The Law Office of Thomas R. Ashley Profile & Reviews

I was the victim in municipal case ES 2024 97822, in which Councilman Christopher Awe was the defendant. Mr. Thomas R. Ashley appeared as his attorney.

From my experience observing Mr. Thomas Ashley in court, I found his handling of basic legal facts concerning. At the first hearing, he repeatedly insisted that I, the victim, was the complainant—despite the New Jersey Municipal Court website clearly listing Officer Kevin Fanning as the official complainant. This struck me as a serious oversight. He also told the judge that they had filed a complaint against me; however, I have never received any summons, and no case listing me as a defendant appears in the NJ Municipal Court database. These inconsistencies raised red flags for me.

At a later stage, Michael Ashley appeared in court on behalf of the same defendant. I was surprised by what I perceived as a lack of professionalism. Even though I am the victim in the case, Mr. Michael Ashley asked the judge to issue a restraining order against me, without any formal complaint ever having been filed. Legally, restrained orders can be issued due to formal complaints and not based on a single verbal request. Therefore, the judge did not act on his request. It was surprising that Mr Ashley did not know these basics of legal procedures. Mr. Michael Ashley also alleged that I had harassed him, even though I have never contacted him directly. It seems they may believe that public Google reviews or social media posts constitute harassment, which reflects a misunderstanding of both legal standards and First Amendment protections.

During the court session on March 4, 2025, Mr. Michael Ashley told the judge that I had been stalking and harassing his client, and claimed that his client merely pushed my phone out of his face. However, the judge did not accept this narrative, as it directly contradicted both the official police report and the video of the incident. Mr. Ashley also failed to present any supporting documentation for his claims.

In addition, Mr. Michael Ashley failed to attend one of the scheduled court dates in May 2025 without notifying his client in advance, causing visible confusion and concern during the proceedings. This absence, without explanation, seemed unprofessional and inconsiderate of the seriousness of the case.

The formal OPRA request for the case:

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1In07OTnZtmoBorA1WUaJ9uqXeeTjMimj/view?usp=drivesdk

For reference, here is the police report documenting the arrest:

📄 https://drive.google.com/file/d/1In07OTnZtmoBorA1WUaJ9uqXeeTjMimj/view?usp=drivesdk

The video of the incident:

https://www.youtube.com/shorts/kxZtRZuIAcw

And here is media coverage of the incident on NJ.com:

📰 https://www.nj.com/essex/2024/09/nj-councilman-slapped-away-phone-from-man-taking-videos-in-park-police-say.html

These are my personal observations and experiences, shared for informational purposes only. I do not intend to harm anyone’s reputation, but I believe transparency is important—especially in legal proceedings involving public officials.

He is the best! He saved my life�.

Micheal is amazing he Handel my sons case Freddie he was very helping and showed he cared about my sons case and his feeling of experience he had that led this to the point where the case went super well keep up good work love the Benitez family