6th Circuit Court

Telecommuting option not required by ADA for job demanding ‘interpersonal skills,’ says court

An en banc federal appeals court has ruled that Ford Motor Co. was not required to offer a telecommuting option to a worker with irritable bowel syndrome and whose job required “good, old-fashioned interpersonal skills.” The 8-5 en banc opinion (PDF) on Friday by the Cincinnati-based 6th U.S. Circuit Court…

Apr 14, 2015 5:45 AM CDT

Hospital filing accuses its former lawyer of blind-copying negotiation opponent on confidential docs

A federal court filing by a hospital litigating a failed management agreement with another medical facility says its former lawyer was secretly communicating with the opposing party during negotiations of that management agreement. The blind copies of confidential documents allegedly sent to Erlanger Health System by partner Ward Nelson of…

Apr 7, 2015 12:25 PM CDT

Charitable collection bins are a form of speech protected by First Amendment, appeals court says

A Michigan town’s ban on unattended charitable collection bins likely violates the First Amendment, a federal appeals court has ruled. The Cincinnati-based 6th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled in a challenge by Planet Aid, which collects clothing and shoes, and distributes the items in other countries. The Detroit News…

Apr 7, 2015 11:50 AM CDT

Lawyer’s 10-minute absence during trial didn’t merit habeas relief, SCOTUS says

The U.S. Supreme Court has overturned an appeals court decision granting habeas relief to a felony murder defendant because his lawyer was absent for 10 minutes during trial testimony. In a per curiam decision (PDF) on Monday, the Supreme Court ruled against Cory Donald, convicted of felony murder and armed…

Mar 30, 2015 12:21 PM CDT

After boy’s death from allergic reaction to cookie, family sues; says store violated labeling laws

The family of an 11-year-old who died after eating a chocolate chip cookie that may have contained nuts has sued the supermarket chain that sold it. Filed in federal court in Nashville, Tenn., the suit contends that an employee at a Publix store outside the city misinformed the mother of…

Mar 25, 2015 4:25 PM CDT

Feds cite ISIS in effort to get stiff sentence for civil rights worker with law degree

Federal prosecutors are seeking a stiff sentence for a Palestinian law graduate in her late sixties who left out information about a 1970 bombing-related conviction in Israel when she applied to immigrate to the U.S. in 1994. Rasmieh Odeh is nearly 70 years old and has won accolades for her…

Feb 27, 2015 12:30 PM CST

For a second time, one-day sentence in child-porn case is overturned

A federal appeals court has once again reversed a one-day sentence for possession of child pornography, but this time the resentencing will be handled by a different judge. The Cincinnati-based 6th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled on Wednesday in the case of Rufus Robinson, convicted for possessing more than…

Feb 20, 2015 6:00 AM CST

Judge polls jurors and issues 5-year sentence in child porn case; 6th Circuit dissent cited

A federal judge in Cleveland asked jurors for their opinions before he sentenced a child porn defendant to only five years in prison on Tuesday, rejecting the prosecutor’s recommendation for a 20-year sentence. U.S. District Judge James Gwin said jurors polled after the verdict in October recommended, on average, a…

Feb 11, 2015 10:57 AM CST

6th Circuit upholds $3.5M judgment against former assistant AG for stalking gay college student

An appellate court upheld a $3.5 million verdict, as well as sanctions, against a former assistant attorney general in Michigan who became notorious for using social media to attack the University of Michigan’s first openly gay student body president. The Detroit Free Press and The Ann Arbor News reported Monday…

Feb 3, 2015 4:24 PM CST

Cellphone spat at federal courthouse leads to 2-year prison term

A courthouse cellphone spat prior to a bankruptcy meeting led to a federal prison sentence of more than two years last week for a Michigan man who was growing marijuana at his Flint home. The government’s sentencing memorandum says Lawrence McManaman argued with security officers at the federal courthouse in…

Jan 28, 2015 12:15 PM CST

SCOTUS, 6th Circuit agree judge was immune from suit over affair with party in case

The nation’s top court has declined to review a federal appeals court decision that a Detroit judge was immune from suit even though he had an affair with a woman seeking child support in a case on his calendar. A three-judge panel of the Cincinnati-based 6th U.S. Circuit Court of…

Jan 26, 2015 3:45 PM CST

Supreme Court agrees to hear same-sex marriage cases

The U.S. Supreme Court agreed Friday to decide whether states can prohibit same-sex marriage without violating the constitutional rights of gays and lesbians. The court granted review of same-sex marriage bans in Michigan, Ohio, Kentucky and Tennessee that have been upheld by the Cincinnati-based 6th U.S Circuit Court of Appeals.…

Jan 16, 2015 3:52 PM CST

Gun ban for committed people violated Second Amendment rights of Michigan man, 6th Circuit rules

A federal ban on gun ownership for people who were committed to mental institutions is unconstitutional as applied to a Michigan man, a federal appeals court ruled on Thursday. The Cincinnati-based 6th U.S. Circuit of Appeals said the law violated the Second Amendment rights of 73-year-old Clifford Charles Tyler, report…

Dec 19, 2014 11:53 AM CST

DOJ report says Cleveland police have pattern of using unreasonable force

In a report (PDF) released Thursday, the Civil Rights Division of the U.S. Department of Justice said police in Cleveland have a pattern of using unreasonable force, sometimes endorsed by their supervisors. In response to the report, the city and the DOJ will “develop a court-enforceable consent decree that will…

Dec 4, 2014 4:30 PM CST

Will Supreme Court be swayed by a gay-marriage ‘tipping point’?

As the U.S. Supreme Court considers whether to hear a challenge to bans on gay marriage, some are pointing to a number. No more than 15 states will have gay-marriage bans in place if the court takes up the question, and some suggest that number could play a factor, the…

Nov 26, 2014 5:45 AM CST