Judge Lisa Gorcyca
Oakland County Circuit Court Judge Lisa Gorcyca, who presided over a controversial and highly publicized child custody case, is in trouble.
The Michigan Judicial Tenure Commission issues a formal complaint against Gorcyka, Steven Pepple of the Detroit Free Press writes. The suburban judge sent three children to juvenile detention center for refusing to have lunch with their estranged father, and ordered that the children be handcuffed as they were led out of the courtroom.
Pepple writes:
The two-count complaint issued Monday against Circuit Court Judge Lisa O. Gorcyca accuses her of misconduct in her handling of the protracted custody battle involving the minor children of Maya Eibschitz-Tsimhoni of Bloomfield Hills and Omer Tsimhoni and of making false statements to the Judicial Tenure Commission in her response to the body's initial inquiry.
The complaint alleges the judge ridiculed the children in court last June 24, comparing the oldest boy to being a member of mass murder Charles Manson's cult at one point, while circling her index finger around her temple, as if indicating he was crazy. The complaint says Gorcyca "failed to act in a patient, dignified and courteous manner" and made "significant misrepresentations of law and fact," including telling the children their case wouldn't be reviewed again until they turned 18.
Gorcyca’s attorney Tom Cramner issues a statement:
"We are extremely disappointed that the Judicial Tenure Commission decided to proceed with a complaint but we are looking forward to telling the whole story of this tragic case at a formal hearing."
The children, ages 9, 11, 14, live with the father, the Freep reports. The mother is fighting to get the judge removed from the case.
