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. Ive taken on tough cases. 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. 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 . 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. 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. The probe is completely ridiculous and part of the reason DePerno decided to run for attorney general, he told Bridge, likening it totalitarianism since Nessels office battled him as opposing counsel in the Antrim County case. Former state Rep. Aaron Miller, a Republican from Sturgis, said Karamo's victory indicated some Michigan Republicans want to keep losing elections. DePerno's campaign didn't respond. 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. 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. Fill in the form below and we'll be in touch. 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. The grievance commission can also privately admonish an attorney or place them on contractual probation, but those lighter punishments are not made public. It was a "trick," DePerno told the state Court of Appeals on Feb. 26, 2020. 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. 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 problematic initial numbers were caused by human errors: Election workers' failure to update equipment after additions to the ballot. Both of the final two candidates, Karamo and DePerno, had denied the results of the 2020 election: Trump's loss. Ive always proven that I dont back down from anyone, he said. Matt is a native of Michigan and has been a Kalamazoo resident with his wife, Laura, since 1994 after receiving his law degree from the University of Detroit Mercy. As attorney general, youre the states chief law enforcement officer. 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. While the Kries Enderle law firm and DePerno both declined to discuss his contentious departure given their confidential settlement agreement, DePerno downplayed the acrimonious split in general terms. Firm: Michigan AG hopeful Matt DePerno fired over padded, false billings, Campaign donors love a winner, dump Michigan GOP for Democrats after election, Turns out, young voters didnt sway 22 election in Michigan, records show, Basically broke, Michigan GOP to charge delegates to attend convention, Share the article you just read on Twitter, Share the article you just read on Facebook, Share the article you just read via email, Michigan stopped Ohio toxic waste last week, but we import waste every day, Democrats push Michigan gun reforms. He was fired from one law firm, fought over client records after leaving a second firm and was accused of assaulting a client amid a fee dispute, according to court documents and transcripts reviewed by Bridge Michigan, DePerno is one of nine people who were investigated by Nessel's office for an. Whitmer" for her nursing home policies during the COVID-19 pandemic, called for increased transparency standards for state government and voiced opposition to abortion. DePerno, 53, is a Portage-based attorney who primarily works on tax cases and worked primarily in Kalamazoo and Van Buren counties. His campaign website says he will "restore law and order" and "uphold the Constitution.". The newspaper donated the attorney fees it recovered from DePerno to the Rosa Parks Scholarship Foundation. Matthew has been attacked many times from elected officials, including current Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel, but he has not backed down. Him and I had discussions as to whether I should run, DePerno said. He will have a staff of more than 500 people, and his . DePerno is considered a frontrunner for the Michigan Republican Partys nomination for attorney general, along with former state House Speaker Tom Leonard, the GOP nominee in 2018. People need to see a competent party, Karamo said. 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. Whitmer won her first term by 9 points over Republican Bill Schuette in 2018. 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. However, Shepard said DePerno wants to fix "the outdated and confusing" law, which dates to the 1840s. She said the party would focus on local issues over national politics. "We tried to plot our strategy that way. Trump had also endorsed DePerno in that . Trump's backing helped DePerno win a three-way race at an April convention for the party's attorney general nomination. Then, on June 23, 2021, DePerno filed a motion to have the bench warrants set aside "nunc pro tunc," essentially meaning the cancellation should be retroactive to the day the warrants were issued in February 2020. Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer has been declared the winner in the race for the state's top job. While the case was ultimately settled, what he saw in pre-trial hearings was abhorrent, Buhl told Bridge Michigan. Asked if he has concerns about how DePerno would handle a future election that's challenged, Greene said yes, but he added there will be "checks and balances," including from the Legislature. 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. Conservative lawyer David Kallman, whose office is based in Lansing, said DePerno has done things he doesn't agree with. The March 12, 2020, hearing was eventually canceled, according to court records. 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. from the New York University School of Law. I will continue to fight like hell to restore Michigan to all it can be and I look forward to continuing this journey with you all.". DePerno, speaking with Bridge, called the assault allegation an "outrageous" attempt by the Moffits to avoid paying their legal bills. CONTACT. Baker didn't respond to a request for comment. Another factor in his decision to run: Trump, who in July encouraged him to enter the race. If you care about Michigan, please support our work. Critics of Karamo questioned her ability to unite the party, raise money and her history of spreading unfounded conspiracy theories involving elections, porn and yoga. DePerno has clashed frequently with Republicans who have stressed the need to move on from the 2020 election. "Were going to win.. DePerno is considered a frontrunner for the Michigan Republican Partys nomination for attorney general, along with former state House Speaker Tom Leonard, the GOP nominee in 2018. Longtime GOP mega-donor Ron Weiser, a wealthy Ann Arbor businessman, opted against seeking another term as party chairman. His work on an unsuccessful lawsuit challenging 2020 results in Antrim County put him on the front lines of Trumps attempt to overturn the election, and litigation involving that effort continues. Bob LaBrant, a longtime Republican lawyer who previously worked for the Michigan Chamber of Commerce, said he cast his absentee ballot for Nessel this fall. In October 2019, Connors dismissed the case against The News "with prejudice" and ordered DePerno and Courser to pay The News $79,701 as a sanction, according to Washtenaw County court records. At the end of 2020, DePerno began gaining national attention for challenging the election results in northern Michigan's Antrim County. 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 ofmaking false claimsfor personal profit, echoing allegations that marred DePernos legal career nearly two decades earlier. Elissa Slotkin announces bid to succeed Debbie Stabenow. (Bridge photo by Jonathan Oosting). Were going to be a political machine that strikes fear in the heart of Democrats," Karamo told delegates. 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. The Moffits never filed a criminal complaint. 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.". State Rep. Steve Carra, R-Three Rivers, has been an outspoken DePerno supporter. 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. In order to win the chair position, a candidate had to receive more than 50% support. The contraceptive prevents ovulation and does not induce an abortion. On his website he states he would declare critical race theory unconstitutional, calling it a Marxist agenda.. I think the party recreates itself locally. Campaign donors love a winner, dump Michigan GOP for Democrats after election, Turns out, young voters didnt sway 22 election in Michigan, records show, Basically broke, Michigan GOP to charge delegates to attend convention, Share the article you just read on Twitter, Share the article you just read on Facebook, Share the article you just read via email, Michigan stopped Ohio toxic waste last week, but we import waste every day, Democrats push Michigan gun reforms. But Democrats have slammed his continued unproven claims about fraud in the 2020 election. Subject. 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. Matt and Laura have three wonderful children who are all current or former students at Michigan State University (MSU). As recently as last month, he criticized the GOP-led Legislature for failing to. I try not to get emotional when I talk about the guy," Dernis said. DePerno received a bachelor's degree from the University of Michigan, a J.D. 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. He fights the fight for the little guy, and for the good guy. He went on to earn a graduate qualification at theNew York University School of Law. DePerno and Courser couldn't pay the amount, they argued in court. DePerno and Karamo were viewed as the favorites because they have been working with delegates for more than a year as it was the delegates who nominated them for attorney general and secretary of state last year. Two years into what had become a vicious legal fight, DePerno allegedly pressured the Moffits to sign a fee agreement that put their property mortgages up as collateral in the event they could not pay DePernos legal bills, which Buhl described as an unorthodox deal the kind of which he had never seen before. As a tax attorney who worked primarily in Kalamazoo and Van Buren counties, his legal career has been marked by discord. Greenlee, who's worked in politics for more than three decades, appeared to be gaining some level of support on Saturday. Matthew DePerno: What to know about Michigan GOP attorney general candidate. ", While DePerno said he was conceding the race, he also said he would "refuse to concede that Michigan is a blue state. Michigans nonpartisan, nonprofit news source. Matt and Laura have three wonderful children who are all current or former students at Michigan State University (MSU). to willful neglect of duty by a public officer. The nomination wont be official until a separate August convention, but the early endorsement will allow a candidate to raise funds and campaign as the presumed nominee. All rights reserved. Matt DePerno, an attorney general candidate endorsed by former President Donald Trump, sued the firm over his firing and denied the allegations in court. George Dernis, who DePerno has represented in a nearly eight-year legal battle over foreclosure of Michigan properties he'd used as collateral to purchase a grocery store, said DePerno helped guide his family through "hell and back. 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 DePernos characterization of dismissal the farthest thing from the truth.. Gretchen Whitmer and Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson for "for all the damage they have done" in office. "Thank goodness that most of my cases were nothing like this one. 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. 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. 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. Perry Johnson (Governor) - $270,000. They've suggested fraud and hacking. In at least one instance, DePerno admitted that he falsified billing to a clients account, the law firms attorney said in a court filing. 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. After realizing there were problems with the numbers, Antrim County Clerk Sheryl Guy's office canvassed the election results and reported official numbers. He is currently representing anAnn Arbor firefighterwho he said was fired for refusing to get vaccinated against COVID-19. She previously worked as an assistant prosecutor in the Wayne County Prosecutor's Office. They need to see a party actually advocating for the values we espouse. He alleged oppression of a minority shareholder and said his termination caused "extreme mental anguish, emotional distress, shock and humiliation.". Michiganders deserve more from their elected officials, and as American Citizens, our constitutional right to ensure fair, free, and secure elections. More:The DePerno 9: Outspoken election critics tied to Michigan tabulator 'conspiracy'. Matthew has been fighting against tyranny in Michigan for many years, including protesting across the state against Whitmer and Nessel's unconstitutional mask mandates, school and business lockdowns, vaccine mandates, and critical race theory. DePerno was fired from one law firm, fought over client records after leaving a second firm and was accused of assaulting a client amid a fee dispute, according to court documents and transcripts reviewed by Bridge. "Incredibly, the appeals court noted, DePerno made the following analogy: lets assume a Judge was raped. 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.