"The Robing Room: NY State Judges

Hon. Francois A. Rivera	See Rating Details
Supreme Court
Kings (Brooklyn) County	See Comments

Attorney Average Rating: 4.5 - 45 rating(s) Non-Attorney Average Rating: 5.0 - 6 rating(s)	Please send me alerts on this judge E-mail Address:

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Only items marked with (*) are averaged into the displayed overall rating.

General Rating Criteria

* Temperament		(1=Awful,10=Excellent)
* Scholarship		(1=Awful,10=Excellent)
* Industriousness		(1=Not at all industrious,10=Highly industrious)
* Ability to Handle Complex Litigation		(1=Awful,10=Excellent)
* Punctuality		(1=Chronically Late,10=Always on Time)
* General Ability to Handle Pre-Trial Matters		(1=Not all Able, 10=Extremely Able)
* General Ability as a Trial Judge		(1=Not all Able, 10=Extremely Able)
Flexibility In Scheduling		(1=Completely Inflexible,10=Very Flexible)

Criminal Rating Criteria (if applicable)

* Evenhandedness in Criminal Litigation		(1=Demonstrates Bias,10=Entirely Evenhanded)
General Inclination Regarding Bail		(1=Pro-Defense,10=Pro-Government)
Involvement in Plea Discussions		(1=Not at all Involved, 10=Very Involved)
General Inclination in Criminal Cases Pretrial Stage		(1=Pro-prosecution,10=Pro-defense)
General Inclination in Criminal Cases Trial Stage		(1=Pro-prosecution,10=Pro-defense)
General Inclination in Criminal Cases Sentencing Stage		(1=Pro-prosecution,10=Pro-defense)

Civil Rating Criteria (if applicable)

* Evenhandedness in Civil Litigation		(1=Not at all Evenhanded,10=Entirely Evenhanded)
Involvement in Settlement Discussions		(1=Not at all Involved,10=Very Involved)
General Inclination		(1=Pro-defendant, 10=Pro-plaintiff)

Comments

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What others have said about Hon. Francois A. Rivera

Comments

Civil Litigation - Private

Comment #: NY13717
Rating:10.0

Comments:
Judge Rivera knows how to run a court room and conduct a trial. He is a no nonsense jurist who requires litigants to be on time, be prepared, and follow the rules. His decisions are fair to all sides. He knows the law and his decisions reflect that. I wish more judges were like him.

Litigant

Comment #: NY13706
Rating:Not Rated
Comments:
Warning to pro se litigants: Rivera has patience for litigants with little education, but if you spent one year in college, he will expect you to know the CPLR as well as an attorney who has been practicing law for 30 years. He either does not understand or does not care that it's much easier to find legal blogs and case law than it is to find basic information about legal procedure. No one was born knowing this stuff. None of it is obvious. No one will explain it to you. But Rivera will expect you to have mastered all of it. And if you have a PhD in Math, Rivera will screw you! He has no respect for mathematical reasoning (which may explain some of his legal reasoning).

Civil Litigation - Private

Comment #: NY13561
Rating:1.0

Comments:
Thinks he's smart in a dangerous way.
Obvious why he'll never be appointed to the Appellate Division.

Civil Litigation - Private

Comment #: NY13523
Rating:1.6

Comments:
Prioritizes his "strict courtroom" over everything, including basic decency, respect for litigants' time, and moving cases along. Calendar calls are an horror show, with most of the court's time spent mocking and demeaning attorneys, who of course cannot defend themselves. Threatens to hold people in contempt over nothing. Keeps parties waiting forever and then sends them to the back of the line if they can't answer his nitpicking questions within a second - I've seen him do this to even senior attorneys in their 80s. Lord help you if you don't know every detail of your entire case, no matter how inconsequential to the subject of the hearing. I see people complimenting his intelligence and eloquence, but all I see is arrogance and unfitness for the job. He ignores arguments he doesn't understand, but humors frivolous litigation, single-handedly dragging out non-meritorious cases for years just for fun. If "fairness" means being equally abusive to everyone then sure, he's fair.

Criminal Defense Lawyer

Comment #: NY13455
Rating:1.0

Comments:
This judge is one of the worst to sit the bench. I have rarely met a judge with less emotional maturity or judicial temperament in my career. In addition, although he appears to be reaosnably intelligent in his speech during court appearances, his ultimate decisions appear to be grossly incompetent and possibly motivated by personal animus toward certain attorneys.

This judge is the epitome of a person who should not be given power. Vain, egotistical and disrespectful. Truly a small person and one of the worst afflictions on the NYC Court system.

Civil Litigation - Private

Comment #: NY12782
Rating:10.0

Comments:
I have been in practice for close to 40 years. Justice Rivera is among the very finest judges I have ever appeared before. I am attorney for one of defendants (a retired couple who sold a business) in a multi-defendant products liability case. Justice Rivera heard argument by Zoom this week for over 90 minutes. He was totally prepared and asked exactly the right questions of all sides. He even said, "I may have further questions for you and need to bring you back." That's how thorough he is! I have no idea whether I will win or lose the motion (for summary judgment pre NOI). But my clients and I have been treated totally fairly. The judge's motto is "All cases must be treated equally" ... and he will give a pro se plaintiff who is down on his luck (but with legitimate arguments) the same amount of time and attention as the deep-pocketed folks. If he has a slight plaintiff's bias on a pre-trial motion, guess what?, that's a GOOD thing. It is often the well-financed defendants who are trying to take advantage. He is just leveling the playing field, making sure that if he is going to dismiss a defendant before trial, he is certain that is the proper course of action. In sum, Justice Rivera is a force-of-nature, knows the law inside and out, and Kings County is LUCKY to have him. His staff are also very organized and professional, just like him. IMHO (after almost 40 years of practice).

Civil Litigation - Private

Comment #: NY12482
Rating:1.6

Comments:
Just an all around miserable person and should not be a judge. He held a court reporter once in contempt for talking out of line during a trial. Appearances before him are painful to watch. He insults attorneys any chance he gets. He stacks the jury box with his interns and tries to impress them by degrading attorneys.

Civil Litigation - Private

Comment #: NY12428
Rating:3.7

Comments:
I find him to be condescending and unpleasant. Appears to have a Napoleon complex that really makes appearing before him a truly distasteful experience.

Litigant

Comment #: NY11252
Rating:9.0

Comments:
Smartest judge I ever saw. He ruled against me on my case. He spend 5 days explaining his decision in court. I learned my lawyer sued the wrong parties. He tipped me off that my lawyer with this giant loss didn't know what was going on and that my lawyer was just taking fees from me. After that I got paid from the right party. Thank you Judge Rivera. Even thou it was a giant loss. You helped me more than you can imagine going after the right parties. He's very entertaining and nice. You need to read between his lines because he gives you lawyers valuable info even when you lose. Lawyers need to give him more respect. He knows how to run a court room and make a proper decision. He also kept the case moving. Unlike the lawyers that drag cases on for no reason at all.

Other

Comment #: NY10649
Rating:1.0

Comments:
This man gives the rest of the Judges in this City a bad name. He is miserable, always looking for money, and if you don't have the money, he threatens you. All the world is not rich sir. You should step down. It's way overdue. You are not fit to serve.

Criminal Defense Lawyer

Comment #: NY10640
Rating:Not Rated
Comments:
If you look in the dictionary for the term “pompous ass”, Judge Rivera’s photo should be right there.

Civil Litigation - Private

Comment #: NY10057
Rating:1.0

Comments:
By far the worst judge to ever sit on the bench. This judge has no patience and makes his decisions without considering any of the evidence before him. He is an egotistic judge that will stick to his old, erroneous rulings no matter what. If you point out to him that he is not reading something correctly, he will threaten to hold you in contempt. He has made a mockery of the judicial system through his one-sided rulings/decisions. He is giving all the other great Kings County Supreme Court judges a very bad rep! I cannot wait until he gets kicked off the bench.

Civil Litigation - Private

Comment #: NY9889
Rating:1.0

Comments:
This man is absolutely incompetent! He sits on that bench planning his vacations instead of dealing with his motion calendar. I have seen him again and again making decisions on motions/OSCs without reading the actual papers. His decisions are entirely arbitrary and never based on merit. He entertains frivolous cases without any hesitation. I hope the Commission on Judicial Conduct takes immediate action against this judge. He has made a mockery of the entire judicial system.

Criminal Defense Lawyer

Comment #: NY9711
Rating:1.3

Comments:
Something must have happened to this man as a child as he thrives on making decisions on motions without giving attorneys the courtesy of reading the papers before him. He entertains frivolous lawsuits for the sheer entertainment value and purposely makes everyone in the court room feel less important that he feels himself to be. Arguably the worst judge in all of New York State.

Civil Litigation - Private

Comment #: NY9556
Rating:3.3

Comments:
Positives: He's usually close to the right answer, you get decisions from the bench, and he moves cases.

Negatives: He appears to enjoy torturing attorneys. On any given day in his courtroom, you will likely hear him threaten someone with sanctions for something benign, or otherwise unnecessarily give the attorneys before him a hard time. He insists on papers being perfect, but at least appears not to read them, and issues decisions based on gut reactions (frequently cutting attorneys off mid-argument).

Overall: If he were respectful towards the professionals appearing before him, he would be a great judge, but he's not.

Civil Litigation - Private

Comment #: NY9431
Rating:2.0

Comments:
Didn't read the papers. Suggested something unethical or incompetent had been done, threatened sanctions when I had to interrupt to correct.

Civil Litigation - Private

Comment #: NY9132
Rating:1.0

Comments:
A complete moron. Lazy, insulting and Supercilious. embarrasses lawyers who appear before him, Insists on all sorts of minutiae which no other judge cares about. No courtesy for lawyers. But very good at wasting time

Civil Litigation - Private

Comment #: NY9034
Rating:9.6

Comments:
Great judge. He gets to the point and keeps it moving. Wish we had more like him.

Civil Litigation - Govt.

Comment #: NY8943
Rating:Not Rated
Comments:
I never got a fair trial by this judge. HE made many legal mistakes during the trail. One especially serious mistake, was he never let the defense put one of the plaintiff's named to be called by the defense, and therefore not allowng the defese to face his accuser. If he would have allowed this witness to testify, the entire case would of had no choice but to be ruled in favor of the defendant. This was a civil case. A bench trail, that his mistakes has cost the defendant to lose his home !

Civil Litigation - Private

Comment #: NY8887
Rating:1.6

Comments:
Horrible. One of the worst trial judges I've seen in over 20 years of practice. He's a second plaintiff's attorney in the courtroom. What he lacks in intelligence he makes up for with brazen ego.

Civil Litigation - Govt.

Comment #: NY8866
Rating:1.0

Comments:
One of the worst judges I ever appeared before. Arrogant, sarcastic, insulting, condescending, arbitrary and capricious, biased against defendants New York and careless of their rights.

Other

Comment #: NY8293
Rating:1.0

Comments:
HORRIBLE - This guy is acting as Pltf Atty - napoleonic & demeaning to the entire courtroom. He should be removed immediately, a disgrace to the justice system and his colleagues.

Civil Litigation - Private

Comment #: NY8270
Rating:2.6

Comments:
watched one too many episodes of judge judy;
this guy does not act like a judge should act: he is disrespectful, rude, condescending, impatient, petulant, aggressive..... IMO its plain sick that someone like this is on the bench. Does not speak nicely. Tone is off. I think he is sociopathic.

Civil Litigation - Private

Comment #: NY8204
Rating:9.4

Comments:
Excellent judge

Criminal Defense Lawyer

Comment #: NY8135
Rating:10.0

Comments:
HAVING READ SOME OF THE NEGATIVE COMMENTS, I THINK JUDGE RIVERA IS MISUNDERSTOOD. I FINISHED A ONE WEEK TRIAL BEFORE HIM WITH A NUMBER OF ATTORNEYS INVOLVING VARIOUS LEGAL ISSUES. YES, THERE IS NO DOUBT THAT THE JUDGE OPERATES A VERY FORMAL COURTROOM WITH SPECIFIC PROCEDURAL RULES THAT ALL ATTORNEYS ARE EXPECTED TO FOLLOW. HOWEVER, THESE RULES ARE DESIGNED TO PROMOTE FAIRNESS AND ENSURE NOBODY GETS TO TAKE ADVANTAGE. SUBSTANTIVELY, JUDGE RIVERA IS EXTREMELY BRIGHT AND WELL VERSED IN THE LAW AND EXPECTS THAT IF YOU ARE GOING TO ARGUE ANY RELEVANT LEGAL ISSUE, THEN AT THE VERY LEAST YOU HAVE DONE YOUR HOMEWORK AND YOU ARE PREPARED SO AS NOT TO WASTE THE COURT'S TIME. I THINK HE IS CONSIDERATE , PATIENT AND WILLING TO LISTEN TO ALL SIDES. BOTTOM LINE IS THAT HE STILL CONSIDERS OURS A PROFESSION AND NOT A BUSINESS UNLIKE MANY JUDGES WHO DON'T CARE ANYMORE. HE'S OLD SCHOOL. IF YOU SHOW RESPECT YOU GET RESPECT AND YOUR CLIENT WILL GET A FAIR TRIAL

Civil Litigation - Private

Comment #: NY8013
Rating:3.0

Comments:
Judge Rivera's mantra is "why bother reading papers when you can listen to 45 seconds of oral argument". His decisions often portray the lack of time he spends reviewing the motion papers (which is 0). At least if you have a poor case, you have a 50 percent chance of being victorious with this judge.

Civil Litigation - Private

Comment #: NY7941
Rating:2.1

Comments:
Reads no papers. Makes decisions based upon 30 seconds or less of oral argument with virtually no knowledge of the case. Makes you write decisions for him because he is too lazy to do it himself. He thinks he is far smarter than you and everyone else in the courtroom. 1580

Litigant

Comment #: NY7376
Rating:Not Rated
Comments:
If you like being trapped in a bad Seinfeld episode - enjoy. Petulant, misandrist, Napoleonic, insecure, petty, overall not nice guy who perceives himself to be a judicial wizard and who proudly nods his head in self approval every time he makes a half ass ruling. Brace yourself and good luck. You will need it. OH and bring a check book to pay the fines when they come rolling your way. The positive reviews are laughable and clearly not from any attorney who tried a case before this guy.

Civil Litigation - Private

Comment #: NY7293
Rating:9.2

Comments:
I found Judge Rivera to be tough and sarcastic, but often it was well deserved. He runs a tight ship, was knowledgeable, and even handed. I wish more judges were like this one.

Criminal Defense Lawyer

Comment #: NY7113
Rating:10.0

Comments:
The Best in my experiences in his court!!!

Civil Litigation - Private

Comment #: NY6937
Rating:7.6

Comments:
If you know what to expect and are prepared, you will do well. At least you know what you will get, as opposed to most of the rest of the judiciary. He will rain down on a poor, unprepared shlub. Even when you lose in front of him, you feel like you have received a fair hearing.

Civil Litigation - Private

Comment #: NY6920
Rating:1.0

Comments:
Terrible judge with absolutely no common sense and an inability to write coherent decisions which make sense.

Civil Litigation - Private

Comment #: NY6791
Rating:5.3

Comments:
terrible arrogant judge

Civil Litigation - Private

Comment #: NY6294
Rating:9.1

Comments:
I agree with the commenter below. Judge Rivera is a breath of fresh air. He runs a tight ship and follows the CPLR. If every judge were this focused and conscientious, there would be no backlog in Kings Supreme. Sit in his part for a morning and you'll learn more about how to be an effective lawyer than in any CLE course.

Any sarcasm he dishes is out is well deserved- by lawyers who can't or won't do their jobs properly.

Civil Litigation - Private

Comment #: NY6244
Rating:8.9

Comments:
I was concerned by some of the negative comments that I saw here before appearing for oral argument before this judge. I found the comments to be false or maybe sour grapes by someone who lost a motion or case. The judge was extremely intelligent and hands on. He said he has a hot bench and he meant it. He will hold lawyers to their proof and I am glad. He is no nonsense and I felt like I was in federal court. Everything was on the record. He took a practical approach to his motion and conference calendar, showed flexibility and was knowledgeable about everything. I observed his courtroom for several hours. In every case, I felt he made a fair and correct decision and treated counsel with whatever respect they deserved. He is so much better than many of the other judges I have seen in the state court system. Some lawyers may view his comments as rude. I didn't. I viewed his sarcasm as well deserved to some of the lawyers who submitted incomplete papers or who refused to answer a direct question. I would prefer to see more judges like this in the state courts.

Other

Comment #: NY5914
Rating:Not Rated
Comments:
"Chief Justice" Francois Rivera is a petty tyrant who has an equally petty court clerk. "Chief Justice" demands a singular demeanor in court where you get chastised if you answer a direct question, if you can hear of the constant loud telephone calls and gossiping of his clerk.

Avoid this guy.

Civil Litigation - Private

Comment #: NY5623
Rating:9.7

Comments:
Justice Rivera is very formal in the Courtroom, particularly during the conduct of the trial. In the motion part, all oral arguments are recorded.

At trial, he articulates his expectations regarding attorney's conduct, and for which failure to adhere is at that attorney's peril.

He also expects attorneys to be aware of the law applicable to all aspects of the matter before him, both procedural and substantitive -- so preparation is a must. He is even-handed, though, and he gives each attorneys an oppportunity to be fully heard before ruling on any motion or application during trial.

In all, I believe we need more Judges like Justice Rivera, he demands and gives proper respect in the Courtroom and his particular conduct tends to make attorneys better legal practitioners.

Criminal Defense Lawyer

Comment #: NY5605
Rating:2.3

Comments:
I SEE THAT NO ONE HAS NOT HAD TROUBLE IN FRONT OF THIS JUDGE. MY STATEMENT WAS MADE PREVIOUSLY. I WOULD LIKE TO ADD THAT THIS JUDGE HAS CHANGED THE LAW IN RETROSPECT, FOR WHAT THE LAW READ IN 2003, OF WHAT CONSTITUTES ACCEPTENCE OF REAL PROPERTY. A QUIT CLAIM DEED DOES NOT HAVE TO BE RECORDED TO SHOW IT WAS ACCEPTED, AND YOU CAN NOT CHANGE THE LAW NOW IN RETROSPECT TO ACCOMPLISH YOUR OWN AGENDA. HE HAS VIOLATED MY CIVIL RIGHTS OF THE 6TH AMMENDMENT TO THE CONSTITUTON, BY DISALLOWING ME TO REPRESENT MYSELF PRO-SE'. A VERY BIAS INDIVIDUAL WITH HIS OWN AGENDA. I SAY IT AGAIN. HE THINKS THAT FOR GOING TO AN APPEAL FOR SOMEONE WHO APPEARS BEFORE HIM, IS NOTHING MORE THAN JUST A WALK IN THE PARK. PERHAPS HE SHOULD JUST GO TAKE A WALK IN THE PARK AND REFLECT A BIT !

Civil Litigation - Private

Comment #: NY5304
Rating:2.0

Comments:
Truly, one of the worst judges in the state. He must believe that someone anointed him King because he does not follow the law and ignores undisputed facts.

Civil Litigation - Private

Comment #: NY5197
Rating:2.1

Comments:
He is the worst judge around. He is a true bully. He seems to thrive on making lawyers squirm for no reason. When he makes a mistake, he blames the lawyers, and is not man enough to admit his own errors. He has a Napoleon complex.

Criminal Defense Lawyer

Comment #: NY5105
Rating:1.7

Comments:
He believes that he is a legal genius, and yet he writes the most convoluted decisions which make no sense whatsoever. It's as if he hasn't even read the papers.

Civil Litigation - Private

Comment #: NY4916
Rating:Not Rated
Comments:
This judge is sadistic, pompous, overbearing, condescending and downright rude. He will look for any opportunity to humiliate lawyers. I am dubious of the authenticity of the positive comments about this judge.

Civil Litigation - Private

Comment #: NY4794
Rating:3.0

Comments:
This judge is a bad representative for the whole profession. He is quite disrespectful no matter what, prepared or not! He just loves the idea of having the power or, at least, he thinks he has it. I was disgusted sitting in his courtroom listening to all of his "jokes" that weren't that funny when, at the same time, he was talking down to counsel, one after another. Throughout the calendar call, he was making very inappropriate remarks. He was just unprofessional, and it sounded like he was trying to compensate for whatever was going on outside of the courtroom.

Civil Litigation - Private

Comment #: NY4319
Rating:6.0

Comments:
It is my opinion that this jurist, while quite knowlegable in the law and the rules of evidence, is a bully of the first magnitude and is disrepectful to counsel at trial and in pre-trial proceedings. It is obvious that he was toilet trained at gunpoint.

Other

Comment #: NY4286
Rating:10.0

Comments:
If he comes off as pompous and disrespectful, it's because you're an idiot and you said something to warrant it. He is very willing to listen to you and any points you may have but if you waste his time talking for no reason he will make you look like the fool that you are. Come prepared and spoke when prompted to do so and you'll be okay. The longer he stays in the courtroom the less patience he has for stories so be careful past 12:30.

Civil Litigation - Private

Comment #: NY4129
Rating:3.9

Comments:
Thinks he is brilliant but rude and dumb

Civil Litigation - Private

Comment #: NY3589
Rating:1.4

Comments:
A stickler for minutiae of procedural rules, which he uses to duck having to deal with substantive issues. No common sense. A bit arrogant.

Civil Litigation - Private

Comment #: NY2579
Rating:10.0

Comments:
The single most remarkable thing about this Judge is that absolutely everything will be on the record. He handles everything on the record with a transparency that other Judges should emulate. I've appeared a lot in his Part, listened to a lot of argument, and he always gives each side a full fair hearing, and then makes a decision with the full rational clearly state, including the basis in law which he relies. There is no back room pressuring, no private lectures to intimidate, which so common among other jurists.

Other

Comment #: NY2139
Rating:10.0

Comments:
Hon. Francios Rivera is a smart honest and fair judge he handles all his cases with the most respect towards both parties

Civil Litigation - Private

Comment #: NY1821
Rating:3.6

Comments:
Justice Rivera is an eloquent man but his pomposity overpowers his judicial ability. Believes he is smarter than he actually is, refuses to really listen and jumps to conclusions. Would be better served to stop assuming he knows everything.

Civil Litigation - Private

Comment #: NY1772
Rating:5.0

Comments:
The hardest working stupid judge in the business. He can listen to oral argument for hours and make an assinine decision and then try to get the parties to sign off on something so that he doesn't get overturned. Pompous ass.

Criminal Defense Lawyer

Comment #: NY1517
Rating:2.7

Comments:
Terrible judge. Dishonors the profession

Other

Comment #: NY1516
Rating:2.0

Comments:
Pompous and arrogant. Had no appreciation or understanding of the case litigatad before him. A total joke

Criminal Defense Lawyer

Comment #: NY1257
Rating:9.3

Comments:
An overall excellent judge.

Civil Litigation - Private

Comment #: NY484
Rating:8.6

Comments:
Brilliant judge with an arrogant streak. Very capable trial judge who knows how to run a trial. If you make intelligent, well-reasoned arguments, he will respect you and treat you accordingly. Be very prepared on motion day. He will give you the opportunity to be heard. Has lightened up the last couple of years. Definitely more patient then he used to be. If you try to sell him the Brooklyn Bridge, he will bury you and enjoy every second of it. Leans toward plaintiffs; however, he gives defendants a fair chance. Just doesn't bend over backwards to help defendants.

Civil Litigation - Private

Comment #: NY382
Rating:2.3

Comments:
This guy is a menace. He has no idea how limited he is and he is neither neutral nor objective. He leans hard. It was impossible to get a fair trial. He should be demoted to some menial task or removed altogether.