Legal

Judge Ross-Edwards Recuses Herself From Jean-Baptiste Case After Defense Raised Concerns of Conflict

Superior Court Judge Yvette Ross-Edwards has recused herself from presiding over the criminal case of Daryl Jean-Baptiste, who was convicted in July of involuntary manslaughter in the 2019 crash that killed 24-year-old Davindra Ramsundar Jr. The order, issued on Tuesday, cited “an immediate conflict of interest,” disqualifying her from continuing as the trial judge and returning the file to the Clerk of Court for reassignment. The recusal comes weeks after Jean-Baptiste’s attorney, Kye Walker, filed motions challenging the judge’s impartiality. Walker argued that Judge Ross-Edwards should have been disqualified because her former law firm represented the Ramsundar family in a wrongful death lawsuit against Jean-Baptiste stemming from the same incident. That lawsuit, filed in November 2020 on behalf of Ramsundar’s relatives and estate, accuses Jean-Baptiste of negligence, gross negligence, wrongful death, negligent infliction of emotional distress, and property damage, and seeks both c...