Suspended Judge Elizabeth Shollenberger has filed a lawsuit against Westchester County claiming she is being unfairly harassed by officials in hopes that she will quit her $187,000 per year job.
The White Plains justice claims court employees have made inaccurate allegations against her because of her litany of medical issues which include obesity, hypertension, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, and immune thrombocytopenia.
The judge also takes antibiotics and antifungal drugs that leave her in need of immediate access to bathroom facilities. On May, 1 of 2017, the judge was unable to make it to the restroom so she was forced to defecate in a trash can which led to the courtroom being closed down for the remainder of the day so a hazmat crew could clean up the mess.
White Plains City Court spokesman Lucian Chalfen told the New York Post, "An administrative order was signed on July 13 returning her (Shollenberger) to White Plains City Court after numerous accommodations were made for her at the facility." Chalfen added, "A month later an order was signed reassigning all of her cases to other judges for her personal, and the public's health and safety at the court."
The lawsuit filed by Shollenberger seeks reinstatement to the bench, reasonable accommodations for her disabilities, and unspecified money damages.
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