PUTNAM COUNTY, Ind. — Discipline charges have been filed against a central Indiana judge who allegedly engaged in “harassment based on gender” and other unjust practices.
Two official judicial misconduct charges were filed Monday against Putnam Superior Court Judge Charles “Denny” Bridges alleging gender-based harassment of a woman. The charges were filed by the Indiana Commission on Judicial Qualifications, referred to as the Commission.
The charges against Bridges stem from a court case he presided over in late 2021 in which a woman was suing her former romantic partner.
The woman alleged that – after living in a home together for nearly two years – the man sold the house and did not split the profits with her.
While the man was the person who reportedly purchased the home for $69,000, the woman said she had paid for a majority of the home’s rehabilitation and maintenance.
The woman said the home was sold for a “substantial gain” and that she was not properly compensated.
Court documents detail how, as judge, Bridges showed negative bias toward the woman involved in the case. During the pretrial conference, Bridges allegedly voiced his disfavor of the legal cause and the woman bringing the case forward.
“If they weren’t married and she lived there and had the benefit of living there and now she wants to claim what everybody calls ‘sweat equity’ bulls**t,” Bridges reportedly said. “Ain’t no ‘sweat equity’ in this court.”
Bridges reportedly told the woman’s counsel that he has seen similar cases in the past and that he is not a fan of the women who bring them forward.
“I see women that kind of make a habit out of this… I see women do this and it’s horses**t,” court docs quote Bridges as saying. “So far it’s always been the woman that moved in with a guy and then when things go south she wants half of his s**t and they were never married. I don’t give it to them.”
When asked by the woman’s counsel if he would uphold a case on the theory of unjust enrichment and implied contract, Bridges reportedly said no.
“I never have,” he reportedly said. “I’m not saying that I won’t or haven’t, but it just doesn’t set well with me.”
Following this pretrial conference, the Commission alleges that Judge Bridges did not give the woman a fair chance to respond to various filings.
He reportedly granted several motions – including one to dismiss the case – that were filed by the man being sued without giving the woman’s attorneys adequate time to respond. When the woman’s attorney filed a motion requesting Bridges’ recusal, the judge reportedly never ruled on it.
Later, the Indiana Court of Appeals ruled that the trial court overseen by Bridges was wrong in dismissing the woman’s case and instead reversed the decision to give the man the money from the home sale.
“[Bridges’] statements during the March 8, 2022, pretrial conference went ‘beyond merely expressing skepticism about [the woman’s] claims in her complaint’ and, instead, ‘clearly expressed disdain, not only for the type of relief that [she] was seeking, but for the gender he believed most often sought this type of relief’.”
The misconduct charge filings made by the Commission ended by asking the Indiana Supreme Court to conduct a public hearing regarding the allegations against Bridges. They ask that the Supreme Court find the judge guilty on both charges and impose a proper sanction.
The Supreme Court now has final authority to determine what, if any, judicial misconduct occurred. The court’s options now include dismissing the charges, imposing a fine, holding a public hearing, imposing sanctions, suspensions or a ban or agreeing to an out-of-court disciplinary agreement.
Click here to read a full copy of the Commission’s filing against Bridges, which is public record. The Commission is the one bringing these charges against Bridges, who is being represented by attorney James Voyles.
