ALBANY — An investigation by the state court system’s inspector general determined that two Rensselaer County Family Court judges and four staffers conspired to “bully, harass, demean and intimidate” another Family Court employee, according to documents obtained by the Times Union.
Family Court judges Jill Kehn and Elizabeth Walsh as well as employees Lois Barrett, Helen Barrington, Jennifer McDonald and Karen Bauer created a hostile work environment, according to a March 8 letter addressed to their alleged victim that was signed by Norman St. George, who at the time served as deputy chief administrative judge for all courts outside New York City. St. George is now the state’s first deputy administrative chief judge.
The letter sheds light on the reasons for the court system’s decision, first reported by the Times Union on May 20, to quietly transfer Kehn to Albany County Family Court and move Troy City Court Judge Anne Coonrad — whom Kehn defeated to win the judgeship in 2021 — to Rensselaer County Family Court to cover Kehn’s caseload. Walsh has continued to preside over Family Court in Troy.
The Times Union previously reported that Barrington, a deputy clerk, was fired. Barrett, who worked for Walsh, retired in April. McDonald and Bauer, an attorney, moved to Albany County Family Court with Kehn, whom they work for directly, according to people with knowledge of the situation.
The secrecy surrounding the matter reflects the extreme confidentiality that accompanies investigations of alleged wrongdoing by judges, whose ability to mete out justice can be imperiled the moment their own conduct is credibly called into question.
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