Former Kentucky judge reprimanded over ‘flirtatious and sexual’ text messages

By Bill Estep

Brian Privett is a former circuit judge in Scott, Bourbon and Woodford counties. Kentucky Administrative Office of the Courts

A state judicial panel publicly reprimanded a former Kentucky judge who allegedly exchanged flirtatious text messages with a court employee. The Judicial Conduct Commission issued the sanction against Brian Privett Thursday. Privett served more than three years as circuit judge in Scott, Woodford and Bourbon counties before resigning in January.

In the order issued Thursday, the Judicial Conduct Commission said it did a preliminary investigation that arose from a complaint that Privett exchanged “flirtatious and sexual text messages” in 2018 with a female court employee he did not supervise. The texts involved multiple conversations, including some that happened while Privett was on the bench presiding over court, the order said.

The order did not include copies of the messages. However, in a story in June, the News-Graphic newspaper in Georgetown printed some messages it said Privett had sent. The newapaper said it had received the messages from an anonymous source. “Just noticed your long legs back there. Enjoying court?” said one message Privett allegedly sent. Privett told the newspaper at the time that he had made mistakes that hurt his family, friends and supporters.

“I am truly sorry for anything I have done that hurt others. I have asked forgiveness from God, and have many times sought counsel of ministers and my closest friends,” Privett said, according to the newspaper. The Judicial Conduct Commission said Privett’s resignation was not connected to the alleged inappropriate messages. The commission said it concluded Privett committed misconduct in office and violated several ethics rules, including a requirement for judges to act in a manner that promotes public confidence in the independence, integrity, and impartiality of the judiciary and another that bars judges from using the prestige of the office to advance a personal or economic interest.

Privett cooperated in the inquiry and agreed to accept the public reprimand, the commission said. Privett is now an official with a substance-abuse treatment program. He did not immediately return a request for comment Thursday afternoon. In 2021, Privett alleged that Sharon Muse-Johnson, commonwealth’s attorney in the circuit, had engaged in potential ethical and legal violations and asked the Attorney General’s Office to investigate. The allegations Privett raised included that Muse-Johnson paid her husband, an assistant in her office, more than other employees, and he questioned if she had used taxpayer resources for a reality television show. An attorney for Muse-Johnson denied she did anything wrong. The Attorney General’s Office ultimately said it found insufficient evidence of any criminal activity and had no jurisdiction over allegations of unethical conduct.

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Former Kentucky judge reprimanded over ‘flirtatious and sexual’ text messages