Visiting Judge Alan Hedegard admitted to receiving $200 for the
February 2007 wedding of Patrick Pekin, the most recent petitioner
in the civil case against former Supervisor Richard Scagliotti.
He’s also the son of Michael Pekin, the Monterey County attorney
who has led the effort against Scagliotti since its inception.
HOLLISTER
The judge who has overseen attorney Michael Pekin’s civil trial against former Supervisor Richard Scagliotti has recused himself from the case after he admitted to presiding over the 2007 wedding of Patrick Pekin, the lawyer’s son and the most recent petitioner among several filings.
It puts to a rest, for now, a 5-year-old quarrel that started with a 2003 lawsuit against Scagliotti and the San Benito County Board filed by an anonymous group calling themselves “Los Valientes,” which means “the brave ones” in Spanish, whom Michael Pekin also represented. Through a slew of allegations – while several versions of the suit have been filed under different names, most recently Pekin’s son – the accusers have alleged that the longtime supervisor abused his position to benefit his business interests as a developer. Scagliotti has denied all the charges.
Scagliotti’s San Jose-based attorney Michael Serverian first requested the recusal Oct. 2 while filing a notice of disclosure, and then on Oct. 20 he filed a written motion to recuse visiting Monterey County Judge Alan Hedegard, the attorney told the Free Lance.
Serverian said Hedegard, who coudn’t be reached immediately before publication, has acknowledged accepting $200 for the February 2007 wedding proceeding. Hedegard, meanwhile, has been overseeing portions of the civil case since a short time after its inception five years ago, while the trial began March 3 of this year.
A judge is required to recuse himself if a person has doubt the judge could be impartial, said Serverian.
Michael Pekin, the Monterey County lawyer, told the Free Lance today that Hedegard “had a contact with one of the parties of the case and thought it was harmless, but realized later he should have disclosed.”
“The judge then stepped aside voluntarily,” said Pekin, who added that he believes the judge provided a “remarkable service he can be proud of.”
Pekin said there will be proceedings in the coming weeks to determine what happens next.
“These things happen,” Pekin summarized. “They have happened in the past, and they will happen in the future.”
