An Insider investigation involving interviews with 16 former "Judge Judy" employees, as well as a review of thousands of pages of court records, has found that Sheindlin's long-standing executive producer and director Randy Douthit has repeatedly been accused of sexually harassing employees, making inappropriate sexual comments to female staffers, offering preferential treatment to staffers he found attractive, and ordering junior producers to bring fewer Black litigants on the show. "Mr. Douthit has always fostered a supportive, productive, safe and inclusive work environment for everyone involved in the show. Bullock could not be reached for comment. Despite these precautions, courts have faced challenges. Some municipal courts have reumed in-person operations. For a courtroom TV show that has dominated daytime since 1998, the case decided April 15 on Judge Judy was hardly memorable: A building contractor who repaired a ceiling was suing the homeowner for an unpaid $500 bill. However, six former staffers told Insider that Douthit told employees he didn't want too many Black litigants on the show; one said this behavior continued into 2021. "Judge Judy" averages about 8 million viewers, making it among the highest-rated syndicated series alongside "Wheel of Fortune" and "Jeopardy! She smoked and worked out like a fiend to ward off the stress. Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information. "I'm not worried about myself I'm worried about my parents. Sheindlin, who set the Guinness World Record in 2015 for longest career as a TV judge, was estimated by Forbes in 2018 to be the year's highest-paid TV host. "Ms. Bullock never filed a lawsuit, was never paid any money in connection with the complaint, and voluntarily elected not to continue pursuing her claims.". In one instance, Barry said, a former receptionist told her that Douthit harassed her and asked, "When are you going to fuck me?" It's unclear whether the EEOC investigated the complaint or came to any conclusions. During some. Added to the $47 million a year hosting "Judge Judy" and producing "Hot Bench,"Sheindlin is amongAmerica's richest self-made women. As family members joined with her to celebrate, producers had a surprise: They played a video tribute with cameos by Jimmy Kimmel, Whoopi Goldberg, Ryan Seacrest, Kelly Ripa, Joy Behar, former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg, Meghan McCain and Wendy Williams. After I signed this deal, I apologized to Jerry. Two people described Jenest as the "spin doctor," a reference to her ability to engineer drama in cases. Josh Getlin and Heidi Evans.. DC Superior Court Advisory - 3/20/2020 - 12:15pm. In the 1980s and 1990s, back before she ever set foot in Hollywood, Sheindlin had already built a reputation as a firecracker judge in the New York Family Court system. IMDb TV does not tolerate discrimination or harassment in any form, and individuals working on our productions are encouraged to raise concerns. email, letter, etc.) As a result, only one jury trial at a time is being held in each city. The four Santa Barbara men charged in connection with a fatal shooting on Stearns Wharf in December pleaded not guilty during an arraignment hearing in Superior Court on Monday. Do you have a story about "Judge Judy" or another television show? "If it doesn't work, you're either back here or I find a replacement.". "He'd make comments about their weight, he'd make comments about their teeth or if they were disabled." April 22, 2021 As New York continues to reopen and pandemic restrictions are slowly lifted, the sprawling federal and state court systems have lumbered back to life, transforming how they operate. May 27, 2022 3:46pm Updated Judge Judy, 79, has presented her granddaughter Sarah Rose, 24, with her Juris Doctor degree from New York Law School. Otherwise, shes remarkably unchanged. Staffers expressed fears about continuing to work at the office the building was poorly ventilated, with sealed windows, and they were worried about interacting with litigants and getting family members sick. I came to Hollywood as a fully-cooked gal.. In the District of Minnesota, Chief Judge John R. Tunheim said, courthouses in Minneapolis and St. Paul each have only one courtroom fully retrofitted with plexiglass to protect jurors. I cannot respond more definitively because of how much time has elapsed," he wrote. The report, pitched by the Project as "a user's guide of . The receptionist did not return for the show's second season. About 4,500 people appear remotely each day for hearings, and Ann Donlan, a court spokeswoman, said that all courtrooms about 600 across the county have the capability to conduct remote. In 1993, Judge Joseph Wapner ended his 12-year run on the syndicated courtroom show The Peoples Court. Two of its producers told Judy, who was looking to leave Family Court, that she could star in her own show. Details and full text of the order can be found here. She just wants the money in her pocket, and she doesn't care how the producers are treated," a former producer added. Its a moment that would be familiar to anyone whos watched the Emmy-winning phenomenon which is to say, just about anyone but as the courtroom cleared and the set went dark, history was made. Covid-19 Orders Flaunted Specifically, in March 2020, Judge Michelle Earley, the judge in charge of the municipal court system, suspended courthouse activity because of the Covid-19 pandemic.Despite Earley's order, Carr "did not reschedule cases set on her docket," the supreme court found. Griggs said Douthit made pig or cow noises when he found litigants unattractive, called a Black guest a "ho," and said he wanted to "get" with litigants he found attractive. I think she was nervous about doing this Hollywood thing. In Texas, pre-COVID-19, there were 186 trials a week on average, said David Slayton, administrative director of the courts. Still, she continued to employ Douthit, Jenest, and Freisleben, and the trio will continue to produce "Judy Justice" for Amazon. But nothing addressed what Mr. Potter was about to encounter: a jury trial in the midst of a pandemic in which face coverings have become a matter of health and safety. And there was this big black guy sitting on the bench, in her robe and in her glasses, doing what she called a "scathingly accurate" impersonation of her,' he said. On March 21, the Ketchikan Gateway Borough, City of Ketchikan and City of Saxman issued a Joint Proclamation Under State of Emergency to Shelter in Place in response to the COVID-19 situation. When our daughter, Alex, turned 1, Judy and Jerry came to her birthday party in judicial robes. (During the ceremony, Poehler said, "I wish Byrd your bailiff could hand you this award the way he hands you photos in court, not making eye contact with the queen he has sworn to protect."). A still from Judge Judy, which concludes its 25-year run on CBS in September. The 5-foot-2 family-court judge known for her black robe, lace collar, and acid tongue has been doling out tough-love legal verdicts since the Clinton administration, and the approach has paid off. When she declined his advances, she claimed he retaliated by criticizing her work and eventually firing her in 2006. But she found herself working off the clock recently amid the coronavirus pandemic. Among other things, that will mean jurors will have to wear a mask. Judith Sheindlin has been the sole judge, jury and verbal executioner for the last quarter century on her behemoth TV court show, Judge Judy. Her trusted bailiff, Petri Hawkins Byrd, has stood by her side during approximately 12,500 cases, and remembers an instance when he thought she got it wrong. In 2009, a former senior producer named Jonathan Sebastien alleged in a lawsuit that Douthit discriminated against litigants by specifically screening out Black people. The final episode of Judge Judy that star Judith Sheindlin ever taped airs Tuesday on CBS. However . Contact this reporter via encrypted messaging app Signal at +1 (714) 833-8487 using a non-work phone, via encrypted email at neinbinder@protonmail.com, via standard email atneinbinder@insider.com,or Twitter DM @NicoleEinbinder. (A different staffer also recalled Douthit using the term "ghetto" around the office.) Matters Being Heard. Courtroom reality show "Judge Judy" is coming to an end after 25 years, host Judy Sheindlin has announced. The 5-foot-2 family-court judge known for her black robe, lace collar, and acid tongue has been doling out tough-love legal verdicts since the Clinton administration, and the approach has. All showered praise on a woman who worked for more than two decades as a family court judge and prosecutor, reinvented herself at age 52 and went on to a brilliant second act. One former staffer said Jenest constantly told people they should be grateful for their jobs and "if you're not happy with it, there's the door." COVID-19 Info; newsletter. May 27, 2022: General Guidelines for the Use of Remote Proceedings Post-Covid. Who would have thought that the Sheindlins and Amazon would be mishpachah? she added, using a Yiddish word for family. Judge Judy uses paid extras for its studio audience, rather than members of the public. When staffers asked whether Sheindlin was worried about the coronavirus, Freisleben said she was not. The judge found that "the sporadic comments of Douthit regarding plaintiff's hair, her weight, her lack of good looks, his daughter's lack of intelligence as compared to his son's, and a kiss on the forehead and hug when she returned to work from a leave of absence do not create a gender hostile work environment. She capitalized on the attention with "Judge Judy," which premiered in 1996 and was produced by Big Ticket Television and distributed by CBS. 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"I guess they felt like Judy's demographic were middle-aged white people at home and they wanted to continue to skew to that demographic," the producer said. ", In March 2020, as the coronavirus pandemic emerged, there was still mounting pressure on staffers to continue producing "Judge Judy.". "I'm like, then I guess I'd have to ask you to define your definition of friend. The Times profile had launched a legend, as Judy became one of TVs most well-paid stars, earning $47 million annually. Bullock, who is Black, claimed in a complaint filed with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission that Douthit repeatedly touched her inappropriately, asked her about her sex life, told her sexual jokes, and attempted to set her up romantically with a married friend. When Heidi expressed a vague yearning to have a second child, Judy ruled her out of order, saying that one kid was a full-time job and that she already had a second full-time job at the Daily News. Judith Sheindlin has been the sole judge, jury and verbal executioner for the last quarter century on her behemoth TV court show, "Judge Judy." Her trusted bailiff, Petri Hawkins Byrd, has stood . In 2012, during an internal chat between two associate producers, one of whom provided the conversation to Insider, an employee wrote that someone "just came over to me all frustrated because her case is good but got put on hold because the litigants are Black," while another person's "fucking dumb cases are going through because they're white." The contractors case, running Tuesday, marks the last of more than 12,500 taped by Sheindlin during 25 years in the spotlight. My job was to shape her language, not her message. Judge Judy Sheindlin, TV's highest paid star, moves to streaming service IMDb TV as her CBS courtroom show ends after 25 years. The success of "Judge Judy" depends on a steady stream of litigants from around the nation, most of whom the show portrays as hapless and undisciplined in the face of Sheindlin's withering gaze. For a courtroom TV show that has dominated daytime since 1998, the case decided April 15 on "Judge Judy" was hardly memorable: A building contractor who repaired a ceiling was suing the. When he promoted the woman to supervising producer, the same title held by Jenest, Jenest and another producer hired a private investigator to follow Douthit and the staffer with the intent of documenting their relationship. Shes also one of the most fun-loving people I know. Judge Judy debuted its 25th and final season of new episodes this fall. Watch full episodes of TV shows for free on 10 play - Network Ten. especially with the stock market and dwindling 401(k) plans. She declined to comment for this story. There are times when Im looking and Im thinking about a case and Im listening to it and Im thinking, Man, this might be a case more so for mediation than arbitrationmaybe theres a show here and maybe a certain bailiff who has sat under the tutelage of a certain famous judge (who) could mediate these cases himself, Byrd said. "She'd say, 'OK, are they over 40 or under 40 or AA?" Former employees said they were required to submit photos of litigant candidates to Jenest and Douthit to make sure they had, among other things, intact teeth a particular concern of Douthit's, according to these former employees. L.A. County Court's presiding judge Kevin Brazile on Monday ordered the closure of the clerk's offices at all 38 courthouses beginning Monday until further notice, with the exception of two clerk . On Thursday, Amazon. In court filings, Douthit said he never criticized Griggs' hair, and that he only commented on her appearance because he wished she would eat more. They told me the show helped them take the next step, whether it was getting a divorce, leaving an abusive person, asking for a raise and never, ever becoming somebodys prisoner.. But to me, there are constants: Take care of the children that you bring into this world. speaking of retirement, we sit down with tennis great serena williams and witchy he think about that word after leaving tennis five months ago. There were no relaxing moments, not even during lunches we shared in her chambers. I cant stand stupid, and I cant stand slow, she snaps. "It disgusts me that her pockets will continue to be lined with the blood, sweat, and tears of these producers who will continue to be abused, and with these poor people who are coming on her show to simply be embarrassed and essentially belittled by Judge Judy.". I felt the need to tell her that there was something that she missed., Byrd, referred to as Officer Byrd on the show, says he doesnt remember the specific case but the judge recalled it. Neither Jenest nor Freisleben responded to requests for comment made through IMDb TV. Who is allowed to be in the courtroom for protection order hearings during COVID-19? When I asked if there were any rules to follow, I got my first dose of what later would become familiar to millions: No chewing gum, she snapped. The pair shared an exclusive photo with The. Judge Judy Sheindlin returns to the courtroom in Judy Justice on Nov. 1, 2021. 'I don't get to say much, but when I do get to say something, it's usually pretty pointed and it's meant to elicit some type of reaction from her, mostly,' he added. Frequently Asked Question and Court Business General Supreme and Appellate Court Civil Matters Family Matters Criminal Matters. Currently, most states do not have statewide orders prohibiting jury trials, and many major population centers are beginning to invite jurors back into courtrooms. She had no food in her fridge, just Kodak film. In a statement, Sheindlin defended her stewardship of the show that bears her name but did not address the accusations against Douthit. COVID-19 weekly update: Arizona cases increase by 4,813, with 34 new known deaths Free Arizona summer camp . Byrd, a bailiff, and the judge worked together in the New York City court system in the late 80s. Court records and interviews suggest that the show's veiled contempt for its guests many of whom are of limited means was explicit behind the scenes, with Douthit routinely mocking litigants in cruel and racist terms. New York city Court system in the courtroom for protection order hearings during?... 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