Trustees say ex-judge to blame for loss of her pension

CONCORD -- Former Rockingham County Superior Court judge Patricia Coffey, who resigned after a punitive suspension, is “in whole or in part” to blame for her ineligibility for a lifetime pension, according to the state Judicial Retirement Plan trustees.

The trustees’ argument is included in a new federal court filing by attorney Scott Harris, in response to a federal suit by Coffey, who seeks an annual $89,604 pension, more than $400,000 in back-pension pay and health insurance.

Coffey resigned in 2008 after the Supreme Court suspended her for three years without pay, for helping her husband John Coffey create a trust to hide assets, while he was being disbarred for the financial exploitation of an elderly Rye woman. Coffey was also investigated for 2006 allegations that she fell asleep while presiding over Superior Court cases, was ordered to seek a confidential medical examination and be subject to random monitoring of her courtroom.

She’s now suing the trustees for voting in 2015 to deny her judicial pension.

Read more: https://www.seacoastonline.com/news/20181220/trustees-say-ex-judge-to-blame-for-loss-of-her-pension