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April 7, 2005 Record-Eagle/Douglas Tesner Judge Michael Haley listens to testimony during his hearing to determine if he inappropriately accepted football tickets and then failed to cooperate with investigators. Judge Haley defends ticket eventHe's also accused of lack of candorByRecord-Eagle staff writer BELLAIRE - A local judge spent a day on the other side of the bench in a hearing to determine if he'll be disciplined for accepting football tickets from a lawyer and failing to cooperate with investigators. Former Judge Casper O. Grathwohl presided over the hearing Wednesday for 86th District Court Chief Judge Michael Haley. The state Judicial Tenure Commission accused Haley of impropriety for accepting a pair of University of Michigan football tickets from attorney and former judge Richard Benedict in October 2003 during a court session in Antrim County. Haley also is accused of lack of candor for denying he sent a letter to Antrim Sheriff Terry Johnson that banned deputy Terry Skurnit from working as a court officer after Skurnit reported the ticket incident. "Banning Skurnit is not the issue," said Paul Fischer, executive director of the tenure commission. "What happened after is." Skurnit testified he witnessed the ticket exchange Oct. 14 and later discussed it with Prosecutor Charles Koop. "(Koop) just shrugged his shoulders and walked away," said Skurnit, who testified that Koop allegedly threatened him after he obtained a copy of the court transcript showing the exchange between Haley and Benedict. "I was kind of bewildered," said Skurnit. "Mr. Koop would charge me with a felony if I took (football) tickets on a traffic stop." But attorney Brian Einhorn said the ticket incident and Haley's alleged lack of candor indicated an "inconsequential matter that has been blown way out of proportion." "(Skurnit) put a spin on it. 'Judge Haley is on the take,' he tells people," said Einhorn. "We have a deputy who had an ax to grind." Fischer objected several times as Einhorn repeatedly asked witnesses about Skurnit's tenure with the sheriff's office. Grathwohl, who will report his findings to the commission, agreed. "Skurnit is not on trial here," said Grathwohl, who warned Einhorn repeatedly. "(Credibility) is not relevant to the issue here." Benedict testified on Haley's behalf that he regularly gave tickets away, and offered them to Haley to give away. "I gave him the tickets to give to someone," he said. "It wasn't a gift." But Grathwohl said it appeared from the court transcript that Haley planned to go to the game. "If he had gone, I would have expected him to pay me," Benedict responded. "He is a judge."
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