Gus Chan / The Marshall Project
Leslie Ann Celebrezze, administrative judge of the Cuyahoga County Domestic Relations Court.
The court-appointed receiver at the center of a contentious divorce case that resulted in the removal of Cuyahoga County Domestic Relations Judge Leslie Ann Celebrezze has already billed over $500,000 in fees for his firm’s work on the case.
The figures contained in court records came to light amid a heated hearing Oct. 26 before visiting Judge Debra Boros, who was assigned the case after Celebrezze was removed.
In August, Ohio Supreme Court Chief Justice Sharon Kennedy removed Celebrezze from the divorce case, after finding the judge violated court policy when she assigned herself to the divorce case of a wealthy Strongsville couple. Prior to being removed, Celebrezze had appointed her long-time family friend, Mark Dottore, as receiver to oversee the couple’s multiple businesses.
In addition to the $500,000 billed to the Strongsville couple, Dottore has been paid at least $500,000 over the years in other cases connected to Celebrezze.
The Marshall Project - Cleveland first reported in July that Celebrezze was the only one of the court’s five judges who appointed receivers in divorce cases. She never disclosed her friendship with Dottore.
In the Oct. 26 hearing, Boros said she would not immediately rule on a motion to remove Dottore from the case.
Through Oct. 20, according to court records, Dottore’s firm has billed businessman Jason Jardine and his wife nearly $270,000 in fees. Dottore’s company attorneys have billed the couple another $246,000, court records show.
As talks between attorneys for Jardine and Dottore grew heated during the hearing, Boros ordered about 15 people, including a reporter from The Marshall Project - Cleveland seated in the public gallery, to leave the courtroom. The reporter objected to the removal, citing long-established court procedures. Boros relented and allowed those in attendance to stay.
Tensions continued to flare inside and outside the courtroom between Dottore and Jardine. Court deputies issued warnings to both sides.
In the wake of The Marshall Project - Cleveland’s reporting, people connected to the Jardine divorce case, as well as a former Celebrezze assistant, have been questioned by FBI agents about the judge’s conduct. FBI agents traditionally do not comment on, or acknowledge, ongoing investigations. Celebrezze and Dottore have denied any wrongdoing.
