Suing a judge occurs rarely, but does happen. In 2015, the judge presiding over a NY divorce case sanctioned an attorney who represented himself in the divorce case. Recently, the attorney filed a lawsuit against the judge and sued for damages.
The New York Law Journal reported at the end of July that Anthony Zappin, a former associate of Mintz Levin Cohn Ferris Glovsky and Popeo, filed a lawsuit against a Manhattan judge who imposed a $10,000 sanction on him for misconduct during his divorce case.
The day the press coverage was released, Zappin was fired from his position as associate at the law firm and suffered significant damages including loss of future earnings potential and denial of a fair trial on custody of his son.
Judges bear the responsibility to be fair and impartial when presiding over a case. If a party in the case believes the judge is unable to be fair and impartial, several means of recourse the party can take is to request that the judge recuse himself or move to have the judge recused from the case.
In a lawyers.com article, examples given as reasons for recusal include:
It remains to be seen what the court will decide in the lawsuit brought against the judge.
If you have questions about divorce or family law litigation, Attorney Chris Palermo will be glad you answer your questions and advise the best course of legal action.
In the first homicide in nearly 40 years in Scarsdale, Jules Reich, a partner in Manhattan financial services company Weiser Mazars, has been charged with second degree murder in the stabbing death of his wife, Dr. Robin Goldman. Reich had filed for divorce last August and the parties had a scheduled court appearance on January 25, 2016. On the morning of January 19, police received a 911 call from Reich, saying that Goldman had been seriously injured. When police arrived moment later, they found Goldman in the shower with multiple stab wounds.
Though neither party had ever reported domestic violence to authorities, friends and neighbors acknowledged that they knew there was discord in the marriage. Prosecutors told the judge at a bail hearing that Goldman was so afraid of Reich that she had all the locks changed at the marital home. They also said that Goldman’s children wanted to get a protection order because of their fear of him. Reich’s attorney asked that bail be set at $150,000, but the judge denied bail.
According to prosecutors, Reich has a long history in the mergers and acquisitions profession, and has “money stashed all over the world,” making him a significant flight risk. Conversely, they portrayed Goldman as a woman committed to caring for children, both in her career and at home. She worked as a pediatrician at Montefiore Medical Group’s Comprehensive Family Care facility in the Bronx. She was also an assistant professor of medicine at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine. Her children said, though, that she had limited her practice to three days a week to spend more time with family, including four grandchildren.
Divorce Proceeding Ends in Tragedy
Marital Discord Ends in Murder
Contact an Experienced New York Divorce and Family Law Attorney
At the law office of Chris Palermo, Esq., we bring more than 13 years of experience to men and women in divorce and family law matters, representing clients across Long Island. To learn more about our practice, see our divorce and family law page. For an appointment, send us an e-mail or call us toll free at 1-800-483-1527. We have offices located in Huntington, Hauppauge, Garden City, Babylon and New York City.
Ten men, including two Orthodox rabbis, have been sentenced for their role in a divorce-coercion ring.
Prosecutors say that, under Jewish law, a woman may not obtain a divorce without her husband’s permission, referred to as a “get.” They acknowledged that it is common practice for a rabbi to employ certain measures to persuade a recalcitrant husband to consent. Such steps may include prohibiting the husband from attendance at synagogue or participation in synagogue life.
The two rabbis who pled guilty, though, had apparently resorted to far more heinous measures to obtain the “get.” Officials say the rabbis had assembled a group of eight men who would kidnap an unwilling husband and torture/beat him until he agreed to a divorce. According to court documents, the two rabbis charged women seeking a divorce a substantial fee to obtain a rabbinical decree authorizing violence—approximately $10,000. An additional fee of $50,000 covered the cost of the kidnapping and torture.
The ten men were arrested in a sting operation orchestrated by the FBI. An agent, posing as a Jewish woman seeking a divorce, contacted one of the rabbis, telling him that she needed help from a “special rabbi” to accomplish her goal. She apparently told the rabbi that her husband was in Argentina and would not agree to the divorce. The rabbi told her that she would need to “get him to New York to harass him or nail him.” The rabbi convened a rabbinical court that ruled that the husband could be coerced and contacted the eight men, who went to a warehouse in Edison, New Jersey, believing they would find the reluctant husband there. Instead, federal officials were waiting to arrest them.
At the law office of Chris Palermo, Esq., we bring more than 13 years of experience to men and women in divorce and family law matters, representing clients across Long Island. To learn more about our practice, see our divorce and family law page. For an appointment, send us an e-mail or call us toll free at 1-800-483-1527. We have offices located in Huntington, Hauppauge, Garden City, Babylon and New York City.
Life goes on after divorce and this includes co-parenting. You’ll be glad to know that digital communication has made many aspects of co-parenting easier. Aside from skyping or sending text messages and emails as ways to stay in touch with your kids, there are also apps available that can help you plan and manage your schedules together.
One co-parenting application to consider is 2houses.com which helps you in various ways:
Divorce and Family Law Attorney Chris Palermo works closely with you to help your divorce go as smoothly as possible. However, he also takes great satisfaction in seeing family members get along and manage their lives well after divorce.