Michigan

Veteran lawyer fined $1K for using b-word to describe trial court in contempt-case appeal

An ugly word used by a veteran Michigan business lawyer to describe a trial court in a written appeal of a contempt case resulted in a double whammy. After upholding the Kent County Circuit Court’s contempt finding against David Charron, the Michigan Court of Appeals also fined him $1,000 for…

Jun 4, 2014 8:00 PM CDT

Feds raise reward to $7,500 per man for 3 who fled court before guilty verdict in major drug case

Three men who were no-shows for the guilty verdict in a major federal drug case in Detroit on May 12, after appearing in court earlier the same day, are still missing. So the U.S. Marshals Service has raised the reward being offered for the capture of Carlos Powell, 39, his…

May 21, 2014 7:25 PM CDT

Warner Norcross opens in Kalamazoo, Michigan, and is looking for more office space there

Last year, a Kalamazoo, Mich., law firm dissolved when two name partners decided to join Warner Norcross & Judd. Now the 230-attorney, Grand Rapids-based business firm is adding more lawyers from Miller Canfield and is looking for additional space in Kalamazoo, its eighth office in Michigan, MLive.com reports. The article…

May 21, 2014 6:10 PM CDT

Feds still seek 3 men who jumped bond before guilty verdict in drug case, offer $5K reward per man

Three men who appeared in federal court in Detroit on Monday morning in a major drug case but jumped bond that afternoon just before their guilty verdicts were read are still at large. The U.S. Marshals service is offering a reward of up to $5,000 per man for information leading…

May 13, 2014 10:30 PM CDT

Feds seek 3 men who went AWOL just before guilty verdict in major drug case

Apparently aware that their case wasn’t going well, three defendants in a major drug case in Detroit appeared in federal court Monday at the conclusion of a two-week trial but skipped out before the guilty verdict was read. A manhunt is underway for Carlos Powell, 39, Eric Powell, 36, and…

May 12, 2014 9:40 PM CDT

In wake of $16.6M bill, judge asks Jones Day to explain disclosure of confidential Detroit docs

Updated: A federal bankruptcy judge asked Jones Day during a Monday court hearing to explain why some 120 confidential documents about closed-door mediation sessions were sent on computer disks to creditors of the mega-firm’s client, the city of Detroit, along with documents the creditors were supposed to receive. Partner Geoff…

May 12, 2014 4:30 PM CDT

Suspects held in shooting of white-collar defense lawyer at home; police call it a botched robbery

Two suspects are in custody in the shooting last week of a white-collar criminal defense lawyer at his Michigan home and police are now calling the case a foiled robbery attempt. Charges are expected Monday against the unidentified man and woman, one of whom was described by the Bloomfield Hills…

May 5, 2014 5:25 PM CDT

Detroit newspaper wins right to publish mug shots of criminal defendants in federal court

A federal judge has held that the U.S. Marshals Service must turn over the mug shots of four Detroit-area police officers awaiting trial on public corruption charges to the Detroit Free Press. But U.S. District Judge Patrick Duggan, in a 34-page ruling Monday, stayed his decision pending an expected appeal…

Apr 22, 2014 7:40 PM CDT

GM seeks bankruptcy court ban on class actions alleging lost value due to car ignition-switch issues

In a Monday filing, General Motors asked a federal bankruptcy court in New York to put the kibosh on nearly 50 class actions. They allege that owners of small cars manufactured by the automaker have seen their vehicles’ value diminish recently because of news about a massive recall over ignition-switch…

Apr 22, 2014 4:55 PM CDT

Judge loses his job after sex in chambers with witness, texting shirtless photo and lying under oath

A Michigan judge who made headlines by texting a photo of his bare chest to a courtroom bailiff and having sex in his chambers with a complaining witness in a child-support case has been removed from the bench. In a Wednesday ruling, the state supreme court also suspended Judge Wade…

Mar 26, 2014 10:45 PM CDT

Defense attorney shares secret recording, says judge urged his client to drop police brutality suit

A Detroit-area judge was secretly taped offering to free a drunken-driving suspect from jail if the suspect agreed not to pursue a police brutality suit against arresting officers, the Detroit Free Press reports. Timothy Corr, the suspect’s lawyer, said he made the secret recording after a previous meeting with Novi…

Mar 24, 2014 11:00 PM CDT

Trial judge reopens gate for Michigan exotic swine, which some say is delicious

Michiganders may once again be able to own wild boars after a trial judge’s ruling Monday that found a law banning “exotic swine breeds” to be unconstitutional. The animals in question include Eurasian or Russian wild boars and razorback hogs, the Associated Press reports. In 2010, the Department of National…

Mar 24, 2014 5:55 PM CDT

‘Fugitive’ arrested with much fanfare 37 years after prison escape had already surrendered in 1982

A California woman tracked down and arrested there last month for escaping from a Michigan prison 37 years earlier has been released. Judy Lynn Hayman, 60, had already turned herself in and been sentenced in 1982 to time served in the Michigan attempted larceny case, her lawyer, Lisa Damiani, told…

Mar 18, 2014 3:40 PM CDT

Workers sue McDonald’s in three states over claimed ‘stolen wages,’ seek class-action status

Already under fire from proponents of higher pay for fast-food workers, McDonald’s was the subject of a litigation attack this week that contends the chain and some of its franchise owners have underpaid workers in violation of wage-and-hour laws. Seven lawsuits filed in three states allege that the defendants denied…

Mar 13, 2014 6:45 PM CDT

Annoying behavior is no longer a crime in this town

A law that makes annoying behavior a crime punishable by up to 90 days in jail is no longer on the books in Grand Rapids, Mich. The Grand Rapids City Commission repealed the 38-year-old law Tuesday, according to Chicago Tribune (reg. req.) columnist John Kass. “If there’s one thing this…

Mar 12, 2014 6:31 PM CDT