16th Judicial Circuit Court

Macomb County
Circuit Judges:
JAMES M. BIERNAT, JR, ChiefJudge
MATTHEW s. SWITALSKI, ChiefJudge Pro Tem
MARK s. SWITALSKI Clerk afthe Court
EDWARD A. SERVITTO, JR. KAREN SPRANGER
RICHARD L. CARETTI
DIANE M. DRUZINSKI Court Administrator
TRACEY A. YOKICH JULIE L. BOVENSCHEN

A. VIVIANO
JENNIFER M. FAUNCE
JAMES M. MACERONI
JOSEPH TOIA

CARL J. MARLINGA
MICHAEL E. SERVITTO
RACHEL RANCILIO

November 6, 2017

Ms. Karen Spranger Court Clerk
Macomb County Clerk?s Of?ce
40 N. Main Street 1St Floor

Mt. Clemens, MI 48043

Dear Clerk Karen Spranger:

Due to the increasing backlog of court ?lings and processing, the Court requires immediate action on the following
areas. First, as of this morning, your Of?ce is behind in processing 2,822 e-?ling bundles, with the oldest
unprocessed bundle dated October 9, 2017. Additionally, all of last week, the e-?ling backlog was over 3,000 and
at its highest of 3,242 unprocessed e-?ling bundles. This backlog is problematic for our judges that rely on these
bundles being processed timely. As the Court has previously directed, e-?ling bundles should be processed same
day they are submitted and no later than 48 hours after submission. The Court requires that the e??ling backlog be
brought within 48 hours by Thursday, November 9, 2017.

Second, as of this morning, your Of?ce has failed to process LEIN criminal history reports dating back to August 2,
2017 with 1,632 waiting to be processed. We have discussed LEIN certi?cation concerns and issues with you since
July 2017 and emphasized the importance of having staff dedicated solely to this task. However, you have failed to
get any staff ?Jlly certi?ed and you do not acknowledge your LEIN Terminal Agency Coordinator (TAC), Lisa
Emerson, as an employee. The Court requires that you bring LEIN criminal history reporting within 48 hours by
Thursday, November 9, 2017 and provide your LEIN TAC all LEIN administrative ?les.

Third, as of this morning, your Of?ce has failed to process paper ?lings in a timely manner with outstanding ?lings
dating back to August 2017. This causes signi?cant issues for our judges to properly process their caseload and
results in numerous occasions of a ?le containing limited up-to-date pleadings. The Court requires that the paper
?lings backlog be brought within 48 hours by Thursday, November 9, 2017.

Fourth, we continue to recognize that your department is currently short-staffed and that this is interfering with
your ability to perform various duties of your Of?ce. However, we have received information that you continue to
decline or delay ?lling these positions, to the detriment of the Court?s operations. Speci?cally, un?lled positions

 

Macomb County Court Building
40 N. Main Street, Mt. Clemens, MI 48043
circuitcourt.macombgov.org

Ms. Karen Spranger
November 6, 2017
Page -2-

consist of two Typist Clerk three Computer Maintenance Clerks, one Supervisor of Records, one Clerical
Supervisor, one Administrative Secretary, one Administrative Coordinator, and one Deputy Court Clerk. The
Court requires that you work with and follow the policies set forth by Human Resources and Labor Relations to ?ll
your vacant positions forthwith.

Fifth, the Court requires that you recognize and utilize your Chief Deputy Clerk, Lisa Emerson in her full capacity.
This is necessary to provide proper reporting, training, and assistance to the Court section.

If you are unable to comply with the Court?s requirements, we will take appropriate measures to ensure the Court?s
work is completed timely.

Sincerely,

 

Ho . James M. Biemat, Jr.
Ch' Judge 16th Judicial Circuit,
Macomb County Probate and 42nd District Courts

 

Macomb County Court Building
40 N. Main Street, Mt. Clemens, MI 48043
circuitcourtmacombgov.org