HARTFORD, Conn. — Superior Court Judge Alice Bruno, who has collected as much as $400,000 in salary while missing nearly 2 1/2 years of work for what she describes as stress-related health problems, has agreed amid an ongoing investigation to a suspension from her position without pay effective June 2.
Bruno’s agreement to suspension with the opportunity to apply for a disability retirement was made with the state Supreme Court, which earlier this year ordered an unprecedented investigation into whether to remove a constitutionally appointed judge for behavior that reflected badly on the judiciary. Judicial Branch administrators had been sparring with Bruno for years over what began as spotty attendance at work and turned into prolonged absence.
Bruno said that hostility from judiciary administrators caused undisclosed health problems to deteriorate to the point that she had to schedule medical appointments during the hours of court operation and was unable to complete assignments or finish writing decisions.
