An Ingham County judge put the corruption trial of a former Michigan House speaker on hold Monday.
Former Republican House Speaker Lee Chatfield faces 13 felony charges. The state accuses him of allegedly using funds from a political nonprofit and campaign committees for personal uses, like travel and paying off credit cards.
A jury trial was supposed to start Tuesday.
The delay is so Chatfield attorney Mary Chartier can appeal a decision to allow witness testimony from a forensic accountant that had been working with the state. Chartier reportedly shared concerns the witness’ experience wasn’t relevant to the specifics of this case.
The appeals process could take months to play out before the Michigan Court of Appeals. Meanwhile, Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel leaves office at the end of the year.
In an emailed statement, Nessel accused the defense and courts of stalling.
“I have never seen a trial delayed like this; it's outrageous and beyond unusual. If the Court hadn't adjourned this case for nearly an entire year, bending over backward to accommodate Lee Chatfield's lawyers in their endless efforts to push this important trial past my last day in office, this simple evidentiary matter would have been resolved months ago,” Nessel said.
The case was bound over for trial in May last year. A rundown of events in the case shows a series of jury trial dates being tentatively set then pushed back.
In an email to the Michigan Public Radio Network, Chartier said Nessel was “out-of-touch” with litigation.
“There is nothing unusual about the scheduling of this trial. Courts are busy, and [Nessel’s] continued disrespect to judges is unbecoming of an elected official. Moreover, her office disclosed the so-called expert as a trial witness less than a month before trial. If the disclosure had been made earlier, it would have been challenged earlier. It’s as simple as that,” Chartier said.
