Severe dysfunction alleged in Suffolk Probate

Felix D. Arroyo in 2007.

On any given day at the Suffolk Registry of Probate and Family Court, 20 to 30 files could go missing. Hundreds of thousands of dollars in unprocessed checks sat in boxes, stapled to filings, and stuffed in desk drawers. A section of the office designated for loose paperwork was overwhelmed by pleadings, orders, and judgments that numbered over 6,500.

“It was a place for employees to make work disappear,” according to an assessment of the registry released by the Massachusetts Trial Court. “There were thousands of pleadings dating as far back to 2015 not docketed or scanned. This procedural meltdown created chaos for not only litigants but the judicial staff as well.”

This was the office run by Register Felix D. Arroyo, who was suspended with pay in February and has been aggressively fighting for his job. The assessment was part of a trove of documents court officials released to the media this week.

Read the complete story at BostonGlobe.com.

Don’t have a Globe subscription? Boston.com readers get a 2-week free trial.