One NY Judge Removed From Bench, Another Admonished (MORE, CLICK HERE)

New York Lawyer - December 21, 2007
By Daniel Wise
New York Law Journal

The Commission on Judicial Conduct yesterday determined that one town justice should be removed and another admonished.

The commission removed 11-year veteran Ellenburg Town Justice Dennis LaBombard for hearing a criminal case in which two of his stepgrandchildren were defendants and contacting another town justice about a second criminal case involving one of his stepgrandchildren.

Junius Town Justice Stephen H. Brown, who has been on the bench nearly a year, was admonished for writing a threatening letter, at the request of a landlord, in an effort to enforce a settlement in a housing case that had been before him. Both justices are nonlawyers.

The commission's ruling are subject to review by the Court of Appeals.
Justice LaBombard's lawyer, Peter A. Dumas, did not respond to a request for comment.
Justice Brown, who represented himself, declined to comment.