A complaint review committee of the Judicial Branch Certification Commission recommended monetary penalties and additional action Wednesday after finding multiple code-of-ethics violations by court reporter Latoya Young.

Committee chair Molly Pila said the meeting considered two related complaints: cause number 0714, filed by Sergio Hernandez Jr. alleging Young failed to provide a readable transcript after payment, and cause number 0796, filed by Melinda Saucedo, the JVCC compliance manager, alleging Young repeatedly missed filing deadlines for appellate records.

The committee’s prosecutor, Bina Mohan, assistant general counsel and prosecutor for the commission, told members the investigation found violations in cause 0714 of Code of Ethics sections 4(b)(1), 7(e), 8(e) and 10(g)(1). For that matter, the staff recommended an administrative penalty totaling $1,200, due within 12 months of the final order. Mohan also said the separate matter, cause 0796, involved missed extension requests and late filings in multiple appeals and that the administrative director for the Office of Court Administration (OCA) had issued a temporary cease-and-desist order tied to missed deadlines in two appeals.

“I would note for the committee…that this cease and desist order does not and should not be construed to preclude Ms. Young from taking action to comply with court orders or complete any existing transcripts,” Ronald Morgan, director of the JVCC, said during the meeting.

During the public portion of the hearing on the Hernandez complaint, Young told the committee she initially sent files from her software rather than a PDF and said she had lost access to a Dallas County e-mail account after leaving employment there. “I sent him the files, and I guess I didn't realize I sent him the files from my software instead of a PDF initially,” Young said. “I do have his files that I can send him, and I'll be willing to give him a full refund.”

On the separate set of allegations tied to cause 0796, the record presented to the committee showed multiple delinquent appellate filings that investigators linked to Young; Mohan said the committee found violations in a set of cases and recommended permanent revocation of Young’s court reporter certification in that matter.

Committee member Miss Kreger moved to adopt the staff recommendations for cause 0714 — the finding of violations and the $1,200 in administrative penalties — and the motion was seconded and carried. Later the committee moved, seconded and adopted the prosecutor’s recommendation in cause 0796 to recommend permanent revocation to the full commission.

The committee chair told Young she will receive formal notice of the findings and that she may submit written requests to settle or contest the matters as the process continues to the commission.

The committee heard and reviewed e-mails and court orders indicating that the Fifth Court of Appeals had issued deadlines for Young to file records in specific cases and warned that the appellate court could order that she not sit as a court reporter until records were completed if deadlines were not met. The committee’s recommendations will be forwarded to the JVCC for final action.

Members described having reviewed the investigation materials thoroughly and asked Young questions about when she was notified of appeals and about her communications with clerks and other reporters. Several members expressed concern that the pattern of late filings and multiple extension requests suggested broader reliability issues beyond single missed deadlines.

The committee’s recommendations are not final orders. The commission will consider the committee’s recommendations at a future meeting; Young will be notified in writing of the next steps and of her rights to respond in writing or request a contested hearing at later stages of the process.