A Kentucky family court judge has been suspended from the bench amid allegations of several counts of misconduct, including participating in a threesome in the courthouse and hiring a man with whom she had a sexual relationship, according to NBC News.
Judge Dawn Gentry of Kentucky’s northern 16th Judicial District was charged in November 2019 by the state Judicial Conduct Committee and put on temporary paid suspension this week, according to the outlet. Allegations include coercing court staffers to work on her electoral campaign and retaliating against workers who did not, as well as hiring a romantic partner, according to the conduct committee. She has denied all charges.
Gentry, elected in November 2018, also allegedly allowed her lover to sing and play guitar in the office, creating a disruption; a lawyer for Gentry has said the man did not realize his behavior was disruptive. The court documents also claim the two joined a third court employee in sexual acts within the courthouse and alleges she brought her children to work and let them sit in on confidential proceedings.
The committee also alleges she approved fabricated time sheets and allowed staff to drink in court offices and the courthouse.
Stephen Ryan, Gentry’s attorney, said he expects the temporary suspension to last no more than two months and that witnesses during court proceedings had attested to her professionalism.
“They said she was fair and listened to the arguments and wrote good legal opinions,” he told NBC.