10222003 - News Article - Kouros says she has MS, anxiety disorder - Judge says problems led to her spending too many hours on paperwork

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09242017 - News Article Links - Disparity of justice: Comparison of Magistrate James Johnson's and Judge Joan Kouros' judicial investigations - Backlog of court cases

Kouros says she has MS, anxiety disorder 
Judge says problems led to her spending too many hours on paperwork
Post-Tribune
October 22, 2003
http://infoweb.newsbank.com.proxy.portagelibrary.info/resources/doc/nb/news/0FF86E04E0231F4A?p=AWNB
Lake Superior Court Judge Joan Kouros claims she suffers from an anxiety disorder and multiple sclerosis, which contributed to her failing to deal with a case backlog problem more affectively.

Kouros made that admission in a response to a complaint filed by the Indiana Judicial Qualifications Commission late last month.

Kouros' response to the complaint is seen as a last-ditch effort to save her job.

The commission filed a 78-count complaint against Kouros for her failure to process important paperwork with the hundreds of cases she handled out of her courtroom.

Kouros was removed from the bench last June.

In her brief to the commission, Kouros responds to each of the 78 counts -- most of which are concerning specific cases.

But in her 16-page response, Kouros states she is being treated for multiple sclerosis. MS is a disease that affects the central nervous system.

"Judge Kouros has multiple sclerosis. This has caused her to ruminate over orders to make sure they were perfect," according to the response written by Kouros' attorneys Stanley Jablonski of Merrillville and Kevin McGoff of Indianapolis.

The public admission by Kouros, according to her response, came "through a long period of introspection, self-examination and reflection."

In the response, Kouros also admits to having been recently diagnosed with obsessive-compulsive disorder, or OCD, which she blames for making her work long hours to check and re-check orders she has issued.

"This has been the reason for retaining files beyond the court's order and in some cases beyond good administrative practices," the response states.

"At this point Judge Kouros' prognosis is excellent," the response states.

Christine Priesol, a licensed clinical social worker who runs a practice in Munster, says OCD is a common disorder but one that can be dealt with through medication and psychotherapy.

"OCD is basically sort of a defense mechanism that the brain uses to decrease anxiety. It's sort of a coping mechanism," Priesol said. "It's very treatable. There are all sorts of successful people -- airline pilots, physicians -- who have it. It's very treatable and very manageable."

Despite suffering from OCD, Kouros' attorneys contend that the judge maintained a full trial scheduled, presiding over 130 trials.

"This is a judge that deserves an opportunity to address her medical condition and resume the bench," the response concludes.

In briefs filed to the Supreme Court prior to her removal from the bench, Kouros never made mention of any physical or mental problems.

Whether Kouros' fellow Lake Superior Court Criminal Division judges knew of Kouros ailments but did not tell the Supreme Court is unknown.