"The Robing Room: NY State Judges

Hon. Frederick D. R. Sampson	See Rating Details
Supreme Court
Queens County	See Comments

Attorney Average Rating: 5.2 - 19 rating(s) Non-Attorney Average Rating: 8.0 - 8 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. Frederick D. R. Sampson

Comments

Civil Litigation - Private

Comment #: NY13048
Rating:8.4

Comments:
he looks at both ends, sees the bullshit, and makes direct decision as a judge should.A+++++

Civil Litigation - Private

Comment #: NY12989
Rating:2.0

Comments:
A clown on the bench. Talks endlessy and pointlessly. Lazy, late to court and stupid. Looks for reasons to give attorneys a hard time. Takes an hour to run through a short calendar that a competent judge would dispose of in fifteen minutes. Accomplishes almost nothing of substance.

Civil Litigation - Private

Comment #: NY11987
Rating:1.1

Comments:
Judge Sampson’s handling of our employment discrimination case makes you question why you even became a lawyer. He does not actually read any motion papers, makes it nearly impossible to speak at the bench as he yells over an attorney if they try to inform him of a case’s substance or procedural developments, makes you wait 3 to 4 hours to come in for a conference in chambers after second call of his unwieldy calendar to discuss the case if you want to communicate anything of substance and never remembers what the case is about or what he said he would do from the prior appearance. Predicting a ruling before him is like playing a game of Russian Roulette. He simply tries to dispose of a case on the most arcane procedural ground to avoid doing any substantive work (e.g., denying an OTC that was served by hand and email and was fully opposed because a snail mail service of the papers was not also completed), later saying under penalty of sanctions that this will not stop him from ruling on a subsequent fully briefed summary judgment motion on the merits. Well the defendant then spent much time and expense preparing the motion papers. Sadly, Judge Sampson them then denied the motion in a sentence as a result of the prior filing being denied because of the snail mail service issue, contrary to his own direction. He seriously prefers for the case to be sent out to trial (since he won’t be the trial judge) that is barred by collateral estoppel based on a federal court ruling on the identical fact issues already decided on the federal claims than have to read detailed summary judgment motion papers and draft a reasoned judicial opinion. He has virtually no reported decisions on any case other than slip and fall or motor vehicle accident ones and after appearing before him for two years and trying to get him to make a decision on fully briefed motions it abundantly clear why. Just a disgrace. We tried so hard to have Judge Sampson just read our motion papers and make a substantive ruling in our case. He simply continued to punt. Why does OCA allow this to go on unabated after years of similar concerns expressed by the bar?

Civil Litigation - Private

Comment #: NY11574
Rating:1.0

Comments:
Horrid. Beyond horrid actually. Vies with Devin Cohen for honor of being most condescending judge. Belittles attorneys, does not let them speak, and does not have a court reporter at motion argument (which is why he can get away with being so insulting). Forces counsel to withdraw discovery motions and enter into stipulations. Does so by telling movant that its motion will be denied if not withdrawn, even though he hasn’t read the papers. Simply does not want an appealable record. Just a total coward—a small man who abuses the power he wields from the bench.

Other

Comment #: NY11251
Rating:10.0

Comments:
Great experience being a juror in a case in which he presided. He was most respectful, authoritative, and expedited the proceeding very well.
We nicknamed him "The Lion". He gave respect and earned respect from all.I truly believe he is one-of-a-kind.

Civil Litigation - Private

Comment #: NY10711
Rating:9.0

Comments:
Definitely a rules-oriented judge, but he is bright, innovative, funny, and, despite some grandstanding from the bench, fair, and likable.

Civil Litigation - Private

Comment #: NY10145
Rating:1.7

Comments:
Horrid. Insulting. Rude. He tries to be hip like a young black kid from the ghetto but of course as a 50 y.o. judge he fails. Do anything to avois him. Hes full of himself. Theres no way these good comments are legit. He must havw posted them himself.

Other

Comment #: NY10115
Rating:1.0

Comments:
A disturbed man. I have a court transcript that is offensive to any woman anywhere. He talks about his wife buying lingerie at Victoria's Secret. Sick.

Civil Litigation - Private

Comment #: NY10020
Rating:3.1

Comments:
The good news is he's entertaining, the bad news is he's an idiot.

Criminal Defense Lawyer

Comment #: NY9691
Rating:Not Rated
Comments:
10 Stars. Negative comments must be from unprepared counsel. Whoa to the attorney who comes before him unprepared or attempting to slip in a fast one. Shame on ineffective counsel. All kudos to the judge who is unapologetically fair to all counsel.

Other

Comment #: NY9487
Rating:10.0

Comments:
Everyone dreads the moment when they receive that notice in the mail. I was chosen to be on a jury panel where judge Sampson presided over. Your first impression of him is that of a very modern judge. Then he seems very strict when sticking to the law and how things are supposed to be run in a court. He made sure the jurors were always comfortable. At the end, he made sure sure thank is for our time, gave us the opportunity to ask questions, and then allowed us the opportunity to speak to the lawyers. He went above and beyond. I say this because he is one of the most humble people I've met in law. He stayed past the time he was to be there to make sure he answered all our questions. I'm now looking forward to my next jury duty and hoping to encounter someone like him again.

Civil Litigation - Private

Comment #: NY9468
Rating:9.0

Comments:
I was assigned to Justice Sampson recently, and needless to say I was not happy with the assignment. During our first conference, he and I knocked heads, and neither of us were willing to cede any ground. Justice Sampson was actually extremely clear in what he expected from counsel, as well as how he wanted the trial to proceed. By the second day of trial, once I understood what he expected, trial became much more pleasant. It is his Part, and he expects it to run his way - who can blame him for that? Eventually the matter settled, through the efforts of the Judge. He is very honest about himself - both his strengths, as well as his weaknesses. Throughout the trial he described himself as "Young Sheldon" (Big Bang Theory), which is a perfect description - extremely bright, but his actions are misunderstood because he is thinking on a completely different level than most of the people appearing before him. Me, I learned two very valuable lessons on trial with him: 1) don't believe everything you read; and 2) that I will take any case to trial in his Part!

Other

Comment #: NY9362
Rating:10.0

Comments:
I was a juror in a recent case that Judge Sampson presided over. He made the process extremely interesting and enjoyable. He even took the time to speak to the jury as a whole after the case, to explain circumstances and events that took place during the trial.

Civil Litigation - Govt.

Comment #: NY9138
Rating:1.0

Comments:
His relatives must have posted the positive comments here. An utter imbecile. Appears to be mentally unbalanced.

Civil Litigation - Private

Comment #: NY8472
Rating:10.0

Comments:
All judges should strive to have the temperament, patience, humor and intelligence of Justice Sampson. Have had the privilege of having two trials before his honor in the last twelve months. Don't believe the rumors, if you are prepared each and every day you will have an excellent experience, if not prepared you will suffer.

Civil Litigation - Private

Comment #: NY8250
Rating:10.0

Comments:
I had an excellent experience with Judge Sampson. First, you have to know going into his court that he is a huge rules person. And he knows the rules of evidence. Direct exam questions cannot be leading - that means no sentence should start with the following words- "did or is". All must start with "who, what, when, where & how."

He interacts very positively with the jury.

He is respectful and almost always brings you in chambers to admonish the lawyer..... unless the lawyer tries to chall nye the judge in front of the jury - that is not a good idea.

Civil Litigation - Private

Comment #: NY7975
Rating:1.0

Comments:
An utter buffoon. Lazy as sin and dumb as a box of hammers. Told me during trial that his office was "bugged." Frequently makes racist comments from the bench.

Civil Litigation - Private

Comment #: NY7957
Rating:9.3

Comments:
This Judge is smart; professional and gracious; possess an exemplary judicial temperament. Treats everyone (lawyers, litigants, jurors, court personnel) with respect and niceness. I've been trying cases for over 20 years.

Other

Comment #: NY7375
Rating:9.0

Comments:
In serving on a jury, I truly appreciated Judge Samson's attention to respect for all and rule of law in his running of a smooth and orderly courtroom trial. My only hesitation in giving him a 10 would be that this was my first time serving on a jury with little room for comparison.

Other

Comment #: NY5527
Rating:10.0

Comments:
Sharp as a tack & smart as a whip -- don't be fooled by the (often hilarious) eccentricities, he doesn't miss a thing.

Civil Litigation - Private

Comment #: NY4690
Rating:1.5

Comments:
What a disgrace. Have you ever heard of a court that won't hold a telephone conference? Every attempt to resolve the most banal matters in a manner that avoids time and cost for the parties and court is rebuffed. The entire Queens County courthouse operation is disgusting.

Other

Comment #: NY4150
Rating:10.0

Comments:
This Judge exercises fair judgement and takes his job seriously. The Court System should definitely implement his excellent method of operation and remarkable work. He studies the case and makes exceptional evaluation.

Court Staff

Comment #: NY3402
Rating:Not Rated
Comments:
A true technician of the law.

The court system should observe his methods of operation and implement them throughout the court system.

It is both an honor and pleasure for the court staff that work with him.

Other

Comment #: NY3006
Rating:10.0

Comments:
This Judge has excellent work ethics and is fair. He takes his job seriously and has great morale. I am extremely pleased with his outstanding work and professionalism. I wish him well in his career.

Criminal Defense Lawyer

Comment #: NY2596
Rating:8.0

Comments:
Very entertaining nice to start around 11:30 but if you got to get out of court he takes a long with each side. He can write and he does think!

Civil Litigation - Private

Comment #: NY1902
Rating:5.8

Comments:
As far as his legal abillities go, he seems to actually pay attention, and gives each side ample opportunity to present their case and is usually able to discuss the relevant caselaw. And hey, his calendar calls are more entertaining than most. His antics vacillate between funny and downright wierd. Unfortunately he occasionally likes to make examples of people, but most of the time its just his constant, eccentric, running commentary.

Criminal Defense Lawyer

Comment #: NY1659
Rating:1.0

Comments:
Lunatic. Absolute lunatic. Asked me where I bought my shoes during a trial IN FRONT OF THE JURY because "My lady would really like them." To clarify though, it was so bizarre I didn't feel "harassed" he also conducted the trial in sunglasses and penny loafer with no socks and his feet up.

Criminal Defense Lawyer

Comment #: NY1361
Rating:7.9

Comments:
A FUNNY GUY; LOT OF PERSONALITY. ULTIMATELY, FAIR, GETS THE TRIAL DONE.