Estate of Denial:  “A legal showdown over the estate of civil rights icon Rosa Parks came and went this morning without a decision by Wayne County Probate Judge Freddie Burton Jr. about whether to disqualify himself from continuing to preside over the Parks’ estate fight.

Burton told lawyers in a five-minute hearing that he would issue a decision on the disqualification motion in 30-45 days without hearing legal arguments from lawyers in the case. Then, he ended the hearing, leaving lawyers to argue their positions with newspaper reporters.

‘It’s outrageous that Judge Burton needs 30-45 days to decide a completely unopposed motion for disqualification,' said attorney Steven G. Cohen, of Farmington Hills, who sued Burton last week on the grounds that he conspired with probate lawyers John Chase Jr. and Melvin Jefferson Jr., allowing them to bankrupt Parks’ estate with unnecessary and excessive attorney fees. ‘He obviously can’t serve as a presiding judge in a case where he is the defendant.'”