Legal News

Family rights group petitions DOJ to investigate extra pay for L.A. judges

By Jason Siegel

A group focused on family rights issues is petitioning the U.S. Department of Justice to determine if trials against Los Angeles County are still fair, when the county allegedly pays judges an extra $40,000 annually, in cases where the county was a party.

The American Family Rights Association was prompted to send the petition after a State Bar judge recommended to disbar tax-payer advocate Richard Fine in January for moral turpitude, the Daily News reported.

The judge claimed Fine "filed meritless lawsuits" to retaliate against judges who ruled against him, while Fine told the Daily News that state bar action began only because the his cases now focused on judges. He alleged L.A. Superior Court judges had not disclosed the nearly $40,000 the county gives them annually in cases where the county is a party. Fine appealed to the California Supreme Court.

A lawsuit by Judicial Watch alleges the the county's payments violate the state's constitution as gifts of public money. The case is being heard by the state Court of Appeal in San Diego.

Full post as published by Legal Pad | LA on March 14, 2008 (boomark / email).