Orange County, NY, Family Court Official Resigns in Wake of Bias Investigation
The nature of the complaint was not immediately known Wednesday. The allegation was made by a court assistant against Deacon earlier this year, according to OCA.
November 28, 2018 at 05:25 PM
2 minute read
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Richard Deacon, the deputy chief clerk of the Orange County Family Court, resigned in early November after an investigation by the Inspector General's Office into a complaint made against him by another court employee, according to the Office of Court Administration.
The retirement earlier this month of his supervisor, long-time Chief Clerk Elizabeth Holbrook of the Orange County Family Court was also apparently related to the situation, according to a spokesman for OCA.
The nature of the complaint was not immediately known Wednesday. The allegation was made by a court assistant against Deacon earlier this year, according to OCA. That was referred to the Inspector General's Managing Inspector General of Bias Matters, which investigated the complaint. The Office of the Managing Inspector General for Bias Matters reviews complaints of bias regarding race, sexual harassment, disability and several other areas.
At the end of the investigation, the Inspector General's Office recommended Deacon's resignation to Judge Michael Coccoma, who is the deputy chief administrative judge for courts outside New York City, according to OCA. Deacon resigned his position effective Nov. 5.
Holbrook retired from her position following the outcome of the investigation. She had been chief clerk of Orange County Family Court since 1994.
Lynn McKelvey, the chief clerk of Orange County Supreme and County Court, is the current acting chief clerk of Orange Family Court while the position remains vacant.
Contact information to reach Deacon and Holbrook was not publicly available. A request sent to OCA for that information was not immediately returned Wednesday.
It's not unusual for details of bias investigations to be kept confidential by the state court system. Complaints reported to the Inspector General's Office are kept confidential, as are the office's investigations and reports that arise out of a complaint.
READ MORE:
Former Law Clerk Claims State Judge Sexually Harassed Her
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