CLEVELAND, Ohio - Municipal Court Judge Angela Stokes, whose courtroom behavior has been the subject of a costly legal battle with the Ohio Supreme Court's Office of Disciplinary Counsel, has agreed to retire from the bench and never seek election again. 

In exchange, the disciplinary counsel has agreed to drop its entire 2013 complaint against her and will not oppose Stokes' request to have her law license reinstated.  The Ohio Supreme Court suspended her license in Dec. 2014 while she fought the charges against her. 

The disciplinary counsel's complaint, which alleges that Stokes had abused court staff, lawyers and defendants, triggered a trial this year before a special panel of the Ohio Supreme Court's Board of Professional Conduct.  The trial, which was held periodically rather than continuously, lasted more than eight weeks and likely would have continued well into 2016.  Attempts to reach a settlement earlier had failed twice, most recently in August. 

The Board of Professional Conduct's three-member panel hearing the case has the final say and is expected to approve the deal.  A hearing on the matter is scheduled for Jan. 6, 2016. 

The deal, as specified in an affidavit signed by Stokes and filed with Board of Professional Conduct on Wednesday, says she must retire immediately and "never run for, seek, accept appointment to or hold any judicial position in any state court, excluding federal court positions." ( You can read the motion and affidavit in the box below.) 

A city employee, Stokes was entitled to a taxpayer-funded defense, which has cost the city of Cleveland more than $1 million.  Stokes has been free to hire, fire and rehire lawyers and law firms and has used six lawyers or firms, according to city records. 

During the trial, Stokes defense team, lead by Larry Zukerman, successfully challenged some of the allegations made in the complaint, including the charge that she used a disproportionate amount of court resources - such as money for drug and alcohol testing -- compared to other judges.  In April, the Disciplinary Counsel dropped that charge. 

The complaint also accused Stokes of prohibiting prosecutors, public defenders and private attorneys from asking questions about courtroom procedure and detailed the stories of several attorneys.  The complaint included cases the disciplinary counsel said showed Stokes treated defendants unfairly, noting that the judge reprimanded them, or placed them in holding cells for minor infractions such as whispering.  The complaint also noted that Stokes employed numerous bailiffs.  A 2009 Plain Dealer story documented that Stokes employed 21 different personal bailiffs at 27 different times since 1995 and detailed behavior that other court officials considered unprofessional and bizarre. 

During the trial, the disciplinary counsel showed video of Stokes yelling at lawyers and defendants.  Court employees also testified that Stokes' behavior was unpredictable and that her courtroom moved slowly compared to other courtrooms, keeping defendants, lawyers and staff from their other duties. 

Stokes defense has argued that Stokes was a conscientious judge who took her time to ensure the she made the right rulings, which remain unchallenged.  Her defense also has made the charge that court officials, including the former and current administrative judges, led a conspiracy against Stokes because they do not like her. 

Zukerman said the deal reflects the disciplinary counsel's weak case against Stokes. 

"The hard work and aggressive defense collapsed the litigation which saved the city hundreds of thousands of court costs," he said. " Most importantly, Judge Stokes will be able to regain her privilege to practice law in the State of Ohio and graciously move forward with her life and career after this four-year attack on her and her law license. " 

Stokes, who is the daughter of the late Cleveland Congressman Louis Stokes, was elected in 1995 to fill an unexpired term.  Voters then elected her to three six-year terms, most recently in 2011.  Bar associations and newspaper editorial boards gave her poor ratings but she easily won re-elections.