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Part of former judge’s appeal granted

Staff Reports

YOUNGSTOWN – A portion of former Mahoning County Court Judge Diane Vettori’s appeal has been granted.

News partner WKBN TV-27 is reporting a panel of visiting judges in the 7th District Court of Appeals this week partially ruled in favor of an appeal filed by Vettori, the judge in Sebring since 2002 who pleaded guilty to stealing several hundred thousand dollars from the estate of a client she once represented in a probate case.

In an opinion issued Thursday, the visiting judges ordered a ruling for Vettori to pay over $12,000 in interest to an estate case Vettori’s lawyers claimed was a “prejudgment” order be vacated but ruled against her claim that the judge in her probate case was not impartial.

Vettori, who has lost her law license, was sentenced in June 2019 to 30 months in federal prison. In a separate case in Mahoning County Probate Court, she was ordered to pay back over $185,000, including over $12,000 interest.

The judges panel ruled there is no record of a hearing held on the matter of interest and ordered the issue be remanded back to a trial court for further action. The panel also ruled there was no evidence the visiting judge, Thomas Swift, was impartial, and dismissed that part of the appeal.

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