Catherine Harper, Raleigh , North carolina Odar Office, Administrative Law Judge

37 Comments

1. Anonymous says:

   March 18, 2015 at 4:06 pm

   I found Judge Catherine Harper to be a fair, compassionate,honest Judge. She was very professional and very well informed about the facts in my case. She listened to the testimony with an open mind and she was NOT adverserial at all. She asked important questions and applied the law.I was glad that I had her as my ALJ.

2. Martin says:

   February 18, 2015 at 11:22 am

   First off Martin is not my real name, but I like it. I have read all of these comments and wonder how many of these cases were ready for prime time. I also wonder how many of these posters had good attorney’s. I’m not a fan of the big box attorney’s you see on TV taking cases nationwide. I far more prefer a local attorney hungry for a win. I think they prepare better cases. Judge Harper was fair in my case. She asked hard questions and seemed to really want to know the answer. She is well prepared and had read the material. I wonder if getting an unfavorable decision sparked the fire for some of these comments. Again, the Judge I saw (via video) was attentive, polite and again, prepared for the hearing. If you go before this Judge, please make sure your ready and that your attorney is ready. Things will go smoothly if you do. This is my second post.

3. Martin says:

   February 17, 2015 at 6:08 am

   I had Judge Harper and was treated fairly. Had a fully favorable decision on a case with tons of medical documentation. Also had an attorney that wrote a great brief/summary for the Judge that I’m sure made it easier for her to reach a decision. I know there are some negative comments about this judge, but in my case it was a fair hearing. I’m also aware that not all cases are ready for the judge and that could result in the unfavorable decisions.

4. Anonymous says:

   February 6, 2015 at 10:33 am

   There is NO way that this judge approves 56% of the claims she hears. 6% might be accurate, but that would probably be high. There is only one ALJ in the entire State of NC that is anywhere near as incompetent as she is. She will ignore all relevant medical records and testimony and focus on the most ridiculous stuff imaginable. If you get assigned to her, you are better off dismissing your request for hearing and starting over, because you will NOT get approved.

5. Anonymous says:

   June 3, 2014 at 12:24 pm

   I had this judge for my hearing and was of course denied. Catherine interrupted my representation while he was talking and said that we needed to wrap it up so she could get to the next case. My lawyer told me that she is the lowest and worst judge that there is. She really needs to be taken off of the bench and all of the cases that she denied need to have the chance of being done again in front of a non-biased and fair judge that will take everything into consideration and not base their decision on what someone else thought. Catherine really messed up my case and falsified information. In addition she committed defamation of character and slander which is most definitely judicial misconduct and against the law. My lawyer has just informed me that he will not take my case any further due to my age. This judge, that is supposed to uphold, enforce, and follow herself, has broken the law, fabricated information, and made great mistakes in my case which ultimately ended up in an unfavorable decision. Now I have to appeal her decision and pray that the Appeals council will take a look at it and they will see how much Catherine Harper lied and falsified information just so that she could deny me. She already had her decision made before I even walked into the room. My hearing was ultimately a waste of time and for show. What goes around comes around. Always treat others the way you want to be treated.

6. Anonymous says:

   May 2, 2013 at 1:03 am

   First of all, to the person who compared the “53% Catherine Harper” to the “24% Catherine Harper”: While I congratulate you on your exceedingly rare positive experience with Judge Harper, I respectfully disagree with your glowing review, based on my recent appearance before her as a claimant. I have worked for over half a century, and have endured the mandatory deductions from every paycheck I have ever earned, by the SSA. This arrangement, we are told, is partially to ensure that funds will be available to workers who become disabled, and can no longer work to support themselves. In all fairness to you, I can understand your perspective as a representative OF a disabled person appearing before Judge Harper. You are still employed whether she approves or denies your client’s claim, and you still have the means to support yourself. Imagine how you’d feel if you were a disabled person and found out, MUCH to your surprise, that the Judge assigned to decide your case was cold, arrogant, rude, and totally lacking in compassion and understanding. It is unthinkable that a person with the disposition of Catherine Harper would CHOOSE a profession that requires her to make decisions that affect people’s lives and futures…since she so obviously holds working class people in such contempt. We are advised to “think before we post” because the judge we are leaving comments about might read them. I humbly submit that perhaps Catherine Harper should “think before she destroys a person’s life”. If you are reading this, Catherine…remember that no one chooses to be disabled, and we would rather be working and earning a living as opposed to this harsh, cruel reality we are now faced with, a reality of an uncertain future and basic, day-to-day survival because you denied our claim after we have held up OUR part of the bargain. As a representative of the Federal Government, it’s your turn to hold up YOUR part of the bargain you made with US….when you took our money all these years and DECADES. If we had pulled a scam like this, we’d all be in a Federal Prison for racketeering.

7. Anonymous says:

   March 8, 2013 at 9:08 am

   I am an extremely well experienced representative. For those of us who have been around awhile, it’s interesting that within a year ALJ Harper has gone from a 24% approval rating, with one of the lowest rates in Macon, to one of the highest with 53%. Looks like a total reinvention, as the numbers don’t lie. The previous posters were writing about the 24% version of Judge Harper, not the apparently new and improved one.

8. Anonymous says:

   March 6, 2013 at 10:19 am

   Reps at my firm said that Judge Harper was really nice. That’s been my experience as well. She friendly and very pleasant, putting clients at ease with her down to earth conversational style. Her approval rate is higher than many other judges in the office too.

9. Anonymous says:

   February 3, 2013 at 11:30 am

   Absolutely astonishing….I was searching for information about Catherine Harper in order to discover if she treated others the same way she treated me, and I see that I wasn’t her first victim…..and probably won’t be her last. I’m sorry all you folks in Georgia had to endure appearing before this maniac, and you’ll be relieved to learn that she’s been transferred to Raleigh, NC. Apparently, I was one of the first few here to have the misfortune to appear before her. She was arrogant, rude, hateful, snide, and EXTREMELY abusive to me AND my lawyer. I had already decided to make it a new hobby of mine to have her removed from the bench even BEFORE I knew if she would deny my claim! Of course, she denied my claim, and twisted the statements on my claim as well as what I said at my hearing…even calling Tramadol an “over the counter medication” after asking me at the hearing where I got it, and me telling her “from a doctor’s prescription”.

   Just before my hearing, my lawyer warned me that “She seems to have a bubbly, vivacious personality, but word has it she’s a Battleaxe!” As a person who has worked and paid into Social Security since the early 70’s, I had an expectation to AT LEAST be treated with dignity and respect at my hearing. The research I have conducted so far indicates that she treats younger people like me (I’m 51) like DIRT, even CRIMINALS who are trying to scam the system! I was on my second dose of Tramadol when I appeared in her courtroom, which left me completely unable to think fast enough to counter the barrage of hostile questions. Fortunately, the medication I was on probably saved me from ejection from the hearing, as well as being arrested for suggesting the optimal internal location for her gavel.

   This “judge” is not fit to impartially make decisions that can determine a person’s future, and should be removed from the bench….I’ve seen Pitbulls with more compassion, and rattlesnakes with more empathy, than this egotistical, black-hearted witch!

   God help those who have the bitter misfortune to have their SSD claims decided by Cathrine Harper………a true menace to society, and the bane of common decency.

10. Anonymous says:

    January 22, 2013 at 11:59 am

    She is a nut.