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.”
