Michigan

Michigan Supreme Court Mulls Rule on Witness Attire

Michigan’s highest court is weighing whether to adopt a guideline that would give lower court judges wide discretion when it comes to controlling witness attire. But civil rights advocates are pressing the court to include an exception for religious dress. Consideration of the new court rule was prompted by a…

May 11, 2009 4:44 PM CDT

Lawyer Charged with Assault and Battery in Courthouse Cop Scuffle

A Michigan criminal defense lawyer has been charged with misdemeanor assault for a courthouse scuffle with a police officer two months ago. St. Clair Shores lawyer Timothy Barkovic was charged with assault and battery and disturbing the peace, the Detroit Free Press reports. Barkovic contends he was attacked unprovoked and…

May 7, 2009 4:43 PM CDT

Look at This, ‘Annoying Law Firm’—Our Competing Billboard, Outside Your Office

Ordinarily, Traverse Legal doesn’t advertise locally, says the founding partner of the Michigan law firm. But Enrico Schaefer says he made an exception to this policy in order to get back at an unidentified Traverse City, Mich., competitor he refers to as “annoying law firm” in a post on his…

Apr 30, 2009 7:47 PM CDT

Midsize Midwestern Firms Outside of Big Cities Doing Relatively Well

Midsize Midwestern law firms outside of major urban areas are doing better than their larger counterparts, where layoffs are common and associate start dates are being pushed back. Midwestern firms with between 100 and 450 lawyers haven’t relied as much on work stemming from capital markets and mergers and acquisitions.…

Apr 27, 2009 5:39 PM CDT

Judge’s Jury Form Mistake Results in Overturned Conviction

A Michigan appeals court has overturned an involuntary manslaughter conviction because a judge forgot to list “not guilty” as an option on a jury verdict form. The Michigan Court of Appeals ruled Michael Jess Wade, a security guard convicted of shooting and killing a suspected thief, deserves a new trial…

Apr 24, 2009 1:59 PM CDT

Underwire Bra Deflects Bullet During Detroit Break-In

A shot reportedly fired at a neighbor during a break-in of an elderly Detroit woman’s home yesterday apparently hit its target right in the chest. But the 57-year-old neighbor wasn’t injured: The shot was deflected by her underwire bra and didn’t break the skin, reports the Detroit Free Press. Police…

Apr 22, 2009 10:18 PM CDT

Ex-Spouses Ask Mich. Judge to Decide Custody of Dog Semen

Given the unusual nature of the case before her, a Michigan family court judge couldn’t help asking herself an unusual question: Was she on Candid Camera? But no, it wasn’t a joke or a set-up for the well-known television program. A divorced couple really did want Judge Cheryl Matthews to…

Apr 10, 2009 5:13 PM CDT

The New Tarasoff? 6th Circuit OKs Hospital Suit Over Ax-Wielding Ex-Patient

Decades ago, the groundbreaking Tarasoff decision made the tort law casebooks after the California Supreme Court found that a treating psychotherapist had a duty to warn a third party of potential danger posed by his patient. The rule applied by the court was was later codified into state law, and…

Apr 7, 2009 8:49 PM CDT

Can’t Pay Court Costs? Jail Is Alternative, in Florida & Other States

Most people may think of debtors’ prisons as a relic of history. But they arguably still exist in this country, where judges in criminal cases routinely employ a strong-arm collection tactic concerning court-imposed fees that isn’t available to the most aggressive civil creditor: They put people in jail. As courts…

Apr 6, 2009 11:15 PM CDT

Critics: Boss of Top Prosecutor Charged in Perjury Conspiracy Case Should Say More

After news this week that a former top drug prosecutor in the Detroit area—along with a former local judge and two cops—had been criminally charged for allegedly helping present perjured witness testimony at a drug trial, some are now criticizing her boss. Wayne County Prosecutor Kym Worthy hasn’t been accused…

Mar 26, 2009 7:26 PM CDT

Prosecutor, Judge & 2 Cops Charged By Mich. AG in Detroit Perjury Case

A retired Detroit area prosecutor and a retired Michigan judge have been criminally charged, along with two police officers, concerning an alleged conspiracy to conceal information about a witness in a 2005 drug trial in which all four of the defendants are accused either of participating or turning a blind…

Mar 25, 2009 1:24 AM CDT

Mich. Lawyer Gets Stitches After Alleged Court Scuffle with Off-Duty Cop

A Michigan lawyer received stitches after a reported scuffle with an off-duty officer during a criminal case. A paralegal for St. Clair Shores lawyer Timothy Barkovic told the Detroit Free Press that her boss was handling a criminal case in Shelby Township, and he was attacked, unprovoked, by the officer.…

Mar 11, 2009 6:57 PM CDT

New Texts Give Insider Litigation Peeks as Ex-Mayor of Detroit Seeks $100M

Ever wondered what was in former Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick’s mind during the infamous text-message debacle? His oversight of a now-former city police official’s complaint of unfair treatment was, of course, handled in a manner that eventually put the mayor himself in jail for a short time. Some 6,000 newly…

Mar 10, 2009 2:24 AM CDT

Hiring Disbarred Lawyer Was a Mistake, Ex-Judge Says

Hiring—and trusting—a disbarred lawyer known for his 1980s involvement in a bizarre condoms-for-chickens scam was a mistake, a retired Michigan judge says. “Former Clinton Township district court judge William Cannon blamed his criminal woes on his legal researcher Timothy Mucciante today at an adjourned preliminary exam,” reports the Detroit Free…

Feb 11, 2009 7:35 PM CST

What Is a Weed? Mich. Judge Decides, Upholds $100 Lawn Ticket

In a hard-fought municipal ordinance case pitting a Michigan man, supported by local environmental groups, against his township’s governing officials, a local judge has weighed in against the flourishing so-called weeds growing in his yard. “Central to the case is what it means to ‘cultivate,’ and to a lesser degree,…

Feb 10, 2009 8:59 PM CST