Inyo Superior Court Judge Susanne Rizo admonished by CJP for misconduct

 

On October 29, the California Commission on Judicial Performance issued a press release on the public admonishment of Inyo Superior Court Judge Susanne M. Rizo.

The misconduct was for failure to cooperate with court administrators and the presiding judge of her court and reporting two court administrators to the State Bar of California; for responding to routine scheduling communications from a court administrator in a volatile and disproportionate manner; for speaking about litigants and their pending cases in an area of the courthouse where she could be overheard, improperly dismissing a case, and making a probable cause determination concerning a litigant from whose cases she was disqualified. 

CJP Press Release:

The Commission on Judicial Performance has publicly admonished Judge Susanne M. Rizo of Inyo County Superior Court. 

The commission determined that it should publicly admonish Judge Rizo for the following misconduct.  Judge Rizo failed to cooperate with court administrators and the presiding judge of her court by reporting two court administrators to the State Bar of California. She alleged they were engaging in the “unauthorized practice of law” and asserted the presiding judge “aided and abetted” them. Additionally, Judge Rizo responded to routine scheduling communications from a court administrator in a volatile and disproportionate manner.  Judge Rizo also spoke about litigants and their pending cases in an area of the courthouse where she could be overheard, improperly dismissed a case, and made a probable cause determination concerning a litigant from whose cases she was disqualified. 

The public admonishment is available on the commission’s website at https://cjp.ca.gov (under “Pending Cases – Press Releases & Documents” and “Public Discipline & Decisions”). Judge Rizo is represented by Joanna L. Storey Mishler, Esq. of Rosing Pott & Strohbehn of San Diego.