LOS ANGELES : Appeal Filed in Bid to Oust Judge From Denny Case

A defense attorney in the Reginald O. Denny beating trial filed a writ in appeals court Monday in an effort to disqualify Superior Court Judge John W. Ouderkirk from hearing the case because the judge is engaged to marry a woman who works in the Los Angeles County district attorney’s office.

Attorney James Gillen, who represents defendant Antoine Miller, alleged a conflict because Ouderkirk’s fiancee, Sherry Perkins, was a secretary to former Dist. Atty. Ira Reiner, who is expected to be a witness in a pretrial hearing. Perkins still works as a secretary in the district attorney’s office.

Ouderkirk, who became engaged to Perkins last fall, could not be reached for comment.

Earlier this month a Superior Court judge in Orange County refused to disqualify the jurist, ruling that the romantic relationship was insufficient cause for Ouderkirk to step aside.