Michigan

  • November 18, 2024

    BCBS Wants New Trial After Worker's $12M Vax Suit Win

    Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan has urged a federal judge to expunge a $12.69 million jury award won by a former employee who claimed she was unlawfully fired because her religious beliefs forbade her from getting a COVID-19 vaccination, saying her evidence of discrimination wasn't up to snuff.

  • November 18, 2024

    Mich. Justices Spurn Restaurant Group's COVID Appeal

    The Michigan Supreme Court has turned down an appeal from a bar and restaurant association seeking to recoup its members' lost profits from the state's enforcement of COVID-19 public health measures, after tossing individual restaurants' claims earlier this year. 

  • November 18, 2024

    FCA Says Court Shouldn't Reverse Utah Class Cert. Denial

    FCA US LLC is pushing back against a Utah driver's bid for reconsideration of a Michigan federal judge's denial of class certification in litigation alleging that the automaker sold vehicles with a defective electronic gearshift, saying he can't make new arguments on reconsideration that he didn't make in prior briefs.

  • November 18, 2024

    Mich. Atty Avoids Default For Now In Election Audit Pay Suit

    A Michigan federal judge said Friday he would not enter a default judgment against an attorney and Donald Trump ally on claims she stiffed a voting machine inspection company, even though her inaction led to a default finding, ruling that the liability of her alleged financial backer still needs to be determined.

  • November 18, 2024

    Snyder Aide Expands Suit Over Flint Water Crisis Prosecution

    An adviser to former Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder has been permitted to add new allegations to his lawsuit against the state's attorney general and special prosecutors over their handling of charges brought against him surrounding the Flint water crisis, while the judge delayed ruling on prosecutors' immunity.

  • November 15, 2024

    Real Estate Recap: Industry Leaders Weigh In

    Catch up on this past week's key developments by state from Law360 Real Estate Authority — including President-elect Donald Trump's industry pick for Middle East special envoy, a playbook on commercial real estate distress from BigLaw leaders and one KKR exec's optimism for the end of a two-year real estate slump.

  • November 15, 2024

    Atty-Brother Feud Belongs In State Court, Mich. Judge Finds

    A Michigan federal judge won't weigh in on a spat between an attorney and his former cannabis business partner brother, who is accused of shorting him $18 million as part of a buyout agreement, saying the dispute should stay in state court.

  • November 15, 2024

    Insurer Drops Daycare Abuse Suit Following Settlement

    A Michigan federal court formally dismissed an insurer's declaratory action seeking to avoid covering a daycare and a former employee in an underlying lawsuit accusing the employee of physically and emotionally abusing three children, finding the matter is now moot since the underlying parties reached a settlement.

  • November 15, 2024

    Detroit Riverfront Org.'s Ex-CFO Admits He Embezzled Funds

    The former finance chief of a nonprofit that has helped redevelop Detroit's riverfront pled guilty Friday to stealing tens of millions of dollars from the organization and agreed to pay more than $44 million in restitution as part of his plea agreement.

  • November 15, 2024

    Detroit 'Rain Tax' Stormwater Fees Upheld By Appellate Court

    Fees that Detroit charges property owners to maintain its stormwater drainage system are not illegal taxes, a Michigan Court of Appeals panel held, finding that although the charges are effectively compulsory, they are not subject to constitutional restrictions on tax increases.

  • November 15, 2024

    Tenneco Asks Justices To Review 6th Circ. Arbitration Denial

    Automotive parts company Tenneco asked the U.S. Supreme Court on Friday to review a Sixth Circuit decision from August that refused to force individual arbitration of a proposed class action from workers alleging retirement plan mismanagement, arguing lower courts had disagreed on how to apply federal arbitration law.

  • November 15, 2024

    Abbott Inks $8M Deal With Healthcare Fraudster In TM Suit

    A New York federal judge on Thursday green-lit a trademark infringement settlement in which Abbott Laboratories will receive $8 million from a Florida businessman who recently pled guilty to healthcare fraud for his role in a sprawling gray market scheme to profit off of Abbott's line of diabetic test strips meant to be sold internationally.

  • November 15, 2024

    Atty Who Called Mich. Judge 'Crazy' Secures New Hearing

    A criminal defense attorney found in contempt for calling a Michigan judge "crazy" during a hearing in his courtroom will get a new hearing because a different judge should have handled the contempt proceedings, a state appellate court panel has determined.

  • November 14, 2024

    Ex-JP Morgan Rep To Stop Soliciting Clients Amid Arbitration

    A former J.P. Morgan Securities LLC employee who left to work for Morgan Stanley has agreed not to solicit customers from her former employer while the parties arbitrate the broker-dealer's claims she lured clients with more than $12 million in assets away to its rival.

  • November 14, 2024

    Insurer Says Mich. Lawyers Lying About Its Auto Coverage

    A no-fault auto insurer alleged in a new complaint Wednesday that Michigan personal injury attorneys and their law firms are engaging in a smear campaign to drive the insurer out of the state, accusing the attorneys and firms of posting lies that the company discourages drivers from selecting adequate policies and overcharges its customers.

  • November 14, 2024

    Notice Ruling For Mich. Claims Not Retroactive, Panel Says

    A Michigan Supreme Court ruling enforcing a notice requirement for lawsuits filed against the state government does not apply retroactively to cases filed in the last few years because it "reflected a 180-degree change in the law," a Michigan Court of Appeals panel said Wednesday. 

  • November 14, 2024

    NHTSA Fines Ford $165M, Second-Largest Civil Penalty

    The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration on Thursday said it has issued Ford Motor Co. a fine of up to $165 million — the second-largest civil penalty in the agency's history — over the carmaker's failure to recall vehicles promptly.

  • November 14, 2024

    47 AGs Support FCC's Robocall Database Reforms

    A bipartisan coalition of 47 attorneys general encouraged the Federal Communications Commission to implement new rules aimed at improving the effectiveness of the Robocall Mitigation Database, or RMD, writing in a comment letter that the database is "currently one of the most important sources of information available for anti-robocall enforcement actions."

  • November 13, 2024

    Damages Limited In AGs' Generic Drug Price-Fixing Case

    A Connecticut federal judge has nixed some claims against Sandoz Inc. and other generic-drug makers in a massive antitrust and unfair trade practices case filed by state attorneys general, finding that a handful of the enforcers cannot seek damages on behalf of their allegedly injured citizens.

  • November 13, 2024

    A 3M PFAS Win Could Be Hollow, Mich. Justice Suggests

    Michigan Supreme Court justices asked Wednesday what it would mean to invalidate the state's regulations on so-called forever chemicals in drinking water, with one justice commenting that winning the case might be of little consequence for 3M, the company that brought the challenge, while undoing protections for the water supply.

  • November 13, 2024

    Mich. Justices Bore Into Railroad's Telecom Tunneling Dispute

    Norfolk Southern emphasized its safety concerns Wednesday during oral arguments before the Michigan Supreme Court as it tried to persuade the justices to reverse a ruling finding a telecommunications company did not need the railway's permission to bury fiber-optic cable underneath its tracks.

  • November 13, 2024

    Detroit Fire Fee Ruling Concerns Mich. Justice

    A Michigan Supreme Court justice on Wednesday said he was troubled by a lower appellate ruling he said seemed to imply that municipalities can work around a state law barring sneaky taxes, in this case by stating a charge for fire prevention services is really just the cost of a permit allowing property owners to do business in Detroit.

  • November 13, 2024

    Mich. Justice Jokes He's To Blame For PIP Assignment Fights

    A Michigan Supreme Court justice joked Wednesday that his 2017 footnote about patients assigning medical claims to healthcare providers was to blame for complicated recent insurance litigation surrounding plaintiffs who sign over their rights but nevertheless sue insurers. 

  • November 13, 2024

    6th Circ. Partially Vacates Insurer's ERISA Disability Suit Win

    The Sixth Circuit partially invalidated on Wednesday an insurance company's win in an ex-worker's suit seeking additional disability benefits, directing a lower court to reconsider arguments regarding when to apply a 24-month policy limitation on benefits for total disability caused by a mental health condition.

  • November 13, 2024

    Detroit Tigers Argue Ex-VP Fired Due To COVID, Not Bias

    The Detroit Tigers have asked the court to rule in their favor in a discrimination suit filed in Michigan federal court by a Black former executive who said she was terminated due to her race and age, arguing there were legitimate reasons for workforce reductions amid the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020.

Expert Analysis

  • Series

    Being An Artist Makes Me A Better Lawyer

    Author Photo

    My work as an artist has highlighted how using creativity and precision together — qualities that are equally essential in both art and law — not only improves outcomes, but also leads to more innovative and thoughtful work, says Sarah La Pearl at Segal McCambridge.

  • How Judiciary Can Minimize AI Risks In Secondary Sources

    Author Photo

    Because courts’ standing orders on generative artificial intelligence and other safeguards do not address the risk of hallucinations in secondary source materials, the judiciary should consider enlisting legal publishers and database hosts to protect against AI-generated inaccuracies, say attorneys at Lankler Siffert & Wohl.

  • Tips For Employers As Courts Shift On Paid Leave Bias Suits

    Author Photo

    After several federal courts recently cited the U.S. Supreme Court's Muldrow decision — which held that job transfers could be discriminatory — in ruling that paid administrative leave may also constitute an adverse employment action, employers should carefully consider several points before suspending workers, says Tucker Camp at Foley & Lardner.

  • 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.

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!