Michigan

‘The First Amendment wins’ in dropped ethics probe over lawyer’s ‘hatchet job tactics’ blog post

The Michigan Attorney Grievance Commission is citing the First Amendment in dismissing a grievance filed by a Michigan psychiatrist against a lawyer who criticized her expert testimony in a blog post. The targeted lawyer, Steven Gursten, revealed the dismissal in a post at his blog Michigan Auto Law, the Consumer…

Feb 18, 2016 8:10 AM CST

Bank worker saves law firm from $73K loss by blocking unauthorized account transfers

An unidentified Michigan law firm got lucky after an overseas criminal tried to steal $73,000 from its account last week. An employee of Traverse City State Bank noticed the suspicious activity taking place Feb. 5 and blocked the 17 wire transfers before they were completed, police told the Traverse City…

Feb 10, 2016 12:55 PM CST

Lawsuits seek $250M due to Flint, Michigan, water supply issues

A federal civil rights lawsuit filed Friday against state and local officials in Flint, Michigan, is seeking a refund of $150 million in municipal water bill payments made while the water supply was contaminated. Now the subject of a criminal investigation, the switch to Flint River water by a state-appointed…

Feb 2, 2016 3:40 PM CST

Is grievance filed over lawyer’s blog post a ‘lightweight defamation claim’?

A Michigan psychiatrist who is a member of the state’s attorney discipline board is seeking investigation of a lawyer’s blog post that questioned whether her expert testimony used “hatchet job tactics.” The lawyer blogger, Steven Gursten, has posted at his Michigan Auto Law blog the request for investigation (PDF) filed…

Feb 1, 2016 5:45 AM CST

Suit seeks replacement of lead water pipes in Flint; is sovereign immunity a bar?

A lawsuit filed in federal court on Wednesday alleges Michigan officials failed to deliver safe drinking water to the citizens of Flint in violation of the Safe Drinking Water Act. The suit seeks replacement of city and privately owned lead water pipes, which corroded and leached lead when the city…

Jan 27, 2016 10:31 AM CST

Retailers may sell books and movies on Rosa Parks without paying her institute

The Atlanta-based 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals has ruled that retailers may sell books and movies about the life of civil rights leader Rosa Parks, the Birmingham News reported yesterday. The nonprofit Raymond and Rosa Parks Institute for Self Development had sued Target for selling seven books about Parks,…

Jan 5, 2016 5:05 PM CST

Judge nixes suit against prison food vendor which claimed that menu change posed a safety threat

Last-minute substitution of food served to Michigan inmates, when prisons run out of popular menu items, has prompted a demand by the state that a private vendor comply with its contract. But feeding prisoners peanut butter and jelly sandwiches instead of promised sausage and waffles doesn’t rise to the level…

Dec 18, 2015 2:40 PM CST

Knife-wielding man is shot and killed by courthouse security guard, police say

A security guard on Thursday shot and killed a knife-wielding man at a courthouse in Dearborn Heights, Michigan. Police say Mark Henning, 48, of Dearborn Heights was killed after confronting the security guard at the Dearborn Heights Justice Center, which houses the court and the police department, report the Detroit…

Dec 18, 2015 7:59 AM CST

Complaint says judge erred when putting kids in juvenile detention for refusing lunch with dad

A legal ethics complaint has been filed against a Michigan judge over her handling of a court hearing concerning the resistance of three siblings to court-ordered parenting time with their father. Oakland County Circuit Judge Lisa Gorcyca made headlines when she sent all three “brainwashed” children to juvenile detention for…

Dec 15, 2015 1:10 PM CST

State of emergency declared in Flint, Michigan, over amount of lead in water

Apparently hoping for state and federal aid, the mayor of Flint, Michigan, has declared a state of emergency over the amount of lead in the city’s water supply. The unusual step, as far as a water system is concerned, was taken by Mayor Karen Weaver at a Monday city council…

Dec 15, 2015 12:10 PM CST

Man is indicted in shooting of federal judge outside his Detroit home

A suspect has been indicted in the shooting of U.S. District Judge Terrence Berg outside his Detroit home earlier this year. Kevin Andre Smith Jr. faces charges including armed robbery and assault with intent to commit murder in an indictment unsealed Monday, MLive.com reports. Another man also is a suspect,…

Dec 14, 2015 11:10 AM CST

Woman who shot at tires of fleeing shoplifting suspect gets 18 months of probation

A woman was sentenced to 18 months of probation Wednesday for shooting at the tires of a shoplifting suspect fleeing a Home Depot store in suburban Detroit. Charged with a misdemeanor for alleged reckless use of a firearm, Tatiana Duva-Rodriguez, 46, pleaded no contest in Rochester Hills District Court after…

Dec 9, 2015 1:50 PM CST

Online property information aids deed thieves

Online property information is making it easier for swindlers to forge deeds so they can sell vacant homes to unsuspecting buyers. The problem is particularly bad in New York City, where 120 cases are being investigated, the Wall Street Journal (sub. req.) reports. The city posts online copies of deeds,…

Dec 9, 2015 12:16 PM CST

Rare murder case filed against dog owner after fatal mauling of boy, 4

The owner of four pit bulls that mauled a 4-year-old boy to death in Detroit, Michigan, last week is facing an unusual murder prosecution. In addition to second-degree murder, Geneke Antonio Lyons, 41, is also charged with manslaughter and possessing dangerous animals causing death in the Wayne County case, according…

Dec 8, 2015 4:25 PM CST

Former court clerk charged in claimed scheme to dismiss $40K worth of tickets for $20K in bribes

A former clerk for a busy Detroit court is facing a forgery case. Ex-clerk Annette Bates, 56, is accused of coordinating with a longtime acquaintance who didn’t work at the 36th District Court. Authorities say the two dismissed some $40,000 worth of tickets in exchange for about $20,000 in bribes…

Dec 1, 2015 2:55 PM CST