Judge Fights Accusations That He Is Frequently Pantsless

A local NBC reporter ran a story claiming that Rhode Island District Court Judge Rafael Ovalles had a tendency to remove his pants while in chambers. In response, Ovalles denied the charges, sued the reporter, and also sued Sinclair Communications, which owns and operates Rhode Island’s NBC affiliate. He says a number of the statements made in the report are “utterly false and sensationalized.” He accused reporter Parker Gavigan of publishing falsehoods “without proper investigation, and with willful disregard for the facts.” Gavigan says his sources told him court employees have seen the judge with his pants off, and “are uncomfortable when asked to come to judge’s chambers.”