Public defender who tussled with court security charged with misdemeanors
Monroe County NY March 10 2022 The assistant Monroe County public defender who ended up in a tussle with Sheriff’s courtroom deputies in November has been accused of criminal contempt, the obstruction of government administration and harassment.
Catherine Ejimadu, 34, was arraigned on the charges in City Court Tuesday morning and pleaded not guilty. She was arrested earlier in February and issued a ticket for her March 1 court appearance, records show.
Yates County District Attorney Todd Casella was chosen as a special prosecutor in the investigation — the Monroe County DA’s office decided it had a conflict — said later on Tuesday that the “investigation was thorough and at its conclusion the determination was made to file these charges based on the evidence that was collected. I will prosecute the case without fear or favor and will seek a just resolution in the matter.”
Local lawyer Donald Thompson, who represents Ejimadu, said he does not think there was any reason for criminal charges to be brought.
“I can’t believe this is being litigated,” he said. “There’s no question it was handled terribly. I think everyone can agree on that.”
City Court documents allege that on Nov. 5, Ejimadu interrupted court proceedings and repeatedly argued with City Court Judge Teresa Johnson as she tried to access the inmate holding area behind the courtroom after Johnson repeatedly directed her not to enter the area due to an ongoing incident, noting that it was not safe to enter.
Ejimadu is accused of becoming agitated and “physically aggressive against a deputy by flailing her arms, pushing the deputy and placing the deputy in a headlock, which took intervention from several other deputies to get her to release the hold,” court documents allege.
The confrontation between Ejimadu and deputies started when she tried to help a colleague who had a disruptive client in Johnson’s courtroom. The defendant was taken into a holding area and Ejimadu asked to go back into the area to try to calm him, transcripts showed.
Johnson refused to allow Ejimadu into the area and the transcripts showed some apparent physical interaction then between Ejimadu and a deputy of the Monroe County Sheriff’s Office, which provides courtroom security. The deputy called for a supervisor.
“You can call whoever you want,” Ejimadu said. “Never put your hands on me again. You touched me.”
It appeared then that calm had been restored as Ejimadu spoke with Johnson. She told Johnson that a deputy “grabbed me and talked to me in a disrespectful manner in your courtroom and now you want to reprimand me.”
Then, after moments more of conversation, the physical confrontation broke out in the court. “Don’t touch her,” another public defender says at the outset. From there, what happened next is unclear with the transcript. A deputy says “cuff her,” the transcript said.
The Sheriff’s Office said in November that Ejimadu was the instigator. Three deputies were treated for minor injuries, while Ejimadu went to Strong Memorial Hospital for a wrist injury. Her wrist was broken in the confrontation, her lawyer and court documents confirmed.
In court documents, the deputy who was briefly placed in a headlock said that he repeatedly tried to escort Ejimadu out of the courtroom before the physical scuffle landed them on the floor. It appears that it was during this altercation that she broke her wrist. She allegedly kicked another deputy during the altercation. While escorting her from the courtroom, deputies said Ejimadu kicked one deputy while trying to head butt another.
The confrontation, which was also investigated by the state’s Office of Court Administration, prompted response from the county Bar Association and the Rochester Black Bar Association. Ejimadu is Black, and the legal organizations questioned the need for force to restrain Ejimadu.
Thompson said Monday that he had yet to see the papers with the official allegations, but also challenged whether deputies needed to forcefully subdue Ejimadu; she is 4-foot-10 and slight of build, he said.
“If you’re afraid of a woman of that stature, you’re in the wrong business,” he said of the Sheriff’s Office courthouse security. “You should go into real estate.”
She faces misdemeanor charges of contempt and impeding government activities — formally known as the obstruction of governmental administration — and two physical harassment violations.
She is scheduled to return to City Court on April 27 for argument of motions.
