Attorney General Loses Dispute Against Judge in Debt Collection Case

Published on:
8 December 2006 at 06:33 a.m. ET

Written by: Unknown Author –

http://www.insidearm.com/news/00007784-attorney-general-loses-dispute-against-ju/

by Mike Bevel, CollectionIndustry.com

And in the case of Minnesota Attorney General Mike Hatch v. Ramsey County Judge William H. Leary III, so far it looks like Judge Leary: 1; Hatch: 0.

Ramsey County District Judge Gregg Johnson said his colleague, Judge William Leary III, won’t have to give up the gavel in a couple of debt-collection lawsuits Hatch’s office is pursuing.

In court filings, Hatch and lawyers in his office accused Leary of making comments construed as biased in favor of the defendants, whose debt-collection practices are under fire. Hatch caught flak for making an after-hours phone call to confront Leary, which exposed the attorney general to the allegations that he broke court conduct rules.

Hatch’s office reacted to the ruling with a written statement.

“While we respect the court’s decision, we are obviously disappointed with the outcome,” it read. “We are reviewing our options at this time.”