By Sam Douglass

A 2002 University of Vermont graduate, who is running for a state judgeship in New York, was allegedly involved in a mutual slapping incident with a female student while attending the school in Burlington in 1997, according to police records recently obtained by the Vermont Daily Chronicle. 

Sources have said that this information may have emerged in 2022 during a time period when he was under consideration for a gubernatorial appointment to District Attorney, yet it is unknown whether the report was considered a key piece of information resulting in his consideration for the appointment falling through. 

Manford Susman, who also goes by his middle name Ben, was 18 years old in 1997 and living in the now demolished Buckham Hall on campus when UVM police issued him a citation for disorderly conduct to appear in criminal court for the incident. The woman, who reportedly slapped Sussman first, was ordered by police into criminal court for disorderly conduct and disorderly conduct by telephone, according to the report of former UVM Police Sgt. Michael Thomas.

The 5-page police report provided to the Vermont Daily Chronicle does not include the outcome of the citations for the two students. An official with the Chittenden County Criminal Division said this week that there are no records in their computer system matching the incident, which may indicate that prosecutors decided not to press charges or that the case has since been expunged.

The female student at the time told police that she had gone to Susman’s room to confront another person. According to the report, Susman initially prevented her from entering, leading to a verbal exchange. The woman acknowledged slapping Susman across the face, after which he slapped her back. The officer noted that the woman’s left cheek appeared pink and puffy. She also had red marks on her throat, although she reportedly said she did not know how they had occurred.

When the officer later spoke with Susman, he gave a similar account of the physical confrontation. According to the report, Susman said that “out of reflex he slapped her back before he even thought about it.” He told the officer that the woman then went into a stairwell crying.

The report describes a series of telephone calls involving other students, including allegations of insulting and threatening language. The officer documented attempts to locate the student who initially reported the incident and obtain a written statement. When the officer eventually spoke with her again, she acknowledged making telephone calls to another female student but characterized the dispute as “girl stuff.”

The Vermont Daily Chronicle contacted Susman for comment or context on the incident but has not received a response. This story will be updated if a response is received.

Susman, who runs an Auburn, New York based private law practice, is a candidate on the ballot under the Democrat and Working Families parties in Cayuga County for the county’s chief judgeship which carries a term of 10 years. He is in a race against Republican Chris Valdina, who served as an assistant district attorney since 1998 before being appointed Chief Assistant District Attorney in 2008.

Other public records obtained by the Vermont Daily Chronicle show additional charges and citations for Susman including defective motor vehicle operation and breaking noise ordinances while living in Burlington.

Other court records with the Chittenden County Criminal Division show that Susman was cited by the Burlington Police Department on September 4, 1998, for the underage possession of malt beverages. Susman was scheduled for arraignment on October 22, which was initially canceled and the case was referred to Diversion. Shortly thereafter, a judge found probable cause and issued an arrest warrant after Susman failed to appear, but the warrant was withdrawn once he appeared. Susman completed Diversion and the charge was dismissed by the state.

After graduating from the University of Vermont, Susman attended Roger Williams School of Law before a short career practicing law in California. He moved to the East Coast in 2016 and until 2017 reportedly worked in Vermont as Legal Counsel for a Waterbury-based food manufacturer, according to his LinkedIn profile. He opened his private law firm in New York in 2017 covering criminal, juvenile, and family law. 

The incident is decades old, but ahead of Tuesday’s election voters have the opportunity to weigh it alongside Susman’s professional experience, subsequent conduct, and qualifications for judicial office.

Featured photo credit to susmanlawfirm.com