Lehman Bankruptcy Judge Accused in Domestic Incident
The judge overseeing the bankruptcy of Lehman Brothers has been arrested and accused of slapping his wife.
U.S. Bankruptcy Judge James Peck of Manhattan was arrested on Saturday and charged with third-degree attempted assault and second-degree harassment, both misdemeanors, according to Bloomberg and the New York Post. His wife, Judith, was taken to the hospital for evaluation and suffered some bruising to the jaw, the Post says.
The Wall Street Journal Law Blog has posted a copy of the complaint (PDF).
According to the Post account, James Peck told police he and his wife started arguing after she arrived late to their Park Avenue apartment from a visit to the Hamptons. He reportedly said his wife slapped him first and he responded in kind, the Post story says. He was released on his own recognizance.
Peck was also originally assigned to oversee the bankruptcy of Bernard Madoff’s investment firm, but the case was permanently assigned to a new bankruptcy judge.
Law professor Nancy Rapoport of the University of Nevada-Las Vegas told Bloomberg that Peck will continue working unless he is suspended by the chief bankruptcy judge or the top judge of his federal circuit. A disciplinary board will also likely consider the matter, she said.
Peck, 63, has taught at Rutgers, was a bankruptcy litigator for 16 years at Schulte Roth & Zabel, and was a partner at Duane Morris. He joined the bench in 2006.
