Top tax court judge should be suspended 9 months without pay, review panel says
A review panel has recommended that the chief judge of the Minnesota Tax Court be censured and suspended without pay for nine months, because he routinely exceeded the three-month deadline for submitting his opinions and falsified dates to try to obscure his noncompliance.
Nonetheless, Judge George Perez was known for not filing timely tax opinions, suggesting “a lack of oversight, both organizationally and technologically.” the Board on Judicial Standards wrote. Its recommendation, which includes monthly reports by Perez on the status of his cases and a requirement that he seek permission for extensions from the new chief judge, once he is back on the bench, now goes to the state supreme court for a final decision, the Star Tribune reports.
Attorney Frederick Finch represents Perez. He called the board’s sanctions recommendation “disproportionate to what the supreme court has approved in other kinds of cases” and pointed out that two of the charges against his client were dismissed.
See also:
ABAJournal.com: “Lawyer sanctions in Minnesota could set record; is economy a factor?”
ABAJournal.com: “Top Tax Court Judge in Minnesota Is Accused of Missing Deadlines, Evading Work”
