When Courser and DePerno sued The Detroit News over its original reporting on the sex scandal, Washtenaw County Circuit Judge Timothy Connors dismissed the case and ordered Courser and DePerno to jointly pay $79,701.63 in sanctions. People get into disputes and they say things about each other in litigation, he told Bridge in a phone interview. "And yet, here I am running for attorney general to restore integrity, justice and morality in Michigan.. Another factor in his decision to run: Trump, who in July encouraged him to enter the race. In his suit, DePerno said he had explained "the background of every issue identified" and "rebutted any reasonable notion of improper conduct.". Now calling himself a constitutional attorney, DePerno told Bridge his favorite cases are those that involve constitutional rights people who have arguments that they've lost their rights because of government overreach.. Natalie DePerno, 23, graduated with an accounting degree from MSU. It's unclear why DePerno was never arrested. DePerno has never been publicly disciplined by the state, according to records from the Attorney Discipline Board. And when DePerno asked her to enter the room to notarize mortgage documents, the secretary said it was clear Cathy Moffit had been crying and did not want to sign the papers. Hes helped a Portage high school studentrejoin the tennis teamafter she had been kicked off following an illegal search of her car that revealed remnants of marijuana, DePerno said. Weve been there for you with daily Michigan COVID-19 news; reporting on the emergence of the virus, daily numbers with our tracker and dashboard, exploding unemployment, and we finally were able to report on mass vaccine distribution. You must be logged in to post a comment A judge rejected the litigation, saying her claims were "unsubstantiated" or misinterpreted Michigan election law. Contact - DePerno Law Office, PLLC Nessel's office began its investigation in February, before DePerno was her opponent. At issue was DePernos effort to remove Cass County Judge Michael Dodge from the case, arguing the judge could not be impartial because he owned property on a separate lake. While Nessel might be vulnerable, there remain questions two weeks before Election Day over whether DePerno was the right person to beat her and become the state's top law enforcement official. Last weekend, Democrats reelected Lavora Barnes to a third term as chairwoman of the Michigan Democratic Party. Courser and DePerno unsuccessfully argued audio recordings that prompted Livengood's reporting in 2015 had been improperly edited. Incredibly, the appeals court noted, DePerno made the following analogy: lets assume a Judge was raped. The March 12, 2020, hearing was eventually canceled, according to court records. Among the questionable billings: DePerno allegedly charged the Moffits $1,024.35 to videotape a deposition that a federal magistrate had ordered him to personally pay as a sanction for obstructing an earlier deposition, coaching a witness and raising utterly meritless objections. LaBrant labeled DePerno a "fool" with a "checkered past.". The office of Dana Nessel, the Michigan attorney general, said that Matthew DePerno and other people had persuaded local clerks in three counties to hand over election equipment. "The tremendous GOP grassroots enthusiasm for DePerno combined with Nessel trying to shut down Line 5 and talking about a drag queen in every classroom gives DePerno the best chance to win of any Republican on the statewide ticket," said Yob, who previously advised the lawyer's campaign. The parties later settled for $20,000, which Detroit News publisher and editor Gary Miles called a message thatfrivolous lawsuitsagainst news organizations for performing their duties under the First Amendment will not be taken lightly.. On Feb. 6, 2020, Connors signed a bench warrant for DePerno's arrest and for him to be brought before the court "immediately" for failure to appear, according to a document. I think its extremely problematic, Truscott told Bridge Michigan. DePerno Law Office, PLLC - Matthew DePerno Law Office If you can't abide by the laws and the rules, how do you have the moral authority to prosecute criminals?". The bench warrant for DePerno's arrest was not resolved, according to available court records, and remained in effect for more than 14 months. DePerno's work with Courser led to a years-long defamation suit against The News and staff member Chad Livengood, who broke the story of Courser's affair and the lawmaker's scheme to hide it. DePerno is a "workaholic" who goes to great lengths for his clients and is like an "encyclopedia" of law and the Constitution, Bailey told Bridge. Karamo, DePerno and Lansing political consultant Scott Greenlee were initially the top three vote-getters in what was a nine-person race at the start of the convention Saturday morning in downtown Lansing. The billing allegations could be a disqualifying factor for DePerno as a candidate, said John Truscott, a Republican public relations professional who served as press secretary under former Gov. 38th State Senate Candidate for Michigan. Searching for a (workable) two-party system - GulfToday Democratic President Joe Biden beat Trump by 154,188 votes in Michigan. Michigan AG nominee DePerno is investigated by AG's office : NPR DePerno and the firm eventually reached a settlement the terms of which were not available in court documents. Forton said his decision was meant to ensure that a "grassroots-type" hopeful had a chance to win. DePerno was able to obtain jobless assistance by presenting paperwork to the state indicating he was fired for failing to promote a harmonious relationship with the firm, not fraud. Lansing Matt DePerno, who lost his bid for attorney general but has been a favorite of former President Donald Trump, announced Monday that he wants to be the Michigan Republican Party's . John Engler. Because of the conflict of interest of investigating him, Nessel sought the appointment of a special prosecutor to decide if charges are warranted. DePerno lost the 2022 attorney general election to incumbent Attorney General Dana Nessel by nearly nine points. In a statement, Tyson Shepard, DePerno's campaign manager, said the campaign is focused on issues affecting people across Michigan instead of "washed-out stories from years and years ago.". Matts reports can be found at DePernoLaw.com. He also has a big fan inside the Michigan Republican Party: co-chair Meshawn Maddock, who endorsed him earlier this month, an unusual move considering the party traditionally is expected to stay out of contested convention races. Matthew S. DePerno, Esq. (@mdeperno) / Twitter Among the questionable billings: DePerno allegedly charged the Moffits $1,024.35 to videotape a deposition that a federal magistrate had ordered him to personally pay as a sanction for obstructing an earlier deposition, coaching a witness and raising utterly meritless objections. Democratic President Joe Biden beat Trump by 154,188 votes in Michigan. Former state Rep. Aaron Miller, a Republican from Sturgis, said Karamo's victory indicated some Michigan Republicans want to keep losing elections. Matt DePerno sought to foreclose on his clients' property. Now he wants The numbers became jumbled during the communication of the unofficial results to the county's election management system. Home | Matt DePerno As attorney general, youre the states chief law enforcement officer. ", Karamo dismissed concerns about declining donations to the state party, saying thats going to change right away.. After her election Saturday night, Karamo told The Detroit News her first priority as party chair is to grow the party with everyday residents and individuals in areas weve never penetrated, especially in urban America." But his supporters see him as a tenacious champion who's willing to take up causes others have declined. "I've been doing this for 25 years," DePerno said of his legal background. Email. The News asked DePerno and Nessel to release their most recent tax returns. The grievance commission, the investigative arm of the Michigan Supreme Court, only makes its findings public if it authorizes formal charges against a lawyer with the state Attorney Discipline Board, which it did not do for DePerno. The guys got no ethics at all, William Buhl, a retired Van Buren County Circuit Court judge and former Republican, told Bridge. 469 views. But he never did, the Moffits attorney alleged in the malpractice suit. DePerno called Buhls accusations total nonsense and told Bridge the matter was ultimately dismissed by the grievance commission, as it should be., While Buhl said the professional code of conduct for attorneys prohibits him from revealing results of the grievance commission investigation, he called DePerno's characterization of dismissal "the farthest thing from the truth.. In an interview Tuesday, DePerno told Bridge he and colleagues had a dispute on where the firm was going but resolved the case with mutual satisfaction. He declined to discuss specific allegations, citing the secrecy agreement. "Petitioners have also have been in direct contact with the Washtenaw County Sheriff's Department to resolve the bench warrants.". Matthew DePerno, who is likely to be Republicans' nominee for attorney general in Michigan, is among a group of election deniers running for offices that have significant authority over voting. Kristina Karamo (Secretary of State) - $796,022. But court records show law firm colleagues confronted DePerno in October 2005 and presented him with evidence detailed in a confidential memo included in public filings, along with 190 pages of internal billing documents. "The sanction award far exceeds the petitioners' ability to pay," Baker wrote in a filing on Jan. 9, 2020. Republican activists across Michigan will soon gather to select the next leader of the Michigan GOP.The decision will help decide the future of the Republican Party after a midterm election that . If you care about Michigan, please support our work. He been critical of Nessels record as attorney general, accusing her of botching the criminal case involving the Flint water scandal and referring to her as drunk Dana because she admitted being intoxicated at a college football game. ", Eric Castiglia, chairman of the Republican Party of Macomb County, said DePerno is gaining steam politically because of his focus on the "rule of law.". His clients included former state Rep. Todd Courser, a Lapeer area Republican who was accused of misusing taxpayer dollars to cover up an affair, and Tim Rugg, an Ann Arbor firefighter who challenged the city's COVID-19 vaccine policy. 2023 FOX Television Stations, The heaviest snow is behind us heading into the weekend, Snow storm shuts down Detroit Metro Airport, Power outages hit Metro Detroit hard as winter storm pounds area, WATCH - Jennifer Hammond talks with Detroit Titans guard Antoine Davis after coming up just short of the NCAA all-time scoring record, Southeast Michigan weather: The latest totals and what to expect tonight, Dead woman found tied up, wrapped in tarp in abandoned Monroe County building, sources say, Disneyland banned Rebel Wilson over selfie, actress says, Winter storm leaves 205k DTE customers without power, dry and mild weekend ahead, MSP: Driver of crashed car fatally struck on I-96, at-fault driver without license. Weve been there for you with daily Michigan COVID-19 news; reporting on the emergence of the virus, daily numbers with our tracker and dashboard, exploding unemployment, and we finally were able to report on mass vaccine distribution. Trump had actually won the county by 3,788 votes, 61%-37%, a 7,048-vote swing from the unofficial results. 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DePerno who has pushed former President Donald Trump's false claims of widespread election fraud has slammed the probe, which is now led by a special prosecutor. The settlement was complicated by another lawsuit from DePernos professional liability insurer, who sued him in an attempt to drop him and cancel his policy. "From his dangerous stances on abortion and birth control, to his embrace of Donald Trumps most fringe election conspiracy theories, its clear that Michigan needs to reelect Dana Nessel as AG.". The situation also became a focus of attacks this year against DePerno. Buhl, the retired judge who had prepared to serve as an expert witness for the Moffits legal defense team, asked the Michigan Attorney Grievance Commission to investigate DePerno in 2016. . Elissa Slotkin announces bid to succeed Debbie Stabenow. "Some attorneys are more challenging than others," Dodge said in an email. Dernis labeled DePerno a person of integrity. DePerno holds an English degree from the University of Michigan, a law degree from the University of Detroit Mercy and a graduate degree in taxation from the New York University School of Law. In early August, Nessel sought a special prosecutor to consider potential charges against DePerno and eight others because of an alleged "conspiracy" to gain improper access to voting machines in Michigan. Matt DePerno, a Republican candidate for Michigan attorney general, has appeared at Capitol rallies calling for a "forensic audit" of the 2020 presidential election. Chaos And Conspiracies: 12 Hours At A GOP Convention That Handed Trump After practicing law for a decade as a law firm partner, Matt opened the doors of his own practice, DePerno Law, PLLC, in 2005, where he has since been ardently defending Americans constitutional rights. DePerno, who had worked with the Moffits on tax issues in the past, allegedly convinced the couple he could negotiate with the IRS. DePerno skyrocketed to fame in conservative circles in the aftermath of the 2020 election, alleging voting machines were compromised because unofficial results were skewed toward President Joe Biden before they were corrected. Gretchen Whitmer also won another term with Democrats taking control of the Legislature for the first time in 40 years. On Nov. 8, voters will decide whether to put him in the attorney general's office. After leaving that role, she opened her own law firm. Karamo was elected as party chairwoman last month, defeating 10 other candidates including Trump-backed former attorney general candidate Matthew DePerno. Instead, the Oversight Committee urged Nesselto investigate those who have been utilizing misleading and false information about Antrim County to raise money or publicity for their own ends.. Gretchen Whitmer in public polling and in the last election. The parties later settled for $20,000, which Detroit News publisher and editor Gary Miles called a message that frivolous lawsuits against news organizations for performing their duties under the First Amendment will not be taken lightly.. More:Before Matt DePerno launched a bid for attorney general, he cleared up an arrest warrant. But court records show judges have repeatedly sanctioned or complained about his courtroom conduct. He went on to repeatedly appear in Antrim County court to challenge the November 2020 election results while the warrant was in place. He moved to Kalamazoo Michigan in 1995 after law school, where he currently resides with his wife of 25 years, Laura and their two dogs Toby and Kodak. 0:57. Dodge has since retired and told Bridge Michigan he did not remember the dispute well. In order to win the chair position, a candidate had to receive more than 50% support. Democrat Attorney General Dana Nessel, a lawyer from Plymouth, Before Matt DePerno launched a bid for attorney general, he cleared up an arrest warrant, As Michigan AG race narrows, Nessel's comments, cases take center stage. "I have been told to stop talking about America first values. In his original complaint, DePerno alleged he was wrongfully fired from his $110,000 job because he had raised questions about the financial operations of the firm. The two have been married for over 26 years and raised three children together. Connors agreed on July 2. DePerno had been endorsed by former President Donald Trump. (FOX 2) - Republican Matthew DePerno has conceded the race for attorney general to Dana Nessel, releasing a statement thanking voters for showing up for the candidate. Nessel, the Democratic attorney general, later acknowledged that her office is investigating DePerno but said she recused herself from the probe given the political implications and will appoint a special counsel if charges are warranted. DePerno has a bachelor's degree from the University of Michigan and later earned law degrees from the University of Detroit Mercy School of Law and New York University School of Law. Washtenaw County Circuit Judge Timothy Connors signed a warrant in February 2020 for DePerno's arrest after he failed to appear for a creditor's exam in an unsuccessful defamation case brought by his client, former state Rep. Todd Courser, against The Detroit News.