POUGHKEEPSIE – A judge has ruled that a Dutchess County legislator violated the county’s code of ethics when he used his campaign website and official social media page to raise funds for the defense of a personal lawsuit in which he is a defendant. The judge dismissed the lawsuit brought by the northern Dutchess lawmaker against the Dutchess County Board of Ethics. Read more about the lawsuit here.
Dutchess County Legislator Kristofer Munn (D-Red Hook) filed the Article 78 petition seeking to vacate the decision against him by the Dutchess County Board of Ethics. The committee had received several complaints regarding Munn’s use of a GoFundMe page to solicit donations for his legal defense after he was sued by the owner of local movie theaters.
In the court’s decision issued on July 15, 2022, acting Dutchess County Supreme Court Justice Edward McLoughlin dismissed Munn’s petition and ruled that Munn “used his title and position to improperly solicit funds for his personal use and that gifts were solicited or received under circumstances in which it could easily be inferred that the money or gift was intended to influence, or could reasonably be expected to influence him or her in the performance of official duties.”
