Maria Lopez facts for kids
Maria Lopez (born September 12, 1953) is a Cuban-American former judge and a former television jurist on the syndicated court show, Judge Maria Lopez.
Judge Lopez made legal history as the first Latina appointed to the bench in Massachusetts when she was selected as a District Court Judge by Governor Michael Dukakis. Judge Lopez continued to make her mark in history as the first Latina to be appointed to the Massachusetts Superior Court in 1993. Lopez served as a Superior Court judge and as an assistant attorney general in civil rights division of the office of the Massachusetts Attorney General.
She was married to the late Stephen Mindich, owner of the Boston Phoenix newspaper; she lives in Newton, Massachusetts. She has two sons, Michael Michaud (born in 1983) and David Michaud (born in 1985), who both attended the University of Michigan; they are her sons from her first marriage to Richard Michaud.
Lopez holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Government from Smith College and a Juris Doctor from Boston University.
Demoulas Versus Demoulas Case
In the 1990s, then Judge Lopez presided over the civil trial for control of shares in the DeMoulas supermarket chain. The trial and subsequent appeals process made this one of the largest and longest civil lawsuits in Massachusetts history. In addition to its length and cost, the trial was notable for attempts by lawyers of Telemachus "Mike" Demoulas to have Judge Lopez removed from the case due to allegations of bias after the jury found that he had defrauded his late brother George's family of shares in the family owned business. After numerous appeals however, Judge Lopez's rulings were upheld.
Allegations of misconduct were raised by Lopez's former law clerk, Paul M. Walsh against attorneys for Telemachus Demoulas. He alleged that he was lured to Nova Scotia under the pretext of a job interview, only to be queried for information the lawyers could then use to prove bias on the part of Judge Lopez.
In October 2006, the state Board of Bar Overseers issued a recommendation to disbar lawyers Gary C. Crossen and Kevin P. Curry, and issue a three-year suspension to lawyer Richard K. Donahue based on their conduct in the Walsh incident. In December 2006, Donahue accepted the three-year suspension from practicing law. In January 2008, the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court unanimously agreed with the recommendation of the board and ordered Crossen and Curry disbarred. Both lawyers will have to wait eight years before they can apply for readmission to the bar.
Television show
On September 11, 2006, Judge Maria Lopez debuted, a half-hour show where real life disputants come to settle a case. An episode may include two smaller cases or one big case, such as "The Dirty Videographer Was A Lemon".
After one year on the air, the Judge Maria Lopez ranked last among nine syndicated judge shows, only gathering a Nielsen household rating of 1.0. Among all 160 syndicated shows ranked, the Judge Maria Lopez show placed 118th in viewership. Despite its low ratings, Sony Pictures renewed the series for a second season. However, in February 2008 reports indicated that after two seasons of low ratings the show would be canceled.
See also
- List of Hispanic and Latino American jurists
- List of first women lawyers and judges in Massachusetts
