CAMPBELL COUNTY, Ky. — The fate of a family court judge now lies in the hands of the Kentucky Judicial Conduct Commission.
Judge Dawn Gentry, who oversees family court in Kenton County, is facing nine allegations of misconduct. On Friday, she told the court about an intimate moment she had with a lawyer. How she handled this instance and the cases the lawyer brought to her courtroom is central to the case.
When questioned by Attorney Todd Lewis, Gentry admitted to the commission that she could be a better boss.
“I think you said this the first time we heard from you but what was your experience as a boss, as a human resources director?” asked Lewis.
Gentry responded, “I didn’t have any experience as a boss. I should have taken steps on how to educate myself on how to do that.”
Gentry addressed the nine allegations in her testimony, a key one being sexual misconduct. She told the commission about an interaction that she had with another attorney, Katherine Schulz during guitar practice.
Gentry said on that day she took a break from practice and went to the bathroom to deal with a nosebleed.
Gentry testified, “So she (Schulz) came in. We were talking as I’m trying to stop my bleeding nose. At some point, she kisses me. It was a big kiss, I mean, it was, you know, there was touching and lots of kissing and I didn’t stop.”
Gentry went in more detail with the commission.
But the commission’s lawyer Bryan Beauman argued, Gentry failed to recuse herself from cases involving Schultz and made a series of other bad decisions.
“This is much bigger than Dawn Gentry. I think everyone has seen her emotion this week. I don’t think there’s much question, it’s very genuine. I hope she gets the help and healing that she needs but she also told us that beginning in January, this is the question, I asked at the very end, at the beginning of January of 2018, to where she testified in Louisville in January 3rd it was systemic lapses of judgment.”
Gentry's lawyer Todd Lewis said otherwise, arguing that her performance behind the bench reflects in her cases and the law.
“She is three things in this case. She’s a politician, she’s a boss and she’s a judge. No question about it, she failed at two of those things. She is capable, you’ve heard her discuss cases. She knows what she’s doing as a judge,” Lewis said.
The week-long conduct hearing concluded. The commission will return with a written outcome for Gentry’s case, possibly within two weeks.