Michigan

After City of Detroit Ignores Civil Rights Suit, Federal Judge Declares Default, Awards $1.1M

The City of Detroit is facing a $1.1 million judgment in a civil rights suit, after failing to respond to the litigation and being held in default by a federal judge. Caleb Sosa, who is now 19, says he was coerced at age 14 into initialing a confession he couldn’t…

Nov 21, 2012 8:35 PM CST

Forfeiture Complaint Accuses Michigan Justice of Defrauding Bank in Short Sale Transaction

The federal government is seeking forfeiture of a Michigan justice’s Florida home in a civil complaint that claims she defrauded a bank in a short sale transaction. Justice Diane Hathaway and her husband, lawyer Michael Kingsley, are accused of transferring the Florida property to Kingsley’s daughter to facilitate the short…

Nov 21, 2012 1:05 PM CST

En Banc 6th Circuit Overturns Voter-Mandated Affirmative Action Ban in Michigan

An en banc federal appeals court has struck down a voter-approved ban on affirmative action in Michigan as a violation of the equal protection clause. The Cincinnati-based 6th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals said the ban on affirmative action in university admissions placed an unfair burden on supporters of racial…

Nov 16, 2012 1:22 PM CST

Ad Attacks Michigan Supreme Court Candidate for Helping ‘Free a Terrorist’

A political ad sponsored by a group called the Judicial Crisis Network is criticizing a candidate for the Michigan Supreme Court with an allegation that she “volunteered to help free a terrorist.” The ad targets University of Michigan law professor Bridget McCormack. She is described as a lawyer fighting for…

Nov 5, 2012 11:00 AM CST

Michigan Can Reject Bus Ads Criticizing Islam, 6th Circuit Says

A proposed bus advertisement for RefugefromIslam.com can be rejected by Michigan’s Suburban Mobility Authority for Regional Transportation, the 6th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled Thursday, because the agency rejects all political advertising. According to the Wall Street Journal Law Blog, the American Freedom Defense Initiative wanted to place the…

Oct 25, 2012 6:43 PM CDT

Longtime Employee Accused of Embezzling $100K from Small Firm

An 18-year employee of a Michigan law firm is set for trial in November on charges she embezzled more than $100,000 from the firm. Celeste Stob is accused of altering bank statements for the Tallman Law Office, using a stamp to authorize double payroll checks to herself and using a…

Sep 28, 2012 3:46 PM CDT

6th Cir. OKs Civil RICO Class Suit Against Edwards Wildman, Client Insurer re Tax-Shelter Marketing

Reversing a lower court’s dismissal of a civil racketeering class action against a law firm and a client insurer, a federal appeals court in Cincinnati on Wednesday gave the lawsuit a green light. The suit was filed because of the defendants’ marketing of a tax shelter later determined by the…

Sep 20, 2012 4:15 PM CDT

Attorneys Wage Scorched-Earth Legal Battle Over $11K Share of ‘Millionaire’ Show Winnings

A hard-fought legal battle between two former friends who are both lawyers has resulted in an $11,376 award, multiple fines and legal ethics complaints and an ongoing appeal. It all began with an email in which Kevin Hirsch offered to help 20 friends with an automated phone quiz that could…

Sep 17, 2012 7:37 PM CDT

Irked About Discipline Complaint Over Federal Suit, Lawyer and Kin of Murdered Kids Contact Media

A Michigan lawyer is fighting back against a legal ethics complaint made by a county prosecutor’s office concerning what it contends is a frivolous federal district court lawsuit. Paul Hughes said at a Wednesday news conference that he is outraged to be subjected to an ethics complaint over the suit,…

Aug 29, 2012 7:07 PM CDT

Judge Who Cleared Courtroom Because of Man’s Bedbug Infestation Dishes on Facebook

A Detroit judge who cleared her courtroom last week because a bailiff saw bedbugs crawling on a man is talking about the incident on her Facebook page. Judge Cylenthia LaToye Miller says she took action after the observant bailiff removed the man from the courtroom, and others reported seeing a…

Aug 28, 2012 11:00 AM CDT

Fired as Asst. Mich. AG, Andrew Shirvell Now Faces Privacy Suit Trial re Former U of Michigan Leader

Jury selection has begun in the Detroit federal civil trial of a former assistant Michigan attorney general who lost his job because of his treatment of a gay man who was then a student government president at the University of Michigan. If Andrew Shirvell would apologize, says a lawyer for…

Aug 8, 2012 3:55 PM CDT

Mich. Supreme Court Removes Judge Over Misappropriation of Funds, Other Misconduct

The Michigan Supreme Court has ordered the removal of a Detroit-area judge who was found guilty in April of judicial misconduct including misappropriating public funds intended for crime victims, knowingly hiring an unqualified magistrate and instituting a dress code that denied some litigants access to the courthouse. Under the order,…

Aug 2, 2012 7:10 PM CDT

Facing Ethics Case, Judge Says Sorry for Jailing Young Attorney Who Blocked Efforts to Query Client

Now facing a legal ethics case after briefly jailing a young attorney last year, a Michigan judge has said he was wrong to react as he did to Scott G. Millard as the lawyer tried to help his client avoid answering the judge’s drug-use questions during an arraignment and bond…

Jul 25, 2012 11:13 PM CDT

Kurzon Files Dueling Defamation Suit Against Cooley Law School, Says Prez’s Injury Claims Hurt Firm

A dueling defamation suit is the latest salvo fired in a hard-fought litigation battle between a Michigan law school and a New York plaintiffs law firm pursuing class-action claims that reported employment and student loan statistics paint a too-rosy picture of legal degree-earners’ future success. Partner Jeff Kurzon of the…

Jul 13, 2012 8:37 PM CDT

Prosecutor Won’t Charge Lifer with New Murder Because Harsher Sentence Is Not an Option

A Michigan prosecutor says her office won’t charge a prisoner accused of killing a fellow inmate because he is already serving a sentence of life without parole and can’t be punished further. Alger County Prosecutor Karen Bahrman explained her decision in a press release, according to WLUC-TV and the Daily…

Jul 3, 2012 3:24 PM CDT