PLAY IT AGAIN, SAM
The hits keep coming for 2022 Republican attorney general candidate Matt DePerno, who lost in a landslide to Democrat incumbent Dana Nessel. He then missed gaining the reins of the Michigan GOP to the infamous Kristina Karamo, at the same time as the Michigan Attorney Grievance Commission investigated complaints as to whether he committed alleged misconduct against former clients. We’ve yet to hear from the commission, which could discipline him if they find him at fault – including the ultimate penalty of revoking his license to practice law. Now comes another complaint, filed January 21, 2025, by Timothy Rugg with the Michigan Attorney Grievance Commission, alleging DePerno failed to provide competent legal representation to a client as well as improper billing. Rugg hired DePerno in 2022 to represent him when he felt he was improperly fired as a fire inspector for Ann Arbor after refusing to get a Covid vaccine when his religious exemption request was denied. Rugg claimed DePerno failed to respond to union arbitration hearing requests, did not let him know when those union arbitration hearings were occurring, and did not respond to numerous emails from Rugg about updates on his lawsuit against the city of Ann Arbor. Then DePerno hit him up with almost $10,000 worth of billing. “It’s just what he (DePerno) did before. He takes the clients’ money but he doesn’t represent them,” said a top Republican. DePerno has blamed all his problems on Democratic opponents.
