The Florida Supreme Court said Monday that a Seminole County judge who “belittled” a domestic-violence victim should be required to complete an anger-management course, along with facing a public reprimand.
Judge Jerri Collins and an investigative panel of the Florida Judicial Qualifications Commission had reached an agreement, known as a stipulation, that called for Collins to receive a public reprimand from the Supreme Court.
But justices, in a brief order Monday, went beyond the terms of the agreement and said Collins should also take an anger-management course and a domestic-violence course offered as part of the Florida Judicial College program.
The discipline stems from findings by the investigative panel that Collins “berated and belittled” a domestic-violence victim who did not show up to testify at a trial.
Collins found the domestic-violence victim in contempt for failing to respond to a subpoena to testify and sentenced the woman to three days in jail, according to the panel.
The domestic-violence victim did not appear at a trial of the father of her child, which led to prosecutors dropping one charge and entering a plea agreement on another reduced charge, the panel said.
The victim appeared several days later for a hearing on the contempt issue.
“During the contempt proceedings you were discourteous, and impatient towards the crying victim,’’ the panel said in findings addressed to Collins. “You raised your voice and cut her off mid-sentence, using sarcasm to make your point.
“Moreover, once you had finished upbraiding the victim, you found her in contempt of court and sentenced her to spend three days in jail,” the panel’s findings said.
If Collins and the Judicial Qualifications Commission agree to the additional disciplinary measures, they will submit a revised judgment to the Supreme Court within 30 days.
If they do not agree, the Judicial Qualifications Commission will hold a hearing on the case.