Judge William DeProspo
Goshen – Orange County Court Judge William DeProspo is stepping down from the bench five years before his term expires on December 31, 2027. His resignation was submitted to the acting chief administrative judge is effective March 31.
His departure is as per an agreement with the State Commission on Judicial Conduct. According to a stipulation agreement with the commission, he was served with a formal written complaint on July 26, 2022 containing five charges of misconduct. “The charges alleged that in the course of presiding over five emergency applications brought in Family Court matters by unrepresented petitioners who were seeking temporary orders of protection and other relief, (DeProspo) was disrespectful, disparaging, sarcastic and otherwise discourteous toward them, in both words and tone of voice,” according to the stipulation obtained by Mid-Hudson News.
The agreement with the judicial commission that when he leaves his judicial office, he will neither seek nor accept judicial office at any time in the future. According to commissioner documents, while presiding over Family Court cases he asked a petitioner, “What kind of kook are you?”; belittled her concern about missing school in order to be in court; said “everything that you told me was bullshit”; and told the petitioner to “get your ass out of bed and get here at 9 in the morning” or her petition would be dismissed and she could “ask the director [of your school] to protect you.”
The legal documents state that he said to another petitioner, “So listen, why should I give you an order of protection… if you keep going back to this guy? You went looking for him. You got into the car, okay, and you obviously want to be with him because you keep going back to him.” Commissioner Administrator Robert Tembeckjian said judges “are obligated to be patient, dignified and courteous toward those with whom they deal in an official capacity. This is especially important in Family Court, which can be volatile enough without the judge making matters worse by insulting or demeaning the litigants.” Orange County has three county court judges – Craig Stephen Brown and Hyun Kim Chin and DeProspo.DeProspo first took officer in 2018. He was admitted to the New York State Bar in 1985 and served as a private practice attorney prior to running for county court judge, unopposed.
While in private practice, he was also Orange County Republican Party chairman.
Source: Mid-Hudson News
Comments