Michigan

New salvos fired in jury nullification battle include felony case over pamphlet handout

A Michigan man is facing a felony obstruction of justice charge, in the latest salvo in an ongoing national battle over the extent to which jurors should be informed of their right to vote their conscience, regardless of applicable law. Keith Wood was also charged with misdemeanor jury tampering for…

Dec 1, 2015 2:15 PM CST

Car going ‘way too fast’ crashes outside entrance to federal courthouse

A black car that crashed into a lamppost and flipped onto its roof in front of a federal courthouse in Detroit on Tuesday prompted a response by the Department of Homeland Security as well as courthouse and local law enforcement. The crumpled Oldsmobile that crashed outside the Theodore Levin Courthouse…

Nov 24, 2015 5:00 PM CST

Given 20 days for contempt, lawyer blames judge and says he would like to sanction jurist

A Michigan lawyer has been given 20 days for contempt after a judge said he “defiantly refused to answer” questions on Friday about a loud conversation that took place near a jury room. The sentence is to be served by attorney Tim Barkovic at the conclusion of an ongoing criminal…

Nov 10, 2015 1:05 PM CST

Supreme Court refuses appeal in anti-gay defamation case

The U.S. Supreme Court has rejected an appeal from a former Michigan assistant attorney general who lost an anti-gay defamation suit filed by an openly gay University of Michigan student body president. The justices on Monday let stand a ruling earlier this year by the Cincinnati-based 6th U.S. Circuit Court…

Nov 2, 2015 4:25 PM CST

Discipline recommended for judge who put woman on probation, then wrote her seeking relationship

A censure and 30-day unpaid suspension has been recommended for a Michigan judge who put a woman on probation in a domestic violence case, then wrote her on court stationery seeking a romantic relationship. Jackson County District Judge R. Darryl Mazur also has not contested a claim that he interfered…

Oct 29, 2015 11:45 AM CDT

Dinsmore opens Philadelphia office, plucks partners from local competitors

Less than two months after entering Michigan and establishing a suburban Detroit office by merging with a 17-lawyer intellectual property boutique, Dinsmore & Shohl is growing again. The 600-attorney firm has now opened a six-attorney office in Philadelphia, plucking partners from competitors’ offices, reports the Philadelphia Business Journal. The attorney…

Oct 22, 2015 10:25 AM CDT

Is will bequeathing millions to the attorney who wrote it valid? That depends, says court

Mark Papazian, a Michigan lawyer who drafted a will and trust for a long-time friend and client, must prove that he did not exert undue influence in order to keep the $14 million the man left him and his two children. Michigan Rules of Professional Conduct hold that attorneys can’t…

Oct 9, 2015 12:35 PM CDT

Michigan agrees to pay $1.9 million to winning lawyers in gay marriage case

The state of Michigan has agreed to pay $1.9 million to the lawyers whose clients successfully challenged its ban on gay marriage. Carole Stanyar, one of four main lawyers for the plaintiffs in the case, said the $1.9 million was “basically the amount that we requested” from the state, the…

Oct 7, 2015 4:40 PM CDT

Lawyer can’t avoid $364K contempt sanction by filing Chapter 7 bankruptcy, court rules

A Michigan lawyer who was held in civil contempt and ordered to pay nearly $364,000 in sanctions for violating a court order and helping a client sell an insurance firm can’t discharge the debt by filing a Chapter 7 bankruptcy case, a bankruptcy court has ruled. Finding that attorney David…

Oct 2, 2015 5:00 PM CDT

Kid Rock shows for jury duty, promises to give police ‘the benefit of the doubt’

Called for jury duty in Michigan, Kid Rock arrived in the Oakland County Court house in Pontiac on Thursday and answered questions about his fitness to serve in a murder trial. Noting his many law enforcement friends, the singer, whose real name is Robert James Ritchie, promised to give police…

Sep 18, 2015 7:00 AM CDT

GM will pay $900M to end US criminal probe over ignition-switch issues

General Motors has agreed to pay a $900 million fine to resolve a federal criminal probe into the automaker’s reported delay in dealing with ignition-switch issues in some 2.6 million vehicles. The issue has been linked to over 100 deaths and many more injuries. The settlement also involves a three-year…

Sep 17, 2015 12:50 PM CDT

Protesters say bench conviction in fiery attack on teen should include attempted murder

Updated: A Michigan judge is facing protest over her verdict last month concerning a 17-year-old attacked last year by an ex-boyfriend in her own home. Judge Pamela Lightvoet convicted Adam Shigwadja of home invasion, arson and assault in the Kalamazoo County Circuit Court case. But critics are upset that the…

Sep 14, 2015 12:50 PM CDT

Dinsmore adds 17-lawyer IP firm

Fast-growing Dinsmore & Shohl has added a Detroit-based intellectual property boutique to the law firm mix. With the 17 lawyers from Gifford Krass Sprinkle Anderson & Citkowski, the firm now has nearly 600 attorneys on its roster, reports the Cincinnati Business Courier. “Last year, we expanded our national footprint with…

Sep 1, 2015 11:55 AM CDT

Cooley law dean offers explanation for enrollment decline, sees possible turnaround

Enrollment at Western Michigan University’s Cooley Law School has dropped 52 percent from its peak in 2010, but things are looking up, according to its dean. Cooley had 1,880 students in the 2014-15 academic year, compared to more than 3,900 students in 2010, the Lansing State Journal reports. The drop…

Aug 19, 2015 7:14 AM CDT

Law firm project will provide school supplies to 23,000 students

Earlier this year, a Michigan personal injury law firm gave away backpacks filled with school supplies to all kindergarten through fifth-grade students at a Detroit elementary school. The children were excited, and the event inspired the Mike Morse law firm to think bigger—much bigger. When school starts in Detroit this…

Aug 18, 2015 3:25 PM CDT