The Advisory Committee on Judicial Conduct will hold a hearing in Trenton later this month to decide whether an Atlantic County Superior Court judge had a conflict of interest in a case over which he presided.
Judge Steven Perskie, who has since retired, presided over a case in 2005 and 2006 involving termination of a company’s insurance policy arranged through Atlantic City broker Frank Siracusa, court documents show. Both parties in the lawsuit said they planned to call Siracusa as a witness.
Perskie did not disclose to the parties the extent of his business relationship and friendship with Siracusa, and at first declined to remove himself from the case, the ethics complaint alleges. After he recused himself and the case was assigned to another judge, Perskie visited the courtroom on two occasions to witness the proceedings.
A complaint filed by Candace Moody, of the Disciplinary Council of the Advisory Committee, charges Perskie with failure to disclose a conflict of interest and alleges his appearance during trial proceedings made it look as though he had an interest in the case, which “undermines public confidence in the integrity and impartiality of the judiciary.”
Perskie has denied the allegations.
The hearing is scheduled for July 19-21 in Trenton.
Contact Elaine Rose:
609-272-7215
