Van Delay Industries

The New York Commission on Judicial Conduct admonished a Judge of the New York City Civil Court and an Acting Justice of the Supreme Court, 12th Judicial District, Bronx County

The Formal Written Complaint alleged that in August 2015 after respondent’s vehicle struck a police van, respondent asserted her judicial office to advance her private interests, pressured police officers not to complete an accident report and threatened a police officer who completed the report.

Sanction

In determining the appropriate sanction for respondent’s violation of the above-cited ethical standards, we reject respondent’s argument that public discipline is unwarranted because the “private interest” she was seeking to further during the incident was relatively minor. Although the police report itself may have been inconsequential to respondent except for the resulting delay, her desire to be allowed to leave the accident scene more quickly was clearly important enough to her to warrant invoking her judicial status repeatedly at each stage of her interactions with the police, in violation of Rule 100.2(C). In view of such behavior and the totality of the circumstances as set forth above, we conclude that a public admonition is required. In imposing this sanction, we remind every judge of the obligation to abide by this important ethical mandate

(Mike Frisch)