Attorneys for an assistant Delaware County prosecutor accusing a judge of sexually assaulting and harassing her now say the judge looked at her LinkedIn profile several times, violating a protection order that’s been in place for months.
The attorneys for the woman filed motions in Delaware County Common Pleas Court on March 20 accusing James Schuck, 50, of violating a protection order put in place in November after the woman asked for one. The woman said in court documents that Schuck sexually assaulted her.
One of the March 20 motions, according to court records, asks the visiting judge presiding over the case to find Schuck in contempt of the court’s previous orders. The motion was first reported by The Dispatch’s news partner at NBC4/WCMH-TV.
The woman’s motion accuses Schuck of using a LinkedIn profile with the name “Jim Smith” who identifies themselves as working for the U.S. Courts, to view the woman’s personal account.
“I was alarmed by this contact because it appeared to be consistent with the stalking Respondent previously had engaged in through other electronic means that were difficult to trace,” the woman wrote in an affidavit.
The motion does not accuse Schuck of sending any messages or attempting to contact the woman in any way through the account.
In addition, the woman’s affidavit says police told her that the IP address using the LinkedIn account is the same IP address that accessed court surveillance systems the woman previously accused Schuck of monitoring her through.
The second motion asked Judge Richard Frye, a retired Franklin County Common Pleas Court judge overseeing the case, to move the date for a hearing that is currently scheduled for April 2.
According to the motion, the woman’s attorneys want time to investigate whether or not Schuck violated court orders, which they say the LinkedIn views “strongly suggest.”
“That violation would be material proof that J.S. has engaged in, continues to engage in and will proceed to engage in conduct designed to harass, stalk and intimidate,” the motion says. “J.S.’s contact in this case is no accident, no mistake and is a flagrant violation of this Court’s order.”
The LinkedIn profile was deleted, according to the motion, after an investigative subpoena had been sent to the company for information about the account.
The woman’s attorneys say in the motion that Schuck either “simply cannot control himself” or has no respect for the protection order based on the use of the LinkedIn profile.
Schuck’s attorneys, according to court records, responded and said Schuck has had the profile for several years and created it after receiving threats from a criminal defendant. Schuck’s attorneys also said the profile was used to try and determine why a Cleveland area lawyer became involved.
“The motion is attempting to equate passive viewing of a public webpage with intentional communication … even though the ‘notification’ at issue is automatically generated by LinkedIn,” Schuck’s response says.
The request to move the date was denied and the full hearing on the woman’s request for a protection order is still scheduled for April 2.
Schuck took a voluntary leave of absence in late November after the assistant prosecutor filed a request for a civil protection order and a police report against him. The woman accused Schuck of sexually assaulting her in his office in May 2025 and harassing her for months.
Schuck has denied all the allegations against him. The Montgomery County Sheriff’s office is handling the investigation, which remains ongoing.
Schuck said through his attorneys that he engaged in a personal relationship outside his marriage, but that his conduct was not criminal and the allegations against him are defamatory.
The woman, whom The Dispatch is not identifying at this time, has been reassigned within the Delaware County Prosecutor’s office.
Reporter Bethany Bruner can be reached at bbruner@dispatch.com.
This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Delaware County judge accused of violating woman’s protection order
Reporting by Bethany Bruner, Columbus Dispatch / The Columbus Dispatch
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
