Posts by Michael Brodkorb

‘The Girls Are Gone’ audiobook available for sale

October 8, 2019 Comments Off read The Girls Are Gone

Michael Brodkorb and Allison Mann announced today that the audiobook of their award-winning book – The Girls Are Gone – is now available for sale. The audiobook not only shares the story of the disappearance of Samantha and Gianna Rucki but also includes a rare gem in the audiobook universe: never-before-heard audio.

“We really wanted to find a way to bring something fresh to the audiobook,” said Michael Brodkorb. “Adding real-life interviews into the recording brings a new dimension for fans who’ve already read the book, and an interesting twist for our new fans,” added Brodkorb.

The audiobook of The Girls Are Gone is available today on Audible, Amazon, and Apple. Additional platforms will be announced in the coming days. Continue reading →

MN Supreme Court referee: ‘indefinitely’ suspend MacDonald’s lawyer

September 16, 2019 Comments Off read Legal Developments, Michelle MacDonald, Missing in Minnesota, The Girls Are Gone

A judicial referee appointed by the Minnesota Supreme Court has recommended that Karlowba R. Adams Powell, who serves as Michelle MacDonald’s attorney in her lawsuit against Michael Brodkorb and Missing in Minnesota, should be “indefinitely suspended” from the practice of law.

The recommendation by Judge Richard C. Perkins comes after a two-day hearing was held in July about a petition filed last December with the Minnesota Supreme Court by the Office of Lawyers Professional Responsibility.

In the petition, the Office of Lawyers Professional Responsibility requested a court order revoking Adams Powell’s probation, suspending her law license, or “imposing otherwise appropriate discipline…” based on “unprofessional conduct” by Adams Powell. The petition claimed Adams Powell made false statements to the court, and others, including staff with the Office of Lawyers Professional Responsibility, that she engaged in the unauthorized practice of law, that she failed to provide receipts for cash payments, and that she failed to “safeguard client funds.”

According to today’s court filing, this is the fourth disciplinary proceeding for “professional misconduct” involving Adams Powell.

Judge Perkins was blunt in describing Adams Powell’s lack of candor: “[w]hile a misstatement made only once may be a mistake, being stated in writing twice and the again under oath at a deposition demonstrates a disregard for the truth.”

In the final pages, Judge Perkins wrote that Adams Powell “refused to acknowledge her misconduct, exhibited no remorse for her misconduct, and failed to offer any evidence or assurance that she will not engage in similar future misconduct.” Judge Perkin’s added that “[i]n a case about candor to a court … [Adams Powell] displayed a lack of candor with this court during her own testimony.” Continue reading →

Book event on Saturday at Barnes & Noble in Rochester

September 10, 2019 Comments Off read The Girls Are Gone

Michael Brodkorb and Allison Mann will sign their award-winning book The Girls Are Gone at Barnes & Noble at Apache Mall in Rochester, Minnesota, on September 14, 2019, from 2 PM – 4 PM.

Since being released last October, The Girls Are Gone has been a commercial and critical success. In April, Brodkorb and Allison Mann were awarded a 2019 Independent Publisher Book Award. Brodkorb and Mann announced in July that the fourth printing of their book had been ordered.

The Kindle Edition of The Girls Are Gone has appeared on multiple “best seller” lists by Amazon. The Girls Are Gone is published by Wise Ink Creative Publishing.

Brodkorb and Mann have appeared at over 30 events for their book in the last few months, and more book events will be announced later in the coming weeks.

The Girls Are Gone is available for sale through numerous retailers in both paperback and ebook.

Court grants 50-year restraining order against Dede Evavold

September 9, 2019 Comments Off read David Rucki, Deirdre Evavold, Legal Developments, Sandra Grazzini-Rucki

A judge in Dakota County granted a 50-year extension on the Harassment Restraining Order (HRO) requested by David Rucki and his daughter, Samantha Rucki, against Dede Evavold. The extension was granted at a hearing this morning at the Dakota County Western Service Center in Apple Valley, Minnesota.

The HRO against Evavold remains in effect until September 9, 2069.

Evavold was convicted in September 2016 of six felonies for her role in the disappearance of Samantha Rucki and her sister Gianna, who were abducted near their home in Lakeville, Minnesota by their mother Sandra Grazzini-Rucki, during a custody and divorce proceeding. Continue reading →

Book Event on Saturday at M and M Bookstore in Cedar Rapids

September 5, 2019 Comments Off read The Girls Are Gone

Michael Brodkorb and Allison Mann will discuss and sign their award-winning book The Girls Are Gone at M and M Bookstore in Cedar Rapids, Iowa on September 7, 2019, from 1:30 PM – 3:30 PM.

Since being released last October, The Girls Are Gone has been a commercial and critical success. In April, Brodkorb and Allison Mann were awarded a 2019 Independent Publisher Book Award. Brodkorb and Mann announced earlier this month that the fourth printing of their book had been ordered.

The Kindle Edition of The Girls Are Gone has appeared on multiple “best seller” lists by Amazon. The Girls Are Gone is published by Wise Ink Creative Publishing.

Brodkorb and Mann have appeared at over 30 events for their book in the last few months, and more book events will be announced later in the coming weeks.

The Girls Are Gone is available for sale through numerous retailers in both paperback and ebook.

Book event on Thursday at the Bierstube in Hastings

August 13, 2019 Comments Off read The Girls Are Gone

Michael Brodkorb and Allison Mann will discuss and sign their award-winning book The Girls Are Gone at the Bierstube in Hastings, Minnesota, on August 15, 2019, from 6:30 PM – 7:30 PM. Continue reading →

Author appearance at Barnes & Noble at Mall of America

August 9, 2019 Comments Off read The Girls Are Gone

Michael Brodkorb and Allison Mann will sign their award-winning book The Girls Are Gone at Barnes & Noble at the Mall of America in Bloomington, Minnesota, on August 24, 2019, from 1 PM – 3 PM.

The Kindle Edition of The Girls Are Gone has appeared on multiple “best seller” lists by Amazon. The Girls Are Gone is published by Wise Ink Creative Publishing.

Brodkorb and Mann have appeared at over 30 events for their book in the last few months, and more book events will be announced later in the coming weeks.

On Monday, August 12, 2019, Brodkorb will be at Cherry Street Books in Alexandria for a book event from 1 PM to 3 PM. On Thursday, August 15, 2019, Brodkorb and Mann will be at the Bierstube in Hastings, Minnesota for a book event from 6:30 PM to 7:30 PM.

The Girls Are Gone is available for sale through numerous retailers in both paperback and ebook.

Bukstein pleads guilty to violating restraining order

July 31, 2019 Comments Off read Kimberley and Jay Bukstein, Legal Developments

Kimberley Bukstein pleaded guilty yesterday in court to violating a Harassment Restraining Order (HRO) filed against her in Dakota County by Michael Brodkorb.

Brodkorb was granted separate HROs against Kimberley and her husband Jay Bukstein in March after they relentlessly harassed Brodkorb for the past year. Kimberley and Jay Bukstein are supporters of Dede Evavold, Sandra Grazzini-Rucki, and Michelle MacDonald.

The Buksteins are referenced in the award-winning true crime book, The Girls Are Gone, which was written by Brodkorb and Allison Mann.

Both Kimberley and Jay Bukstein are also “qualified” Rule 114 ADR Neutrals for the Minnesota State Court Administrator’s Office.

Kimberley Bukstein was charged on May 30, 2019, with a misdemeanor for violating the HRO filed by Brodkorb. In a brief court appearance yesterday at the Dakota County Northern Service Center in West St. Paul, Minnesota, Bukstein pleaded guilty and was given one year of probation and ordered to pay a fine of $130. Bukstein was also 0rdered to have no contact with Brodkorb and remain law-abiding. Continue reading →

Evavold appears in court on restraining order violation

July 30, 2019 Comments Off read Deirdre Evavold, Legal Developments

Dede Evavold was arranged in court today on one criminal charge of violating a Harassment Restraining Order (HRO) filed against her in Dakota County by Michael Brodkorb. Evavold was charged in May after she attempted to contact Michael Brodkorb for assistance in restarting her blog after WordPress suspended it for violating their terms of service.

During a hearing this morning at the Dakota County Northern Service Center in West St. Paul, Minnesota, Evavold did not enter a plea and a pre-trial hearing was scheduled for October 31, 2019. Evavold was not represented by an attorney at today’s hearing.

Brodkorb was granted an HRO against Evavold last year for her involvement in surreptitiously obtaining and later distributing a photograph of Brodkorb’s wife and minor children online. Continue reading →

MacDonald announces plans to run for office in 2020

July 24, 2019 Comments Off read 2020 Elections, Michelle MacDonald

Michelle MacDonald, who was labeled a “person of interest” in the disappearance of missing children and is currently under investigation by the Office of Lawyers Professional Responsibility, announced today – in a lawsuit – that she “plans to run for office in 2020 and in the future.”

The news about MacDonald’s intention to seek public office in 2020 was buried in a 379-page lawsuit by MacDonald and other Minnesota Republicans challenging the constitutionality of a Minnesota law regarding endorsements for public office.

MacDonald was an unsuccessful candidate for the Minnesota Supreme Court in 2018, having previously lost two bids for the Minnesota Supreme Court in 2014 and 2016. One week after losing her third campaign for the Minnesota Supreme Court, MacDonald refused to rule out the possibility of running again in 2020. Continue reading →

Court affirms Evavold’s ‘evil’ harassment of Rucki family

July 15, 2019 Comments Off read Deirdre Evavold, Legal Developments

The Minnesota Court of Appeals upheld the Harassment Restraining Order (HRO) requested by David Rucki and his daughter, Samantha Rucki, against Dede Evavold, affirming a district court’s finding which found Evavold’s harassment “evil.” Continue reading →

Yearlong investigation by lawyers board into MacDonald continues

July 10, 2019 Comments Off read Legal Developments, Michelle MacDonald

The yearlong investigation by the Office of Lawyers Professional Responsibility into alleged violations by Michelle MacDonald of the Minnesota Rules of Professional Conduct governing licensed attorneys continues according to a letter from the Office of Lawyers Professional Responsibility.

The investigation into the alleged violations by MacDonald was opened last year after Missing in Minnesota filed a formal complaint with the Office of Lawyers Professional Responsibility in response to MacDonald filing a “frivolous and vexatious” lawsuit against Missing in Minnesota, which appeared to be in violation of an Order of the Minnesota Supreme Court which details the conditions by which MacDonald is allowed to practice law.

The lawsuit filed by MacDonald against Missing in Minnesota was dismissed in March by a judge in Ramsey County. MacDonald is appealing the dismissal of the lawsuit.

MacDonald was an unsuccessful candidate for the Minnesota Supreme Court in 2018, having previously lost two bids for the Minnesota Supreme Court in 2014 and 2016. Continue reading →

Tuesday: ABC’s ’20/20′ episode about Grazzini-Rucki

July 8, 2019 Comments Off read Media, The Girls Are Gone

Tomorrow, July 9, 2019, at 8 AM (CST), Investigative Discovery (ID) will be broadcasting the episode of ABC’s “20/20” discussed in the award-winning true crime book, The Girls Are Gone.

The episode about Sandra Grazzini-Rucki, called “Footprints in the Snow” was first broadcast on April 8, 2016, and was later rebroadcast on March 25, 2017. The episode has since been rebroadcast on multiple television networks over the last two years.

Grazzini-Rucki had tried to stop the rebroadcasts of the episode which found no documentation to verify Grazzini-Rucki’s claim that she was abused by David Rucki. Grazzini-Rucki had taken to Facebook, calling the show “rank propaganda” and encouraging people to register complaints.

In April 2017, Grazzini-Rucki announced she would be filing a defamation lawsuit against ABC, Inc, ABC’s “20/20”, and Elizabeth Vargas, the co-anchor of “20/20”. Grazzini-Rucki claimed she would be seeking “an ungodly amount” of money in her latest lawsuit, but the lawsuit was never filed. Continue reading →

UPDATE: Grazzini-Rucki tried to stop college payments for her children

July 3, 2019 Comments Off read Legal Developments, Sandra Grazzini-Rucki

UPDATE (2:45 PM, Monday, July 8, 2019) – In a radio interview earlier today, Sandra Grazzini-Rucki denied she attempted to block her children from paying for their college education. Despite sending a letter to the courts requesting they “immediately stop” any payments from the trust for her children’s college expenses, Grazzini-Rucki said today “I was not blocking, I was only asking to be involved and know what was going on.”

Grazzini-Rucki also expressed frustrating that her letter to the court was made public. Continue reading →

Fourth printing ordered of ‘The Girls Are Gone’

July 1, 2019 Comments Off read The Girls Are Gone

Michael Brodkorb and Allison Mann announced today that the fourth printing of their award-winning book The Girls Are Gone has been ordered.

The Girls Are Gone is published by Wise Ink Creative Publishing and was released on October 23, 2018. The book provides new details about the disappearance of Samantha and Gianna Rucki and the adults – including their mother Sandra Grazzini-Rucki – who conspired to keep the missing sisters and the truth hidden.

Since being released last October, The Girls Are Gone has been a commercial and critical success. The Kindle Edition of The Girls Are Gone has appeared on multiple “best seller” lists by Amazon.

“The Girls Are Gone is a story of love, lies, passion, and perseverance,” said Allison Mann. “It was born out of our belief that the story of the Rucki family is too important not to tell. Bringing awareness to the issue and giving a voice to these victims was all the motivation we needed,” added Mann.

In April, Brodkorb and Allison Mann were awarded a 2019 Independent Publisher Book Award.

“From start to finish, The Girls Are Gone is a thrilling true crime read with shocking twists and unbelievable attention to detail,” said Jim Barnes, the director of the Independent Publisher Books Awards. “It’s everything we look for in a gold medal winner at IPPY, and we can’t wait to see what Michael and Allison will write next,” added Barnes. Continue reading →