A circuit judge in Florida was so fed up with one couple's "pissing match" in court, he announced he was "tired of this crap" and "going to happy hour."
According to the Palm Beach Post in a story that is behind a paywall, the Florida 4th District Court of Appeal ruled Judge Timothy McCarthy abused his discretion after ending a heated hearing between an estranged husband and wife.
“I’m going to happy hour. I’m tired of this crap," McCarthy said. "I warned him about five times.”
“I’m done. Get out of here," McCarthy reportedly said in the middle of the husband's testimony.
At the start of the hearing, the Palm Beach Post reports McCarthy warned the couple he didn't care for any drama.
“Before you give me any of that crap, and I really don’t want to hear about how the parties hate each other, I don’t give a damn about that," McCarthy said.
“You know, I really don’t want to get into (that) because he’s going to pee on her, she’s going to pee on him, and I’m telling you guys, I’m not here to listen to that garbage," McCarthy continued, noting he felt the couple "want to turn this into the Jerry Springer show."
McCarthy has said he "learned I needed to relax and chill" and sought counseling from a psychologist to improve his behavior on the bench.
But he's not the only judge whose courtroom antics have been called into question. Judge John Murphy, another Floridian, threatened to throw a rock at a veteran public defender on Monday, saying, "Stop pissing me off!"
"If you wanna fight, let's just go out back and I'll beat your ass!" Murphy can be heard saying in a video of a courtroom exchange with Andrew Weinstock.
According to WGHP, the two men then got into a physical altercation just outside of the camera's view:
The two men apparently met in a nearby hallway, an area where there are no cameras, and a fight broke out.
“The attorney said that immediately upon entering the hallway he was grabbed by the collar and began to be struck,” Blaise Trettis, public defender of the 18th Judicial Court, told WFTV. “There was no discussion, no talk, not even time for anything. Just as soon as they’re in the hallway, the attorney was grabbed.”
Trettis told Florida Now Weinstock was struck in the head.
The courtroom camera captured audio of the scuffle. During the fight, one man can be heard screaming “You want to f*** with me?”
Deputies responded to break up the altercation.
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