Lawyer complains of harassment

From our local paper. I have editied as best I can and still keep the flow of the story. I am not sure if I believe the allegations, but then again I was not there to witness it. All I know is there is another Chancellor that should be cited first, but then again I guess if you like his rulings you wouldnt want him to get get in trouble.

Lawyer complains of harassment Claims Chancellor L. made sexual advances

Wednesday, September 12, 2007

A lawyer has filed a complaint alleging Chancellor L. of G. made sexually harassing remarks and gestures to her while conducting court business.

A. J., who has practiced family law in D County for about 13 years, made the complaint to the Mississippi Commission on Judicial Performance, which investigates the conduct of judges.
Commission senior staff attorney D. could neither confirm nor deny the complaint. The commission's activities are confidential unless a complaint is deemed to have merit and forwarded to the state Supreme Court for action.

But copies were attached to more than a dozen divorce, child custody and other cases that J. and a law partner, M. M., have pending before Lundy in court in H.

L. did not respond to a request for comment made to his office in G.

The judge made headlines this summer with a ban on outdoor school activities due to record heat, a ruling that was overturned last month by the state Supreme Court.

The complaint was put in court files because J and Mhave asked Lundy to recuse himself from cases they have pending in his court. A hearing on the motion is scheduled to be heard by L at 9 a.m. Tuesday.

In the complaint, filed July 30, J wrote, "Over the past eight or nine months, I have been repeatedly subjected to direct, blatantly improper, and at times vulgar behavior on the part of Chancellor L."

She added, "His behavior has recently escalated to the point that appearances before him cause me great mental anguish and embarrassment."
J listed 10 incidents that she said occurred since last November, primarily in the judge's chambers.

She said the judge did numerous things that made her feel uncomfortable: insisting on hugging her, suggesting they should go out on dates and, at least twice, punctuating his comments by standing up and adjusting his crotch area.

J's office in S referred a reporter to M who staffs M and J's H. office.

M., who serves as a special master in Chancery Court, said, "We can't really comment on anything because of the nature of it and because of our rules of professional conduct."