Maria Lopez

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Maria Lopez is a Cuban-American former judge and is currently a television jurist on the US syndicated television show Judge Maria Lopez.

Lopez, born in Cuba, is an attorney formerly of Massachusetts, in which she served as a Superior Court judge and as an assistant attorney general in civil rights division of the office of the Massachusetts Attorney General. She is married to Stephen Mindich, publisher of the Boston Phoenix newspaper, and lives with him in Newton, Massachusetts. Lopez has two sons, Michael and David, a result of her first marriage to Richard Michaud. Lopez holds a Bachelors of Arts degree in Government from Smith College and a Juris Doctor from Boston University.

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[edit] DeMoulas Versus DeMoulas Case

In the 1990s, then Judge Lopez presided over the civil trial for control of shares in the DeMoulas supermarket chain. The trial and subsequent appeals process made this one of the largest and longest civil lawsuits in Massachusetts history. In addition to its length and cost, the trial was notable for attempts by lawyers of Telemachus 'Mike' DeMoulas to have Judge Lopez removed from the case for allegations of bias after the jury found that he had defrauded his late brother George's family of shares in the family owned business. After numerous appeals however, Judge Lopez's rulings were upheld. Allegations of misconduct were raised by Lopez's former law clerk, Paul M. Walsh against attorneys for Telemachus DeMoulas. He alleged that he was lured to Nova Scotia under the pretext of a job-interview, only to be queried for information the lawyers could then use to prove bias on the part of Judge Lopez. [1] In October 2006, the state Board of Bar Overseers issued a recommendation to disbar lawyers Gary C. Crossen and Kevin P. Curry and issue a three year suspension to lawyer Richard K. Donahue based on their conduct in the Walsh incident.[2]

[edit] Charles 'Ebony' Horton Case

Charles Horton was tried for kidnapping, assault with intent to rape a child under 16, indecent assault and battery on a child under 14, assault and battery, and assault and battery by means of a dangerous weapon. Horton, while dressed as a woman, used a ruse to lead a young boy to an abandoned warehouse where he forced to the boy to simulate sex acts after holding a screwdriver to the child's neck. [3]

During the sentencing phase of the trial, Suffolk County District Attorney David Deakin who had asked Lopez to give Horton an eight to ten year jail sentence, tried to protest her decision to sentence Horton to house arrest and five years' of probation. Judge Lopez who was angered by the presence of members of the media, proceded to upbraid the prosecutor who she suspected had alerted the press to her impending sentence.[4] During her outburst, she angered members of the victims family by referring to the case as a "low-level" offense. Judge Lopez's decision also angered residents of Mary Ellen McCormack housing development in South Boston where Horton would serve his house arrest.[5] (Horton was latered evicted from the housing development based on the conviction) The sentencing caused politicians in the state including then Governor Paul Cellucci[6], to suggest that mandatory minimum sentencing should be statutorily enacted to remove judicial discretion in cases such as Horton's.

Three years thence, the Massachusetts Commission on Judicial Conduct found that, in pursuit of the matter, Lopez had abused her office and lied under oath and that she ought to apologize and serve a six-month suspension. [7] Retired Judge E. George Daher who headed the commission's investigation, suggested Judge Lopez should not be punished for her in court behavior, but for her "feeble attempt at coverup."[8] Coincidently, Judge Daher had also presided over the eviction hearings for Horton when he served as Boston Housing Court Chief in 2000. Rather than apologize and accept a suspension, Judge Lopez resigned on May 19, 2003.[9]

[edit] Judge Maria Lopez

On September 11, 2006, Lopez's shows, named after herself, debuted in The United States and Canada. The show is a half-hour long and can include two smaller cases in one show or can include only one big case, such as "The Dirty Videographer Was A Lemon". Judge Maria Lopez is different from other courtshows in two different ways. For starters, the "funky names" are introduced at the beginning of every case. The other thing that differentiates other shows is that after her ruling, there is a cut back to her Judge's Chambers, where she gives her opinions about the litigants, along with a reason on why she ruled the way she did.

[edit] Her controversial style

During her sentencing of an admitted child molester, Charles " Ebony" Horton, critics questioned Lopez outburst that led to an investigation of her behavior on the bench. The judicial review found Lopez lied under oath and showed bias against prosecutors. This led Judge Maria Lopez to resign from her position. Lopez's letter addressed the chief justices of the courts.

"I sincerely apologize for my loss of temper in court. Accepting the recommendation of the hearing officer that I be suspended for six months and publicly endorse his findings would no doubt be the easiest and most expeditious way to maintain my judicial position. However, I cannot dishonor my 14 years on the bench, my principals, or the Massachusetts Judiciary by admitting to that which I did not do," Lopez wrote.

In September 2000, Lopez's courtroom outburst prompted a lengthy investigation. Lopez was accused of abusing her power and lacking in the temperament to serve. The hearing officer suggested six months suspension if she apologized.

"Fighting would require that we continue on a road that would subject her family and herself to this constant kind of morass that has been going on. She has simply decided that it is not worth it. Her effectiveness on the bench would be compromised after these proceedings. She has become a lightning rod for both the media and public opinion. It was her decision to step down,"' Lopez's attorney, Richard Egbert, said.

[edit] External links

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