State Supreme Court Rules to Keep Judge in Heated Collection Case

It’s been a tough several months for Minnesota Attorney General Mike Hatch. Failed bid for governor aside, he’s not getting any respect in court, either. Minnesota’s seven Supreme Court justices are sticking by a lower court judge whom Hatch has accused of unseemly canoodling with collection agencies.

Minnesota Attorney General Hatch tried to have Judge Leary III removed from two cases Hatch was directly involved in. Leary claimed that Hatch improperly tried to influence the court in its decision making.

Hatch filed two lawsuits back in 2004: one against New Jersey-based collection firm JBC & Associates and its related law firm; the other against Minneapolis-based law firm Messerli & Kramer. Both suits alleged FDCPA violations.

During the suit, Hatch alleged that Leary took positions and made statements during the mediation sessions that made it impossible for him to remain neutral. So Hatch called Leary – and that’s what caused the kerfluffle. Turns out, mediation of the case was still going on, which makes the phone call from Hatch to Leary against the rules.

The case made it as far up as the State Supreme Court, where Hatch was convinced that things would finally go his way, and Judge Leary would finally get his just desserts.

Only: not so much.

The high court disclosed Thursday that it wouldn’t hear a request from the attorney general’s office to replace William Leary III as the Ramsey County District Court judge presiding over a debt-collection lawsuit. Which pretty much brings an end to this particular case of Hatch v. Leary.

There’s always next summer…