Michigan

Dean: Despite Discord, Ave Maria’s Fla. Move Went Well

Despite some dire predictions and discord over the relocation of Ave Maria School of Law’s campus from Michigan to Florida, it has turned out well, the acting dean says. After moving over the summer, the school greeted 210 first-year students this fall, up from 126 last year, acting dean Eugene…

Jan 4, 2010 7:22 PM CST

Mich. AG Likens Carp to ‘Nuclear Bombs,’ Asks High Court to Stop Lake Entry

Michigan Attorney General Mike Cox has asked the U.S. Supreme Court to force Illinois to close shipping locks to prevent Asian carp from invading the Great Lakes. In an effort to resolve the case quickly, Cox is asking the high court to reopen three separate 1929 complaints by Wisconsin, Michigan…

Dec 22, 2009 2:37 PM CST

Feds Arrest 30, Including Doctors, in 3-State Medicare Fraud Sweep

Federal authorities have reportedly begun rounding up 30 suspects, including doctors and nurses, in a three-state Medicare fraud sweep. Arrests are expected Brooklyn, N.Y., Detroit and the Miami-Dade area in Florida, reports the Miami Herald. South Florida is the epicenter of the problem nationally, which generally involves bribes paid for…

Dec 15, 2009 8:48 PM CST

Prosecutor’s E-Mail Sent to His Lawyer on a Work Account is Privileged, Court Says

A federal prosecutor’s e-mail to his own lawyer is privileged, even though he sent it from work on a government computer, a federal court has ruled. Because he is allowed to use his work e-mail account for personal communications, assistant U.S. Attorney Jonathan Tukel had a reasonable expectation of privacy…

Dec 15, 2009 7:06 PM CST

Citing His Age, 83-Year-Old Lawyer Says ‘Couch of Restitution’ Claims Are Absurd

An 83-year-old Michigan lawyer says allegations that he had a “couch of restitution” are absurd. The lawyer, Murdoch Hertzog, was suspended from practice for 180 days because of allegations he told three former clients that he would forgive or lower their legal fees if they performed sex acts on his…

Dec 10, 2009 12:49 PM CST

Ex-Mayor Denies Gucci Shoes, Takes 5th in $1M Detroit Restitution Battle

Asked whether he had spent $595 on Gucci shoes, former Detroit mayor Kwame Kilpatrick said the brand doesn’t fit his feet properly. But, he admitted in a Detroit court hearing today, he did spend $15,000 on plastic surgery for his wife within weeks of telling a judge he couldn’t afford…

Dec 8, 2009 12:18 AM CST

Missing Michigan Law Student Committed Suicide

Police have found the body of a first-year University of Michigan law student reported missing last month. Casey Neil McGinnis, 35, had hanged himself in a wooded area near a recreation center, according to AnnArbor.com. He had a Ph.D. from the University of Minnesota and had battled alcohol and depression…

Dec 4, 2009 12:28 PM CST

Lawyer With ‘Couch of Restitution’ Disciplined in Michigan

Disciplinary authorities have sanctioned a Michigan attorney by suspending his license to practice for 180 days after a string of sensational allegations, including that he offered clients a “couch of restitution” to pay off their legal fees. An opinion released Nov. 23 by Michigan’s Attorney Discipline Board (PDF), upholds a…

Dec 1, 2009 10:15 PM CST

Clean & Sober for 6 Years, Lawyer Starts New Solo Practice

Although he pleaded guilty in 1992 to misdemeanor cocaine use two years earlier, Terry Nolan didn’t realize he had a substance abuse problem. He stopped drinking, for good, in 1998, the Michigan defense attorney tells the Muskegon Chronicle. But, fueled with the funds brought in by his successful law practice,…

Nov 30, 2009 7:16 PM CST

Fieger Firm Agrees to Pay $131K to Resolve FEC Contributions Probe

The law firm of Michigan trial lawyer Geoffrey Fieger will pay $131,000 to resolve a probe by the Federal Election Commission, an amount that pales in comparison to the potential fine if commissioners had found a knowing violation of finance laws. The payment will resolve an FEC probe into contributions…

Nov 20, 2009 5:45 PM CST

Former Miller Canfield Partner Gets 5 Years in Tax-Shelter Case

A former partner of Miller Canfield Paddock and Stone was sentenced to five years in federal prison today after pleading guilty in April 2008 to one count of conspiring to defraud the United States. According to court statements and public documents in the Western District of Michigan case, attorney John…

Nov 2, 2009 10:49 PM CST

Ex-Detroit Mayor Sues Lawyer Who Gave Racy Text Messages to Newspaper

Former Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick has sued the lawyer who leaked steamy text messages to a newspaper, touching off a scandal that led to Kilpatrick’s resignation. The lawsuit contends lawyer Mike Stefani violated a confidentiality agreement requiring him to turn over the text messages in exchange for settlement of a…

Oct 29, 2009 11:41 AM CDT

Ex-Red Wings Star Sergei Fedorov Sues Lawyers, Claims Client Conflict Cost Him Millions

Onetime Detroit Red Wings star Sergei Fedorov has filed a federal lawsuit against his former lawyers, claiming their conflict with another client caused him to lose “tens of millions” of dollars on an investment. Fedorov maintains that Birmingham law firm Hyman Lippitt simultaneously represented Fedorov and his financial adviser, Joseph…

Oct 16, 2009 11:24 AM CDT

Lawyer Fined $500 for Suing Police Dog, City Defendant to Seek Costs

After earlier fining a Michigan lawyer $500 for naming a police dog as a defendant in a lawsuit over a bite, a state-court judge has now dismissed the claim citing sovereign immunity and a lack of evidence. Attorney Lawrence Radden admittedly named Liberty, a German Shepherd, as a defendant in…

Oct 14, 2009 8:13 PM CDT

I Gave Mayor’s Text Messages to Paper, Lawyer Testifies in Discipline Case

A plaintiffs lawyer apparently ignited more of a controversy than he expected when, as he now admits, he provided copies to a local newspaper of steamy text messages between the then-mayor of Detroit and a top aide. Testifying today as a defendant in an attorney discipline case brought against himself…

Oct 8, 2009 9:53 PM CDT