The judge, who was a member of the Citrus Municipal Court before taking his oath earlier this month as a Superior Court judge under unification, faces an April 11 trial in the case.

His previous counsel, Thomas Dovidio of Diamond Bar, was allowed to withdraw this month after Senior U.S. District Judge Wm. Matthew Byrne Jr. found on Feb. 10 that there was an undisclosed conflict between attorney and client on how to proceed with the case and that Dovidio hadn't been paid.

Murphy apparently remains under investigation by the District Attorney's Office and the federal Justice Department regarding a complex series of financial transfers in which the judge may have been involved in 1996 and 1997, and which are the subject of the lawsuit.

One of Murphy's co-defendants in the suit, Arnold Secord, testified before a federal grand jury in December.

The suit was brought by Prudential Securities, Inc. and Smith Barney Inc. The securities firms claim that Murphy helped a close friend, Dr. George Taus, conceal from the doctor's ex-wife, Susan Taus, a portion of the funds to which she was entitled as a result of a marital settlement agreement.

The firms are suing because a National Association of Securities Dealers arbitration panel held them responsible for paying the funds over to the doctor and required them to reimburse Susan Taus.

In a related action, the trustee of George Taus' bankruptcy estate has sued Murphy and others for the return of nearly $1.9 million that the trustee claims was wrongfully taken from the estate.

A possible settlement of the two suits fell apart, attorneys said, because Murphy said through his attorney that he would only settle if the United States Attorney's Office promised not to prosecute, and no such promise was made.

The investigations and suits involve transfers which appear to have been initiated by Taus, a close friend of Murphy. The suits have been consolidated for discovery purposes, but no trial has been set in the trustee's suit.

In another action, Murphy and Dovidio were ordered to pay more than $2,000 in sanctions as a result of Murphy's failure to comply with discovery requests in a suit brought against two lawyers. Murphy was also ordered to respond to discovery by March 9.

Encino attorney and former Murphy friend Paul Ottosi obtained the order from Orange Superior Court Judge Robert Monarch, who is hearing the suit brought by Murphy against Ottosi and Newport Beach lawyer Paul Jacobs.

In a complaint filed Sept. 30, Murphy claims that Ottosi—a co-defendant in the two federal cases—illegally recorded conversations between them and that Ottosi and Jacobs disseminated the contents.

The dissemination of the recordings, Murphy alleges, was a substantial factor in the cardiac and stress-related health problems that have kept him off the bench.

George H. Trammell III
Retired Los Angeles Superior Court Judge

Trammell, who was censured by the Commission on Judicial Performance and banned from receiving court assignments as a result of his sexual relationship with a woman who was a defendant in a case before him, is now being sued by the woman.

Trammell's deposition in the case commenced in December but was not completed, Ron Binder, an attorney for plaintiff Pifen Lo, said.

Trammell, a judge from 1971 to 1997, is reportedly also under investigation by the Justice Department, but there is no word from the United States Attorney's Office on whether he will be charged with a criminal violation of the woman's civil rights.

Trammell abruptly quit the bench two years ago when the relationship became public. A panel of special masters appointed by the Supreme Court found that he had engaged in improper conduct, including hundreds of ex parte contacts with Lo.

Lo said the judge coerced her into having sex by promising favorable treatment for her husband, a co-defendant in her case. The masters found that commission attorneys had failed to prove by clear and convincing evidence that Lo was coerced, and the commission agreed.

Trammell declined to file a sworn response or testify under oath before the CJP, citing his constitutional right not to incriminate himself. In unsworn documents, he has claimed that his contacts with Lo were motivated solely by a belief they would protect him from violent organized crime figures with whom her husband was associated.

The District Attorney's Office declined to charge Trammell with any criminal offense.

There is one Superior Court contest and there are eight municipal court contests on the March 7 ballot.

Although the municipal courts of Los Angeles County ceased to exist when unification took effect Jan. 22, a state law governing the transition to a unified court requires that elections proceed as if the municipal courts still existed, where the candidate filing process began before unification.

The nine races being contested on March 7 are:

Los Angeles Superior Court

Deputy District Attorney Katherine Mader, South Bay Municipal Court Commissioner Douglas Carnahan and Superior Court Referee Jeffrey Marckese are seeking the seat being vacated by Judge Richard Montes. All three candidates, who were rated "well qualified" by the County Bar, have hired professional consulting firms.

Carnahan has retained Cerrell Associates, Inc., Mader has Fred Huebscher in her corner, and Marckese's effort is being directed by Parke Skelton.

Alhambra Municipal Court

Llewellyn P. Chin of Alhambra and Los Angeles sole practitioner Maria C. Vargas-Rodriguez are challenging Judge John Martinez. Martinez was rated "well qualified" and his opponents "qualified" by the County Bar.

The incumbent's campaign is being run by the Cerrell firm, while Vargas-Rodriguez has hired consultant Victor Griego.

Antelope Municipal Court

Palmdale attorney William Clark and Acton lawyer Larry Layton are challenging Judge Pamela Rogers, while David Bianchi, a partner in a Lancaster firm, and Deputy District Attorney Christopher Estes are running for the seat of Judge William Seelicke, who is not seeking another term.

Beverly Hills Municipal Court

Commissioner Hugh Bobys, sole practitioner Mitchell Dawson, Deputy District Attorneys Richard A. Stone Jr., and West Los Angeles attorney John A. Khoury are seeking the seat being vacated by Judge Judith Hollinger, who was Judith Stein prior to her recent marriage. Dawson has retained political consultant Rick Taylor, Bobys is represented by Cerrell Associates, and Stone has hired Huebscher.

Downey Municipal Court

Downey sole practitioner Kirt Hopson is challenging Judge Jesse

Rodriguez. Rodriguez has retained the Cerrell firm, and Hopson has hired Hollywood consultant Leo Briones.

Inglewood Municipal Court

Commissioner Deborah Christian and Deputy District Attorney Patricia Titus are running for the seat of Judge Kenneth Vassie, who will step down after more than 32 years on the court. Christian's campaign is being run by Basil Kimbrew.

Los Angeles Municipal Court

Six candidates are seeking the seat being vacated by Judge L.C. Nunley.

They are South Bay Municipal Court Commissioner John Slawson, who has retained the Cerrell firm, Los Angeles Municipal Court Commissioner John Ladner, Deputy District Attorneys David Stuart and David Mintz, and Los Angeles attorneys Ronald Silverton—who has retained consultant Rick Howard—and Vicki M. Roberts.

Also, Judge Richard Rico, who has hired Parke Skelton has his consultant, is being challenged by Glendale lawyer Bernita "Susan" Borges.

U.S. District Court

There are three vacancies, the most recent of which was created Oct. 29 when Judge William Keller took senior status.

Los Angeles attorney Dolly Gee and Santa Monica lawyer Fredric Woocher were nominated May 27 of last year to fill the seats left vacant by the retirement of Judge John Davies and the elevation of Judge Kim Wardlaw, both of which occurred in July 1998. Woocher had a confirmation hearing Nov. 10, but the Senate adjourned without a committee vote on the nomination.

The following legislation related to the legal profession was acted upon in February

—SB 1420, by Senate President Pro Tem John Burton, D-San Francisco, a "spot bill" that may be used as a vehicle to enact changes to the State Bar's attorney-discipline system. The bill was introduced Feb. 2.

—SB 1782, by Sen. Bill Morrow, R-Oceanside, would allow out-of-state attorneys with at least three years of experience to practice in California without first passing a State Bar exam. Introduced Feb. 23.

—SB 1793, by Sen. Deborah Ortiz, D-Sacramento, would allocate $250,000 from the state General Fund to create a legal services referral hotline for low-income seniors. Introduced Feb. 23.

—SB 1823, by the Senate Committee on Elections and Reapportionment, would repeal the requirement that superior court judges be residents of the county of the court to which they were elected or appointed. The bill also would delete the requirement that a candidate for judicial office file a duplicate copy of his or her declaration of intention to run. Introduced Feb. 24.

—SB 1859, by Sen. Wes Chesbro, D-Napa, would delete the requirement that any law enforcement agency with knowledge of a crime against a judge or other public official report the information to the state Department of Justice. The law would continue to require that such information be reported immediately to the California Highway Patrol. Introduced Feb. 24.

—SB 1864, by Sen. Richard Mountjoy, R-Arcadia, would exempt self-employed Californians from jury duty on the basis of undue hardship. Introduced Feb. 24.

—SB 1927, by Sen. Raymond Haynes, R-Riverside, would exempt a legal document assistant from having to register with the county clerk if he or she limited his or her practice solely to assisting parties in small claims court actions. Introduced Feb. 24.

—SB 2032, by Sen. Liz Figueroa, D-Fremont, would repeal the expiration date for the Court Reporters Board of California, thereby extending its authority indefinitely. Introduced Feb. 25.

—SB 2056, by Morrow, would restrict the awarding of punitive damages in breach-of-contract cases where punitive damages already have been awarded in another state or federal court for the same conduct. Introduced Feb. 25.

—SB 2090, by Sen. Kevin Murray, D-Los Angeles, would increase state oversight of educational programs for court reporters. Introduced Feb. 25.

—SB 2124, by Figueroa, would prohibit a mediator in a child-custody case from submitting any recommendation to the court as to custody or visitation if the parties do not reach an agreement during the mediation proceedings. Introduced Feb. 25.

—SB 2140, by Burton, will be used as the vehicle for implementing recommendations of the Task Force on Trial Court Employees. Introduced Feb. 25.

—AB 2353, by Assemblyman Mike Honda, D-San Jose, would create the Office of California Tribal Justice Support within the judicial branch of state government. Introduced Feb. 24.

—AB 2358, by Assemblywoman Sally Havice, D-Artesia, would require that the Office of Criminal Justice Planning use 25 percent of its 2000-01 budget for local assistance be used for juvenile crime prevention, school safety programs and anti-gang initiatives. Introduced Feb. 24.