DETROIT (AP) — A judge accused of misconduct in a dispute over the estate of Rosa Parks says he won't step aside from the case.
Wayne County Probate Judge Freddie Burton Jr. says an attorney who wants him disqualified has offered nothing but "insulting" and "malicious" allegations. His response was filed last week.
Steven G. Cohen has accused Burton of conspiring with two lawyers to put the estate of the civil rights pioneer in debt. Parks left almost all her estate to the Rosa and Raymond Parks Institute, which Cohen represents. When Parks' nieces and nephews challenged the estate, the judge appointed two lawyers as fiduciaries.
The Michigan Supreme Court reversed some of Burton's decisions in December, including the appointments of fiduciaries.
Cohen wants the chief judge of Probate Court to disqualify Burton.
