► Ethics Complaint re: Nepotism v. Ohio Judge Paula Giulitto |
OhioSupreme Court The Office of Disciplinary Counsel 250 Civic Center Drive Suite 325 Columbus, Ohio
Attn: Joseph M. Caligiu – Disciplinary Counsel Chief
Re: Ethics complaint v. Ethics Complaint v. Judge Paula Christine Giulitto Attorney Reg. No. 59162 Admission Date: 11/09/1992 PortageCountyCourt of Common Pleas 20 West Main Street Ravenna, Ohio 44266-2778
Dear Mr. Caligiu:
The following complaint deals with Judge Giulitto’s years-long violation of Ohio criminal law dealing with Nepotism. The facts set forth below demonstrate that Judge Paula Giulitto not only violated the Nepotism laws, but also violated her oath of office and the Code of Judicial Conduct.
Code of Conduct Violations
CANON 1:A judge should participate in establishing, maintaining, and enforcing high standards of conduct.
CANON 2:A Judge Shall Respect and Comply with the Law and Shall Act at all Times in a Manner that Promotes Public Confidence in the Integrity and Impartiality of the Judiciary.
CANON 4:A Judge Shall Avoid Impropriety and the Appearance of Impropriety in all of the Judge's Activities.
Violation of Nepotism Laws
As I suspect you know, under Ohio Ethics Law, the crime of nepotism is a fourth-degree felony, which can lead to a prison sentence of 6 to 18 months and a $5,000.00 fine.
The law states that Public officials (Judge Paula Giulitto) cannot give to their family members or solicit or use their positions to secure for their family members, raises, promotions, job advancements, overtime pay or assignments (her father Joseph as assignee) favorable performance evaluations, or any other things of value related to their employment.
As a direct consequence of Paula’s multiple assignments of her father Joseph, he earned well over $30,000 in wages from 2011 thru 2022. This figure does not include wages earned by Joseph via Paula’s assignments via the twenty (20) 3-month assignments from 2011 thru 2015. Therefore, the actual figure is likely more than $45,000.00.
Rule 4: Rules of Superintendence for the Courts of Ohio
The Rules of Superintendence rules as set forth below are promulgated pursuant to Article IV, Section 5(A)(1) of the Ohio Constitution. Put simply, they are mandatory and not subject to the whims of the Chief Justice. Paula was the sole and only official in the Portage County Court of Common Pleas Domestic Relations Division who possessed the “constitutional” authority to assign her Father Joseph to specific cases for eleven years, all of which were in direct contravention of Ohio Nepotism laws.
RULE 4.01. Powers and Duties of Administrative Judge An administrative judge of a court or a division of a court shall do all of the following:
(A) Be responsible for and exercise control over the administration, docket, and calendar of the court or division
(C) Pursuant to Sup.R. 36, assign cases to individual judges of the court or division or to panels of judges of the court in the court of appeals
(H) Request, as necessary, the assignment of judges to the court or division by the Chief Justice or the presiding judge of the court
Paula requested and received a total of 46 general 3-month assignments from Chief Justice O’Connor, which led to her being in the position to assign him to an unknown number of specific cases covering a period of one-hundred-thirty-eight (138) consecutive months from the date she assumed her judgeship in January 2011 through March 2022, thereby providing her father with a steady income stream during said time.
The 46 general assignments of her father Joseph are detailed on the Supreme Court website as follows.
Requesting Judge:Paula Giulitto Assigned Judge: Joseph Giulitto Court:Portage County Court of Common Pleas Domestic Relations Division Assignment type:General Dates:All assignments were for 3-months
It would be quite humorous to say the least for Paula to feign ignorance of the nepotism laws while engaged in an eleven years long violation of said laws. Put simply, ignorance of the law is not and surely should not be a valid defense for anyone, especially judges.
Please provide me with Judge Paula Giulitto’s entire respond to this complaint.
Dave Palmer Folsom, California 95630 |