A state disciplinary board has recommended that a Delaware County magistrate lose his law license for six months for "unprofessional and undignified" behavior in the handling of two divorce cases.

A state disciplinary board has recommended that a Delaware County magistrate lose his law license for six months for �unprofessional and undignified� behavior in the handling of two divorce cases.

The Board of Commissioners on Grievances and Discipline made its recommendation against Stephen E. Weithman, 64, of Delaware, a magistrate in Common Pleas Court, to the Ohio Supreme Court this week.

The board asked the justices to suspend Weithman from practicing law for one year, with six months suspended if he continues to receive psychological counseling for anger and other issues.

Weithman was accused of committing �unethical, undignified and discourteous behavior� in a case in which a woman sought to have her ex-husband held in contempt of court for violating a divorce agreement not to share their intimate images.

The magistrate treated the woman and her attorney with �extreme disrespect� that included �an element of sexual harassment,� the board found.

In another divorce case from which he ultimately was removed, Weithman was found to have used � abusive and vulgar language.�

Weithman�s attorney said his client has worked successfully with experts to address his admitted anger-management problems.

Disciplinary board members noted that Weithman was remorseful and generally had built a �good reputation and character.�

Weithman was suspended for five days without pay in 2011 by Delaware County Common Pleas Judge W. Duncan Whitney after a county employee complained that Weithman had made an undescribed � inappropriate gesture.�

rludlow@dispatch.com

@RandyLudlow