Trump endorses Matt DePerno in race for Michigan Republican Party chair I'll continue to write good people in on my election ballots. 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. I just think this guy is going to be looking for election fraud under rocks," LaBrant said. State Rep. Ryan Berman is also running. But he never did, the Moffits attorney alleged in the malpractice suit. In a recent letter to Michigan GOP precinct delegates, Trump called DePerno an incredible attorney who led the charge in calling out obvious voter fraud by suing over the election in Antrim County, where an error by the Republican clerk skewed initial results in favor of Democrat Joe Biden but was quickly corrected. You can also contact us by using this form: First Name. His campaign website says he will "restore law and order" and "uphold the Constitution.". 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. 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.. Greenlee said Republicans were responding to his message of activating and engaging the delegates. Incredibly, the appeals court noted, DePerno made the following analogy: lets assume a Judge was raped. 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. Matthew DePerno, who is running for the Michigan Republican party's nomination for state attorney general, speaks at a rally hosted by former President Donald Trump on April 2, 2022 near. Exclusive: Trump-backed Michigan attorney general candidate - Reuters The sheriff's office this week didn't provide a response to questions about the warrant. Paid for with regulated funds by End Citizens United Non-Federal MI. "Weve watched the Attorney Generals office and some of the positions theyve taken, and theyve been more political than legal," Greene said of Nessel's office. Their insurance company initially offered to pay them $123,360 for personal property losses and living expenses but asked a judge to determine whether another $80,000 should go to the Moffits or the IRS, to whom they owed money, according to court filings. Asked about that, Castiglia countered that people "are getting sick of the doomsday Dem approach. 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 . In Ingham County, a judge overseeing Todd Coursers criminal case announced he might retire before his term ended because the headache of dealing with DePerno and the other attorneys started to "eat away" at him. The ProAssurance Casualty Company alleged DePerno made unreasonable demands of attorneys they had hired to represent him in the Moffits malpractice suit. It was a "trick," DePerno told the state Court of Appeals on Feb. 26, 2020. Regardless, voters should trust him to run the states largest and most powerful law firm the attorney generals office because he is a fighter, DePerno said. DePerno formed his campaign committee to run for attorney general 12 days later, on July 14, 2021. 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. Dodge has since retired and told Bridge Michigan he did not remember the dispute well. The Antrim County case made DePerno a national figure in Trumps campaign to overturn the election but prompted criticism from a Republican-led Michigan Senate panel that accused him of making false claims for personal profit, echoing allegations that marred DePernos legal career nearly two decades earlier. Leave us a message. Ultimately, I collected the fees that were due to me, DePerno told Bridge. Matt DePerno concedes Michigan AG race to Dana Nessel If a person does not appear and the bench warrant is issued, that means should that person be stopped while driving or anything like that, it will show up on the polices system," Dallo said of what would lead to an arrest. 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. Taxation 1994-95 University of Detroit Mercy School of Law but he had a falling out with the firm, which accused him of "acts of fraud and dishonesty" and alleged he "padded" his billable hours. Matt attended the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor where he received a Bachelor of Arts degree. As recently as last month, he criticized the GOP-led Legislature for failing to. Some of DePerno's arguments became the basis for election deniers across the country, LaBrant said. We're not just a news organization, we're also your neighbors. 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. from New York University School of Law. DePerno is well-known and well-liked by many clients, but his legal career has been marked by some discord. The probe is completely ridiculous and part of the reason DePerno decided to run for attorney general, he told Bridge, likening it "totalitarianism" since Nessel's office battled him as opposing counsel in the Antrim County case. Karamo lost to Benson by 14 percentage points. DePerno also has fiercely loyal supporters who defend his legal work, including clients, who contend hed make a strong attorney general. 2 min read. On Nov. 8, voters will decide whether to put him in the attorney general's office. The Michigan Court of Appeals ultimately upheld the decision to allow Dodge to remain a judge. But DePernos critics say GOP delegates should take a closer look at his legal career, which reveals a series of disputes with colleagues, judges and clients. 2023 The Detroit News, a Digital First Media Newspaper, endorsed by former President Donald Trump, DePerno rose to political prominence challenging the 2020 presidential election results, sought a special prosecutor to consider charges against DePerno. One of DePerno's Republican convention opponents in the spring, Leonard, called on DePerno to detail what happened with the money in March. Because of the conflict of interest of investigating him, Nessel sought the appointment of a special prosecutor to decide if charges are warranted. "So a police officer will be able to see on their laptop that theres a bench warrant for this person.. DePerno, who never held elected office, rode Trumps endorsement to win the Republican Party nomination over two candidates who have served in the Legislature. Published reports say Nessel's office is asking that a special prosecutor investigate whether the Republican candidate for state attorney general, Matt DePerno, and others should be charged in . "Someone had to step up and take charge of what was happening. A lawyer by trade, DePerno rose to political prominence challenging the 2020 presidential election results and spearheading a lawsuit over the vote in northern Michigan's Antrim County. "Mr. DePerno has received calls from the sheriff's deputy that's going to come and try to execute writs of execution, I guess, on his office furniture and supplies," Baker said during a Jan. 16, 2020, court hearing. ", In an Oct. 1 interview, DePerno said if he's elected, he'll work to lower Michigan's crime rate and combat sex trafficking. He went on to earn a graduate qualification at theNew York University School of Law. 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Trump has thrown significant political weight behind DePerno, endorsing him, speaking on his behalf at a Mar-A-Lago fundraiser and announcing plans to stump for him and other endorsed candidates at a Michigan rally on April 2. 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.. He also represented former state Rep. Todd Courser in a sex scandal cover-up case, which ended with Courser. But six days after the Moffits refused to pay his fees, DePerno took action to try and collect: He began foreclosure proceedings to sell the Moffits new home and the land where their old home had burned down, according to court filings. I've taken on tough cases. Whitmer" for her nursing home policies. The situation also became a focus of attacks this year against DePerno. 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. Asked about his candidate's changing financial status, Shepard said DePerno's law firm attracted a lot of new business during the period after early 2020 partly because of restrictions Gov. Instead, DePerno filed a counter-claim against the insurance company without the knowledge or consent of his clients, which prompted the insurer to stop its initial payment. "As attorney general, you're the state's chief law enforcement officer. 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. On. She has repeatedly made unproven and false claims about Michigan's voting system. Published reports say Nessel's office is asking that a special prosecutor investigate whether the Republican candidate for state attorney general, Matt DePerno, and others should be charged in . Since then, he's become a favorite among Michigan Republican delegates, and he helped negotiate a deal to delay feuding between party factions at an August convention. 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.". They've suggested fraud and hacking. 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. Matthew DePerno (Attorney General) - $771,799. You must be logged in to post a comment George Dernis, who DePerno has represented ina nearly eight-year legal battleover foreclosure of Michigan properties hed used as collateral to purchase a grocery store, said DePerno helped guide his family through hell and back., If it wasnt for Matt, wed be out on the streets, Dernis told Bridge. 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. Buhl, the former judge, had already been retired for six years when he began observing DePernos legal work because he was asked to serve as an expert witness in the Moffits malpractice suit. Him and I had discussions as to whether I should run, DePerno said. The Michigan Court of Appeals ultimately upheld the decision to allow Dodge to remain a judge. 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. 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. She has a long history of volunteer and community involvement. 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.. Vote Furyk. Where Michigan attorney general foes Dana Nessel and Matthew DePerno stand. Ann Arbor Republican Matt DePerno, who's asking voters to make him Michigan's top law enforcement official on Nov. 8, faced a bench warrant for his arrest about two months before he. According to unofficial results, Nessel leads DePerno by 300,000 votes - about 7 points. 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Matthew DePerno is an attorney who serves clients worldwide from his office in Kalamazoo Michigan, USA. State Rep. Steve Carra, R-Three Rivers, has been an outspoken DePerno supporter. Maddock called DePerno and Secretary of State hopeful Kristina Karamo the "strongest candidates" to address "the stolen 2020 election" and push for a "forensic audit" of the states voting in that contest. In 2005, DePerno launched his own law firm in Kalamazoo County, where he's practiced tax and real estate law. during the general election campaign, but a special prosecutor is investigating him and others on allegations they illegally accessed voting machine equipment in their efforts to investigate the election. Show your unity and support today! Trump-backed GOP pick for Michigan AG has been a vocal supporter of DePerno took on "several cases regarding the unconstitutional nature of these lockdowns and mandates.". I honestly believe on the first vote shes going to have the most votes," Forton said in an interview on the convention floor of Karamo. Forton endorsed Karamo before the first round of voting. DePerno is one of nine people who were investigated by Nessel's office for an alleged Michigan vote tabulator tampering scheme. 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. But it leaves him running to. After leaving that role, she opened her own law firm. Karamo had 58% of the vote on the . Matthew DePerno: What to know about Michigan GOP attorney general