King County judge reprimanded for inappropriate behavior toward clerk

A King County District Court judge was disciplined by the judicial conduct board for inappropriate behavior toward a female clerk.

The Commission of Judicial Conduct issued a reprimand to Judge Fa'amomoi Masaniai on Friday, following allegations the judge offered a female court clerk a massage, hugged her inappropriately in his chambers and contacted her outside of work for personal reasons.

Masaniai was appointed in January 2021 and won election to the bench in November 2022. He did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

According to the reprimand order from the commission, the clerk began working at the district court in January 2023 and clerked for Masaniai during a case in which a litigant later died by suicide. She reached out to Masaniai to talk about whether the court could have done something to prevent the litigant's death. Masaniai called her after work hours, asked personal questions and asked if he could call her again, the order states.

They continued to communicate daily about work and personal topics. The clerk thought it was strange and possibly inappropriate," but because Masaniai was effectively her boss, she did not say anything.

In May 2023, Masaniai offered the clerk a massage in his chambers after she said her neck hurt, according to the order. She declined and he reportedly asked again via text.

A few days later, the clerk messaged Masaniai about a case. He asked her to come to his chambers, and when she arrived the lights were off and blinds were closed. He stood in front of her asking her personal questions. He said she "had a really special spirit" and implied he was experiencing marital issues, the order states.

When she stood up to leave, Masaniai asked for a hug and the clerk felt she could not say no, documents say. She described the hug as a "full body embrace" with Masaniai's hand "so low on her back that it was touching her rear." The clerk left, went to the bathroom and threw up.

Later that day, Masaniai texted the clerk and apologized for "coming apart" but not for the unwanted touching, the order states. The next day, he texted "Are you OK?"

"To be honest, no," the clerk responded. "I like talking to you, I'm happy to listen, but I felt like I couldn't say no when you asked for a hug in your office yesterday and I felt really uncomfortable when I left."

The clerk attempted to distance herself from Masaniai, sometimes hiding in the bathroom from him. She had panic attacks and threw up repeatedly at work, the order states.

A couple weeks after the hug, she asked Masaniai to stop contacting her and met with human resources. The clerk was reassigned and has not been required to work with Masaniai since.

After an investigation, the commission alleged in 2024 that Masaniai violated the code of judicial conduct and court rules by engaging in inappropriate behavior toward a staff member, contacting them for personal reasons and initiating physical contact.

In a response, Masaniai said he has lost eight family members since 2020 and saw the clerk as a "person to confide in," but is now "remorseful" for the harm he caused the clerk. He described the hug as a "bro hug" and maintained that he did not intend to convey anything sexual in the encounter, the order states. Masaniai said "he now better understands" the power disparity between a judge and a clerk, and will be mindful going forward.

The commission determined that while the misconduct was "serious," it was isolated and relatively short-lived. There was no indication that Masaniai intentionally violated his oath of office, the order states, but he did use his judicial status to form a relationship with the clerk. Masaniai sought outside assistance and "made positive changes in his interactions, the order states.

Masaniai is required to follow a corrective course of conduct specified by the commission, including sexual harassment and gender dynamics training.

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