Nov 6, 2014 3 min read

Pennsylvania Supreme Court Justice Max Baer and Interim Washington County Administrative Senior Judge Joseph M. James met with the six Washington County Common Pleas judges Thursday to discuss the Administrative Office of Pennsylvania Courts’ decision to relieve President Judge Debbie O’Dell Seneca of her administrative duties.

The meeting, which was held behind closed doors in the courthouse law library, lasted for roughly an hour and a half. All six county judges and James declined to comment on the nature of the meeting after the session. Baer left before he could be asked about the meeting.

On Wednesday, Supreme Court Chief Justice Ronald D. Castille announced James’ appointment in a news release. O’Dell Seneca will continue to serve as president judge and carry a full caseload while James will be responsible for all administrative and operational matters.

“New perspective, renewed collegiality and greater collaboration are values that often result when administrative leadership in a judicial district changes,” Castille said. “Judge James’ appointment is an opportunity to strengthen the Washington County bench in light of challenges the court system has experienced in recent years, including judicial vacancies and time-consuming, complex litigation.”

Washington County Court was operating with just four judges throughout 2013. Judge Paul Pozonsky retired in June 2012, before he was charged with taking cocaine evidence in criminal cases while it was stored in his office. His case is still pending. Then, at the end of 2012, Judge Janet Moschetta Bell abruptly retired.

Two new judges, Mike Lucas and Valarie Costanzo, were elected in 2013 and took office at the start of this year.

O’Dell Seneca has held the president judge position, which pays $175,306, for the last 10 years. Tom Darr, the deputy state court administrator for the AOPC, said the office is merely providing assistance in this situation, but he was unsure if O’Dell Seneca requested help or if the AOPC determined that it needed to intervene.

James, a former administrative and president judge of Allegheny County Court, is not expected to hear cases in Washington County. His assignment began Wednesday and will be for an indefinite tenure, according to the Supreme Court order. Darr said James will be paid $536 per day.

Prior to the closed-door meeting, the Washington County Salary Board, in a session open to the public, voted 4-0 to have former Juvenile Probation Office chief John Penderville return from retirement to resume his position. The juvenile probation office has been under scrunity since August, when a former juvenile probation officer filed a whistleblower lawsuit, claiming he was “unlawfully fired” after he reported the county’s chief probation officer, Daniel Clements, was making inappropriate recommendations to place children at a treatment center where his girlfriend worked. O’Dell Seneca, Clements and Thomas Jess, director of probation services and assistant court administrator, were named in the suit.

Penderville retired in 2009, when he was succeeded by Clements, who was arrested for theft and a related charge Oct. 10. Clements retired shortly before he was charged. The allegations against him involve alleged misappropriation of funds used to pay for martial arts training.

Voting to ratify a memorandum of understanding were the three county commissioners and county Controller Michael Namie. O’Dell Seneca was eligible to attend the salary board meeting but sent Court Administrator Patrick Grimm on her behalf..

Penderville has been paid $278 per day since Oct. 24 for his temporary, part-time work.

Grimm said he contacted Penderville to work on a per diem basis “until a candidate is identified.” Advertisements for the position were being prepared, according to Grimm.

Staff writer Barbara Miller contributed to this report.