A BROWARD COUNTY FLORIDA CIRCUIT COURT JUDGE HAS RESIGNED
FOLLOWING THE RELEASE OF A VIDEO WHERE SHE TREATS A DISABLED
WOMAN VERY BADLY.
WHAT WE ARE ABOUT TO SHOW YOU IS DIFFICULT TO WATCH, BUT IT
FEATURES A WOMAN BY THE NAME OF SANDRA TWIGGS.
SHE WAS FACING A MISDEMEANOR CHARGE IN RELATION TO A FIGHT
THAT SHE HAD WITH HER OWN 19-YEAR-OLD DAUGHTER.
SHE IS NOT ONLY DISABLED, SHE SUFFERS FROM ASTHMA AND ALSO
SOMETHING KNOWN AS COPD, CHRONIC OBSTRUCTIVE PULMONARY DISEASE
WHICH MEANS THAT SHE HAS DIFFICULTY BREATHING.
GIVEN ALL OF THE INFORMATION IN CONTEXT, TAKE A LOOK AT HOW
JUDGE MERRILLE EHRLICH TREATS HER.
DOES YOUR DAUGHTER LIVE WITH YOU MA'AM?
YES MA'AM.
EXCUSE ME, DON'T SAY ANYTHING BEYOND WHAT I AM ASKING YOU.
TRUST ME, MA'AM.
MA'AM.
SHE LIVES WITH WHO?
SHE LIVES WITH ME AND SHE LIVES WITH MY DAUGHTER IN MIAMI.
IS THAT A DIFFERENT LOCATION?
YES.
EXCUSE ME.
SO, CAN YOU PLEASE, IS THERE ANYWAY YOU CAN ON THE
PHONE TALK TO THESE PEOPLE.
I SPOKE TO --
I KNOW THAT, BUT WHILE PROCEEDINGS ARE ONGOING, CAN
YOU SPEAK TO THEM OR NO?
THE PHONE IS OFF TO THE SIDE, CAN'T DO BOTH.
I AM JUST TRYING, FIRST OF ALL, ATTORNEYS, DON'T
INTERRUPT A COURT AND LISTEN TO WHAT THE COURT SAYS BECAUSE IT
MAY ANSWER YOUR QUESTIONS.
MA'AM, DO NEED WATER?
JUST NOD YOUR HEAD.
MA'AM, I AM NOT HERE TO TALK TO YOU ABOUT YOUR BREATHING
TREATMENT.
THAT JUDGE IS ABSOLUTE TRASH AND I'M GLAD SHE RESIGNED.
UNFORTUNATELY, THE DEFENDANT DIED THREE DAYS AFTER THE
INCIDENT AND HER FAMILY MEMBERS SAID THAT BY THE TIME SHE WAS
RELEASED AND ABLE TO COME HOME, SHE SAID THAT SHE WAS DENIED
THE MEDICATION THAT SHE NEEDED WHILE SHE WAS IN JAIL.
BY THE WAY, SHE WAS IN JAIL FOR A MISDEMEANOR CHARGE IN
RELATION TO GETTING INTO A FIGHT WITH HER DAUGHTER.
IT WASN'T A BRAWL, THEY DID NOT BE EACH OTHER UP.
HER DAUGHTER HAD A SCRATCH AND WE'RE TALKING ABOUT A WOMAN
WHOSE WILL CHAIR BOUND AND HAS A SERIOUS CONDITION AND IS
HAVING DIFFICULTY BREATHING AND YOU HAVE THIS JUDGE GOING AT
HER INCESSANTLY.
BY THE WAY, HOW ABOUT IF YOU DO NOT WANT TO HEAR HER ANSWER
THAN STOP ASKING HER QUESTIONS.
NOTHING MAKES DRIVING CRAZIER THAN SOMEONE IN A POSITION OF
POWER ASKING A QUESTION AND THEN THE SECOND A PERSON STARTS TO
ANSWER THEY INTERRUPT THEM AND STOP YELLING AT THEM.
THE DON'T ASK ANY QUESTIONS.
AS ALWAYS, THE PROBLEM IS PROJECTION HERE.
SHE KEEPS INTERRUPTING EVERYONE IN THE MIDDLE OF AN ANSWER AND
THEN SHE SAYS YOU SHOULD NOT INTERRUPT THE COURT.
IT IS MANIACAL, AND YOU THINK THESE GUYS ARE GETTING EQUAL
JUSTICE CUESTA THE FIRST TIME THAT THAT WOMAN HAD EVER BEEN IN
TROUBLE WITH THE LAW, BUT WE'VE
ANOTHER PROBLEM WHICH IS THAT YOU GO IN AND IF YOU ARE RICH
OR MIDDLE-CLASS, YOU GET BAIL AND YOU LEAVE IMMEDIATELY.
IF YOU ARE NOT, YOU SIT IN JAIL FOR A COUPLE OF DAYS, EVEN IF
IT IS A MISDEMEANOR CHARGE, IT IS THE FIRST TIME YOU HAVE
EVER BEEN IN ANY KIND OF TROUBLE AND HE DID NOT GET TO EXPLAIN
YOUR CASE.
THAT JUDGE HAS 18 DIFFERENT ISSUES.
ANGER, ETC.,
BUT ONE OTHER THING THAT IS RELEVANT HERE IS THAT A LOT OF
THE JUDGES STARTED AUDITIONING FOR THE JUDGE JUDY TYPE ROLES.
I DO NOT EVEN THINK THAT IS WHAT IT IS.
HONESTLY, LOOK, THAT MIGHT SEEM LIKE AN ISOLATED INCIDENT BUT
FOR MY PERSONAL EXPERIENCE, THAT IS NOT ISOLATED.
THE WAY A LOT OF JUDGES ADDRESS PEOPLE WHO ARE IN COURT IS
JUST UNCALLED FOR, INCREDIBLY DISRESPECTFUL, INCREDIBLY
UNPROFESSIONAL.
I HAVE BEEN TO COURT SEVERAL TIMES FOR TRAFFIC STUFF,
TRAFFIC CITATIONS BUT WHEN YOU ARE THERE YOU ARE IN A ROOM
FULL OF PEOPLE WHO NEED TO TALK TO THE JUDGE AND LISTENING TO
THE JUDGE ADDRESS PEOPLE IS AMAZING.
I CANNOT BELIEVE THEY GET AWAY WITH THE WAY THEY TALK TO
PEOPLE.
IT IS ALMOST AS IF THEY HAVE POWER AND THE PEOPLE THAT ARE
COMING IN FRONT OF THEM ARE POWERLESS.
IT IS WEIRD HOW THEY ARE ABUSING THE POWER BUT I REALLY DO
THINK, I DO NOT KNOW IF IT IS STILL ONGOING.
YOU MAY BE RIGHT THAT THIS IS NOT RELATED TO THAT BUT I KNOW
THAT FOR A LONG TIME THE JUDGE JUDY'S OF THE WORLD MADE SO
MUCH MONEY THAT SO MANY JUDGES WERE BASICALLY MUGGING FOR THE
CAMERAS AND INTERRUPTING AND BEING HARSH SO THEY COULD GET
A TV CONTRACT TO MAKE A LOT OF MONEY.
EITHER WAY, IT WAS OUTRAGEOUS CONDUCT BY THE JUDGE BUT AT
LEAST SHE RESIGNED.