Michigan

Ex-Detroit Mayor Ordered to Reimburse State $15K for Prison Stay

Former Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick has been ordered to pony up $15,190 to the state Corrections Department for his recent prison stay. The money will come from an escrow account Wayne County Circuit Judge David Groner ordered to be created for Kilpatrick’s portion of the profits from his recently released…

Aug 12, 2011 9:13 PM CDT

Disqualification Motion Claims Judge Is Too Tough on Drunken Drivers

Corrected: A Michigan judge should be disqualified from hearing drunken driving cases because of her tough DUI sentences, according to a motion filed this week. The motion says Judge Kimberly Small violates the constitutional rights of drunken drivers by sentencing nearly all first-time offenders to jail, the Detroit Free Press…

Aug 12, 2011 1:55 PM CDT

Cooley Law School to Open a Campus in Tampa, Fla.

The Thomas M. Cooley Law School will open a campus near Tampa, Fla., far from its home state of Michigan. Cooley received ABA approval to open the campus last week, the Lansing State Journal reports. Cooley is already the nation’s largest law school, with more than 3,900 students and four…

Aug 12, 2011 12:49 PM CDT

Detroit Judge to Decide If Former Mayor’s Book-Proceeds Account is Legal

A Detroit judge is set to decide next week whether an escrow account he created to capture proceeds from the sale of ex-Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick’s new autobiography is legal. Kilpatrick’s lawyer, Daniel Hajji, argued Monday that the account is unconstitutional because it violates Kilpatrick’s free speech rights, the Detroit News…

Aug 9, 2011 4:36 PM CDT

Blogger’s Lawyer Fires Back at Cooley, Calls Law School’s Suit ‘Abuse of the Legal System’

Responding to a lawsuit that seeks to unmask anonymous bloggers who have been criticizing the Thomas M. Cooley Law School, a lawyer for Rockstar05 says the school’s suit is an “abuse of the legal system” that disregards his client’s rights, reports the Detroit Free Press. Cooley hasn’t pointed to any…

Aug 8, 2011 6:16 PM CDT

Female-Owned Personal Injury Law Firm Sparks Billboard Battle in Detroit

Television is still a major advertising medium for personal injury lawyers in and around Detroit. But a relatively new and unusual competitor has sparked a growing billboard battle in recent years. Operating what she says is the first PI firm in the state headed by a woman, 47-year-old Joumana Kayrouz…

Aug 8, 2011 10:53 AM CDT

As Hackers Steal Up to $1B Annually from Biz Bank Accounts, Victims May Have No Recourse

Some $43 million was stolen in conventional bricks-and-mortar robberies, heists and stickups of U.S. banks last year. Meanwhile, cybercrooks stole hundreds of millions in what is being called a national security threat. The exact amount isn’t known. But security experts say up to $1 billion annually is being taken by…

Aug 5, 2011 12:28 AM CDT

Judge Dismisses Pro Se Paralegal’s Suit Against Facebook Friend

A judge in Michigan has dismissed a lawsuit brought by paralegal Cheryl Gray, who claimed she was dumped and defamed by a Seattle man she met on Facebook. The 50-year-old Livonia woman, who represented herself in court, wanted to recoup more than $8,000 for gifts she bought for Wylie Iwan,…

Aug 2, 2011 1:40 PM CDT

Institute Claims Rosa Parks’ Estate Drained by Fees for Lawyers Who Also Got Licensing Rights

An institute co-founded by Rosa Parks alleges in a Michigan Supreme Court filing that two appointed lawyers who were “court cronies” were rewarded too well for their work on the estate. The biting document (PDF), seeking leave to appeal, claims the lawyers were paid $243,000 in legal fees, nearly two-thirds…

Jul 21, 2011 3:28 PM CDT

Criminal Charges Over Mich. Woman’s Front-Yard Vegetable Garden Are Dropped

Misdemeanor criminal charges against an Oak Park, Mich., woman who grew vegetables in raised beds in her front yard were dropped on Wednesday. But Julie Bass, who had been looking at a July 26 trial, didn’t find that out until her lawyer went to court Thursday to file a motion…

Jul 15, 2011 5:51 PM CDT

Rape Victim Spends Night in Jail After Cursing, Telling Defense Lawyer to Get to the Point

A woman who testified against a man on trial for her rape admits she lost her patience during questioning by the defense lawyer. The woman said she suffered an anxiety attack while being questioned by defense lawyer Gabi Silver in the Detroit courtroom. “I just blurted out ‘get to the…

Jul 15, 2011 11:24 AM CDT

Cooley Sues Law Firm and Bloggers, Says Law School Falsely Accused of Misstating Grads’ Success

Criticized online for claimed misrepresentations about the success of its graduates, a Michigan law school has filed suit for defamation against a New York law firm and anonymous bloggers that it blames for the communications. The Kurzon Strauss firm and two of its lawyers posted online comments, including requests for…

Jul 14, 2011 8:59 PM CDT

Paralegal Sues Facebook Friend, Says Man Dumped and Defamed Her After Leading Her On

Disillusioned and devastated about her Facebook friendship with a younger man, an unemployed Michigan paralegal is now seeking damages. Cheryl Gray, 50, says in a Michigan lawsuit that Wylie Iwan, 35, led her on, accepted gifts from her and then dumped her a week before she was to visit him…

Jul 12, 2011 6:56 PM CDT

Slamming Court Door, Saying Curse Word as Victim Talked Costs Friend of Defendant 30 Days in Jail

A friend of a defendant being sentenced for his role in a Michigan gas station armed robbery had come to court expecting to see his 18-year-old buddy, Terrez Rashad Ivy, get time today. But Gemichael Malangy Gardner, 19, wound up in the slammer, too, after losing his cool as the…

Jul 11, 2011 10:28 PM CDT

Mich. Woman Faces Misdemeanor Trial Over Veggie Garden in Her Front Yard

Editor’s note: Charges against Bass have been dropped. Read our update. At first Oak Park warned Julie Bass. Then she got a ticket from the Michigan municipality. And when that didn’t work, she was criminally charged. Her alleged crime? Growing vegetables in the front yard of her home, according to…

Jul 11, 2011 8:15 PM CDT