DEARBORN — Representatives of the Congress of Arab American Organizations (CAAO) are expected to meet next week to revisit the issue of alleged disparaging comments made by 19th District Court Judge Richard Wygonik in July.

19th District Court Judge Richard Wygonik

The group is scheduled to meet on Wednesday, Feb. 4 at 6 p.m. at the Lebanese American Heritage Club, 4337 Maple Street in Dearborn.
Wygonik met with the group in August and his representatives drafted and released four different letters over the following months to the community addressing the accusations, each letter rejected by CAAO because they did not offer a clear apology.

Wygonik allegedly made the remarks during a conversation with Dearborn Heights City Councilman Tom Berry.

An angry email message circulated by Berry the following day quotes the judge’s wife, Adrenne Wygonik, as having said “Arab parents don’t know how to raise kids, letting them run around, starting trouble everywhere they go.”

Berry alleges that Wygonik agreed, saying “Yeah, especially those from Salina and Fordson.”

Salina School and Fordson High are south and east Dearborn schools with students bodies made up almost entirely of Arab Americans.

Berry said Wygonik also made stereotypical references to former Dearborn businessman Talal Chahine, who owned the La Shish restaurant chain before fleeing the country after being indicted on tax evasion charges.

Wygonik has admitted to making comments on Chahine, but denies he said anything negative about Arab American parents or students.

CAAO representative Sam Salamey, a former 19th District Court magistrate, has carried out much of the negotiations with Wygonik on the content of the letters that attempted to address the issue.

Salamey said the letters did not result in an end to the conflict.

“Negotiations have reached a dead end,” he said. “There were efforts to find a way out of this particular impasse… The follow-up efforts really did not yield any results.”

Attorney Noel Saleh, who has served as a representative of Wygonik in the matter, did not respond to messages seeking comment.

The fourth letter sent by Wygonik in December indicated it would be the last.

“There was a press release by Mr. Saleh and in that release he indicated it would be their last communication on the matter. That is still their position today.”

In past meetings, CAAO has discussed filing a grievance against the judge on the state level, but Salamey would not elaborate on what options the group would discuss Wednesday.

“I don’t know what the group will decide,” he said.