Michigan

Prison a ‘blessing in disguise’ for jailhouse lawyer who got a new trial and a paralegal job

After years of insisting that he did not commit the carjackings and armed robberies for which he was originally sentenced a decade ago, a Flint, Michigan, man was set free on Monday—at least for now. A federal judge in Detroit ordered that Omar Rashad Pouncy, 28, be released on a…

Mar 29, 2016 12:20 PM CDT

Once an opening act for Kid Rock, law student looks forward to new career

Ryan VanOver intended to go to law school until his musical career took over his life. After graduating from college and some twists and turns, he wound up opening for Kid Rock and signing with Atlantic Records under his southern rock and country music moniker of Ty Stone, the Associated…

Mar 28, 2016 3:55 PM CDT

GM lawyers won’t face Michigan ethics probe

Michigan won’t open ethics probes against lawyers for General Motors who were fired following an internal probe into the automaker’s handling of faulty ignition-switch issues. Michigan’s Attorney Grievance Commission refused in February and March to consider whether a half dozen lawyers should be sanctioned, the Wall Street Journal (sub. req.)…

Mar 28, 2016 9:08 AM CDT

Nearly evicted over urine leak on balcony, man files housing discrimination suit

A Michigan man has filed a discrimination suit after nearly evicted from his government-subsidized senior apartment building because a downstairs neighbor complained that urine had leaked from a container on his balcony. Plaintiff Steven Hamblin is disabled and suffers from a number of health problems, including congestive heart failure, obesity…

Mar 25, 2016 2:55 PM CDT

Federal judge wounded in shooting will participate in peace march

A federal judge wounded in a shooting outside his Detroit home in March 2015 plans to participate in a peace rally on Friday. U.S. District Judge Terrence Berg will lead the walk, which begins this evening at his church, report the Detroit News and WXYZ-TV. Berg has been working at…

Mar 25, 2016 8:32 AM CDT

Felony charge dropped in case over jury nullification pamphlets

A Michigan judge on Wednesday dismissed a felony obstruction of justice charge against a former pastor who admittedly distributed jury nullification pamphlets on the sidewalk outside the Mecosta County courthouse in November. However, a misdemeanor jury tampering charge is still being pursued against Keith Wood, 39, according to Fox 17…

Mar 23, 2016 2:30 PM CDT

Attorney faces felony case, accused of punching police officer during courthouse argument

Occasionally, people lose their tempers in court. But an argument between a defense lawyer and a police detective lieutenant in a suburban Detroit courthouse this week escalated to fisticuffs, resulting in the arrest of the attorney, reports the Detroit Free Press. Attorney Nijad Mehanna, 41, stood mute as he was…

Mar 18, 2016 3:30 PM CDT

Phony $10M Uber lawsuit supposedly filed by shooting suspect was accepted by federal court workers

A phony lawsuit from an imprisoned suspect in a Kalamazoo, Michigan, multiple shooting against Uber alleged the ride-arranging service ruined his life. But Jason Dalton obviously could not have sent the handwritten civil rights complaint, with its Philadelphia postmark, and he and his lawyer say he knew nothing about it,…

Mar 17, 2016 4:55 PM CDT

Prosecutor who cracked down on prostitution is himself charged

A Michigan prosecutor who took a get-tough approach to prostitution is now accused of paying women for sex hundreds of times, including a woman who was seeking his help in a child custody dispute. Stuart Dunnings III, a Democrat who was the elected prosecutor of Ingham County, faces a felony…

Mar 17, 2016 12:26 PM CDT

Lawmaker accused of firing 20 rounds into ex-wife’s car gets 10 months

A Michigan state senator accused of pointing an AR-15 at his ex-wife during an argument last year and then firing 20 rounds at her Mercedes Benz as she fled has taken a plea and been sentenced to 10 months behind bars. It hasn’t been determined by the court whether Sen.…

Mar 14, 2016 4:15 PM CDT

Strip-club lawyer threatens to ‘go scorched earth’ and issues F-word tax threat

A lawyer representing an Illinois strip club in a mediation said he would provide “a tad bit more candor” in a confidential mediation statement, then proceeded to tell the opposing attorney in graphic terms how he planned to “go scorched earth” in the litigation. “You want to go scorched earth?”…

Mar 14, 2016 5:45 AM CDT

Appellate judge pleads guilty, in private, in airport gun-possession case

A Michigan Appeals Court judge waived arraignment and pleaded guilty Tuesday, in private, to a misdemeanor gun-possession charge. It concerned the loaded handgun reportedly found by Detroit Metropolitan Airport security screeners last month in the carry-on luggage of Judge Henry William Saad. The Wayne County prosecutor’s office said in a…

Mar 8, 2016 12:45 PM CST

Detroit agrees to pay $100K to man whose dog was killed in police shooting caught on dashcam

The city of Detroit has agreed to pay a $100,000 settlement to a man whose dog was fatally shot by police outside his home last year, the plaintiff’s lawyer says. The pet, a Dogue de Bordeaux named Babycakes, was on a 10-foot steel cable attached to a fence outside the…

Feb 26, 2016 8:40 AM CST

Appeals court judge is detained, but makes flight, after loaded gun found at airport in his luggage

A Michigan Appeals Court judge is the subject of a criminal investigation after a loaded gun was reportedly found in his carry-on luggage on Sunday at Detroit Metropolitan Airport. Authorities said Judge Henry William Saad, 68, who has a permit to carry a firearm, was briefly detained after federal Transportation…

Feb 25, 2016 2:15 PM CST

Bicyclist fought the law and the law didn’t win: Judge nixes $200 ticket for riding in traffic lane

A dashcam video helped persuade a Livingston County judge to void a $200 ticket issued by a Michigan state police officer last year to a bicyclist accused of riding in the traffic lane. In fact, it isn’t illegal to ride a bicycle on the side of the road, slightly within…

Feb 18, 2016 4:35 PM CST