Michigan

  • December 02, 2024

    Warehouse Didn't Know Slabs Would Kill Workers, Panel Says

    The estates of employees who died while moving stone slabs at a Michigan warehouse didn't prove the workers' employer deliberately put them in harm's way or knew the way the materials were stored could cause their deaths, a state appellate panel has determined, upholding the dismissal of a wrongful death lawsuit brought by the estates.

  • December 02, 2024

    Mich. Justices Take Up Contractor's 'Fees For Fees' Appeal

    The Michigan Supreme Court has agreed to review whether a construction contractor was entitled to additional attorney fees for time spent arguing that it was entitled to a fee award in its lawsuit alleging that a county-level road agency failed to disclose information about its hiring of minority-owned contractors.

  • November 27, 2024

    GM, Cruise Say DPA Has No Bearing On Securities Fraud Suit

    General Motors and its driverless car unit Cruise LLC have told a Michigan federal judge that Cruise's deferred prosecution agreement with the U.S. Department of Justice over a San Francisco pedestrian accident doesn't help investors in a proposed securities fraud class action.

  • November 27, 2024

    Ford Can't Throw Out $13M IP Verdict, InterMotive Says

    California-based vehicle technology supplier InterMotive Inc. has urged a Michigan federal judge not to touch a $13 million verdict it won after a jury found Ford profited from the misappropriation of a trade secret related to its interface module, saying the jurors made their decision based on sufficient evidence.

  • November 27, 2024

    Injury Law Firm Accuses Rival Of Stealing 'Call Sam' Slogan

    Michigan-based personal injury law firm Sam Bernstein Law has launched a trademark infringement lawsuit in California federal court against rival personal injury law firm Sam & Ash LLP, alleging its competitor has ripped off its longtime advertising taglines, "Call Sam" and "1-800-Call-Sam."

  • November 27, 2024

    6th Circ. Revives Fired State Farm Worker's Retaliation Suit

    The Sixth Circuit reinstated a suit by a Black former State Farm employee claiming her firing resulted from complaining that the company discriminated against nonwhite customers and failed to address racism, saying Wednesday she cast enough doubt on the employer's position that she was canned for mishandling emails.

  • November 27, 2024

    Up Next At The High Court: Transgender Care, Holocaust Art

    The U.S. Supreme Court will return to the bench Monday for its December arguments session, which will include blockbuster questions about the constitutionality of state laws banning gender-affirming care for transgender minors and whether Hungary can be held liable for property stolen during World War II.

  • November 27, 2024

    Better, Faster, Stranger: What Attys Think Of Our AI Future

    Law firms are increasingly embracing the use of artificial intelligence, wary of its limitations but enchanted by its potential to transform the practice of law through smaller headcounts and cheaper litigation.

  • November 27, 2024

    IP Atty, Wife Say Mich. Pot Co.'s Defamation Suit Is Too Old

    A Montana intellectual property attorney and his wife have urged a Michigan federal judge to dismiss a cannabis company's lawsuit alleging the couple posted falsehoods about the business on social media and made false tips to Michigan cannabis authorities, arguing that the claims are time-barred.

  • November 26, 2024

    UAW Local Should Rerun Officer Vote In Mich., DOL Says

    A United Auto Workers local in Warren, Michigan, should scrap the results of its May officers' election and hold a new one, the U.S. Department of Labor told a federal court Tuesday, saying the election committee mishandled its recordkeeping and oversight of absentee ballots.

  • November 26, 2024

    Prosecutor Defends Outside Counsel Hires To Mich. Justices

    A Michigan county's elected prosecutor told the state Supreme Court his stymied request to seek legal advice from outside law firms was valid, arguing he should be able to consult attorneys to manage risk after the county's corporation counsel refused to represent him. 

  • November 26, 2024

    'Enormous Is Not Everything': UAW Pressed On Doc Turnover

    A Michigan federal judge pressed a United Auto Workers attorney Tuesday about whether the union was being evasive in describing how much material it had turned over to fulfill the request of a monitor appointed to oversee the union as part of his investigation into some of the union's top officials.

  • November 26, 2024

    U. Of Michigan Shorting Pay With Late Raises, Prof Says

    The University of Michigan has been consistently applying salary increases three months later than its employment contracts require, leading to unpaid wages, a tenured sociology professor said in a proposed class action filed Tuesday in state court.

  • November 26, 2024

    CGL Carrier Seeks $1.2M In Inter-Insurer Injury Dispute

    A general liability insurer told a Michigan federal court that a professional liability insurer owes $1.2 million toward a $1.5 million settlement reached in an underlying lawsuit involving their mutual insured, a cardiovascular practice located in a Detroit hospital, arguing that the professional liability policy covered the claim.

  • November 26, 2024

    Progressive's $61M 'Total Loss' Deal Gets Approved

    Two Progressive subsidiaries will pay up to $61 million to resolve allegations that car insurance policyholders in Michigan should have been compensated for sales tax and title and registration fees as part of Progressive's payment of claims for totaled vehicles.

  • November 25, 2024

    Mich. Atty's Voting Machine Criminal Trial Delayed Again

    A Michigan state judge on Monday yet again delayed the criminal trial of an attorney accused of accessing 2020 voting machines after reiterating that he would not disqualify special prosecutors from arguing the case, giving more time for others similarly charged to chime in about newly discovered evidence.

  • November 25, 2024

    Stolen Hitler Question Suit Barred By Immunity, MSU Says

    Michigan State University said it's immune from claims that it used a trivia quiz containing a question about Adolf Hitler without the creator's permission during a sold-out rivalry football game, which sparked negative publicity for the creator and his company.

  • November 25, 2024

    Bad Faith Case Isn't Apt For Garnishment, Mich. Justices Told

    The Insurance Alliance of Michigan urged the Michigan Supreme Court to reverse an appeals court decision allowing an injured man to litigate bad faith claims against the at-fault party's insurer in garnishment proceedings, arguing the appellate decision allows him to circumvent pleading standards for a conventional civil action.

  • November 25, 2024

    Solar Co. Ex-CEO Attys Say DQ Request 'Untethered To Facts'

    Lawyers representing the former CEO of a now-defunct solar energy company against fraud and racketeering claims have told a Michigan federal judge that their previous in-house work for the company is not grounds to disqualify them from the suit, calling the plaintiffs' attempt to have them removed "untethered to facts" and improperly delayed.

  • November 25, 2024

    Justices Won't Review Mich. Gun Range Ban

    The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday rejected a proposed gun range's challenge to a Michigan town's zoning denial, denying its petition over Second Amendment protections for firearm training.

  • November 22, 2024

    Real Estate Recap: AI, NY Rent Control, NEPA

    Catch up on this past week's key developments by state from Law360 Real Estate Authority — including one BigLaw partner's view of local governments leveraging artificial intelligence for land use, how landlords may challenge New York's rent laws following the latest High Court cert denial, and what a recent D.C. Circuit ruling could mean for National Environmental Policy Act interpretation.

  • November 22, 2024

    Nissan Automatic Brake Classes Dismantled By 6th Circ.

    A Sixth Circuit panel vacated class certification Friday for Nissan drivers who say their cars' automatic braking system activates unnecessarily, finding the trial judge failed to grapple with software upgrades that may have fixed the alleged flaw for some of the class vehicles.

  • November 22, 2024

    Manhattan Project Waste Suit Sent Back To Mich. State Court

    A Michigan federal judge on Friday remanded back to state court a lawsuit from communities trying to prevent a local landfill company from accepting decades-old radioactive waste from the development of the first atomic bomb, finding a state judge can answer the unsubstantial federal question raised in the case.

  • November 22, 2024

    Judge Revives Ford Fire Risk Suit After Feds Question Recall

    A Michigan federal judge on Friday reopened a putative class action alleging certain Ford Motor Co. Escapes and Bronco Sports SUVs have a defect that caused engine fires, ruling that a query letter from highway safety regulators gave new life to claims the automaker's recall didn't fix the underlying problem.

  • November 22, 2024

    Senior Dem Asks Schumer For Votes On Circuit Court Picks

    Sen. Mazie Hirono, D-Hawaii, a senior member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, on Friday pushed back against a deal Democrats and Republicans cut earlier this week that obligates Democrats to forgo votes on four appellate picks.

Expert Analysis

  • How Attorneys Can Break Free From Career Enmeshment

    Author Photo

    Ambitious attorneys can sometimes experience career enmeshment — when your sense of self-worth becomes unhealthily tangled up in your legal vocation — but taking the time to discover and realign with your core personal values can help you recover your identity, says Janna Koretz at Azimuth Psychological.

  • Lawyers With Disabilities Are Seeking Equity, Not Pity

    Author Photo

    Attorneys living with disabilities face extra challenges — including the need for special accommodations, the fear of stigmatization and the risk of being tokenized — but if given equitable opportunities, they can still rise to the top of their field, says Kate Reder Sheikh, a former attorney and legal recruiter at Major Lindsey & Africa.

  • Opinion

    Judicial Committee Best Venue For Litigation Funding Rules

    Author Photo

    The Advisory Committee on Civil Rules' recent decision to consider developing a rule for litigation funding disclosure is a welcome development, ensuring that the result will be the product of a thorough, inclusive and deliberative process that appropriately balances all interests, says Stewart Ackerly at Statera Capital.

  • The Strategic Advantages Of Appointing A Law Firm CEO

    Author Photo

    The impact on law firms of the recent CrowdStrike outage underscores that the business of law is no longer merely about providing supplemental support for legal practice — and helps explain why some law firms are appointing dedicated, full-time CEOs to navigate the challenges of the modern legal landscape, says Jennifer Johnson at Calibrate Strategies.

  • Series

    Beekeeping Makes Me A Better Lawyer

    Author Photo

    The practice of patent law and beekeeping are not typically associated, but taking care of honeybees has enriched my legal practice by highlighting the importance of hands-on experience, continuous learning, mentorship and more, says David Longo at Oblon McClelland.

  • Opinion

    Legal Institutions Must Warn Against Phony Election Suits

    Author Photo

    With two weeks until the election, bar associations and courts have an urgent responsibility to warn lawyers about the consequences of filing unsubstantiated lawsuits claiming election fraud, says Elise Bean at the Carl Levin Center for Oversight and Democracy.

  • How Cos. Can Build A Strong In-House Pro Bono Program

    Author Photo

    During this year’s pro bono celebration week, companies should consider some key pointers to grow and maintain a vibrant in-house program for attorneys to provide free legal services for the public good, says Mary Benton at Alston & Bird.

  • Series

    Home Canning Makes Me A Better Lawyer

    Author Photo

    Making my own pickles and jams requires seeing a process through from start to finish, as does representing clients from the start of a dispute at the Patent Trial and Appeal Board through any appeals to the Federal Circuit, says attorney Kevin McNish.

  • An Update On Legal Issues In The Drone Market

    Author Photo

    Marialuisa Gallozzi and Alex Slawson at Covington examine recent developments in the legal issues surrounding the growing drone market, including possible First Amendment protections, Fourth Amendment surveillance, and litigation involving criminal and civil penalties, evidentiary pursuits, and insurance.

  • Use The Right Kind Of Feedback To Help Gen Z Attorneys

    Author Photo

    Generation Z associates bring unique perspectives and expectations to the workplace, so it’s imperative that supervising attorneys adapt their feedback approach in order to help young lawyers learn and grow — which is good for law firms, too, says Rachael Bosch at Fringe Professional Development.

  • What To Expect As Worker Bias Suit Heads To High Court

    Author Photo

    The U.S. Supreme Court is set to hear Ames v. Ohio Department of Youth Services, which concerns how courts treat discrimination claims brought by majority group plaintiffs, and its decision could eliminate the background circumstances test, but is unlikely to significantly affect employers' diversity programs, say Victoria Slade and Alysa Mo at Davis Wright.

  • Opinion

    Congress Can And Must Enact A Supreme Court Ethics Code

    Author Photo

    As public confidence in the U.S. Supreme Court dips to historic lows following reports raising conflict of interest concerns, Congress must exercise its constitutional power to enact a mandatory and enforceable code of ethics for the high court, says Muhammad Faridi, president of the New York City Bar Association.

  • Series

    The Pop Culture Docket: Justice Lebovits On Gilbert And Sullivan

    Author Photo

    Characters in the 19th century comic operas of Gilbert and Sullivan break the rules of good lawyering by shamelessly throwing responsible critical thought to the wind, providing hilarious lessons for lawyers and judges on how to avoid a surfeit of traps and tribulations, say acting New York Supreme Court Justice Gerald Lebovits and law student Tara Scown.

  • 6th Circ. Preemption Ruling Adds Uncertainty For Car Cos.

    Author Photo

    Automakers and their suppliers need uniformity under the law to create sufficient scale and viable markets — but the Sixth Circuit's recent decision in Fenner v. General Motors creates more uncertainty around the question of when state law consumer claims related to violations of federal vehicle emissions and fuel economy standards are preempted, say attorneys at Sidley.

  • State Of The States' AI Legal Ethics Landscape

    Author Photo

    Over the past year, several state bar associations, as well as the American Bar Association, have released guidance on the ethical use of artificial intelligence in legal practice, all of which share overarching themes and some nuanced differences, say Eric Pacifici and Kevin Henderson at SMB Law Group.

Want to publish in Law360?


Submit an idea

Have a news tip?


Contact us here
Can't find the article you're looking for? Click here to search the Michigan archive.
Hello! I'm Law360's automated support bot.

How can I help you today?

For example, you can type:
  • I forgot my password
  • I took a free trial but didn't get a verification email
  • How do I sign up for a newsletter?
Ask a question!