Luzerne County Judges

December 13, 2009

Lokuta takes aim at lawyers

In legal brief, her lawyers contend Judicial Conduct Board attorneys intentionally misled the board.

By Sherry Long slong@timesleader.com
Staff Writer

A brief filed Friday on behalf of former Luzerne County Judge Ann Lokuta contends that attorneys for the Judicial Conduct Board intentionally misled the board by not fully disclosing all the information known about complaints against former Judge Michael Conahan.

The 13-page document was filed in the state Court of Judicial Discipline in Harrisburg by Lokuta’s attorneys, George Michak and Ronald Santora.

The brief states that testimony provided last week during the Interbranch Commission on Juvenile Justice hearing showed how former judge Michael Conahan ruled the courthouse by intimidating others into doing what he wanted.

It also points out that JCB Chief Counsel Joseph Massa “kept the substance and nature of the serious criminal and ethical allegations that were raised against Conahan from JCB members” by violating his own procedure for not forwarding those complaints to JCB members.

Conahan was a major witness for the JCB in the case to remove Lokuta from the bench. The complaints regarding Conahan were received by the JCB two months before the board decided to prosecute Lokuta.

“It is really the prosecutors, not the entire Judicial Conduct Board we are taking issue with. We are really taking issue with the prosecutors because they had information that we think was relevant. They didn’t share it with their own board and they didn’t share it with the Court of Judicial Discipline and we think that was a fundamental failure on their part that really acted to prejudice Judge Lokuta,” George Michak, one of Lokuta’s attorneys, said Saturday.

He said he can’t predict when the court will make its ruling. Lokuta is seeking a reinstatement to the Court of Common pleas bench. Lokuta would accept a reinstatement with oversight, Michak said.

If the court decides to uphold last year’s ruling to remove her from the bench, they will appeal the decision to the state Supreme Court, Michak said.

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