Photo: Jason Doiy and S. Todd Rogers/ALM

A state disciplinary commission says a town court justice in upstate New York should be admonished for delaying giving decisions in small claims cases, sometimes for years on end.

The state's Commission on Judicial Conduct on Tuesday said David Corretore, a justice for the Webster Town Court in Monroe County, agreed to the admonition and has instituted a system to track cases.

Corretore is an attorney and has served on the bench at the Webster Town Court since 1988, according to the commission.

In six small claims cases, the judge delayed providing a decision for between five months and multiple years, the commission reported.

In one case, the plaintiff sought a $2,727 judgment for damages to pets and windows. Corretore did not provide a decision for more than three years, according to the commission.

"After receiving the decision, the plaintiff was not able to locate the defendant to serve the judgment," the commission stated in a determination, noting the plaintiff reached out to the court multiple times looking for a decision. 

In another case, the judge did not give a decision for 47 months, according to the commission.

"We trust that respondent, who has had an otherwise unblemished record during his nearly 32 years on the bench, will diligently discharge his duties in the future," according to the determination.

Attempts to reach Corretore on Tuesday were not successful.

Commission Administrator Robert Tembeckjian issued a statement saying reasonable deliberation from a judge is expected, "but by any measure, four years is too long to render a decision."

"To his credit, Judge Corretore squarely accepted responsibility and undertook management measures to avoid such delays in the future," he said in a statement.

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