CJP Admonishes Inyo Judge for Baseless Report to State Bar About Court Administrators

Thursday, October 30, 2025

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CJP Admonishes Inyo Judge for Baseless Report to State Bar About Court Administrators

By a MetNews Staff Writer

SUSANNE M. RIZO

judge

Inyo Superior Court Judge Susanne M. Rizo yesterday drew a public admonishment from the Commission on Judicial Performance for, among other misconduct, reporting two court executives to the State Bar for purportedly engaging in the unauthorized practice of law, and accusing Presiding Judge Stephen Place of aiding and abetting the misconduct, when there was no colorable argument that the administrators were violating professional standards.

Yesterday’s order issuing the disciplinary measure also cites the jurist for responding to routine scheduling communications in a volatile and disproportionate manner as well as for dismissing a traffic citation after saying that she was “sitting on an assignment…that I normally don’t sit on” and “I do not have the resources to verify” if the defendant’s timeliness challenge was valid.

The commission further faulted Rizo for talking about open cases to court staff, in one case resulting in a party overhearing the discussion and bursting into tears, and for failing to recuse herself from making a probable cause determination in a case involving a donor’s daughter.

Complaints to State Bar

On July 5, 2024, Rizo filed complaints against Inyo Superior Court Executive Officer Pamela Foster and Operations Manager Lindsay Eropkin, asserting that they each disregarded her “legal directives” regarding the court’s obligation to provide notice in probate guardianship cases triggering the Indian Child Welfare Act.

However, the Commission on Judicial Performance (“CJP”) noted that the State Bar had dismissed the complaints and pointed out that the court staff had agreed to modify the court’s procedures as requested by Rizo after initially pushing back on the changes. The body declared:

“[W]hile Ms. Foster may have disagreed with some of Judge Rizo’s suggestions to change court policies or procedures, and engaged in some back-and-forth discussions with the judge, Ms. Foster ultimately followed Judge Rizo’s direction, with modifications to correct for issues Judge Rizo initially misunderstood.”

Saying that “Ms. Foster and Ms. Eropkin were not representing clients, providing legal advice, or drafting legal instruments for clients” but were “assisting Judge Rizo with her judicial duties and ensuring that the court…adhered to the law and court procedures,” the commission concluded that there was no “good faith basis” for Rizo’s complaints.

Leave Request

The commission also mentioned an email exchange, dated June 3, 2024, in which Rizo informed Foster and Place that she had a medical appointment scheduled for June 18. After Foster responded that she would try to find another judge to cover her absence as moving cases to another date would be “problematic,” Rizo wrote to Place, who is the only other jurist serving on the two-judge court, saying:

“I am have [sic] been and continue to be treated differently by administration based on my sex different [sic] from any other judge in our court I believe. [Sic.] I would hope you share my concern as it seems when you have had surgeries it goes without group emails calling into question the ‘problematic’ nature of your medical needs.”

Rizo later informed Place that she was retaining legal counsel. The commission said that “Rizo’s response…was volatile and disproportionate, and reflected a failure to cooperate with Ms. Foster and Presiding Judge Place in the administration of court business.”

CJP declared:

“In determining to impose this public admonishment, the commission considered the fact that this matter involved numerous acts of misconduct, both in and out of the courtroom….[T]he commission considered Judge Rizo’s reports of Ms. Foster and Ms. Eropkin to the State Bar to be particularly serious. Ms. Eropkin and Ms. Foster were required to file full responses with the State Bar and live with the possibility of a criminal prosecution hanging over their heads until the complaints were dismissed. Judge Rizo’s misconduct also created a contentious atmosphere in a small court.”

Rizo has served on the court since 2021. Ten members voted to impose the sanction, including Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Lisa B. Lench, Justice Julia C. Kelety of Div. One of the Fourth District Court of Appeal, and Butte Superior Court Judge Kimberly Merrifield; Commission member Mr. Richard A. Long did not participate.