A Stamford court reporter has agreed to pay more than $1,800 in fines and reimbursement for overcharging the public for copies of court transcripts, authorities say.
Tara Bateman used her state position as a court monitor for financial gain, the Office of State Ethics said Wednesday.
Bateman was a court monitor for the state Judicial Department at the Hartford Court Reporters Office when she overrode mandatory price schedules and overcharged on four occasions for court transcripts between September 2009 and May 2010, officials said.
In addition to paying a $500 civil fine, Bateman also must reimburse one member of the public $1,337.50, representing the amount of the overcharge, authorities said.
Moreover, if Bateman works as a statecourt monitor in the future, she must provide a detailed invoice to all future requestors for any transcript produced, specifying the per-page rate charged, the total number of pages, and the total amount due.
The OSE says it settled five other cases in November and December of 2009 involving the same conduct by court monitors at the Stamford Court Reporters Office.
