Karamo had 58% of the vote on the . In May 2021, a local judge blocked DePerno's push for an "independent and nonpartisan forensic audit" in Antrim County. 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. Repeating the Big Lie is dangerous and presents a very serious threat to our democracy," said Lavora Barnes, chairwoman of the Michigan Democrat Party, in April. from New York University School of Law. 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. Matthew DePerno for Attorney General In 2005, DePerno launched his own law firm in Kalamazoo County, where he's practiced tax and real estate law. 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. And I think were peaking.". Dodge has since retired and told Bridge Michigan he did not remember the dispute well. I think were going to do local infrastructure and getting back to basics, the blocking and tackling of winning elections.". We report because the news impacts all of us. Gretchen Whitmer in public polling and in the last election. from the University of Detroit Mercy School of Law, and an LL.M. Michigans nonpartisan, nonprofit news source. In at least one instance, DePerno admitted that he falsified billing to a clients account, the law firms attorney said in a court filing. Karamo, who lost by 14 points to Democratic incumbent Jocelyn Benson in November, made the pitch to delegates that her refusal to concede was an asset. DePerno is a leading advocate for a forensic audit of the 2020 election. Greenlee advanced to the second round of voting ahead of other contenders Tuscola County GOP Chairman Billy Putman, J.D. Courser, who was accused of using House staff and resources to help cover up an extra-marital affair, ultimately pleaded no contest to a charge of willful neglect of duty by a public officer, a one-year misdemeanor. 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. DePerno later sued the law firm, claiming breach of contract and oppression of a minority shareholder. 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. John Engler. Muskegon County Prosecutor D.J. State Rep. Ryan Berman is also running. In November 2020, Antrim County resident, William Bailey, hired Matthew to represent him in his lawsuit against Antrim County and the Michigan Secretary of States office, to conduct his own audit of the November general election irregularities in Antrim County. "We look forward to having a Republican Party that shows Michiganders that were here to serve. 0:57. On Nov. 8, voters will decide whether to put him in the attorney general's office. DePerno is willing to take on "the status quo of corruption," Carra said. After realizing there were problems with the numbers, Antrim County Clerk Sheryl Guy's office canvassed the election results and reported official numbers. 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.. "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. Before the November election, she unsuccessfully sued and asked a judge to require residents of Detroit, Michigan's largest city, to vote in person or obtain their ballots in person at the clerk's office. Matthew DePerno is an attorney who serves clients worldwide from his office in Kalamazoo Michigan, USA. DePerno had represented an older couple Ronald and Cathleen Moffit whose home burned down in 2011. 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. 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. A fighter or a threat? Matt DePerno could be Michigan's next attorney "That would be a privileged question.". 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. It's unclear why DePerno was never arrested. Michigan attorney general says FBI confirmed she was target of plot to Baker didn't respond to a request for comment. 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.. The numbers became jumbled during the communication of the unofficial results to the county's election management system. Kallman had hoped Greenlee would pull out an upset. 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. Greenlee, who's worked in politics for more than three decades, appeared to be gaining some level of support on Saturday. 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. "Matthew DePerno showed up the day after the election, using our president's name, taking nearly $400,000 from every one of you," Leonard said during a debate in Oakland County. Matt attended the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor where he received a Bachelor of Arts degree. 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. People get into disputes and they say things about each other in litigation, he told Bridge in a phone interview. He's challenging Democrat Attorney General Dana Nessel, a lawyer from Plymouth, who has under-performed Democratic Gov. "And yet, here I am running for attorney general to restore integrity, justice and morality in Michigan.. Those allegations, contained in never-before-reported documents out of Kalamazoo County Circuit Court, were only made public because DePerno sued the firm in an attempt to cash out his shares and transfer the lease on a company vehicle that was repossessed after his firing. 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. ", More:Matt DePerno's rapid rise in GOP politics mired in controversy, lawsuits. 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 secret to a good campaign is to peak at the right time," Greenlee said. He cut his teeth as a tax attorney in southwest Michigan but eventually expanded his Portage-based practice. 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. 38th State Senate Candidate for Michigan. He also represented former state Rep. Todd Courser in a sex scandal cover-up case, which ended with Courser. 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. Will you please support our nonprofit newsroom? Other Republican activists also lined up behind DePerno, citing his aggressive approach. 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. Both of the final two candidates, Karamo and DePerno, had denied the results of the 2020 election: Trump's loss. "I've been doing this for 25 years," DePerno said of his legal background. 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. Matt DePerno, an attorney general candidate endorsed by former President Donald Trump, sued the firm over his firing and denied the allegations in court. Greene once tweeted that DePerno would be an "unmitigated disaster." Especially if the Judge has expressed a dislike for rapists., Kent County Circuit Court Judge Donald A. Johnston, who presided over the disqualification hearing, denied DePernos request to remove Dodge, and noted that, I dont know of any judges that have ever expressed a like for rapists.. 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. I've taken on cases that people even in the media have disagreed with.. Sponsor Taxation 1994-95 University of Detroit Mercy School of Law They advanced to a second round before Karamo beat DePerno in the third and final vote. His campaign website says he will "restore law and order" and "uphold the Constitution.". 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. 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. He is currently representing an Ann Arbor firefighter who he said was fired for refusing to get vaccinated against COVID-19. DePerno also transferred "his interest in the marital home" to his wife's trust for $1, according to the lawyers for The News. Ironically, DePerno, who was a fierce opponent of the 2020 election results and consistently denied their outcome, conceded the race for attorney general prior to it being called by media outlets. On February 20, 2014, Mr. DePerno physically grabbed (me) by the shirt and informed me that if I did not immediately pay the attorney fees owed that my wife and I would lose our home in a matter of weeks, Ronald Moffit, who died in 2019, said in his sworn affidavit. Gretchen Whitmer and Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson for "for all the damage they have done" in office. Firm: Michigan AG hopeful Matt DePerno fired over 'padded,' false DePerno raised nearly $400,000 for an Election Fraud Defense Fund in 2020, and critics have urged him to disclose what he did with that money.