Judge bows out of family
court
By Scott Winokur
OF THE EXAMINER STAFF 5/30/00
Target of Marin recall drive cites ill health
A controversial Marin County judge at the center of a recall drive by
angry parents says he will leave his post three months early, citing
work-related stress and a heart condition.
According to a statement issued Friday by the office of the court executive in
San Rafael, Superior Court Judge Michael Dufficy, 61, will immediately stop
presiding in family law cases, many of which involve hotly disputed child
custody and support matters.
"This decision was necessitated after ..... (a) physician instructed him
to reduce work-related stress and avoid further complicating" a heart
condition, the statement said.
Dufficy had been scheduled for reassignment out of family law in January 2001,
but the switch will be advanced to Sept. 5, said court executive officer John
Montgomery.
Until then, Dufficy will continue to preside over pending family law
settlement cases, probate cases and juvenile drug matters.
The judge did not return calls Friday.
With two other Marin family law jurists, Dufficy was targeted for recall in
April. A signature-gathering drive was launched, with the earliest date for a
possible vote likely to be April 2001, according to the Marin registrar of
voters.
Dufficy, the other judges and an appointed family law commissioner who cannot
be recalled have been singled out for harsh criticism by a small group of
parents and other Marin residents, some of whom said they also complained to
the FBI, alleging gross misconduct in the county courts.
The judges and the commissioner were accused of favoring a small group of
lawyers and consultants, showing bias toward wealthy litigants and rendering
decisions unfairly affecting poorer parents and their children.
Dufficy, Commissioner Sylvia Shapiro-Pritchard and the two other judges
targeted for recall -- Lynn Duryee and Terrence Boren -- have denied
misconduct. In a written response to the recall filed with the
registrar, Dufficy described the people behind the effort as "parents
..... unhappy with my decisions,"
which he said had been upheld on appeal.
Annegret Topel of San Rafael, a retired lawyer among the family law bench's
most prominent critics, said she was "happy that he is leaving the family
law bench because he made bad decisions over the years." ...... Sharon
Shea of San Rafael, said reassignment wasn't enough. "I would have liked
to see him retire," she said, adding that the recall drive will continue.
©2000 San Francisco Examiner