Judge Recuses Himself; Steel Trial Delayed
The civil case accusing Costa Mesa City Council member Chris Steel of forgery was delayed Monday after a judge recused himself.
Orange County Superior Court Judge William M. Monroe said that, when he was a lawyer almost 15 years ago, he had professional dealings with Ron Cordova, Steel’s lawyer in the current case. Monroe said he could be impartial, but Michael Szkaradek, a Costa Mesa lawyer and accountant who filed a lawsuit accusing Steel of forging several signatures on his election papers, said he wanted a new judge.
![Stephanie Lazarus, a Los Angeles police detective charged with capital murder in the 1986 slaying of her ex-boyfriend's wife pleaded not guilty during her arraignment in Los Angeles Superior Court Monday morning, July 6, 2009. (AP Photo/Al Seib ,Pool)]](https://ca-times.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/7059f16/2147483647/strip/true/crop/2400x1605+0+76/resize/1024x685!/format/webp/quality/75/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fcalifornia-times-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2F65%2Fe0%2F8228b5b44c0da5be07c48647ce71%2Fdetective-killing.JPEG)
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