Opinion ID: 2174333
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 3

Heading: unprofessional relationship with and hostile attitude towards employees

Text: The formal complaint charged that Judge Seitz encouraged his secretary, Mrs. Cindy Cameron, to be uncivil toward other court personnel, describing his colleagues and others in offensive and obscene language. Respondent's own witness, Ms. Nina Jordan, testified about his abusive language to her about Judge Costello's personnel and the Probate Registrar's office. In December 1989, Mrs. Cameron and Judge Seitz were invited to Judge Costello's staff Christmas luncheon. When Mrs. Cameron informed Judge Seitz about the event he told her that if she was planning on going, she could pack her F'ing bags. He then wrote her a memo rationalizing his strong opposition to the luncheon and also discussed office civility in general. For two years we've been deliberately excluded from the Christmas lunch by the worthless, juvenile, dishonest, immature[,] brain dead idiot down the hall.    [I didn't get any support when] all those terrible things were printed about me in the paper after the bald headed fucking political hack from the Court of Appeals said all those lies in the newspaper.    I did 90% of the work in this Court when fucking worthless Harry Seitz was here  he only did the uncontested estate hearings and all the adoptions. He never conducted a trial, and he dumped half of the crazy people hearings on me because that required a little work. I also patiently waited and waited and waited until I would be the Chief Judge and change things  I had to wait until Harry left. Then, stupidly, I tried to treat Costello as an equal, and not do the things to him that I had been subjected to. I also did all sorts of things for the pigs across the hall  stupid little things  like leting [sic] them wear pant suits, and take time off when they needed it for family emergencies  things that Harry never allowed. I got what I deserved for trying to be nice and decent to these people  kicked in the face repeatedly and being subjected to ridicule and criticism, led by ignorant fat assholes like Carol Thurman.    I don't think you realize how strong my feelings are about this, and how deep and intense my hatred is for him and for what he's done to a court that I built up for 12 years.    [T]he only person I can rely on is you, or the person that occupies your position. That position is my personal employee, and loyalty has to be 100% to me  not to anybody else. I know that its [sic] difficult sometimes, especially when you may find it fun to go with the rest of the staff or whatever. But the situation here doesn't permit that split loyalty.    You enjoy a lot of job privileges that nobody else is entitled to, and I want the assurance from you that I do have 100% loyalty. I can't and won't continue with anything less.    I'll do anything in the world for you, as long as your loyalty is to me and not divided between me and the staff.... I'm being totally honest with you, and I am telling you that it really makes me angry when you're even civil to these assholes who deliberately screw me like that. If you think what they're doing to me is O.K., and you treat them as great friends when they screw me, then I wish you'd move across the hall and work over there.... I need your assurance that I can depend on you, because if the recommendations of the Court Administrator aren't followed this time [referring being appointed Chief Judge], things here are going to be ten times worse than they ever were, and the whole place is going to wind up destroyed. And, if that has to happen, they'll have gotten exactly what they deserve. And I'm going to have to have somebody I can rely on to support me.    More than anything else, I want our relationship to continue, but it has to be with loyalty and understanding there. There's no in-between on this one. My loyalty to you is 100%, and it has to be the same in return. I have to know where you stand so I can plan appropriately. I told you last week I take care of those who take care of me. I treat the others accordingly. I want you to look out for me as much as I look out for you. On February 7, 1990, Judge Seitz learned that Mrs. Cameron was going to remarry, whereupon he became visibly upset and began swearing. He left for the rest of the day leaving behind a note to Mrs. Cameron stating, among other things: I'm sick  and if what someone downstairs [said] is true  I'm really goddamn sick and disappointed  more than you can possibly know. On February 9, 1990, after ignoring her for two days, Judge Seitz sent Mrs. Cameron a series of notes and a tape. One of the notes indicated that Judge Seitz wanted to talk with Mrs. Cameron, but was too upset and did not want anything bad to happen. The master found that this was an implied threat to hurt Mrs. Cameron. Mrs. Cameron decided to resign and was gone within a week. [21] The following are excerpts from the transcript of the tape Judge Seitz made after learning that Cindy Cameron was engaged to be married: I can't tell you how crushed and hurt and devastated and destroyed I was when I heard what you did; and, we've come so far together I feel like I've failed  just totally failed. Trying to build you up and get your life going again and get it going right. We've been through a hell of a lot together, and I tried to help you in any way I could.... I care what happens to you more than I care what happens to any other adult person in the world. It's unqualified caring. I've never asked anything in return for that. And I just want you to try to understand how I feel. Doing this destroyed really what little faith I had left in myself to judge people's character.... I guess, the way I feel is, the person I live with out there and Costello are right. Stupid, useless, worthless, my judgment of people and their character is no God damn good.... I came upstairs when I found out. About two seconds after you went out that door I threw up in there. It bothered me that bad. I've lost what little self-confidence I have in myself of judging another person's character because of this.... I've got you working in a position that's the highest position in the Court, other than my position. A position where I have to have total and complete trust and faith in you, your openness and your honesty with me. And, now I find out that you hide things from me. That's really shattered a lot of my faith and trust.... I told you many times I care about you.... And it was, it was unconditional caring.... I've told you before and I've written in a note to you, and I've told you I'd do anything in the world for you. And I never expect anything back.... Your life has been terrible. You've gotten hurt more than you understand  I think  by what's happened to you. Your life has been just a series of tragedies. It's gonna continue.... I feel betrayed. I feel my faith in you and in me and my judgments just shattered and destroyed. I failed again, terribly.... We've never had any romantic thing between us.... After all the terrible, terrible things that have happened to me here over the last two years, with GILLIS and Costello and all those pricks, and getting knocked out after waiting eight or ten years to get in command and control of the God damn court, and all that being taken away and destroyed. You know how much I hate coming in here.... I don't learn. I'm too stupid. And they go get Costello in here. I help Costello. I take the stupid ignorant bastard out of a $16,000.00 a year job in a law firm that's trying to get rid of his ass. Make all sorts of political enemies. Bust my ass, pull all sorts of strings, go out on a limb, stick my neck out, and I get the guy $88,000.00 a year, only to be fucked over again. And now, it's happened again. And it's happened by the one person in the whole world I never ever thought would do it.... And you promised me that you wouldn't grab the first thing that came along that didn't treat you like a piece of shit. And you've done that.... [Y]ou need to stand on your own two feet first. You need to do that to build up your own self-esteem. You don't do that by grabbing the first white thing that comes along, that doesn't knock you around and call you a psychotic cunt, and treats you like a piece of worthless shit.... I've told you before that I would do anything for you. I'll help you out any way you need help. No strings attached. There never have been.... When you were a barefoot little hill ape running around out there  and got you to be a sophisticated lady.... But when a friend fucks up and hurts themself, it hurts worse than anything else in the world. Cindy, I just feel shattered and completely and totally disappointed, because you're making  you're making a terrible mistake and you're selling yourself and your son way, way short by doing this so soon.... And, I'll help you and give you whatever you have to have. No strings, no repayment, no nothing, because I care that much about you.... I've spent the last two nights  I know now what you went through with your second husband. I spent the last two nights laying on the couch crying. I just  I feel like I've got so much invested in you.... I can't take it. I'm angry at myself. I really, really am angry at myself, because I failed. I didn't keep you from doing this. I should have known that you would do this; and, I didn't see that. You promised me you wouldn't. We kept going over that.... I'm a rotten son of a bitch; and, I know that. The master concluded and the commission agreed that Judge Seitz' intemperate conduct with respect to other court personnel and his insistence that Mrs. Cameron treat them in the same fashion is a violation of Canon 3B(2) of the Code of Judicial Conduct; [22] is prejudicial to the public confidence in the judiciary, contrary to Canon 2B; [23] undermines the integrity of the judiciary, contrary to Canon 1; [24] and is prejudicial to the administration of justice, MCR 9.205(C)(4). [25] See Bennett, supra at 192-193. [26] In this episode, the respondent, in his own words, gives more than ample testimony to the siege mentality that is at the root of many of his actions and to the harm that resulted. The commission has more than adequately satisfied its burden of establishing sanctionable conduct that cuts across a great number of judicial canons and professional standards. We agree with its conclusion.