Hilary Gingold

Judge Gingold declined to provide an estate Administrator the opportunity to question a respondent in a Discovery proceeding, saying "it's a waste of the taxpayer's money." The judge then instructed the administrator and respondent to wait for a second call, and proceeded to make jokes. At one point, the judge directed the clerk/reporter to "go off the record" and continued to make jokes and references to soap operas, seemingly for the entertainment of her audience. On second call, the judge ordered the respondent to deliver a portion of the estate property to the administrator, but refused to entertain further questioning or rule upon outstanding estate property withheld by the respondent (intestate, no legal relation the Decedent). The judge remarked that "equity" is more important than the letter of the law and instructed the administrator to pursue the case in small claims court. The judge informed the respondent that she may have to pay back funds to the estate and later called the administrator "stubborn." Upon the administrator asking the judge to clarify the intestate succession laws, the judge replied in a threatening tone that a small claims judge "might send you back here" once that judge understands the case is "about a dead person." The rating of "3" acknowledges that the estate was able to recover a portion of the Decedent's property per the Judge's order.