Michigan

Husband Says Wife Cheated, But He’s Charged With Felony After Reading Her E-Mail

A Michigan man is facing a felony trial for admittedly reading his wife’s e-mail in an effort to determine whether his suspicion that she might be having an affair was justified. By doing so, Leon Walker says, he found out she was indeed having an affair. But he also wound…

Dec 28, 2010 5:42 PM CST

Is Web Shame Game Too Tough on Some Defendants?

Internationally vilified for tossing a cat into a trash can, in an act captured by a surveillance camera–and then identified after footage was posted online–a British woman was fined about $400 in the animal cruelty case in October. The subject of death threats as well as a multitude of critical…

Dec 28, 2010 4:53 PM CST

For Those Teetering on the Edge, Street Outreach Court Offers a Push in the Right Direction

For those already teetering on the edge of financial disaster, even a relatively minor court case can push them over the edge into homelessness or the loss of a job. But a Michigan court billed as unique in the Midwest is trying to push defendants working to better themselves onto…

Dec 28, 2010 11:00 AM CST

Sad Ending to Story About Lawyer’s Missing Husband Leaves Questions Unanswered

A story about a Michigan lawyer who sought the public’s help several months ago to try to find her missing husband didn’t have a happy ending. The body of David Widlak, 62, was found by duck hunters in October. And Macomb County authorities are now saying they believe his death…

Dec 21, 2010 10:14 PM CST

More Bad News for Ex-Mayor & Ex-Lawyer Kwame Kilpatrick of Detroit: He’s Now a RICO Defendant

In the latest blow to a once-powerful political figure, former Detroit mayor and former lawyer Kwame Kilpatrick, who is already serving time for probation violation in an unrelated obstruction case, is now facing new prosecution. He has now been charged, along with four other defendants including his father and two…

Dec 16, 2010 1:04 AM CST

DOJ: Ex-Partner at Venable, Saul Ewing Should Repay Fees Due to Mayoral Liaison

The U.S. Justice Department says a police monitor who had a secret relationship with Detroit’s former mayor should be sanctioned—but her former law firms shouldn’t be on the hook for $10 million paid in total legal fees. Sheryl Robinson Wood, a former partner with Venable and Saul Ewing, stepped down…

Dec 1, 2010 3:49 PM CST

ACLU Sues Michigan for Sentencing Children to Life in Prison

The ACLU took aim at Michigan’s sentencing laws today for cruel and unusual punishment in a suit filed on behalf of nine inmates sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole for crimes committed as juveniles. The suit, filed in the U.S. District Court in Detroit, is part…

Nov 17, 2010 8:26 PM CST

Dad Sues Over N-Word References, ‘Outrageous Statements’ in Slavery Book

A Michigan man claims in a lawsuit that a slavery book used in his fifth-grade daughter’s classroom violated the state’s civil rights act. The suit filed by Jamey Petree on behalf of his daughter, Jala, says the book used the N-word and compared African-Americans’ skin color to “Satan’s thoughts,” the…

Nov 11, 2010 1:49 PM CST

Lawyer Asserts His Cop Taunts Are Protected by the First Amendment

A Michigan criminal defense lawyer claims in a federal lawsuit that his police officer taunts are protected by the First Amendment. Lawyer Timothy Barkovic of St. Clair Shores is seeking to halt a December disciplinary hearing, the Detroit News reports. He is accused of calling a police officer a “punk”…

Nov 11, 2010 12:55 PM CST

Asst. AG Axed Over Blog Attack on Gay Student Leader

A Michigan prosecutor who attacked a student leader in a blog, calling him a “radical homosexual” and worse, and sought to get him fired from his job, has now himself been axed over his own behavior. Assistant Attorney General Andrew Shirvell was fired today, said his boss, State Attorney General…

Nov 9, 2010 1:21 AM CST

Judge Tells Fieger He’s Going to Jail If He Says ‘Polygraph’ to Murder Trial Jury One More Time

Admonishing controversial defense attorney Geoffrey Fieger in a murder trial this morning, a Michigan judge told him she’ll declare a mistrial and send him to jail if he says the word “polygraph” in front of the jury one more time. Fieger contends that his use of the offending word on…

Nov 4, 2010 11:03 PM CDT

4 Chicago Election Judges Arrested; Prosecutor Sorry for Profane Voice Mail in Sib’s Campaign

Updated: Four Chicago election judges were arrested today, including two who were allegedly drunk, one who was accused of yanking a provisional ballot out of a voter’s hands and another claimed to have groped a female election judge, reports Fox News. A Chicago Sun-Times article provides more details about the…

Nov 3, 2010 12:31 AM CDT

New Ethics Case re Lawyer’s Testimony About $8.4M Detroit Pact & Ex-Mayor’s Racy Texts

New ethics trouble is brewing for a Michigan lawyer who helped two police officers win a controversial $8.4 million settlement from the city of Detroit in a whistle-blower case after they agreed to help keep the lid on racy text messages between the then-mayor and a top aide. As an…

Oct 29, 2010 9:04 PM CDT

Murdered Michigan Lawyer Had ‘No Shortage of Enemies’

Police are investigating the murder of a Michigan med-mal defense lawyer found dead on Wednesday from multiple gunshot wounds in the entry of his apartment. The slain lawyer, Nicholas Anthony Ianni, had practiced law in Bloomfield Hills and was associated with an offshore malpractice insurance company that was accused of…

Oct 22, 2010 3:17 PM CDT

Prosecutors Seek to Introduce Secret Graveside Tapes of Murder Suspect

Prosecutors in Michigan are seeking to introduce secret tapes made at the gravesite of a slain New Baltimore couple to show the murder suspect—their son—did not appear to be grieving. Ronald Jabalee Jr. is accused of fatally stabbing his parents, Ronald and Christine Jabalee, because of money and an addiction…

Oct 21, 2010 11:34 AM CDT