Metro

Judge rips city fines

Money-hungry city officials routinely coerce judges to impose maximum fines on businesses for alleged violations — even if there isn’t any wrongdoing, according to a new lawsuit.

Judge Michelle Mirro, the city’s longest-serving administrative-law jurist, claims in papers filed in Brooklyn federal court yesterday that her bosses at the Department of Consumer Affairs are now trying to boot her from her post because she complained about the practice.

“[The city officials] took the judge out of the word ‘judge,’ ” her lawyer, Stewart Karlin, said to The Post.

“There were concerted efforts against the businesses to impose the maximum fines,’’ he charged.

The strong-arming began when the DCA’s Nancy Schindler was appointed director of the Adjudication Division, which oversees Mirro and the other judges, and Bruce Dennis was brought on as her deputy in 2008, the suit states.

The new regime, operating under Bloomberg-appointed Commissioner Jonathan Mintz, immediately began scrutinizing any ruling that took mercy on a business owner, the lawsuit says.

“Dennis’ approval was now required on any . . . decision in which the [judge] does not find the respondent at the hearing guilty with the imposition of a maximum fine,” the suit claims.

“Schindler and Dennis began to pressure the administrative-law judges to find in favor of the DCA and impose maximum fines,” the suit states.

Mintz, who was appointed in 2006, heartily endorsed the practice, according to the filing.

“It is currently the pattern and practice of the defendants to illegally pressure each of the [judges] to find in favor of the DCA and impose the maximum fine,” the suit states. “Commissioner Mintz has consistently approved of this pattern and practice.”

Mirro cited several examples of her initial rulings being reversed.

She found an Exxon gas station not guilty of a violation in January — but “after repeated revisions to her decision, Judge Mirro was forced to find the respondent guilty and impose a fine of $20,000,” the lawsuit says.

The gas station’s sin? Not displaying the oil company’s logo over a price sign.

Fed up, the veteran judge began to raise objections about the practice. Mirro said that as a result, she suffered retaliation.

She claims she was overloaded with cases to delay her decisions, and her performance appraisals sank. The DCA is now trying to boot her, her lawyer said.

The DCA said in a statement yesterday, “We’re reviewing these new claims and will respond appropriately. The timing of this lawsuit is curious given that the plaintiff was charged by DCA with incompetence a few months ago.”

Additional reporting by Sally Goldenberg

selim.algar@nypost.com