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;8CC;4 6DH CAH Michael Carnacchi, a Sebastopol custom boot maker who owns the Apple Cobbler, is representing himself against the government and Citibank.
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A Sebastopol boot maker takes on Citibank and the U.S. government over the legalities of credit card debt By Suzanne Daly
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n a warm October morning, Michael Carnacchi stands respectfully in the Sonoma County Civil Court as his case, Carnacchi v. Citibank, is called. A boot maker by trade, on this day he sports a black suit and tie, and his hair is neatly kept back into a waist-length ponytail. The presiding judge, the Honorable Mark Tansil, also wears black as he sits behind an imposing desk decorated with a tiny pumpkin. A uniformed deputy sits nearby, watching the proceedings attentively. Carnacchi is petitioning to change his civil suit to a federal case. The judge asks him if he has a lawyer and when
told “no,� asks if Carnacchi is a lawyer or has ever studied law. “I’m representing myself, your honor,� Carnacchi replies. “I’ve spent thousands of hours studying the subject.� Judge Tansil smiles. “Thousands of hours?� “Yes, your honor,� Carnacchi replies. “Thousands of hours?� the judge repeats. “OK, hundreds of hours,� Carnacchi admits, to smiles all around. In representing himself, Michael Carnacchi must have a sense of humor, the ability to adapt quickly and an obsession for his cause. His case is one of many that are repeatedly reported in the daily papers— credit card debt and credit card companies’
egregious mismanagement of their clients’ accounts. But his case differs dramatically in one major aspect: Carnacchi is actively fighting these injustices. “Michael is pushing a big boulder up a steep hill,� says Alan Cone, a civil practice attorney who finds Carnacchi’s case fascinating. “He’s bright as hell, reads tons and prepares his documents well. He has passion, intelligence and a supportable, ingenious argument. And he’s defending himself in court, which is incredibly difficult to do.� And what’s more, there’s every indication that he might actually have a case. For five years, Carnacchi had a faultless record with his Citibank credit card &%
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