Photo: Shutterstock.Phila. Judge DiClaudio Faces Ethics Charges Stemming From Alleged Debt Trouble
Philadelphia Court of Common Pleas Judge Scott DiClaudio has been charged by the Pennsylvania Judicial Conduct Board with ethics violations stemming from allegedly failing to comply with court orders in a lawsuit against him as well as failing to list all of his creditors on a statement of financial interest.
December 20, 2019 at 03:40 PM
3 minute read
Philadelphia Court of Common Pleas Judge Scott DiClaudio has been charged by the Pennsylvania Judicial Conduct Board with ethics violations stemming from allegedly failing to comply with court orders in a lawsuit against him as well as failing to list all of his creditors on a statement of financial interest.
The JCB charged DiClaudio with five counts of ethics violations, alleging he failed to comply with multiple court orders in a lawsuit against him filed by a Montgomery County sports club for thousands in past dues. The JCB also alleged DiClaudio failed to list the IRS and the Pennsylvania Department of Revenue as creditors on his financial disclosure paperwork for nearly $300,000 in liens.
DiClaudio, reached Friday, declined to comment. A spokesman for the Philadelphia court system also declined to comment.
The judge made headlines this year for being the subject of an unsuccessful attempt by District Attorney Larry Krasner to have him removed from hearing criminal cases. Krasner argued DiClaudio should recuse because his girlfriend, Catherine Smith, filed a lawsuit with the Pennsylvania Human Relations Commission against the District Attorney's Office, alleging she was fired in February from her position as an assistant district attorney because she's white.
The JCB's complaint, filed Friday, said DiClaudio allegedly failed to respond to a lawsuit filed against him by the Cynwyd Club at almost every step of the litigation that spanned 2015 to 2019—which also spawned multiple requests for sanctions against DiClaudio.
Eventually, in October, DiClaudio agreed to pay $9,500 to the Cynwyd Club. But the ethical implications, according to the JCB, lie in the judge's alleged multiple failures to appear at court hearings and comply with court orders prior to that settlement.
Additionally, the JCB alleged, DiClaudio's failure to list the IRS and PDR as creditors on four consecutive statements of financial interests—stemming from $287,500 and $10,174 liens, respectively—also went against the code of conduct.
The form requires judicial officers to disclose any debts over $6,500 and to whom.
In total, DiClaudio was charged with two counts of noncompliance with the law, one count of violating a judge's duty to avoid the appearance of impropriety, one count of violating the state constitution for running afoul of judicial rules, and one count of bringing the judiciary into disrepute.
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