Magistrate files suit challenging federal judge's ability to manage her own finances
A federal magistrate judge has filed a state lawsuit that alleges the Louisiana federal judge for whom she served is mentally incapacitated and unable to manage her own affairs.
The federal judge, Patricia Minaldi of Lake Charles, is on medical leave, report the Associated Press and the American Press in stories here and here. U.S. Magistrate Judge Kathleen Kay filed the notice of the petition for interdiction on March 16, according to the American Press.
According to the American Press, Minaldi was presiding over a trial in December when it “ended abruptly.” She removed herself from more than two dozen cases. The clerk for the Western District of Louisiana, where Minaldi is a judge, said in January that Minaldi was on a medical leave of absence.
The suit is sealed, but lawyers for Kay and Minaldi confirmed its existence in interviews with the Associated Press. Minaldi’s lawyer, Glen Vamvoras, told the AP that Minaldi is “competent and able to manage her own affairs.”
“They’re trying to take her civil rights away from her. They’re overstepping,” he said.
Minaldi had been removed from a case in February 2016 after federal prosecutors and a public defender jointly asked another judge to declare a mistrial.
The lawyers said Minaldi failed to instruct jurors about their duties or to determine their eligibility for service during a criminal fraud trial, then asked the prosecutor to assume the responsibility. During witness questioning, she asked for an explanation of the meaning of “drop-down menu.” She also was removed from a case in March 2016.
The American Press has filed a motion to unseal the interdiction petition.
