A stenographer for Milwaukee County’s court system told investigators that all court reporters are allowed to charge heavy flat rates for transcripts in certain civil cases and that judges are OK with the practice.
That’s not true, and now she’s facing a felony charge over claims she charged customers too much for documents.
Authorities say Linda Duchrow, 63, of Waukesha, required customers to pay way more the amount they should have under state law.
Prosecutors say their case against Duchrow began Sept. 9, 2024, when police got an email from a concerned citizen who purchased a court transcript for a 2023 civil case regarding two individuals and a temporary restraining order for harassment.
An email trail of a conversation between Duchrow and the person requesting the document shows Duchrow charged $450 for a 20-page transcript. That’s $22.50 per page.
Fees for a transcript are set a rate of $1.50 per 25-line page for an original, and $0.50 per 25-line page for the duplicate. For a transcript from a judicial district, the fee is $2.25 per 25-line page for the original and $0.50 per 25-line page for each copy.
The requester challenged the total and Duchrow then lowered the price to $240.50, prosecutors say in the complaint. During the conversation over the discrepancy, Duchrow allegedly switched over from her government email address to her private AOL account to discuss things further.
In another instance, a lawyer claimed he asked for a 90-page transcript and was charged $1,000.50. The lawyer questioned why the cost was so high, and the court reporter responded with a lower cost of $375, according to the complaint.
The transcript should’ve cost $200.
Online court records show Duchrow was charged in February with misconduct in public office − excess compensation, a class-I felony. If convicted, she could be sent to prison for up to 3½ years and/or fined up to $10,000.
She is expected to be arraigned March 25.
Calls made to the phone number listed for Duchrow were not answered. Attempts to contact her lawyer, Michael J. Steinle of Milwaukee, were unsuccessful.
When reached by the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, Chief Judge Carl Ashley said he couldn’t comment on an active court case nor speak on a human relations matter.
Wisconsin State Statute §814.69 outlines the fees that court reporters can charge for transcripts and proceedings.
However, the law allows court reporters to charge more than standard rates for expedited transcripts or special, non-statutory requests.
For example, if a person asks for a transcript to be prepared within seven days and the transcript isn’t required by Supreme Court rule or statute to be prepared within that period, a court reporter is permitted to charge an additional 75 cents per 25-line page for the original and 25 cents for each copy.
Milwaukee County prosecutors say in a Feb. 12 criminal complaint she crossed the line at times.
During their investigation, Milwaukee police detectives spoke with Stephanie Garbo, a court reporter administrator for the courts in Milwaukee County.
While the statutes regulate the pricing of documents, county offices don’t get involved in determining price or invoicing customers for the transactions, Garbo told police.
Court reporting services or activity is not actively tracked, Garbo told police. That’s because court reporters often utilize their court’s email as well as their personal email.
Garbo added that different courts have different lengths of transcripts, depending on how wordy the judge gets. This will reflect a price that is dependent on the case and its contents, Garbo said in the complaint. It’s understood that often the court reporter will not know how long the report will be for any given case, for the initial cost of the transcription services.
Detectives spoke with Duchrow in January and she said most court reporters charge more for transcripts in large-claim civil cases, the complaint says. Duchrow went on to say, according to the document, that judges she has worked with allowed her to charge whatever she felt appropriate, according to the complaint.
Detectives later spoke with one of the judges, who produced a Sept. 12, 2022 email between himelf and Duchrow.
According to the complaint, the email read: “Linda, thanks for sending […] the invoice he was requesting. Also, I wanted to take this opportunity to remind you that the fees you may charge parties for transcripts are limited by sec. 814.69, Wis. Stats. I would ask that you review that section and make sure that your billings are consistent with the law. Thank you!”
Chris Ramirez covers courts for the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. He can be reached at caramirez@usatodayco.com.
This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Milwaukee court reporter grossly overcharged for documents, complaint says
Reporting by Chris Ramirez, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel / Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
