Foul-mouth family court master ordered off all cases

Mark Hayward, The New Hampshire Union Leader, Manchester
·3 min read

Dec. 17—NASHUA — The judge-like marital master whose whispered comments — which included the F-word and descriptions of teenagers as morons — won't be hearing any more cases, the New Hampshire court system said.

The news came for Bruce DalPra the same day that the New Hampshire Supreme Court booted him off a divorce case. Under his breath, DalPra muttered "who gives a f---" and that the children in the family are morons.

David King, the chief justice of the District Court, ordered that DalPra will no longer hear cases, effective immediately, according to a statement issued by the court system.

"Everyone who appears in a New Hampshire court should be treated with respect and dignity," reads the statement. By Friday, the court system said that DalPra had announced his intention to retire.

The father in the divorce case that triggered the action said Friday that he's happy to see DalPra gone.

But Nashua resident Dana Albrecht, whose case has gone on for five years, said a full investigation of the Nashua family court should take place.

His case has gone before two judges who have been convicted of crimes, Paul S. Moore and Julie Introcaso. His case has been assigned to Guardian ad-litem Kathleen Sternenberg, whose appointment in another case led to Introcaso's efforts at a cover up. And DalPra has held hearings in the case.

"All were involved in my family's case, and whose actions have harmed my children," Albrecht wrote the Union Leader in an email.

DalPra muttered "Who gives a f---" when Albrecht lamented that his children no longer had the holiday dinners he used to cook for them.

Later in the hearing, he muttered "Of course not, they're a bunch of morons" when their mother, Katherine Albrecht, discussed whether the two teenage girls make wise decisions when it comes to homework and household chores.

DalPra is one of two full-time marital masters in the state. Marital masters preside like a judge, hear both sides in a dispute in family court and make recommendations that are then reviewed by a judge.

DalPra, who is assigned to the Nashua family court, has been on the job for 30 years and currently earns $158,500 a year. The court system did not immediately answer a question about what his duties would be going forward.

He made the comments during a four-hour, telephonic hearing held in November 2020. None of the participants reported hearing the comment, but it was picked up by audio recording equipment.

According to DalPra's own admission, the transcriber notified the court system about his comment. Two weeks after the hearing, DalPra self-reported himself to the Judicial Conduct Committee.

No public records exists of the JCC consideration of his complaint, but the board apparently did nothing because DalPra remained on the case.

Albrecht went to the Supreme Court to remove DalPra from the case, citing only the f--- comment; the moron comment was unknown at the time.

The Supreme Court told DalPra to reconsider whether he should remain on the case. Last month, DalPra wrote that the comment was not a sign of bias and remained on the case.