FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. (Court TV) — A woman who says she was assaulted by her ex-boyfriend is upset after a judge asked him for cooking tips at his bond hearing.
Judge Allison Gilman appears in court with Christopher Johnson. (WSVN)
“What’s your specialty? What do you cook? If you were going to cook me a dish, what would it be?” Judge Allison Gilman asked during a bond hearing last week, video shared by WSVN showed. “I’m the steak guy, the grill man,” defendant Christopher Johnson responded.
The exchange came during a scheduled bond hearing for Johnson, who faces charges of domestic battery after allegedly pulling his ex-girlfriend’s hair and punching her in the mouth. Seeking bond, Johnson’s attorney told Gilman that his client is a chef who started a new job two months ago.
Gilman immediately asked about the restaurant where Johnson works, then asked for tips on cooking steak. “I either burn it on the outside, or it’s not cooked enough on the inside,” Gilman complained.
“Ten o’clock, two o’clock,” Johnson said, motioning with his hands that the steak should be rotated on the grill.
“How do you not make a steak chewy?” Gilman continued. “But that’s also another — that’s for another day, I guess,” she added, cutting herself off.
The alleged victim in Johnson’s criminal case spoke to WSVN, saying that she was disappointed by the exchange. “The last thing you want to be able to see is your abuser on TV, laughing with the judge,” she said. “She got off topic and went about cooking steak and laughing, making him feel like what he did was just OK.”
This isn’t the first time that Gilman has quipped about food in her courtroom. WSVN found another video showing the judge in an unrelated case speaking to a defendant who said he worked at a Mr. Shrimp restaurant. “I’m certainly not going to talk to you about my shrimp-making abilities,” Gilman joked.
Johnson was released on a $1,500 bond following the hearing.
