BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) - The Latest on the retirement of a federal judge in Louisiana who had been on medical leave to get treatment for severe alcoholism (all times local):
11:45 a.m.
An agreement has resolved a lawsuit that challenged a now-retired federal judge’s mental and physical capacity to manage her personal and financial affairs.
A magistrate who served under U.S. District Judge Patricia Minaldi in Lake Charles, Louisiana, filed the lawsuit in April after Minaldi took medical leave to get treatment for severe alcoholism.
A court filing last week said Minaldi and the magistrate had “reached an accord” and wanted the case to be dismissed, with Minaldi bearing the unspecified costs of the proceedings.
Minaldi’s disability retirement took effect on Monday. She had been on medical leave since late December.
The magistrate’s suit said Minaldi was diagnosed with a severe degenerative brain disorder linked to alcohol abuse. The suit claimed Minaldi’s condition in March was so severe that she was “unable to take care of her daily activities.”
___
9:20 a.m.
A federal judge in Louisiana has retired several months after taking medical leave to get treatment for severe alcoholism.
Tony Moore, clerk of court for the Western District of Louisiana, confirmed Wednesday that U.S. District Judge Patricia Minaldi’s disability retirement took effect on July 31.
Court records unsealed in April revealed Minaldi was required to get treatment for alcoholism so severe that a colleague asked a court to rule she cannot take care of herself.
An Associated Press investigation revealed Minaldi’s pattern of unusual behavior on the bench preceding her mysterious removal from a string of cases last year.
Minaldi had been on medical leave since late December.
She began serving as a judge in the district’s Lake Charles division after her nomination in 2003 by then-President George W. Bush.
Please read our comment policy before commenting.