"And I have had people approach me across the state, and they've asked me, 'Where did that money go?'". Matt DePerno, an attorney general candidate endorsed by former President Donald Trump, sued the firm over his firing and denied the allegations in court. 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. Matt DePerno, an attorney general candidate endorsed by former President Donald Trump, sued the firm over his firing and denied the allegations in court. The News asked DePerno and Nessel to release their most recent tax returns. "Dana Nessel, the Radical Left, and the RINOs (Republicans in name only) are targeting Matt because he gets results and has exposed so much voter fraud in Antrim County, and many more places, in the 2020 election," Trump said at the time. It just screams out: This is why people hate lawyers. We dont need this in our profession.. The special prosecutor, D.J. It's unclear why DePerno was never arrested. Muskegon County Prosecutor D.J. He has claimed he wants to prosecute Nessel as well as fellow Democratic incumbents Gov. See also: Michigan Attorney General election, 2022 Thus began another unexpected legal fight, as the Moffits hired a new attorney to stop the foreclosure sale and sue DePerno for legal malpractice, alleging he fought their insurer without their consent, overbilled and padded billings, including a $13,000 charge to reassemble their case file after DePerno parted ways with his law firm at the time, Veritas Group. 2023 The Detroit News, a Digital First Media Newspaper, who resigned from the state House after he attempted to cover up an extramarital affair with a fellow lawmaker, told the Lansing publication Gongwer News Service that he had spoken with a sheriff. The convention lasted about 11 hours with delegates battling over how the votes at the event would be counted and last-minute jockeying among the 10 candidates for party chair. After practicing law as a partner at a large law firm for 10 years, Matthew opened his own law practice in 2005, DePerno Law, PLLC. But he told Bridge he cannot discuss details because of a confidential settlement. In an August interview, DePerno declined to say whether the money helped fund a group of "expert witnesses" who pushed to obtain and analyze voting tabulators in Michigan. said DePerno's "skeletons have skeletons. Matt DePerno has been dodging questions about his personal finances for years, and this is one more reason why Michiganders cant trust him to be their next AG," said Emily Trifone, deputy communications director at the Democratic Attorneys General Association. "Thank goodness that most of my cases were nothing like this one. 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. 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. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. She becomes the first Black person to lead the Michigan GOP. The initial tallies in the Republican stronghold had Democrat Joe Biden winning by 3,260 votes with 62% of the overall total to Trump's 36%. DePerno denied many of the accusations but eventually negotiated a settlement with the Moffits, whose attorney declined to discuss terms of the deal. He cut his teeth as a tax attorney in southwest Michigan but eventually expanded his Portage-based practice. Some Michigan Republicans say they are . She said the party would focus on local issues over national politics. State Rep. Ryan Berman is also running. She was speaking out against "fake issues" that she said were dividing people. Trump's choice for the post, Matthew DePerno, had all the . He's challenging Democrat Attorney General Dana Nessel, a lawyer from Plymouth, who has under-performed Democratic Gov. She has a long history of volunteer and community involvement. Tyson Shepard, DePerno's campaign manager, said the candidate would enforce the state's 1931 abortion ban, which prohibits the termination of any pregnancy except if necessary to preserve the life of the mother because it's the policy on the books. In order to win the chair position, a candidate had to receive more than 50% support. Confused, concerned and ultimately outraged that DePerno was charging them nearly $140,000 after losing them $13,000, Ronald Moffit said he confronted DePerno over the legal bill, which led to what the couples attorney would later call battery and assault by DePerno. As he's campaigned for attorney general, DePerno vowed to "investigate and prosecute Gov. In 2016, Buhl filed a request asking the Michigan Attorney Grievance Commission to investigate DePerno after he was accused of legal malpractice. And he's not afraid of what has turned into, unfortunately, a convoluted judicial system., Bill Bailey, a real estate broker who DePerno is representing in the ongoing Antrim County election appeal, called him "one of the most honest, hardworking souls I truthfully have ever met.". Industrious Republican. If you care about Michigan, please support our work. DePerno, who never held elected office, rode Trumps endorsement to win the Republican Party nomination over two candidates who have served in the Legislature. Dernis labeled DePerno a person of integrity. The people of MIchigan are tired of the rising crime, threats to parental rights and an ongoing lack of trust in government. According to unofficial results, Nessel leads DePerno by 300,000 votes - about 7 points. "The Washtenaw County Sheriff Department said they thought the bench warrant was so outrageous that they did not consider it enforceable," Shepard said. Matt and Laura have three wonderful children who are all current or former students at Michigan State University (MSU). But his supporters see him as a tenacious champion who's willing to take up causes others have declined. 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. 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. For months, Matthew has tried to take his findings to the Michigan Legislature, asking for their support in demanding a Statewide full forensic audit, to no avail. The Moffits never filed a criminal complaint. "We tried to plot our strategy that way. Some Republicans,including political strategist John Yob, now view DePerno as their best hope to win one of Michigan's top three offices on Election Day. DePerno lost to Democratic Attorney General Dana Nessel by 9 percentage points in November. Matt DePerno, an attorney general candidate endorsed by former President Donald Trump, sued the firm over his firing and denied the allegations in court. "They are not here. DePerno beat Tom Leonard in the second round of voting with 54% of . "The sanction award far exceeds the petitioners' ability to pay," Baker wrote in a filing on Jan. 9, 2020. He is currently representing anAnn Arbor firefighterwho he said was fired for refusing to get vaccinated against COVID-19. Greenlee, who's worked in politics for more than three decades, appeared to be gaining some level of support on Saturday. Another factor in his decision to run: Trump, who in July encouraged him to enter the race. 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. DePerno's campaign didn't respond. You must be logged in to post a comment A judge rejected the litigation, saying her claims were "unsubstantiated" or misinterpreted Michigan election law. I think were going to do local infrastructure and getting back to basics, the blocking and tackling of winning elections.". Thanks for submitting! The situation also became a focus of attacks this year against DePerno. The Michigan Court of Appeals ultimately upheld the decision to allow Dodge to remain a judge. Thank goodness that most of my cases were nothing like this one.. 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. Whitmer" for her nursing home policies. Forton endorsed Karamo before the first round of voting. 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. But he never did, the Moffits attorney alleged in the malpractice suit. Two attorneys quit, saying they could not represent DePerno without violating the canons of ethics. So DePerno represented himself, an unorthodox move the liability insurer asked a court to stop before also agreeing to a settlement with DePerno. Ive taken on cases that people even in the media have disagreed with.. Marsha Johnson Chartrand, a founder, writer, and copy editor with the Manchester Mirror, is a 50-year resident of Manchester. Vote Furyk. But Greene's organization changed course and endorsed DePerno earlier this month. But court records show judges have repeatedly sanctioned or complained about his courtroom conduct. Could that Judge then rule on rape cases, or would that create a bias for the Judge? The warrant was in place as DePerno led high-profile litigation in the weeks after the November 2020 presidential election to challenge the results in northern Michigan's Antrim County. "I think it's extremely problematic," Truscott told Bridge Michigan. DePerno got his law degree at the University of Detroit Mercy School of Law in 1994. Nessel's office began its investigation in February, before DePerno was her opponent.