A part-time Westchester County judge claims she was passed over for a promotion in retaliation for complaining about a fellow jurist being a sex pest.
Peekskill Judge Lissette Fernandez, 50, alleged her former colleague on the bench, Reginald Johnson, was touchy-feely with her from the moment they met at the January 2020 inauguration of a local lawmaker.
Johnson, 59, “appeared to be testing his luck with flirtation” by “talking up” the younger Fernandez, helping her with her coat and offering to escort her to her car, all overtures she declined, according to the May 27 filing in Manhattan federal court.
“Beginning from the moment he met her, Johnson sexually harassed [Fernandez] and treated her and other women in the Peekskill City Court differently because of their gender,” the lawsuit claims.
Johnson maintained his innocence even as he was forced to turn in his gavel last September amid mounting sexual harassment allegations, misconduct and workplace toxicity claims.
The disgraced judge inappropriately touched Fernandez, texted her dinner invitations, and made lewd comments, such as, “You go girl, looking all hot on the bench,” and “Show them that hot Latina attitude,” the filing against Johnson and the city of Peekskill alleges.
After Fernandez confronted Johnson, she learned six other female court employees had also complained about him, the fling claims, including two instances where they “were brought to tears” by his “aggressive and hostile behavior towards women.”
Johnson resigned from the bench on Sept. 20, despite having nine years left on his term.
Peekskill’s City Council stayed loyal to Johnson, who had been on the bench since 2014, and failed to make Fernandez a full-time judge because of her complaint, she contends.
She is seeking unspecified damages and wants to be made a full-time city court judge.
Johnson could not be reached for comment.
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