Poughkeepsie Judge Frank Mora Faces Removal Over Retaliatory Suit Against Mask Complainant

Poughkeepsie City Court Judge Frank M. Mora is facing removal from the bench after New York's judicial watchdog determined he retaliated against a woman who filed a misconduct complaint against him by suing her for defamation. The New York State Commission on Judicial Conduct voted unanimously, 11-0, on August 21 to order Mora's removal, finding that his lawsuit against complainant Stacey Koch was, on its own, serious enough to justify ousting him from a bench he has held since 2011.

The commission's administrator and counsel, Robert Tembeckjian, did not mince words about the finding. According to Mid Hudson News, Tembeckjian said Mora's actions “severely undermined public trust,” adding that “it is inimical to the role of a judge to seek vengeance rather than justice in court.” The commission itself wrote that Mora appears to be the first New York judge to retaliate against a commission complainant by filing a defamation suit against that complainant, a finding that marks the case as a first-of-its-kind precedent in state judicial ethics, as detailed in the Daily Voice.

The Eye Clinic Confrontation That Started It All

The dispute traces back to December 2021, when Mora went to the Seeta Eye Center in Poughkeepsie for one of his children's appointments. The clinic required patients and employees to wear face masks, but Mora said he could not wear one because of a medical condition and instead arrived wearing a clear plastic face shield, per the Daily Voice's reporting on the commission's findings. Employees asked him to put on a mask or leave the office, and Mora refused repeated requests to leave, remaining inside for an estimated 30 to 40 minutes while police were called twice before he finally departed.

During the confrontation, Mora briefly left the clinic to obtain a note from Mazzarelli Chiropractic Health Center in Poughkeepsie asserting he had a medical condition preventing mask use, according to iHeart. Clinic staff allowed his child's appointment to proceed after receiving the note, though the Daily Voice's account notes Mora did not provide documentation of his medical condition at the time. Stacey Koch, an employee at the clinic, filed a judicial misconduct complaint that same month over Mora's conduct during the standoff.

From Misconduct Complaint to Defamation Suit

Mora learned about Koch's complaint in April 2022 and soon after approached an attorney about suing her, the commission's findings state. He filed a defamation lawsuit against Koch in Dutchess County Supreme Court on December 29, 2022, seeking $250,000 in compensatory damages and $175,000 in punitive damages, for $425,000 in total damages sought. The commission found the suit was based entirely on statements Koch made in her confidential misconduct complaint, and it wanted, as the panel put it, to “make Koch pay.”

Dutchess County Supreme Court Justice Maria G. Rosa dismissed Mora's lawsuit in April 2023, finding that Koch's statements were absolutely privileged. Rosa warned that lawsuits like Mora's could deter people from bringing legitimate complaints against judges, according to the commission's determination cited by the Daily Voice. Mora nonetheless continued fighting motions to dismiss the case before it was ultimately resolved, and the commission called his decision to sue Koch “aggressive and egregious.”

A Judge Already Sidelined Over Vaccine Refusal

The eye clinic dispute unfolded against the backdrop of a separate, parallel fight over COVID-19 vaccination requirements inside the Poughkeepsie courthouse. Ninth Judicial District Administrative Judge Anne Minihan banned Mora from entering his own courtroom in January 2022 after he failed to comply with the court system's vaccine mandate, according to Mid Hudson News. That ban meant Mora had already been stripped of in-person bench duties months before he filed his retaliatory lawsuit against Koch.

The Supreme Court Officers Association criticized what it called a double standard during that period, noting that more than 100 non-judicial court staff faced termination for noncompliance while sitting judges like Mora could not be summarily fired by administrative order and were instead reassigned to remote work. Mora later filed a federal lawsuit in December 2022 against the New York State Unified Court System and Office of Court Administration after his request for a religious exemption from the mandate was denied, alleging First and Fourteenth Amendment violations. Federal courts ruled in November 2023 that city court judges appointed by elected mayors fall under Title VII's “policymaking appointee” exclusion and are not classified as standard employees under federal civil rights law, a ruling detailed by Kaufman Dolowich. The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit affirmed dismissal of that suit in March 2026, finding the claims moot and barred by sovereign immunity.

Apology, Settlement, and a Dissent Within the Commission

As part of resolving the underlying misconduct case, Mora agreed to send Koch a signed apology acknowledging that the lawsuit “should not have been brought in the first instance,” and he acknowledged he should have left the clinic when asked. He also agreed to avoid future contact with Koch or any Seeta location and agreed to pay Koch $20,000 for attorney's fees, per the Daily Voice's account of the commission record.

Not every finding against Mora was unanimous. A referee found that evidence did not establish that Mora's demeanor during the confrontation itself was inappropriate, and the commission dismissed a separate charge that he had improperly withheld or redacted requested materials during the proceeding. Commission member Stefano Cambareri dissented specifically from the finding involving Mora's refusal to leave the eye doctor's office, though the panel still found unanimously, 11-0, that Mora committed misconduct by persistently refusing to leave when asked, and that removal was warranted overall.

What Happens Next

Mora's defense attorney, Stephen R. Coffey of O'Connell & Aronowitz, has vowed to fight the commission's removal determination in court, according to a Times Union report. Under New York law, a judge recommended for removal has 30 days to request review by the state's highest court, meaning the case is now headed to the New York Court of Appeals, which holds final authority to accept, modify, or reject the commission's recommendation.

Mora, an attorney since 1997, currently has a term on the Poughkeepsie City Court bench that runs through the end of 2030. Whether he serves out that term now rests with the Court of Appeals, as the commission's removal order does not take effect while an appeal is pending.