Court Opinion

ID: 9897209
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-11-14 19:08:39.83018+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T09:13:55.111161
License: Public Domain

FILED
                                        Aug 10 2023, 4:05 pm

                                            CLERK
                                        Indiana Supreme Court
                                           Court of Appeals
                                             and Tax Court

                IN THE

Indiana Supreme Court
     Supreme Court Case No. 23S-JD-33

   In the Matter of the Honorable
  Jason A. Cichowicz, Judge of the
      St. Joseph Probate Court,
                 Respondent.

          Decided: August 10, 2023

          Judicial Discipline Action

            Per Curiam Opinion
             All Justices concur.
Per curiam.

   We find that Respondent, the Honorable Jason A. Cichowicz, Judge of
the St. Joseph Probate Court, engaged in judicial misconduct by
continuing to serve in a fiduciary position for a non-family member after
taking office, abusing the prestige of his office to benefit a family member,
and failing to disclose his role as trustee of a charitable foundation from
which he drew funds to further court improvement projects.

  The matter is before us on the Indiana Commission on Judicial
Qualifications’ (“Commission’s”) “Notice of the Institution of Formal
Proceedings and Statement of Charges” against Respondent. The parties
jointly tendered a “Statement of Circumstances and Conditional
Agreement for Discipline” stipulating to the following facts.

Background and Stipulated Facts
   Respondent has been Judge of the St. Joseph Probate Court since
January 1, 2019. His duties as judge include overseeing the operations of
the St. Joseph Probate Court Juvenile Justice Center (“JJC”).

   Respondent met and began representing Levering Russell Cartwright
in 2013 in a marital dissolution matter. Cartwright was 73 years old at the
time and had two estranged adult children. Cartwright was the
beneficiary of several valuable family trusts and a self-created trust. He
was also the sole trustee of the Cartwright Foundation—a 501(c)(3)
charitable organization created by Cartwright’s father. Cartwright had
substantial financial assets and income at the time Respondent
represented him.

   Shortly after beginning his representation, Respondent obtained
physical custody of Cartwright’s personal checking account checkbook to
pay Cartwright’s bills upon Cartwright’s request. In 2014, Respondent
prepared a power of attorney, which Cartwright executed, naming
Respondent as Cartwright’s attorney-in-fact. The power-of-attorney
allowed Respondent to buy, sell, and transfer trust property. In 2015,
Respondent became co-trustee of the Cartwright Foundation. Later that

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year, Cartwright resigned as co-trustee leaving Respondent as sole trustee
of the foundation. Also in 2015, Cartwright, represented by independent
counsel, amended his trust to provide that upon his death, the trust
residue would be distributed to Respondent, who was also named as
successor trustee. The trust was amended again in 2018, to provide for
Respondent’s family in the event Respondent did not survive Cartwright.

  Even after taking office as Judge of the St. Joseph Probate Court,
Respondent continued to act as Cartwright’s attorney-in-fact, writing
checks and paying bills on Cartwright’s behalf. In February 2019,
Respondent attended a meeting of the Friends of the St. Joseph County
Juvenile Justice Center, a charitable organization created to raise funds for
and support the JJC. At the meeting, Respondent discussed renovating
space in the JJC to accommodate a new courtroom using donated funds
from an undisclosed source. Only newly-elected board member Michael
Misch knew of Respondent’s intent to use funds from the Cartwright
Foundation for the project.

   In April, Respondent issued a check drawn from the Cartwright
Foundation’s bank account in the sum of $100,000 to Misch’s law firm. The
firm then issued checks amounting to $100,000 to the Friends of the JJC.
Upon Respondent’s recommendation, the Friends of the JJC contracted
with McCollough Scholten for the project. No formal bidding process was
used to procure contractor services. Neither the entirety of the Friends of
the JJC Board, nor the St. Joseph County Commissioners, were advised of
the source of funds for the project, or that Respondent served as sole
trustee of the foundation.

  Meanwhile, during the spring of 2019, Respondent asked his father,
owner of R&K Ceramic Tile, LLC (“R&K”), if R&K would refurbish
courthouse breakrooms used by Respondent’s staff. His father agreed and
funding for the project—approximately $24,800—came from the Friends
of the JJC upon Respondent’s direction or request. Again, no formal
bidding process was used to procure the renovation services, and there
are no known publicly available documents regarding the project.

   In 2020, Respondent made $60,000 in foundation funds available to the
Friends of the JJC for the purchase of vehicles to be used by the Court

Indiana Supreme Court | Case No. 23S-JD-33 | August 10, 2023         Page 3 of 6
Appointed Special Advocate program affiliated with the St. Joseph
Probate Court. Respondent again wrote a check from the foundation’s
account to Misch’s law firm, and the firm issued a check to the Friends of
the JJC. The organization purchased vehicles from Victory Auto, LLC,
which—like R&K—is owned by Respondent’s father.

   The Commission filed its “Notice of the Institution of Formal
Proceedings and Statement of Charges” against Respondent on February
7, 2023. Respondent did not resign as Cartwright’s attorney-in-fact until
July 31, 2023, shortly after the parties tendered their conditional
agreement.

Discussion
  Respondent agrees his conduct violated the following Code of Judicial
Conduct provisions:

       •   Rule 1.2, requiring judges to avoid impropriety and act at all
           times in a manner promoting public confidence in the judiciary’s
           integrity;
       •   Rule 1.3, prohibiting a judge from abusing the prestige of judicial
           office to advance the private interests of another;
       •   Rule 3.1(C), prohibiting a judge from engaging in extrajudicial
           activities that would appear to a reasonable person to
           undermine the judge’s independence, integrity, or impartiality;
           and
       •   Rule 3.8, prohibiting a judge from serving in a fiduciary position
           unless it is for the estate, trust, or person of a member of the
           judge’s family.

   The parties agree that an appropriate sanction is a 45-day suspension
without pay plus an assessment of costs against Respondent. Although a
suspension is a very severe sanction, it is fully warranted here.

   Suspensions longer than 30 days “reflect extremely serious judicial
misconduct, just shy of what might warrant removal from office.” Matter
of Freese, 123 N.E.3d 683, 688 (Ind. 2019). Respondent’s misconduct
permeated his entire 4-year career as probate judge. Further, his act of

Indiana Supreme Court | Case No. 23S-JD-33 | August 10, 2023         Page 4 of 6
keeping the source of funds anonymous suggests the misconduct was
willful, undermining the integrity of the judiciary.

   In Freese, we approved an agreed 45-day suspension for a judge who
permitted a friend who had recently filed for bankruptcy to serve as
trustee of a trust and personal representative of a related estate, despite
the friend’s lack of qualifications. Id. at 685. The estate remained pending
for years, and the friend eventually absconded to Florida with over
$500,000 in stolen trust funds. Id. at 687. We concluded that although the
judge’s misconduct was negligent rather than willful, it enabled a massive
theft. Id. at 688. Like some of Respondent’s misconduct, we recognized the
judge’s misconduct brought him no personal benefit or gain. But the judge
in Freese had a lengthy and distinguished judicial career unblemished by
previous discipline, while Respondent’s misconduct began as soon as he
assumed judicial office. Id. at 687.

   Similarly, we approved a 90-day suspension for a judge who, in part,
maintained a fiduciary relationship with a former client after assuming
the bench and used her office to advance the private interests of that
former client. Matter of Hammond, 559 N.E.2d 310 (Ind. 1990). We have
further approved suspensions for the appearance of partiality in favor of
friends or family members. Matter of Funke, 757 N.E.2d 1013 (Ind. 2001)
(imposing a 15-day suspension); Matter of Jacobi, 715 N.E.2d 873 (Ind. 1999)
(imposing a 3-day suspension).

   The parties’ proposed 45-day suspension is squarely within the range of
sanction imposed for similar misconduct. “The purpose of judicial
discipline is not primarily to punish a judge, but rather to preserve the
integrity of and public confidence in the judicial system and, when
necessary, [to] safeguard the bench and public from those who are unfit.”
In re Hawkins, 902 N.E.2d 231, 244 (Ind. 2009). The sanction must be
designed to deter similar misconduct and assure the public that judicial
misconduct will not be condoned. Id. Indeed, the personal statement
Respondent submitted to this Court stresses he is hopeful his fellow
judges will learn from his experience. We are as well.

Indiana Supreme Court | Case No. 23S-JD-33 | August 10, 2023        Page 5 of 6
Conclusion
   Consistent with our August 4, 2023 order in this matter, Jason A.
Cichowicz shall be suspended from the office of Judge of the St. Joseph
Probate Court without pay for forty-five (45) days commencing at 12:01
a.m. on September 5, 2023. The suspension shall terminate and
Respondent shall automatically be reinstated to office at 12:01 a.m. on
October 20, 2023. This discipline terminates the disciplinary proceedings
relating to the circumstances giving rise to this case. Stipulated costs in the
amount of $3,824.00 have been assessed against Respondent.

Rush, C.J., and Massa, Slaughter, Goff, and Molter, JJ., concur.

ATTORNEYS FOR RESPONDENT
James F. Groves
South Bend, Indiana

Donald R. Lundberg
Lundberg Legal
Port Washington, New York

James J. Bell
Hoover Hull Turner LLP
Indianapolis, Indiana

ATTORNEYS FOR INDIANA COMMISSION ON JUDICIAL
QUALIFICATIONS
Adrienne L. Meiring, Counsel to the Commission
Stephanie K. Bibbs, Deputy Director
Larry D. Newman, Staff Attorney
Seth T. Pruden, Staff Attorney
Indianapolis, Indiana

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