The attorney whose failed 2020 lawsuit spawned the right-wing mania over voting-machine fraud grabbed a former client by the shirt and threatened him with the loss of his home in 2014, according to court records reviewed by Bridge Michigan. Matthew DePerno, currently running for state attorney general with Donald Trump’s blessing, was accused of legal malpractice by Ronald and Cathleen Moffit, whom he represented after their home burned down. In a dispute over alleged predatory billing practices, DePerno “physically grabbed” Ronald, he testified in a sworn affidavit. DePerno called the allegation “outrageous” but court filings reveal he moved to foreclose and profit from the Moffits’ home just days after they refused to pay his fee. DePerno was also fired from his previous law firm for “fraud, deceit and dishonesty with regards to bogus billing,” according to another filing obtained by Bridge Michigan.
