Chace v. Loisel

Whether, prior to entry of final judgment, the judge’s Facebook friend request of a party to the case provided grounds to disqualify.

The Court granted the petition and quashed the order denying the motion to disqualify. Petitioner alleged facts that would cause a reasonable person to fear for the fairness of a trial. Further, in the Court’s eyes, a judge reaching out ex parte to send a “friend” request to a party to the case was far more concerning than a judge “friending” attorneys was was the case in Domville.

Decision