Courts

Judge Accused Of 20-Year Spree Of Sexual Misconduct

The allegations are startling.

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There’s a sad reality of working in media in 2019, and that’s that you kind of get used to reporting on sexual harassment allegations. It is certainly better than the alternative of sweeping the accusations under the rug, which is what happened for generations, but there is a weird routine that develops around a new batch of allegations. So when I find myself shocked at the pervasive and degrading nature of the decades of abuse Judge Jeffrey Johnson is alleged to have heaped upon his colleagues in a recent disciplinary action, you know its going to be beyond the pale.

The notice of proceedings against the California appeals judge details 20 years’ worth of alleged harassing behavior. He’s alleged to have groped a fellow judge, commented on the rear end of another, made sexual advances to multiple police officers assigned to work with him over the years, and “engaged in a pattern of poor demeanor towards colleagues and court employees.”

As reported by Law360, the allegations (which are below) paint a picture of an entitled judge who was given free rein to treat the women in his professional orbit solely as objects of desire and who believed his position insulated him from the consequences of his behavior.

  • Over the course of eight years (2010 to 2018), Judge Johnson repeatedly groped Associate Justice Victoria Gerrard Chaney’s rear end and “while hugging her, pressed against her and put [his] hand on one of her breasts.” He’s also alleged to have occasionally said, “Mm-hmm” or “You feel good” while he was feeling her up.
  • Judge Johnson is alleged to have made sexually explicit comments to Judge Chaney during a 2013 holiday party, and saying words to the effect of “It can’t be sexual harassment because we’re both on the same level.”
  • During a conversation about sexual harassment in the workplace, Judge Johnson is alleged to have asked Justice Chaney, “‘You would never report me, would you?,’ or words to that effect.”
  • He didn’t limit his alleged inappropriate behavior to one colleague. According to the filing, he told Associate Justice Elizabeth A. Grimes words to the effect of she had “the greatest ass in the Second District.”
  • Judge Johnson also allegedly made sexual comments to a police officer assigned as his driver on “approximately four occasions” between 2013 and 2016 and graphically described sex acts.
  • There’s another alleged incident with a different officer driving him home in 2015, with the judge badgering her to enter his house in a “sexually suggestive” manner.
  • In 1999, when he was a magistrate judge, it’s alleged he treated female colleagues in a way that was “unwelcome, undignified, discourteous, and offensive.”
  • He’s also alleged to have asked a court clerk if he could touch her breasts, and he spoke with clerks about other women he thought had “boob jobs.”
  • Additionally, he’s accused of yelling at those who worked for him. Including publicly scolding a research attorney “so loudly that visitors in the lobby could hear yelling.”

While any of the specific allegations are shocking behavior for a judge, it’s particularly startling to realize just how long Judge Johnson was alleged to have gotten away with such troubling conduct.

In a statement from Johnson’s attorney, Paul S. Meyer, he denied the allegations:

“Justice Johnson remains respectful of the process of investigation and will rely on facts and documents to provide the truth,” the statement said. “Counsel will bring forward writings and other communications of the named offended parties which contradict and discredit the claims.”

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If the Commission of Judicial Performance finds the charges proven with “clear and convincing evidence,” they’re empowered to “remove, censure, publicly admonish, or privately discipline” the judge.

headshotKathryn Rubino is a Senior Editor at Above the Law, and host of The Jabot podcast. AtL tipsters are the best, so please connect with her. Feel free to email her with any tips, questions, or comments and follow her on Twitter (@Kathryn1).

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