New York Judge ‘Forced his Secretary to Pick up his Soiled Underwear and Regaled her with Explicit Tales of his Sex Life
-Then Fired Her When She Complained'
- Suit claims Brooklyn civil court Judge David Schmidt sexually harassed Sharon Sabbagh
- Judge Schmidt allegedly forced her to give him hugs and stroked her face
- Ms Sabbagh says she was fired after she complained to court's top judge
- The Orthodox Jewish says he also insulted her religious head covering
AP. 14 Dec 2014
A Brooklyn judge sexually harassed his Orthodox Jewish secretary and fired her when she complained about his behavior, a new lawsuit claims.
Brooklyn civil court Judge David Schmidt, 61, tormented his court secretary Sharon Sabbagh, 57, forcing her to give him hugs before she left work and pick up his soiled underwear, it is alleged.
The lawsuits also claims he stroked her face, often strutted about his chambers shirtless and regaled her with seedy stories about his sex life with his mistress.
Ms Sabbagh says Judge David Schmidt 'dehumanized' her, adding judges are supposed to upload the state's human rights laws. Pictured, Kings County Supreme Court
The Brooklyn Supreme Court suits says he told her he bought his lover underwear from Victoria's Secret and that they have phone sex regularly, adding:
'When I have sex with my wife, I think of her.'
The judge, who was elected to the bench in 1995, also allegedly told his secretary that when his mistress 'sits across from me, she sits with her legs open so I can see her crotch, she wouldn't do that if she didn't want me'.
Ms Sabbagh, who has been a court secretary for 24 years, says the judge fired her in January, the day after she complained about his behavior.
The suit names Schmidt, the state Office of Court Administration, the state, and the two other judges who were told of the judge's sleazy behavior.
The lawsuit alleges Judge Schmidt told his secretary he bought his lover underwear from Victoria's Secret. Pictured, the lingerie giant's 'Angels' at the Victoria's Secret Fashion Show earlier this month
It states Ms Sabbagh complained about Schmidt to a judge on the court's anti-discrimination panel last year but received no assistance.
And when she took her complaint to the court's most senior judge, the judge told Schmidt who then fired her.
According to the suit, Judge Schmidt also forced her to look at a handwritten 'sex poem' he wrote to his mistress, and made fun of her religious head covering.
She claims he told her in a packed courtroom:
'Ew, that's an ugly sheitel, I hate it.'
Ms Sabbagh said through her attorney Jack Tuckner:
'I'm extremely sad and hurt that I lost my job with the court system because of my complaints about how Judge Schmidt dehumanized me, even though everyone who worked with me knows what he's like and how he treated me.
'I'm embarrassed to have to bring this lawsuit but what else could I do?
'No one deserves to be treated this way, especially by judges who are supposed to uphold the state's human rights laws.'
The New York Post reported Judge Schmidt refused to comment on his former secretary’s allegations last night.