NYC Hearing Officer Suspended Over Alleged Bid to Intervene in Suit Against Her Daughter
A retired New York City Criminal Court judge who was working as a judicial hearing officer has been suspended amid an investigation into allegations that the judge tried to intervene in a lawsuit against her daughter, a Manhattan prosecutor.
January 29, 2019 at 02:33 PM
4 minute read
A retired New York City Criminal Court judge who was working as a judicial hearing officer has been suspended amid an investigation into allegations that the judge tried to intervene in a lawsuit against her daughter, a Manhattan prosecutor.
A spokesman for the Office of Court Administration said that the office's inspector general is investigating “what appears to be some inappropriate behavior” by Eileen Koretz, who is alleged to have intervened into a legal dispute between Lauren Angelo Seltzer, Koretz' daughter, and Vanessa Rivas, a nanny who worked for Seltzer.
In her complaint, Rivas alleged that—while she was in Seltzer's employ—Seltzer filmed her showering and changing clothes in the prosecutor's home bathroom with a hidden camera.
OCA spokesman Lucian Chalfen said Koretz has been taken off the JHO schedule for the duration of Inspector General Sherrill Spatz's investigation into Koretz's conduct, but declined to comment further. Koretz, who presided over the Midtown Community Court from 1997 to 2006, is paid a $400 per diem for working as a JHO.
According Rivas' lawsuit, which was filed in Manhattan Supreme Court, Rivas began working as a full-time nanny for Seltzer in January 2017, and her duties included taking Seltzer's children to a swim class.
Rivas used Seltzer's bathroom to change and shower after the class and said in her complaint that, on Jan. 18, 2018, she noticed a small surveillance camera set up in the bathroom. Rivas said she removed the Micro SD card from the camera and that she told Seltzer that she intended to turn it over to the police.
Rivas alleged that Koretz tried to convince her to sign an agreement to avoid police involvement in the matter. Rivas said she refused and that Koretz became hostile.
Kyle Watters, an attorney representing Koretz, said that the Rivas' accusations are “completely meritless” and that, following repeated attempts to secure a financial settlement, Rivas has resorted to conducting a “public smear campaign” against Seltzer that has ensnared the prosecutor's mother.
“Judge Koretz has honorably served as a public servant with an unblemished career for the last 43 years,” Watters said in a written statement. “She is looking forward to working with the OCA and sharing with them the facts of the alleged incident.”
Koretz is not a party to the lawsuit. And OCA's investigation has so far not led to charges against her.
In addition to Lauren Seltzer, Rivas' complaint also names Matthew Seltzer, her spouse, as a defendant.
Rivas also said that Seltzer began telling other parents and nannies to steer clear of Rivas and that Rivas is “irresponsible and crazy,” her suit states. Seltzer's “campaign of harassment” has caused Rivas to lose prospective clients, according to the lawsuit.
Seltzer is still employed with the Manhattan District Attorney's Office and is still active, a spokesman for the office said. Seltzer did not respond to messages left at her office requesting comment on the suit.
Marvin Ray Raskin, a Bronx-based attorney who serves on the state's Commission on Judicial Conduct and who represents Seltzer, also called Rivas' suit “meritless” and said that Rivas has been “pressuring” his client for a financial settlement. He said his client has not been served in the case.
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