Orange County Court judge agrees to resign to resolve misconduct charges

GOSHEN - An Orange County Court judge has agreed to resign to resolve misconduct charges brought against him by the state Commission on Judicial Conduct.

The commission said Judge William L. DeProspo also agreed never to seek or accept judicial office in the future.

His resignation is effective March 31.

DeProspo was charged in July 2022 with a formal written complaint alleging that he was disrespectful, disparaging, sarcastic and otherwise discourteous to petitioners while presiding over five separate Family Court matters.

Among other things, the commission said DeProspo belittled a petitioner's concern about missing school in order to be in court by asking her, "What kind of kook are you?" The commission said DeProspo also told her to "get here at 9:00 in the morning" or her petition would be dismissed and she could "ask the director (of your school) to protect you."

The commission said DeProspo said to another petitioner, "Why should I give you an order of protection...if you keep going back to this guy?...You went looking for him. You got into the car, okay, and you obviously want to be with him because you keep going back to him."

And the commission said DeProspo said to a third petitioner, "So three weeks before you found out he had another honey on the side, were you afraid of him?"

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DeProspo has served as an Orange County Court judge since 2018. His current term would have expired on Dec. 31, 2027. He was admitted to the New York State bar in 1985.

DeProspo's attorney, Deborah A. Scalise, who represented him before the commission, said in a statement that DeProspo has been a "well-respected member of the legal community" and the community at large for 37 years, and has handled more than 15,000 court appearances on the bench "without incident. Those included presiding over an arson/homicide trial and the case of an attempted murder of a police officer, both to verdict, she said.

"Judge DeProspo accepted responsibility for his intemperate tone and has apologized for these isolated incidents before any investigation was commenced by the commission," Scalise's statement read in part. "He fully cooperated with the commission's investigation from the outset."

"Judge DeProspo has enjoyed the privilege of serving the residents of Orange County and is looking forward to his retirement," Scalise's statement concluded.

"Judges are obliged to be patient, dignified and courteous toward those with whom they deal in an official capacity," commission Administrator Robert H. Tembeckjian said in a statement. "This is especially important in Family Court, which can be volatile enough without the judge making matters worse by insulting or demeaning the litigants."

Mike Randall covers breaking news for the Times Herald-Record, the Poughkeepsie Journal and the Journal News-lohud. Reach him at mrandall@th-record.com or on Twitter @mikerandall845.