NJ Judge: Sorry I told woman to sell photos to Playboy

TRENTON — A New Jersey judge is sorry for suggesting a woman sell nude photos of herself to "Playboy" founder Hugh Hefner.

Middlesex County Assignment Judge Alberto Rivas made the comment in a dispute involving the girlfriend of a married man and his wife. The girlfriend was seeking to have the man's wife return explicit photos of herself, which she feared would be shared on social media.

The judge raised doubts about the claim and found the woman was trying to embarrass the wife.

The judge also suggested to the man's wife that she should divorce him.

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Rivas told a judicial advisory committee he felt the court was "being manipulated" and let his feelings influence his actions, which he said were "inappropriate."

The judge faces a judicial conduct advisory committee hearing.

Earlier this summer, a Family Court judge who believed that a prep school student should get easy treatment after he was accused of raping a 16-year-old girl hung up his robes for good following a public firestorm about his comments — prompted by a New Jersey 101.5 story and subsequent coverage from publications worldwide.

The state's court system announced at the same time sex crime training for all judges. The training will apply to the hundreds of judges that serve in state — from the Supreme Court all the way down to local municipal courts, where nearly half of the state's domestic violence cases are heard.

— With staff reports