Cuyahoga County Judge Leslie Ann Celebrezze Could Face More Misconduct Charges

Judge Leslie Ann Celebrezze Credit: Gus Chan for The Marshall Project – Cleveland

Cuyahoga County Domestic Relations Judge Leslie Ann Celebrezze could face more misconduct claims, since the Ohio Disciplinary Counsel has been given an extension until Jan. 17 to file an amended complaint related to the judge steering lucrative divorce cases to a personal friend.

A three-member panel was scheduled to hold a disciplinary hearing in late January, but the hearing was moved to March 31, records show. Highland County Judge Rocky A. Coss, the panel chair, ruled that no more extensions would be allowed.

The panel will inform the Board of Professional Conduct whether a judicial code of conduct violation occurred. If the board agrees with the three-member panel, it will then make a recommendation to the Ohio Supreme Court for an appropriate sanction.

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.

This article was published in partnership with The Marshall Project, a nonprofit news organization covering the U.S. criminal justice system. Sign up for their Cleveland newsletter and follow them on Instagram, TikTok, Reddit and Facebook.

This article appears in Jan 1-15, 2025.