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Thursday, Sept. 10, 2009 | 2 a.m.
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- Discipline on Vegas judge upheld (11-7-2008)
- Judge must apologize to woman he jailed (6-17-2008)
Being a judge means never having to say you’re sorry — unless you’re ordered to. And even then, you apparently can take a year to apologize.
At least you can if you’re Las Vegas Municipal Judge George Assad.
Back in 2003, Assad had his deputy marshal detain Anne Chrzanowski. The licensed practical nurse remained in custody for two hours until her boyfriend showed up in court to take care of his unpaid traffic tickets.
In February 2007, the Nevada Judicial Discipline Commission slapped Assad with a public reprimand for the unlawful detention, finding that Assad had violated the state’s judicial code of conduct. But the Nevada Supreme Court in June 2008 said the commission was being too hard on Assad. The justices ordered that Assad instead apologize to Chrzanowski in writing and take a judicial ethics course.
He is to attend a two-day “Ethics for Judges” seminar at the National Judicial College in Reno at his own expense beginning Oct. 12.
Assad spent months trying to persuade the Supreme Court to reconsider its decision and didn’t deliver the apology to the Judicial Discipline Commission until July 24, after the state panel ordered him to submit it.
“I truly had no intent in any manner to harm you or to create any anxiety within you in any manner whatsoever,” Assad wrote in his page-and-a-half letter, concluding: “With that being said, I do sincerely apologize to you for the events of that day.”
Chrzanowski could not be reached for comment, but her lawyer, Cal Potter, said Wednesday that the apology, coming so many years later, is “hollow” and now “meaningless” to his client. He said he hasn’t been able to locate Chrzanowski, who may have left Las Vegas, to send her a copy of the letter.
“It’s the old saying: ‘Justice delayed is justice denied,’ ” Potter said. “It took an inordinate amount of time for this to occur.”
Potter accused Assad of placing too much of the blame on his marshal.
Assad, who did not return the Sun’s phone calls, wrote that Chrzanowski’s detention was the result of a “misunderstanding” between him and the marshal. Chrzanowski had gone to Assad’s courtroom on March 31, 2003, on behalf of her boyfriend, Joshua Madera, who wanted more time to pay his traffic fines. He had just started a new job and was unable to come to court himself.
According to court transcripts, Assad informed Chrzanowski that her boyfriend had threatened a court clerk, an allegation the boyfriend later denied.
“So unless you want to get him down here real quick, we’re going to have to lock you up until he gets here,” Assad told Chrzanowski.
The judge then instructed her to go with his marshal and telephone Madera.
“Tell him you’re going to jail if he doesn’t get his butt down here,” Assad added.
Chrzanowski called Madera, but he told her he couldn’t immediately get to the courthouse, records show. The marshal then handcuffed Chrzanowski and put her in a holding cell, where she waited for two hours until Madera made it to court.
The marshal refused to let Chrzanowski call her employer to let her boss know that she would likely be unable to work that evening.
“None of the marshal’s behavior was anticipated by me, nor intended by me,” Assad wrote in his letter.
But the Judicial Commission’s special counsel alleged that the judge’s actions deprived Chrzanowski, who wasn’t a party to the court proceeding, of her due process rights.
The commission later concluded that Assad “had no basis in law ... to effectively hold a defendant’s paramour hostage pending arrival of the defendant to court.”
That's it? A slap on the hand?
Unconscionable! And this judge still works? Very frightening.
Well, I suppose that's one way to get these maniacs into pay their traffic tickets.
Only in the state of Nevada could a judge get away with this kind of corrupt behavior and still remain on the bench.
Assad is not fit to be a judge.
judges are virtually beyond reproach. i had someone file a lawsuit against me in another state and i NEVER received a summons and the judge issued a default judgment against me and there was nothing i could do about it.
Four years for the Nevada Judicial Discipline Commission to act, and two years later this judge still hasn't done what they ruled he had to do. Thats' far, far more leniency than he gave Ms. Chrzanowski, or I'd wager what he's allowed anyone else.
Pay attention, People -- this is what happens when there is no independent body judging the judges. Check it out http://judicial.state.nv.us/introtonjdc3...
This Commission's makeup is four members of the state Bar get to outvote three regular people. Although that's a lower balance than some other states, the state Bar gets to pull the strings. And one thing you can count on with the Bar, it will protect its members.
powerplay -- congrats on another lucid post, but I have to disagree, this kind of corruption is everywhere. By the way, find an old dictionary and look up "prostitute" -- one of the definitions is a corrupt judge.
Hey...give him a break. Judges are only (sub) human.
Nevada's Judicial Branch. As infected with corruption, lack of ethics, and without a lick of sense as the rest of the tree.
Would an appointed system of judges solve this problem?
In Brief;
A friend was once being detained by law enforcement officials because one of the two license plate lights on the vehicle she was driving was not functioning. A fiesty Lassie to say the least, she didn't much appreciate being detained at the police station as officers interrogated her on some unrelated incident she wasn't involved in or knew anything about.
When I asked the officers what they were seeking to release her, they escorted me to a back room where one of their bullies felt compelled to physically abuse me prior to tossing me in a piss-cell for an overnight stay trumping up charges which were later dismissed at the expense of private councel.
Offering no resistance while being a abused I was thinking to myself, who does one call when a cop is beating you? -- it was my first experience with the "due process."
BTW: My friend was released without charges.
LasVegas2009 -- you're a child to believe that.
Look at Harley's experience -- all law enforcement, including the melded courts, sworn to be guardian of our rights, is off its leash and has become arrogance. This is just a scratch on a chip from the tip of the iceberg.
A lady's Constitutional Rights are violated by a Judge over her boyfriends unpaid parking tickets - are you friggen' joking? Well, it is NOT funny! This is a gross violation of the law by the Judge and a Court Officer!
It's more and more obvious the wealthy, positioned and powerful are beyond the law - and if THAT isn't corrected, it will eventually be the end of Ameirca as we know it!
UNEXECUSABLE! UNCONSCIONABLE! UNBELIEVABLE!
Once again the judicial system in Nevada is corrupted. Judges are elected based on how much smooching they can do. Simply saying sorry is not enough. The judge should be detained and fined to know how the woman feels.
Did you know...
If you are a lawyer in this town, you are expected to donate to judges campaigns.
If you fail to do so and end up in that judges court for trial, you are screwed!
How's THAT for "Justice" in the Old West.
I think we need to look at a different system of putting judges on the bench.
anyone know if you can subpoena a judge's campaign contribution records?
i would LOVE to find out if the judge that issued that default judgment against me had a campaign contribution from the company / lawyer that sued me.
The judge is a kidnapper, and should of been at least charged with unlawful detaining of a person (not quite sure about the exact law ) My question, "The judge held this lady longer then OJ, why is he not in prison ???"
His arm had to be twisted behind his back and forced to say "I'm sorry?" That's it?
Puleeze
Anyone opposing of this should write to the commission and make a complaint,write the Governs office.Only in Vegas Baby!!!!
This gives a whole new meaning to the term "criminal justice".
Watch out when you see a court system making a big deal about their "Regional Justice Court" and their "Administrative Justice" and bragging about how fast they can clear the docket.
they've left the Constitution down the road a piece, discarded like an empty beer can.