LIVINGSTON COUNTY – A Livingston County judge's legal problems continue to grow.
In addition to the Judicial Tenure Commission looking to sanction her for improper conduct, she is now being sued by the county where she worked.
Judge Theresa M. Brennan was employed at the 53 District Court, but she doesn't work there anymore. She's on administrative leave with pay.
The Judicial Tenure Commission revealed charges against Brennan in June. Those charges include misconduct in office, conduct clearly prejudicial to the administration of justice and failure to respect and observe the law.
The Judicial Tenure Commission said Michigan State Police investigator Sean Furlong and Brennan were having an affair during the murder trial of Jerome Kowalski. Kowalski is serving a life sentence after his conviction.
The commission also accused Brennan of having her court staff doing personal errands on county time for years. The complaint reads, "defendant routinely assigned, delegated and forced employees under her supervision to complete non-work related personal tasks for her personal benefit during business hours."
It continues, "defendant informed the court employees that if they failed or refused to perform the personal tasks as assigned and directed by defendant their employment would be in jeopardy."
One employee allegedly stained her home deck and installed Netflix on her home television. Others were asked to internet shop for her and asked to get the best deals possible. Her staff would also, as the Justice Tenure Commission claims, pay her personal bills and even do campaign work on county time.
You can view the judicial tenure commission complaint here:
You can view the response to the complaint here: