MORRISTOWN — A Morris County family court judge who was accused of making "derogatory" remarks against a man involved in a divorce proceeding has received a private reprimand from the state Supreme Court's Advisory Committee on Judicial Conduct.

Tobia Ippolito of Parsippany filed the grievance against Superior Court Judge Philip Maenza after the judge in 2012 called Ippolito and his wife "tomatoes" and was also recorded calling someone a "jerk," said he "hated" him and wished he were "incarcerated." Ippolito said he believed the judge was referring to him.

In an Oct. 24 letter to Ippolito, the committee's counsel, Candace Moody, informed him that "after completing a careful review of your grievance, the committee has decided to issue a private letter of reprimand to Judge Maenza."

The letter, labeled "confidential," was obtained by New Jersey Advance Media.

Under court rules, a private reprimand represents what's probably the least harsh penalty that could be imposed on a judge.

The committee may issue a private reprimand for actions that do not "constitute conduct for which there is probable cause that public discipline should be imposed but that is conduct ... that would reflect unfavorably on the judicial office if it were to become habitual or more substantial in character," according to court rules.

With the private letter unavailable under a confidentiality rule set by the state Supreme Court, no further information was available on the committee's reasoning.

Under court rules, "the reprimand is the sanction" against the judge and no further action is to be taken, explained state judiciary spokeswoman Tamara Kendig.

Penalties for misconduct by judges can be as severe as suspension or removal from the bench.

Under the rules set for the committee, it may launch investigations in any of six areas, including "conduct prejudicial to the administration of justice," which would fit Ippolito's grievance.

Ippolito, who is Italian-American, claimed that Maenza, who is also of Italian descent, made a "derogatory" remark about his Italian background when he said in court on Aug. 17, 2012 that Ippolito and his wife, Lisa, are the "tomatoes in the case." Lisa Ippolito filed for the divorce.

And during a break in proceedings on Sept. 10, 2012, Maenza made the second set of remarks in a recorded conversation with a male, perhaps a court employee.

Maenza said "The sheriff came with the guy." The man replied, "Oh, he was incarcerated."

Maenza then said, "Well, I wish he was. He was a jerk. I hated him."

Ippolito claimed in court papers that the judge was referring to him and said Maenza should be removed from the case because of his "blatant hostility" and "blatant hatred" toward him.

A week after articles about the incidents appeared in The Star-Ledger and on NJ.com in September 2013, Maenza granted Ippolito's motion and removed himself from the case.

In his ruling, Manezna said "there was no record of any bias or racial hatred" in the case but said he would remove himself "to maintain respect for the judiciary."

Maenza denied calling Ippolito a "tomato" when he said he and his wife were "the tomatoes in the case" and said he was using a food-preparation analogy to explain the complex process of divorce litigation.

"You're the tomatoes in the case," Maenza said. "The lawyers are the strainer. I'm the bottle."

In the ruling, Maenza denied he was referring to Ippolito and said he was talking about "another individual completely unrelated to this case" when he called someone a "jerk," said he "hated" him and wished he were incarcerated.

Asked Friday about the reprimand, Maenza declined to comment and referred a reporter to the court administrator's office in Morristown.

Rashad Shabaka-Burns, the trial court administrator for the Morris-Sussex vicinage, said he had no comment on the reprimand.

Ippolito had mixed feelings about the committee's ruling.

Ippolito said it "bolsters my allegations" but does nothing to restore rulings by the judge that Ippolito felt were financially unfair — ruling that he said the new judge in the case, Michael Hubner, has not reversed.

Greg Roberts, president of the Family Civil Liberties Union, a group that advocates for those involved in family court litigation, dismissed the private reprimand as insignificant.

"This is nothing more than a slap on the wrist for a friend in the industry," Roberts said.

Ben Horowitz may be reached at bhorowitz@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @HorowitzBen. Find NJ.com on Facebook.