Murphy, a judge since 1992, was charged this month with dereliction of duty by the Commission on Judicial Performance. The commission charged that the judge, who has claimed health problems, has missed more than 500 court days since 1996, has been continuously absent since September of last year, and has not indicated when he intends to return to work.

An attorney for Murphy said the judge plans to apply for disability retirement. His response to the commission is due April 19.

In addition, Murphy—a member of the Citrus Municipal Court before taking his oath last month as a Superior Court judge under unification—faces trial in a suit charging him with fraud.

The suit relates to a complex series of financial transfers in which the judge may have been involved in 1996 and 1997. Murphy apparently remains under investigation by the District Attorney's Office and the federal Justice Department regarding those transfers.

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.

Efforts to settle the suits have fallen apart. The first bid failed, attorneys said, because Murphy would only settle if the United States Attorney's Office promised not to prosecute, and no such promise was made. The second try unraveled last week, lawyers said, because Murphy and Taus could not come up with their shares of the $550,000 settlement.

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 his former counsel, Thomas 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.

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.

A portion of the suit was thrown out in January by Orange Superior Court Judge David Brickner, who is hearing the case on assignment. Ron Binder, an attorney for plaintiff Pifen Lo, said he is seeking a writ overturning that ruling.

Trammell's deposition in the case commenced in December but was not completed, Binder 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 three 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.

One Superior Court and six municipal court contests were decided on March 7, with two municipal court runoffs slated for Nov. 7.

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 following races were decided in the primary:

Los Angeles Superior Court

Deputy District Attorney Katherine Mader defeated South Bay Municipal Court Commissioner Douglas Carnahan and Superior Court Referee Jeffrey Marckese for the seat being vacated by Judge Richard Montes.

Antelope Municipal Court

Judge Pamela Rogers was reelected, defeating Palmdale attorney William Clark and Acton lawyer Larry Layton. Also, Deputy District Attorney Christopher Estes defeated David Bianchi, a partner in a Lancaster firm, for the seat of Judge William Seelicke, who decided not seek another term.

Beverly Hills Municipal Court

Deputy District Attorney Richard A. Stone Jr. defeated sole practitioner Mitchell Dawson, Superior Court Commissioner Hugh Bobys, and West Los Angeles attorney John A. Khoury for the seat being vacated by Judge Judith Hollinger, who was Judith Stein prior to her recent marriage.

Downey Municipal Court

Judge Jesse Rodriguez defeated Downey sole practitioner Kirt Hopson.

Inglewood Municipal Court

Deputy District Attorney Patricia Titus defeated Superior Court Commissioner Deborah Christian for the seat of Judge Kenneth Vassie, who will step down after more than 32 years on the court.

Los Angeles Municipal Court

Judge Richard Rico turned back a challenge by Glendale lawyer Bernita "Susan" Borges.

There will be two races on the Nov. 7 ballot:

Alhambra Municipal Court

Los Angeles sole practitioner Maria C. Vargas-Rodriguez faces Judge John Martinez for the seat held by Martinez since 1981. Attorney Llewellyn P. Chin of Alhambra finished third.

Los Angeles Municipal Court

Deputy District Attorney David Mintz and Los Angeles attorney Vicki M. Roberts face a runoff for the seat being vacated by Judge L.C. Nunley. Eliminated on March 7 were Commissioner John Ladner, Deputy District Attorney David Stuart, Commissioner John Slawson, and Los Angeles attorney Ronald Silverton.

U.S. District Court

The elevation of Judge Richard Paez to the Ninth Circuit leaves the court with four vacancies.

Sen. Barbara Boxer recommended this month that San Luis Obispo Superior Court Judge Teresa Estrada-Mullaney be nominated to succeed Judge William Keller, who took senior status Oct. 29.

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 to the Ninth Circuit, 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. Gee is still waiting for a hearing.

The court is in the process of selecting a magistrate judge to succeed Virginia Phillips, who was confirmed late last year as a district judge.

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

—SB 1367, by Sen. Adam Schiff, D-Pasadena, would maintain State Bar dues at their current level—$395 for most lawyers—next year. The bill, which passed the Senate Judiciary Committee with a 6-0 vote Feb. 29, was amended March 9 to double-join it to SB 1420, a spot bill by Senate President Pro Tem John Burton, D-San Francisco. Burton has said SB 1420 could be amended into a vehicle for State Bar reforms. SB 1367 awaits a vote by the full Senate.

—SB 1591, by Sen. Pete Knight, R-Palmdale, would require courts to preserve all grand jury records for at least one year. The bill was rejected March 28 on a 3-6 vote of the Senate Judiciary Committee. The bill may be brought back to the committee at a later date.

—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. The bill was scheduled for an April 5 hearing in the Senate Committee on Elections and Reapportionment.

—SB 1864, by Sen. Richard Mountjoy, R-Arcadia, would exempt self-employed Californians from jury duty on the basis of undue hardship. The bill was amended March 27 to limit the exemption to those who are self-employed full-time in a licensed business, and for whom jury service would cause a substantial financial hardship. The bill was scheduled for an April 11 hearing in the Senate Judiciary Committee.

—SB 2090, by Sen. Kevin Murray, D-Los Angeles, would increase state oversight of educational programs for court reporters. Minor amendments were made March 28, and the bill was set for an April 4 hearing in the Senate Judiciary Committee.

—AB 1761, Assemblywoman Marilyn Brewer, R-Newport Beach, would increase state regulation of paralegals. The bill was approved March 28 by the Assembly Judiciary Committee, 13-1, and was sent to the Assembly Appropriations Committee.

—AB 1796, by Assemblyman Lou Papan, D-Millbrae, would increase compensation of grand jurors to $25 a day, plus mileage. The bill was approved on a 13-0 vote March 28 by the Assembly Judiciary Committee, and was sent to the Assembly Appropriations Committee.

—AB 1814, by Assemblyman Ted Lempert, D-Palo Alto, would allow breastfeeding mothers to claim an exemption from jury service on the basis of undue hardship. The bill was approved on a 13-0 vote March 28 by the Assembly Judiciary Committee, and was sent to the Assembly Appropriations Committee.

—AB 1858, Assemblywoman Gloria Romero, D-Los Angeles, would require lawyers to include their State Bar membership numbers on business cards and printed advertisements. The bill was approved on a 10-3 vote March 28 by the Assembly Judiciary Committee and was sent to the Assembly Appropriations Committee.