Judge has record of accusing lawyers and litigants of lying, court documents reveal
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A Texas judge has sent angry emails and made courtroom comments accusing lawyers and litigants of lying, according to a review of court documents by a legal publication.
Law.com said its review of cases involving Judge Jeffrey Fletcher of Wood County “paints a picture of a jurist with a razor-sharp tongue and history of referring to attorneys and litigants as liars.”
The article points to these examples:
• In an email, Fletcher appeared angry about a lawyer missing a court date. “Your failure to properly manage your cases and calendar, coupled with lying to my staff requires me to comply with the responsibilities required of me as a district judge,” Fletcher wrote. “Your failure to appear as ordered and dishonesty towards my staff reflects your utter disregard for your duties as a lawyer, your lack of candor with my staff and your conduct unbecoming the profession.”
• Citing information he received from law enforcement, Fletcher accused a family law litigant of “weaponizing” a protective order to have her then-husband incarcerated. He vacated an extension of the protective order, though he had not been requested to do so.
• Fletcher accused a police chief of lying in an affidavit and issued a warrant for his arrest for felony aggravated perjury. Grand jurors declined to indict the officer.
• Fletcher questioned a mother’s child sex-abuse allegations against the father, saying she “lies like nobody’s business about lots of things.”
Not everyone has had bad experiences with the judge in court. Lawyer Brad McCampbell made an unsuccessful bid to defeat Fletcher when he ran in the Republican primary and lost. Despite his loss, McCampbell told Law.com that he hasn’t observed Fletcher being discourteous to lawyers or litigants, although the judge can be stern.
Article updated on Oct. 2 to clarify that McCambell did not say he is a supporter of the judge.
