Cuyahoga County Domestic Relations Judge Leslie Ann Celebrezze has filed her responses to multiple counts of misconduct alleging she steered lucrative divorce cases to a personal friend, Ohio Disciplinary Counsel records show.
A three-member panel will now conduct a disciplinary hearing and make a recommendation to the Board of Professional Conduct as to whether a violation occurred.
Celebrezze is scheduled to face the panel on Jan. 30-31 in Columbus.
The three misconduct counts, originally filed Sept. 26 with the Ohio Supreme Court, came more than a year after The Marshall Project - Cleveland detailed how Celebrezze accepted several divorce cases and appointed her lifelong friend Mark Dottore and his company as receiver.
The Ohio Disciplinary Counsel alleges in the complaint that Celebrezze “disclosed to at least two of her fellow judges that she was in love with Dottore, and that she had consulted with attorneys about getting a divorce from her husband.” She is also accused of making a false statement during the investigation and violating multiple rules of judicial and professional conduct relating to public confidence and avoiding the appearance of impropriety.
In her Oct. 30 response to the Disciplinary Counsel, Celebrezze admits that “she disclosed to her fellow judges that … she loves Dottore,” but not “in a romantic manner.” She denied having an inappropriate relationship.
Celebrezze did not respond to a request for comment.
Highland County Judge Rocky A. Coss is slated to chair the disciplinary panel, which also includes Columbiana County Prosecutor Vito J. Abruzzino and attorney Margaret M. Murray, according to Disciplinary Counsel records.
If the Board of Professional Conduct agrees with the three-member panel, it will then make a recommendation to the Ohio Supreme Court for an appropriate sanction.
For more details on the complaint against Celebrezze, read our story here.
