietly present. My mind didn’t race. My stomach wasn’t clenched. My jaw wasn’t locked.

There was no court hearing. No bar complaint. Just me, a plate of tacos, and a moment that said: you’re coming back to yourself.

I didn’t expect tacos to feel like a personal revolution—but they did.

And I want more of that.

So this post is the first in what I hope is a new chapter of Cabomama.com—one where I start to share the healing after the war. I may still post about probate battles (trust me, some people deserve exposure), but I also want to share the moments that stitch my life back together.

If you’re coming out of your own long fight, I hope you’ll take one moment for you. Eat outside. Light a candle. Choose the good fish.

You deserve to breathe again too.

Earlier today, I received an email from Ken Luce — the 86-year-old attorney who has fought for nine years to bury my mom’s will and exhaust me. He says he won’t attend tomorrow’s deposition. He’s rattled. He’s wrong. And he’s finally feeling the pressure I’ve carried for too long. I didn’t send him fear. I sent him a notice. And then I made tacos.

Healing and accountability can co-exist — one breath, one bite, one court order at a time.

– Heather