Frederic Oddone

Judge Frederic (Ric) Oddone is an American attorney and judge serving in the Utah Third District Juvenile Court.

Early life and education Oddone was raised in Washington, D.C. After receiving his high school diploma from Woodrow Wilson High School, also in Washington, DC, Oddone moved to Utah to attend Brigham Young University. Oddone completed his undergraduate degree at Brigham Young University in 1969. Afterward, Judge Oddone attended the University of Utah for post-graduate studies. He received his J.D. (Juris Doctor) degree from the University of Utah Law School in 1972. He has since been retained to the bench after a successful judicial retention election in 2010. While in service to the Third District Juvenile Court, Judge Oddone has been a member of the Salt Lake City Mayor's Gang Task Force on Gang Violence, a member of the Judicial Council Family Court Task Force, the chairman of the Utah State Task Force on Court Security, served on the Salt Lake Criminal Justice Advisory Council.

State v. Heidi Mattingly In January 2005, Judge Oddone was assigned by the presiding judge of the Utah Juvenile Court to review a videotaped interview entered as evidence in a custody case between the State of Utah and Heidi Mattingly-Foster. Mattingly-Foster, one wife within a known polygamist family, was placed on trial after reportedly abusing her ten children and using her children as leverage. Judge Oddone's participation in the case stemmed from a need to review a videotaped interview with one of the children. The interview was obtained through a different, criminal investigation. The State of Utah was hesitant to give Mattingly-Foster a copy of the interview, unsure as to whether she would use the evidence for unsavory reasons. Judge Oddone was assigned to review the tape to determine whether any information contained within had any bearing on the custody case.

MN v State Case No. 2005009, 2005 Ut. App. 146

In 2005, a case that originally sat before Judge Oddone was sent to the Utah Court of Appeals. In this situation, Judge Oddone had terminated that parental rights of the defendant, after reviewing the prosecution's evidence of "neglect, unfitness, and failure to remedy the circumstances". The defendant appealed the termination of her parental rights, claiming that the prosecution did not present sufficient evidence to prove the charges. The Utah Court of Appeals upheld Judge Oddone's decision, stating that the juvenile court is given a "'wide latitude of discretion as to the judgments arrived at' based upon not only the court's opportunity to judge credibility firsthand, but also based on the juvenile court judges' 'special training, experience and interest in this field,'".

Personal life Judge Oddone is married. The Judge also enjoys trout fishing. Judge Oddone is a co-founder of the Utah non-profit, international adoption agency, Children's House International.