Opinion ID: 2604113
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 4

Heading: The Hughes Incident

Text: (8) Defendant Bradley Hughes appeared before petitioner on Catalina and filed a motion to disqualify him under Code of Civil Procedure section 170.6. Petitioner ordered the case transferred to San Pedro. He then wrote an unbidden note to the judge of that court, advising him the standard sentence for the violation in question was $100 or three days in jail, but that he recommended a stiffer sentence on account of Hughes's alleged bad attitude. The notice of formal proceedings included two charges of wilful misconduct arising out of this episode: offering unsolicited advice to another judge on a case from which he had been disqualified, and vengeful and punitive conduct. We dismiss the latter because it appears in this case merely to specify his motivation in the giving of the advice, thus duplicating the focus of the former charge. The allegation of giving unsolicited advice is amply confirmed in the record. The masters found that the communication was for a vindictive and punitive purpose in view of the fact that petitioner was disqualified and had earlier placed Hughes in custody for inability to post bail on the offense; this would support a finding that he acted with malice and that sending the note thus constituted wilful misconduct. Despite the obvious and grave impropriety of petitioner's action, the masters and Commission legitimately concluded that in light of petitioner's inexperience and his admission soon afterwards that his action was wrong, he engaged only in prejudicial conduct.