An American judge has resigned after footage emerged of her rebuking a wheelchair-bound woman who died three days after the hearing.
Sandra Faye Twiggs, who suffered from asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, was in court on April 15 over a domestic violence charge, The Miami Herald reported.
Ms Twiggs allegedly scratched her daughter in a domestic dispute over a fan.
A video from the hearing shows South Florida Judge Merrilee Ehrlich scolding the 59-year-old as she attempts to discuss her medical issues.
"I'm not here to talk about your breathing treatments," Ms Ehrlich said.
It has been reported Ms Twiggs was having trouble getting her medication after being arrested and placed in custody on April 13.
In the video Ms Ehrlich continually shouts at Ms Twiggs as she tries to answer questions.
With her case thrown out Ms Twiggs reportedly returned home starving, dizzy and breathless, a friend of the defendant Carolyn Porter said.
"She came home so devastated she couldn't catch her breath," Ms Porter said.
Ms Twiggs sister Anna Twiggs said her sibling had no previous convictions. She believes the harsh treatment Ms Twiggs received contributed to her death.
A public defender for Ms Twiggs demanded Ms Ehrlich be banned from presiding over criminal proceedings, describing her behaviour as "aggressive and tyrannical".
"It is not appropriate for anyone to endure that kind of treatment," Finkelstein's chief assistant Gordon Weekes said in the Miami Herald.
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