Michigan

  • January 09, 2025

    Horizon Bank Flag On Large Check Not Biased, 6th Circ. Says

    A Sixth Circuit panel upheld Horizon Bank's defeat of allegations that the bank discriminated against a Black customer based on her race, finding bank staff did not act with hostility when they flagged a large settlement check she deposited as suspicious and froze her debit card.

  • January 09, 2025

    Mich. City Fights Pot Co.'s Bid To Stop Adult Use Licensing

    The city of Pontiac, Michigan, is asking a federal court to deny a bid from a would-be cannabis retailer to halt the city's process of issuing recreational use cannabis licenses, saying the company's claims are premature and likely to fail.

  • January 08, 2025

    Fiat Chrysler Hit With Jeep Hood Fire Defect Class Action

    Automaker FCA US LLC, part of Stellantis NV, on Tuesday was hit with a proposed class action in Michigan federal court over allegations that certain Jeep vehicles made between 2021 and 2023 were prone to catching on fire, causing serious, even "catastrophic" damages.

  • January 08, 2025

    Captive Insurer Says Reinsurer Must Cover Legionnaires' Row

    The captive insurer of a Michigan healthcare system asked a federal court Wednesday to find that its reinsurer couldn't sell off coverage responsibilities and owes payment for underlying suits alleging various patients contracted Legionnaires' disease.

  • January 08, 2025

    Mich. Utility Tells DC Circ. It Can Challenge FERC Decision

    A Michigan transmission owner has told the D.C. Circuit that the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission's challenge of its ability to protest the agency's refusal to grant it sole ownership of grid updates needed to serve a Michigan solar farm is "meritless."

  • January 08, 2025

    Edward Jones Fined $17M Over Customer Transition Fees

    Edward Jones has agreed to pay $17 million to end an investigation into alleged supervisory failures that may have led it to overcharge customers who transitioned from its brokerage division to its advisory division, state regulators announced Wednesday.

  • January 08, 2025

    Ex-MGM Worker Had 'God-Given Right' To Skip Vax, Jury Told

    An attorney for a fired MGM Grand Detroit warehouse manager harked back to the American Revolution to try to persuade a Michigan federal jury during opening statements that his client was wrongfully denied an exemption from the casino's COVID-19 vaccine mandate.

  • January 08, 2025

    Trump Electors May Have To Face Civil Suit, Mich. Panel Hints

    A Michigan state appeals court seemed hesitant Wednesday to extend a freeze in a civil lawsuit against Republican electors criminally accused of participating in then-President Donald Trump's alleged efforts to change the outcome of the 2020 election, citing deference to the trial judge's decision to press on.

  • January 08, 2025

    Mortgage Cos. Fined $20M Over Cybersecurity Breach

    Bayview Asset Management LLC and three affiliates on Wednesday agreed to pay a $20 million fine and improve their cybersecurity programs to settle allegations from 53 state financial regulators that the mortgage companies had deficient cybersecurity practices and didn't fully cooperate with regulators after a 2021 data breach.

  • January 07, 2025

    DOJ Watchdog Criticizes Trump Officials For COVID Leaks

    The U.S. Department of Justice's Office of the Inspector General has found that senior Justice Department officials under the first Trump administration improperly leaked information about investigations into COVID-19 deaths in states run by Democrats shortly before the 2020 presidential election, according to a report posted Tuesday.

  • January 07, 2025

    Cooper Standard Says $11M Royalty Fight Can't Be Arbitrated

    The former parent company of a group of international automotive product suppliers has asked a Michigan federal judge not to force arbitration of its lawsuit accusing them of stiffing it out of more than $11 million in royalties, saying the suppliers waived their right to arbitration.

  • January 07, 2025

    Detroit Flooding Class Quizzed On Decision To Skip Expert

    A Michigan appellate panel pressed flooding victims Tuesday to explain why they didn't use an expert to bolster their case that a regional water authority's neglect led to a mass flooding event in 2021, with the judges giving away little about whether they would ultimately revive the claims.

  • January 07, 2025

    Mich. Town Tries To Ditch $5M Suit Over Dispensary Flip-Flop

    A Michigan township accused of greenlighting, and then blocking, a developer's special-use permit for a marijuana dispensary said Tuesday the developer suing it for $5 million never actually got the required prequalification from the state.

  • January 07, 2025

    6th Circ. Declines To Send Publix Questions To Ga. High Court

    The Sixth Circuit won't certify a set of questions about Georgia state nuisance law to the state's Supreme Court, after ruling that Publix Super Markets Inc. hasn't shown the appeals court needs to step in before a bellwether trial in the national opioid multidistrict litigation.

  • January 07, 2025

    Ford Tells NJ Justices Car Group Can't Rely On Franchise Law

    Ford Motor Co. told the New Jersey Supreme Court during oral argument Tuesday that a coalition of car dealerships can't sue it under the state's franchising law, arguing the plain language of the law only allows for franchisees to bring a cause of action against franchisors.

  • January 07, 2025

    Lawmakers Push To Limit China's Access To US AI Tech

    Two congressmen, in anticipation of a new framework being published by the Bureau of Industry and Security, have urged the secretary of commerce to place strict guidelines on high-end artificial intelligence technology the United States exports over fears of China's access to it.

  • January 07, 2025

    No Problem With $217M Dam Repair Tax, Mich. Panel Says

    A Michigan appellate panel on Monday said a $217 million special assessment levied on property owners for dam repairs and lake level restoration after devastating 2020 floods was established through a legally sound process, ruling the owners were never entitled to have a pseudo-judicial review of the tax.

  • January 06, 2025

    Sidley, Wachtell Guide Inari Medical's $4.9B Sale To Stryker

    Medical technology company Stryker Corp., represented by Sidley Austin LLP, announced Monday that it has inked an agreement to acquire device maker Inari Medical Inc., represented by Wachtell Lipton Rosen & Katz, in a deal worth about $4.9 billion.

  • January 06, 2025

    USAA Hits Mich. Clinics, Owners With Billing Fraud Claims

    United Services Automobile Association has told a Michigan federal court that physical therapy providers worked together to defraud the insurer by soliciting car accident victims and then referring them for unnecessary medical care.

  • January 06, 2025

    Mich. Residents Say Solar Investors Can't Arbitrate Fraud Suit

    Michigan residents who allege Florida investment firms funded a company that duped them into buying defective solar panels have urged a federal judge to deny the firms' bid to arbitrate or dismiss the claims, saying the court has already rejected the investors' arguments.

  • January 06, 2025

    Nicki Minaj Accused Of Slapping, Threatening Tour Manager

    Nicki Minaj's former tour manager has filed an assault lawsuit in Los Angeles court alleging the rapper slapped him repeatedly and threatened his life backstage after a concert at Little Caesars Arena in Detroit last year.

  • January 06, 2025

    MGM, Ex-Worker Prepare For COVID-19 Vax Exemption Trial

    A former MGM Grand Detroit employee will try to convince a federal jury this week that the casino and hotel improperly denied his request for religious exemption from its mandatory COVID-19 vaccination policy, while MGM Grand is preparing to argue that the worker's shifting answers can't prove his purported beliefs were sincere. 

  • January 06, 2025

    4 Firms Ask To Helm Hybrid Jeep Exploding Battery Class

    Drivers claiming certain hybrid Jeep vehicles were sold with defective batteries that risk exploding or catching fire have asked a Michigan federal judge to appoint four law firms to steer the case as co-interim class counsel.

  • January 03, 2025

    Real Estate Recap: All Eyes On '25

    Catch up on this past week's key developments by state from Law360 Real Estate Authority — including what the experts think is in store for 2025.

  • January 03, 2025

    Budtender Says Tip Pool Suit Can Dodge Arbitration

    A budtender accusing a cannabis company of mishandling tips told a Michigan federal court that the arbitration clause in his employment agreement lacks mutuality and doesn't cover his claims, arguing that his case should stay in court.

Expert Analysis

  • Why Now Is The Time For Law Firms To Hire Lateral Partners

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    Partner and associate mobility data from the second quarter of this year suggest that there's never been a better time in recent years for law firms to hire lateral candidates, particularly experienced partners — though this necessitates an understanding of potential red flags, say Julie Henson and Greg Hamman at Decipher Investigative Intelligence.

  • What 7th Circ. Collective Actions Ruling Means For Employers

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    With the Seventh Circuit’s recent Fair Labor Standards Act ruling in Vanegas v. Signet Builders, a majority of federal appellate courts that have addressed the jurisdictional scope of employee collective actions now follow the U.S. Supreme Court's limiting precedent, bolstering an employer defense in circuits that have yet to weigh in, say attorneys at Jackson Lewis.

  • Considering Possible PR Risks Of Certain Legal Tactics

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    Disney and American Airlines recently abandoned certain litigation tactics in two lawsuits after fierce public backlash, illustrating why corporate counsel should consider the reputational implications of any legal strategy and partner with their communications teams to preempt public relations concerns, says Chris Gidez at G7 Reputation Advisory.

  • It's No Longer Enough For Firms To Be Trusted Advisers

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    Amid fierce competition for business, the transactional “trusted adviser” paradigm from which most firms operate is no longer sufficient — they should instead aim to become trusted partners with their most valuable clients, says Stuart Maister at Strategic Narrative.

  • Mich. Whistleblower Ruling Expands Retaliation Remedies

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    The Michigan Supreme Court's recent Occupational Health and Safety Act decision in Stegall v. Resource Technology is important because it increases the potential exposure for defendants in public policy retaliation cases, providing plaintiffs with additional claims, say Aaron Burrell and Timothy Howlett at Dickinson Wright.

  • Missouri Injunction A Setback For State Anti-ESG Rules

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    A Missouri federal court’s recent order enjoining the state’s anti-ESG rules comes amid actions by state legislatures to revise or invalidate similar legislation imposing disclosure and consent requirements around environmental, social and governance investing, and could be a blueprint for future challenges, say attorneys at Paul Hastings.

  • How Methods Are Evolving In Textualist Interpretations

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    Textualists at the U.S. Supreme Court are increasingly considering new methods such as corpus linguistics and surveys to evaluate what a statute's text communicates to an ordinary reader, while lower courts even mull large language models like ChatGPT as supplements, says Kevin Tobia at Georgetown Law.

  • Avoiding Corporate Political Activity Pitfalls This Election Year

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    As Election Day approaches, corporate counsel should be mindful of the complicated rules around companies engaging in political activities, including super PAC contributions, pay-to-play prohibitions and foreign agent restrictions, say attorneys at Covington.

  • Why Attorneys Should Consider Community Leadership Roles

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    Volunteering and nonprofit board service are complementary to, but distinct from, traditional pro bono work, and taking on these community leadership roles can produce dividends for lawyers, their firms and the nonprofit causes they support, says Katie Beacham at Kilpatrick.

  • Firms Must Offer A Trifecta Of Services In Post-Chevron World

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    After the U.S. Supreme Court’s Loper Bright Enterprises v. Raimondo decision overturning Chevron deference, law firms will need to integrate litigation, lobbying and communications functions to keep up with the ramifications of the ruling and provide adequate counsel quickly, says Neil Hare at Dentons.

  • 6th Circ. Ruling Highlights Complexity Of ERISA Preemption

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    The Sixth Circuit’s recent ruling in Standard Insurance v. Guy — that the defendant couldn't collect his mother’s life insurance after being convicted of murdering his parents — illustrates how courts must engage in mental gymnastics to avoid the broad reach of Employee Retirement Income Security Act preemption, says Mark DeBofsky at DeBofsky Law.

  • 5 Tips To Succeed In A Master Of Laws Program And Beyond

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    As lawyers and recent law school graduates begin their Master of Laws coursework across the country, they should keep a few pointers in mind to get the most out of their programs and kick-start successful careers in their practice areas, says Kelley Miller at Reed Smith.

  • Series

    Being An Opera Singer Made Me A Better Lawyer

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    My journey from the stage to the courtroom has shown that the skills I honed as an opera singer – punctuality, memorization, creativity and more – have all played a vital role in my success as an attorney, says Gerard D'Emilio at GableGotwals.

  • How Law Firms Can Avoid 'Collaboration Drag'

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    Law firm decision making can be stifled by “collaboration drag” — characterized by too many pointless meetings, too much peer feedback and too little dissent — but a few strategies can help stakeholders improve decision-making processes and build consensus, says Steve Groom at Miles Mediation.

  • Election Outlook: A Precedent Primer On Content Moderation

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    With the 2024 election season now in full swing, online platforms will face difficult and politically sensitive decisions about content moderation, but U.S. Supreme Court decisions from last term offer much-needed certainty about their rights, say Jonathan Blavin and Helen White at Munger Tolles.

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