Judge DESTROYS Attorney After She Abandons Client Before Critical Hearing

Added: 2026-05-28

[00:00:00]There's like so much >> And not informed the court, not informed the defendant, not informed anybody that you won't be counsel record.

[00:00:07]>> Apologies, they've all got dropped. The County of Washington State of Michigan is now back in session. You may You may be seated.

[00:00:16]Court does call the case of the People State of Michigan. Well, this is in Slater matter in regard to counsel.

[00:00:24]Make your appearance. Good morning, Your Honor. Tiffany Hughes, P79762.

[00:00:29]All right. And as she has then just so that we're clear on the record, this was a show cause hearing which was set by the court regarding your failure to appear for Mr. Slater's uh preliminary examination.

[00:00:44]I further indicated to you that uh it was troublesome for the court that this got set and that at the time that it was set court is aware that um you knew that you had taken employment elsewhere and that Mr. Slater then appeared for a preliminary examination in effect with not I won't say without counsel, but without counsel that was ready to proceed um regarding his statutory right to have that hearing.

[00:01:23]Um further um that um Ultimately, the court was also informed of the case by Mr. Slater that he had not been communicated with by you except for the initial time.

[00:01:47]Um had not been communicated about your impending departure um when he then appeared before the court.

[00:01:57]Um since that time I will also indicate to you that uh because of this and I'm only dealing with the Slater matter, but there were other instances during this same time.

[00:02:12]Um one being in 15th District Court and I believe one being um downtown uh before the Circuit Court where you were counsel record and did not appear for those proceedings.

[00:02:28]>> [snorts] >> I will say also specifically regarding >> [clears throat] >> this proceeding that on the date and time set for um the preliminary examination that this court um through my office tried to contact you numerous different ways and we did not receive a response.

[00:02:54]Um the ultimate uh thing in that is that Mr. Slater's uh preliminary examination, which I believe was ultimately waived, but he did not have his preliminary examination and his proceeding was delayed by I believe approximately 2 months.

[00:03:17]So the court has issued the show cause to see why this court should not hold you in contempt and issue sanctions.

[00:03:25]So your honor, I did inform special like the people that assigned me the case, I did inform them and just I let them know what case I had outstanding. I was then contacted by the attorney that would be subbing in for me and I gave him all of the information.

[00:03:44]Um I sent it to an email as soon as he contacted me. It was like almost like simultaneous, so But what day was that?

[00:03:52]It's the it was so they contacted me what the substitute attorney they contacted me on February not February March uh 8th and I sent it on March 8th.

[00:04:08]Substitution attorney was a Bernstein Bernstein? Yes. And I sent him all of the discovery everything that I had on Slater.

[00:04:19]And And before he and I went to the special counsel office and I just gave them a list of everything that I had outstanding and But counsel that your obligations under the court rule are to still appear.

[00:04:39]I mean I because the >> [clears throat] >> preliminary examination say that was on the March 8th.

[00:04:52]That was a Friday.

[00:04:54]Preliminary examination was set that Tuesday.

[00:05:01]For Mr. Slater and Mr. Slater had not been informed um when you were doing all of this.

[00:05:10]And then I spoke with previously before I spoke with his mother and I informed her and then I gave her the new attorney's information.

[00:05:20]With Mr. Slater's mother.

[00:05:31]Why would on February 29th you have set this for preliminary examination when you knew that you would not be counsel that you had accepted other employment. I would think I thought that another counsel would sub in for me in time.

[00:05:54]Cuz I like I said I informed special counsel special counsel who assigns this I informed him so I thought that another >> On what day did you inform them?

[00:06:04]This was uh February 22nd, I believe. 20 February 22nd, I believe.

[00:06:18]Then why do I not receive a motion to withdraw until March 11th?

[00:06:22]I don't know, your honor.

[00:06:24]Well, you're the one Counsel, you can't just say I don't know because you're the one responsible to withdraw from the case.

[00:06:31]Regardless of the fact that the MAC office is the one that gives your name, you it is your obligation.

[00:06:40]It's not their obligation.

[00:06:47]You would agree with that.

[00:06:49]I mean, you're the attorney of record.

[00:06:52]Understandable.

[00:06:59]But if you knew on the 22nd of February that you were going to be withdrawing from cases, I don't un this matter.

[00:07:15]I don't get anything until March.

[00:07:21]My apologies. I didn't know like they said they did all the motions to withdraw for me so I thought they would have gotten it sooner. I did inform them February 22nd and I thought that substitution counsel would be in before then. I >> Ms. Hughes, if that's true, then why on February 29th, this would have been a week after, do you appear and set the case for preliminary examination?

[00:07:57]Because I thought >> And not inform the court, not inform the defendant, not inform anybody that you won't be counsel record.

[00:08:08]Again, I Again, I thought that it would be substitution counsel, so I really thought that it would be so a counsel would be substituted in and that's That doesn't even make any sense, Ms. Hughes. If on the 22nd of February, you know and you say you informed them of that, you appear on the 29th of February, do not do anything to withdraw, do not do anything to place your client in a position where they're not worse off.

[00:08:41]You indeed, what you do is you set him for preliminary examination at a time you know you're not going to be counsel.

[00:08:51]And now the judge starts drilling into the timeline like a prosecutor building a case. February 22nd, she knew she was leaving. February 29th, she still appears in court. March 12th arrives and nobody shows up ready to proceed. From the judge's perspective, the explanation keeps colliding with one brutal legal reality.

[00:09:12]Until the court formally approves your withdrawal, you are still the attorney on the case, period. This is one of those moments where courtroom procedure stops being paperwork and starts becoming professional liability.

[00:09:32]So that doesn't even make any What you're telling me doesn't make any sense.

[00:09:36]Yeah.

[00:09:40]So, why didn't you do something on the 29th?

[00:09:44]Okay, I was still trying to get all of my other ones in order, not just this court, but just all of the other courts that I was I was trying to tie up those and all got dropped.

[00:10:02]It doesn't make any sense to me. This is I and I want to give you the benefit of doubt on this, but if you're telling me on the 22nd of February that you knew that you had other employment, that you informed, you're saying at that time without turning this into a full-blown hearing, but I'll bring them down that on the 22nd that you informed the Mac office, I don't you appeared then on Mr. Slater's case on the 29th, set it for a preliminary examination, say nothing to the court, nothing to Mr. Slater or anyone that you will not be the one handling the preliminary examination. You are still the attorney of record.

[00:10:45]The 12th comes along cuz that's the day that got set for for March 12th, you do not appear on March 12th.

[00:10:57]We sent you various communications during that day. You didn't appear before the court on the 12th and just did nothing.

[00:11:12]In fact, counsel, you don't know on the 12th that he that other counsel has been appointed to represent him.

[00:11:30]I did know on the 12th. I the count other counsel the other the info on the Eddie.

[00:11:38]So, it was my understanding that was his other counsel.

[00:11:42]If he communicated me and asked me for the discovery, I You are not released from an obligation until the court releases you.

[00:11:55]You do know that, don't you?

[00:12:00]Yes, and I thought that with him calling me and informing me that I was released.

[00:12:05]My apologies, they've all got dropped.

[00:12:08]>> [snorts] >> The ball didn't get dropped. I don't even have I don't have an order even to sign if I wanted to.

[00:12:18]But, I don't even get an order to me that I eventually signed until which is your obligation to withdraw, not the Mack office obligation to withdraw. I don't get an order until the 12th, the date of his prelim.

[00:12:42]And then they have to adjourn the proceeding now.

[00:12:50]Anything else you want to say? No.

[00:12:59]And Mrs. I'm just going to let you know, I don't appreciate also that when my staff reaches out to you, when this court reaches out to you, irrespective of everybody else, we got no response from you. None.

[00:13:14]We sent emails, we made phone calls.

[00:13:17]I didn't get a phone call.

[00:13:21]We did not get a response.

[00:14:17]Anything else you want to pay? I I was trying to find a way where this was not something that I should sanction this use, but I I don't see that.

[00:14:27]Anything else you want to say?

[00:14:29]Nothing further. I'm going to sanction you to $500.

[00:14:35]That's to be paid to the court. When can you get that paid to the court?

[00:14:38]>> I'm going to need about 2 months.

[00:14:40]Pardon? I'm going to need about 2 months.

[00:14:44]>> [clears throat] >> Is that something I can pay online or You'll have to ask the clerk's up front.

[00:15:16]That's to be paid by June 21st, 2024.

[00:15:24]Thank you.