Willis W. Berry, Jr.
Willis W. Berry Jr. was a judge on the Philadelphia County Court of Common Pleas in Pennsylvania. He served as a judge for the court from 1995 until his retirement on August 31, 2012, upon reaching the mandatory retirement age of 70. Though Berry could have served through the end of the year, he agreed to retire early after losing a civil suit for fraud.[1][2] See "Noteworthy events" section below.
Education
Berry received his undergraduate degree from Pennsylvania State University and his J.D. degree from Temple University.[3]
Career
Before he became a judge, Berry worked as an attorney in private practice and maintained a private real estate business.[4]
Noteworthy events
Fraud case
In 2009, a jury found that Berry had defrauded Denise Jackson in the sale of a plot of land in 1993. The court awarded Jackson $180,000 against Berry's real estate firm Reddberry Development Corporation. On June 3, 2011, the Pennsylvania Supreme Court rejected Berry's appeal to review that decision.[5][2] The Philadelphia Bar Association then requested that Berry resign.[6]
On April 9, 2014, the state supreme court suspended Berry's law license for one year, following a recommendation by its disciplinary board.[7]
For the report from the Pennsylvania Supreme Court, see: Supreme Court of Pennsylvania, "Office of Disciplinary Counsel v. Willis W. Berry, Jr.," October 30, 2013
Corruption charges
In May 2014, the Pennsylvania Attorney General filed charges against Berry for allegedly using his judicial office and staff to run his personal property-management business for more than 10 years. Berry was charged with one count of theft of services and one court of conflict of interest.[8] On May 22, 2014, Berry was arrested, spent several hours behind bars, and was later released on his own recognizance.[4] In October 2014, he entered into a plea agreement with the state attorney general's office, pleading guilty to the criminal charges.[9] Later in December 2014, however, he rejected the plea deal.[10] He was convicted on both charges in July 2015.[11]
See also
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ The Unified Judicial System of Pennsylvania, "Court of Common Pleas Judges, Philadelphia County," accessed November 25, 2014
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Go Erie, "Judge involved in civil fraud case retires," September 28, 2012
- ↑ Martindale.com, "Judge Profile: Willis W. Berry, Jr.," accessed November 25, 2014
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 Philly.com, "Former Phila. Judge Willis W. Berry Jr. arrested on corruption charges," May 24, 2014
- ↑ The Inquirer, "Pa. high court upholds fraud verdict against Judge Willis Berry," June 4, 2011
- ↑ Philadelphia Bar Association, "Philadelphia Bar Assocition Calls on Judge Berry to resign," accessed January 12, 2016
- ↑ Philly.com, "Supreme Court suspends former Phila. judge's law license," April 13, 2014
- ↑ CBSPhilly.com, "Retired Philadelphia Judge Charge with Corruption," May 22, 2014
- ↑ Philly.com, "Ex-judge Berry to plead guilty, lawyer says," October 31, 2014
- ↑ Philly.com, "Former judge Berry rescinds plea deal," December 5, 2014
- ↑ Philly.com, "Former city judge convicted of using office for personal gain," July 23, 2015
