Michigan

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

Escaped Juvenile Found Hiding in Judge’s Trunk

A juvenile offender in Michigan who pried off a metal panel and escaped from his courthouse holding cell was found about an hour later hiding in the trunk of a judge’s car. A security officer became suspicious when he saw a picture on the ground next to the 2002 Lincoln…

Feb 9, 2009 2:41 PM CST

Detroit’s Clark Hill Opens Arizona Office By Acquiring Norling Kolsrud

A rapidly expanding Detroit-based law firm has just added another office to its roster. Clark Hill has opened in Scottsdale, Ariz., on the outskirts of Phoenix, by acquiring 10-attorney Norling Kolsrud Sifferman & Davis, according to Crain’s Detroit Business and a Clark Hill press release. The not-quite-200-lawyer firm opened new…

Jan 7, 2009 7:49 PM CST

Cost of Lying in Court: 120 Days, Law School Delay for Detroit Mayor’s Ex-Aide

In the latest chapter of a criminal case that ignited public interest with its allegations of sex, lies and steamy text messages between the former Detroit mayor and his ex-top aide, a Michigan judge has calculated the cost of Christine Beatty’s courtroom prevarications. “Lying in court has a price tag,…

Jan 6, 2009 7:14 PM CST

Dickinson Wright Opens in Tenn., Plans Further Growth

A Michigan-based midsize law partnership has opened a Nashville, Tenn., office by acquiring a local 19-attorney firm. Stewart Estes & Donnell merged on Jan. 1 with Dickinson Wright, which now has an attorney roster of 260, reports the Nashville Business Journal. In addition to offices throughout Michigan, the 130-year-old Dickinson…

Jan 5, 2009 10:02 PM CST

IRS Warns Detroit Lawyer to Pay Up—Five Cents, or Maybe a Penny

Detroit criminal defense lawyer James Howarth received an ominous warning from the Internal Revenue Service in mid-November. The notice told Howarth that he owed five cents on his FICA account, and he better pay promptly “to avoid additional penalty and/or interest,” the Detroit Free Press reports. It was followed by…

Jan 5, 2009 5:03 PM CST

Dismissed Dental Student Wins $1.72M Verdict Against Professors

A former dental student at the University of Michigan who was dismissed after her third year due to claimed academic deficiencies has won a $1.72 million verdict from four faculty members there. After a 14-day trial, a federal court jury found earlier this month that the four violated the due…

Dec 24, 2008 3:50 PM CST

Ex-Prosecutor Seeks Contempt for Reporter Shielding Sources

Former federal prosecutor Richard Convertino is seeking a contempt order and fines between $500 and $5,000 a day for a Detroit Free Press reporter who has declined to reveal his sources in a Justice Department investigation into Convertino’s handling of a now-discredited terrorism case. David Ashenfelter, a Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist,…

Dec 24, 2008 12:15 PM CST

Slashed Fees Still Add Up to $1,825 an Hour

A federal judge in Detroit reduced legal fees this week in a $303 million settlement between General Motors Corp. and investors. U.S. District Judge Gerald Rosen said the 19 percent requested by lawyers was too much and wouldn’t sit well with the middle class, according to an Associated Press report.…

Dec 23, 2008 11:41 PM CST

Michigan Attorney’s Ex Gets 30-to-75 for Murdering Wife

A Michigan man was sentenced to 30 to 75 years in prison today for stabbing to death his estranged wife, attorney Leontyne “Tina” Partee-Elder, in her home last year as her two children apparently slept nearby. Partee-Elder, 41, who had formerly worked in the public defender’s office before moving to…

Dec 15, 2008 9:52 PM CST

Preacher Granted Bond as He Appeals Sentence for Article Criticizing Judge

A preacher will be granted bond as he appeals a sentence of up to 10 years in prison for an article he wrote predicting God’s wrath will be inflicted on a judge. The Michigan Court of Appeals granted a motion Wednesday for bond pending appeal, according to a press release…

Dec 11, 2008 6:37 PM CST

Reporter Won’t Reveal DOJ Sources for Story on Terrorism Prosecutor

A reporter for the Detroit Free Press has declined to name the U.S. Justice Department sources who told him a federal prosecutor was being investigated for his handling of a terrorism case. Reporter David Ashenfelter cited the First Amendment and the Fifth Amendment in declining to name his sources, the…

Dec 9, 2008 1:27 PM CST

Ex-Mayoral Aide Pleads Guilty in Detroit Text-Message Sex Scandal

The chief aide to Detroit’s disgraced ex-mayor has opted to avoid a jury trial and pleaded guilty today to obstruction of justice. Christine Beatty agreed to serve a four-month sentence for her role in the text-message sex scandal involving then-Mayor Kwame M. Kilpatrick, the New York Times reports. The paper…

Dec 1, 2008 11:22 PM CST

Judge Tosses Testimony of Doc Who Diagnosed 7,000 Asbestos Plaintiffs

A Michigan judge has disqualified expert witness testimony from a physician who diagnosed more than 7,000 asbestos plaintiffs. Judge Robert Colombo Jr. ruled that the physician’s opinions were not reliable, the National Law Journal reports. Dr. Michael Kelly was not a radiologist and was not board-certified to read X-rays, according…

Nov 25, 2008 3:27 PM CST

Preacher Appeals Sentence for Article Predicting God Would Smite Judge

An activist preacher in Michigan is appealing his sentence of up to 10 years in prison for writing an article predicting that God would smite the judge who oversaw his trial and conviction for paying patrons of a soup kitchen to vote. The Rev. Edward Pinkney was sentenced in June…

Nov 13, 2008 1:08 PM CST