HAMILTON COUNTY — A probate judge in the Cincinnati area has been accused of misconduct after he made comments on a Facebook post regarding a case he was overseeing, according to our media partners in Cincinnati, WCPO-TV.
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Judge Ralph Winkler was overseeing a guardianship case regarding an elderly woman and her son.
In October 2022, the son left criticism on the judge’s public Facebook profile.
Winkler replied to the criticism with a slew of comments.
He said the son was “just mad because we had to intercede and take care of your mother when you did not.”
“I am glad a nice neighbor called Senior Services and we got your mother into a safe, clean, and healthy care facility. God only knows what would have happened to her if a Good Samaritan neighbor had not reported this elder abuse,” Winkler commented.
Winkler commented further and said in part, “You were wrong for not taking proper care of your mother.”
“When you did make it to court you often reeked of alcohol. Plus, you also missed many hearings for unknown reasons. Don’t try to blame my court or (the magistrate) for your shortcomings as a son...Your mother could have died or suffered needlessly if my court didn’t help her,” Winkler said.
The son claims that Winkler’s response to his criticism is “misleading” and “incorrect,” including the claim of elder abuse, WCPO reported.
Winkler said he did not look at the case while responding, instead relying on his memory.
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The judge said he realized that he shouldn’t have made the comments or deleted them after the fact.
He also deleted and hid the son’s comments from his public profile, WCPO reported.
The son said the guardianship case was open when these comments were made, and the case remains open today.
Winkler recused himself in August.
Our media partners WCPO reached out to Winkler and his office but have not heard back.
The Ohio Supreme Court will decide if Winkler violated any rules.
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