Michigan Lawyers Weekly articles from April 2007

Michigan Lawyers Weekly archives from April 2007

The verdict is in on Southeast Michigan judges.
April 2, 2007... Byline: Todd C. Berg, Esq. A prominent lawyer in Michigan politics, who knew more than a little about the state's judiciary, once said: "Just as a system of recording votes brings accountability to the legislative process, a system...

Michigan House of Representatives attempts to tackle paternity fraud.
April 2, 2007... Byline: Molly F. Dilbeck, Esq. The Michigan House of Representatives is attempting to tackle what it considers to be a growing problem in the state: Paternity fraud. House Bill 4147 -- introduced Jan. 30, 2007, by sponsoring...

Michigan Court of Appeals decision clarifies gatekeeper function of trial judge.(Chapin v. A&L Parts, Inc. et al.)(Case overview)
April 2, 2007... Byline: Melissa P. Stewart, Esq. Michigan Court of Appeals Daubert evidentiary hearings serve only as a "threshold inquiry" into the reliability of an expert witness and do not require the trial court to root out the "absolute truth"...

Michigan Lawyers in the News: April 2, 2007.
April 2, 2007... Byline: Michigan Lawyers Weekly Staff Appointments Dennis J. Donohue has been appointed chair the Grand Rapids Bar Association Environmental Law Section for a one-year term. Donohue is a partner with Warner Norcross & Judd LLP. ...

Michigan Court of Appeals Case Summaries: April 2, 2007.(People v. Lowery)
April 2, 2007... Byline: Michigan Lawyers Weekly Staff Contract Insurance Fraud Investigation - Investigative Subpoena Where the Michigan Attorney General sought to subpoena patient information from the records of a dentist being investigated for...

Michigan Court of Appeals Unpublished Civil Case Summaries: April 2, 2007.(Weaver, et al. v. Sutton, et al.)(Taylor-McGee v. Allstate Ins. Co.)
April 2, 2007... Byline: Michigan Lawyers Weekly Staff Civil Procedure Informal Resolution - Trial Required Because the trial court chose to resolve this construction contract dispute "informally," i.e., without a trial or a formal record, we...

Michigan Court of Appeals Unpublished Criminal Case Summaries: April 2, 2007.
April 2, 2007... Byline: Michigan Lawyers Weekly Staff Affirmed Convictions Armed Robbery; Bank Robbery; Habitual Offender, Fourth Degree. Search Warrant. "[D]efendant argues that the trial court erred in denying his motion to suppress evidence seized...

Michigan Supreme Court Case Summaries: April 2, 2007.(Haynes v. Neshewat)(City of Mt. Pleasant v. State Tax Comm'n.)
April 2, 2007... Byline: Michigan Lawyers Weekly Staff Civil Rights Public Accommodations Provision - Hospital Staff Privileges Where a doctor claimed that he was denied the opportunity to fully utilize his staff privileges at defendant-hospital as...

U.S. Court of Appeals 6th Circuit Case Summaries: April 2, 2007.
April 2, 2007... Byline: Michigan Lawyers Weekly Staff Civil Procedure Jurisdiction - Intervention Of Federal Agency Intervention by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) in a suit between non-diverse parties raising state law claims...

Commentary: Media relations skills bring important benefits during high-visibility cases.(Column)
April 2, 2007... Byline: Robert S. Harrison Public interest in twists and turns of high-profile cases typically creates a circus-like atmosphere of print, broadcast and online coverage in our news-all-the-time age. As such, trial attorneys must...

Verdicts & Settlements April 2, 2007: 'No cause' rendered in third-party auto case.(Lisabeth v. Auto Owners)
April 2, 2007... Byline: Michigan Lawyers Weekly Staff The 76-year-old plaintiff was a passenger in a vehicle that was broadsided by an underinsured driver who ran a red light. The plaintiff spent five days in the intensive care unit, followed by eight...

Verdicts & Settlements April 2, 2007: First-party PIP claim arbitrates for $150K.(Johnson v. Southern Michigan Insurance Company)(personal injury protection)(Brief article)
April 2, 2007... Byline: Michigan Lawyers Weekly Staff This case was based against the defendant as a result of two motor vehicle collisions, one occurring in September 1999 and the other in December 1999. The plaintiff, who was 48 at the time of these...

Verdicts & Settlements April 2, 2007: Repairman gets $3K for dog bite wounds.(Kuzera v. Raykinstein)(Brief article)
April 2, 2007... Byline: Michigan Lawyers Weekly Staff The plaintiff, a sprinkler repairman, knocked on the door of the defendant's home. The defendant's spouse opened the door and told him that the dog wanted to say "Hi." The repairman reached down to...

Verdicts & Settlements April 2, 2007: Defense verdict achieved in med-mal claim.(Katona v. Esser)
April 2, 2007... Byline: Michigan Lawyers Weekly Staff The 55-year-old plaintiff was admitted to Munson Hospital for femoral popliteal bypass surgery. Anesthesia included both general anesthesia and an epidural. The plaintiff was found to be paralyzed...

Michigan Court of Appeals rules on releasing liability.
April 9, 2007... Byline: Molly F. Dilbeck, Esq. Michigan Court of Appeals John D. Jaqua was suffering from asbestosis when he and his employer, Grand Trunk Western Railroad, agreed to a settlement for injuries resulting from Jaqua's occupational...

Michigan Court of Appeals issues ruling Ave Maria College retaliatory firing lawsuit.
April 9, 2007... Byline: Melissa P. Stewart, Esq. Michigan Court of Appeals Six months after Ave Maria College's Director of Public Relations Katie Ernsting furnished the U.S. Department of Education (DOE) with reports it requested as part of an...

Commentary: Managing your practice: A matter of trust.(Column)
April 9, 2007... Byline: Molly F. Dilbeck, Esq. Managing money is always tricky, especially when it belongs to someone else. That's why, in 2006 alone, more than 20 lawyers found themselves before the State of Michigan Attorney Discipline Board after...

Michigan Lawyers in the News: April 9, 2007.
April 9, 2007... Byline: Michigan Lawyers Weekly Staff Appointments Clinical Assistant Professor Dana A. Roach of Wayne State University Law School has been appointed director of the Damon J. Keith Law Collection of African-American Legal History. ...

Michigan Court of Appeals Case Summaries: April 9, 2007.(Provider Creditors Committee v. United American Health Care Corp.)
April 9, 2007... Byline: Michigan Lawyers Weekly Staff Civil Procedure Venue - Mixed Claims Against HMO In Receivership Where the Ingham County Circuit Court ordered a health maintenance organization into receivership, venue for a subsequent suit...

Michigan Court of Appeals Unpublished Civil Case Summaries: April 9, 2007.(Chopra v. All-Tech Investment Group, Inc.)
April 9, 2007... Byline: Michigan Lawyers Weekly Staff Arbitration Time Limitations - Time-Barred In this securities arbitration case, the trial court properly granted defendant's motion for summary disposition because plaintiff's complaint was...

Michigan Court of Appeals Unpublished Criminal Case Summaries: April 9, 2007.(People v. Swafford)(People v. Burnett)(People v. Tate)
April 9, 2007... Byline: Michigan Lawyers Weekly Staff Criminal Procedure IAD - Not Implicated The circuit court erred by dismissing the charges against defendant for failure to comply with the interstate agreement on detainers (IAD), MCL 780.601...

U.S. Bankruptcy Court Case Summaries: April 9, 2007.
April 9, 2007... Byline: Michigan Lawyers Weekly Staff Chapter 7 Failure To Disclose Claim - Penalty Where the Chapter 7 debtor failed to disclose on her Schedule B a personal injury claim that later proved to be worth $100,000, and amended her...

U.S. Court of Appeals 6th Circuit Case Summaries: April 9, 2007.
April 9, 2007... Byline: Michigan Lawyers Weekly Staff Bankruptcy Exemptions - Jewelry A Chapter 7 debtor's diamond jewelry and watch are not exempt as "necessary and proper wearing apparel" under a Tennessee bankruptcy exemption statute. The...

Verdicts & Settlements April 9, 2007: $1.5M settlement for wrongful death.(Moore v. Dawson)(Brief article)
April 9, 2007... Byline: Michigan Lawyers Weekly Staff A 64-year-old automobile passenger was killed when an oncoming vehicle failed to yield and turned left in front of the vehicle she was riding in, causing a collision. The defendant denied...

Verdicts & Settlements April 9, 2007: Medical-malpractice claim settles for $3.25M.
April 9, 2007... Byline: Michigan Lawyers Weekly Staff This medical-malpractice claim involved the failure to timely diagnose and treat atraumatic disc herniation/spinal cord compression resulting in paralysis from the chest down. The plaintiff, a...

Verdicts & Settlements April 9, 2007: Jury awards $2.1M verdict for employee's firing.(Fischer v. United Parcel Service)(Brief article)
April 9, 2007... Byline: Michigan Lawyers Weekly Staff The plaintiff, Frank Fischer, was an 18-year employee of defendant United Parcel Service who managed important accounts and was earning in excess of $100,000 per year. The plaintiff, who is African...

Commentary: Michigan Supreme Court relying on dictionary definition of words over legal precedent.
April 9, 2007... Byline: Mike Butler Years ago, if I had to reach for the dictionary while writing a brief, it generally meant I was in deep trouble. The facts were bad and the statutes and cases didn't say what I needed them to if I was to prevail. ...

State Bar should be part of the solution to state's tax woes.(Letter to the editor)
April 16, 2007... Byline: Michigan Lawyers Weekly Staff To The Editor: I want to respond to Kimberly M. Cahill's "Viewpoint." (See, "Tax on legal services would fall on those who can least afford it," March 19, 2007.) While Ms. Cahill raises some...

Michigan Court of Appeals says unnatural accrual of snow, ice is exception to governmental immunity.(Estate of Buckner v. City of Lansing)
April 16, 2007... Byline: Molly F. Dilbeck, Esq. An unnatural accrual of snow and ice just might be an exception to governmental immunity, according to the Michigan Court of Appeals. Following a snow storm, two young girls -- Chantell Buckner and...

Michigan Supreme Court clarifies "public accommodations" provision of Civil Rights Act.(Haynes v. Neshewat)
April 16, 2007... Byline: Todd C. Berg, Esq. The tale of the Michigan Supreme Court's decision in Haynes v. Neshewat, et al., is really three stories wrapped up in one. First, there's the ruling itself, wherein the justices concluded Dr. Gregory Haynes...

Michigan Court of Appeals upholds dower statutes in face of equal protection challenge.
April 16, 2007... Byline: Melissa P. Stewart, Esq. Michigan Court of Appeals In light of the advances made against sex-based discrimination over the past century, have men and women reached equal standing in terms of marriage? Not quite, according...

Michigan Lawyers in the News: April 16, 2007.(Jaffe, Raitt, Heuer and Weiss appoints Nicole R. Foley)(Zausmer, Kaufman, August, Caldwell and Tayler P.C appoints Pratheep Sevanthinathan)(Miller, Canfield, Paddock and Stone PLC appoints Thomas W. Linn)
April 16, 2007... Byline: Michigan Lawyers Weekly Staff Appointments Thomas W. Linn has been appointed chair of the Metropolitan Affairs Coalition (MAC). Linn is chairman emeritus of Miller Canfield Paddock and Stone, P.L.C. John C. Schlinker...

Attorney Discipline Board Case Summaries: April 16, 2007.(Public notice)
April 16, 2007... Byline: Michigan Lawyers Weekly Staff Notice Of Automatic Interim Suspension Case No.07-61-JC Notice Issued: April 5, 2007 James M. Harris, P 24939, Chicago, Illinois. (Lawyers Weekly No. 12-62483 - 1 page). Notice Of...

Attorney General Case Summaries: April 16, 2007.
April 16, 2007... Byline: Michigan Lawyers Weekly Staff Constitutional Law Public Contracts - Proposal 2 Const 1963, art 1, Sect. 26 prohibits the implementation or application of the City of Grand Rapids' bid discount process set forth in Section...

Michigan Court of Appeals Case Summaries: April 16, 2007.(People v. Taylor)(People v. Parker)(People v. Williams)
April 16, 2007... Byline: Michigan Lawyers Weekly Staff Criminal Law Evidence - Confrontation Clause And Dying Declarations Where a gunshot victim told police minutes after the assault, and with knowledge he would probably die, that defendant shot...

Michigan Court of Appeals Unpublished Civil Case Summaries: April 16, 2007.(Lawsuit Financing Inc. v. Muawad)(King v. Allstate Ins. Co.)(Gutierrez v. City of Saginaw)
April 16, 2007... Byline: Michigan Lawyers Weekly Staff Civil Procedure Res Judicata - Duty To Disburse Funds The trial court's failure to provide for satisfaction of plaintiffs' lien against the recovery defendant-law firm obtained for their...

Michigan Court of Appeals Unpublished Criminal Case Summaries: April 16, 2007.(People v. Hall)(People v. Ray)(People v. Tarket)
April 16, 2007... Byline: Michigan Lawyers Weekly Staff Affirmed Convictions Armed Robbery; Carjacking; Felon In Possession Of A Firearm; Felony Firearm. Effective Assistance. "Defendant first maintains that he was denied the effective assistance of...

Michigan Supreme Court Case Summaries: April 16, 2007.(Perry v. Golling Chrysler Plymouth Jeep Inc.)
April 16, 2007... Byline: Michigan Lawyers Weekly Staff Motor Vehicles Title Transfer - Execution Under MCL 257.233(9), a motor vehicle title transfers to the new owner when the title application is "executed," which occurs when the title...

Michigan Supreme Court Orders: April 16, 2007.
April 16, 2007... Byline: Michigan Lawyers Weekly Staff Attorney Discipline Matters Grievance Administrator v. Fieger. Reconsideration of order denying motion to stay proceedings pending U.S. Supreme Court's consideration of petition for certiorari...

U.S. Court of Appeals 6th Circuit Case Summaries: April 16, 2007.(Fielden v. CSX Transp., Inc.)(United States v. Nance)(Cress v. Palmer)
April 16, 2007... Byline: Michigan Lawyers Weekly Staff Civil Procedure Rule 26(a)(2)(b) - Expert Report Not Required From Treating Physician The federal district court incorrectly ruled in this Federal Employers Liability Act (FELA) case that Rule...

Post-verdict juror interviews: A chance to improve your game.
April 16, 2007... Byline: Edward P. Schwartz Although the most important work an attorney performs takes place before and during the trial, litigators have an important opportunity to learn about their effectiveness after the trial is over. Did the...

Verdicts & Settlements April 16, 2007: $3M verdict for negligence claim against hospital.(Doe v. University of Michigan)
April 16, 2007... Byline: Michigan Lawyers Weekly Staff The plaintiff was employed as a nurse at defendant University of Michigan Hospital (hospital). She underwent a fine needle aspiration at the hospital because of a thickening in her left breast. The...

Michigan Court of Appeals issues ruling on fiduciary duty.
April 23, 2007... Byline: Melissa P. Stewart, Esq. Trusts and Estates When Thomas A. Woods began to act as both the personal representative and trustee for Duane V. Baldwin's estate and trust, he intrinsically accepted certain fiduciary and statutory...

Increase in children born out of wedlock leads to more paternity-related legal issues.
April 23, 2007... Byline: Molly F. Dilbeck, Esq. Verdicts & Settlements Plus -- Family law We've all heard the story: Boy meets girl. They fall in love, have a child, and raise the baby together. Then, boy and girl fall out of love and go to court,...

Alternative Dispute Resolution: Co-authoring a solution.
April 23, 2007... Byline: Melissa P. Stewart, Esq. Managing your practice There are two sides to every story. Legal disputes are no different, but under the restraints of the rules of evidence, civil procedure, and courtroom decorum, parties often...

Michigan Lawyers in the News: April 23, 2007.
April 23, 2007... Byline: Michigan Lawyers Weekly Staff Appointments Allen W. Venable, an associate attorney in Bodman LLP's Troy office, has been appointed president of the Young Professionals organization of the Detroit Urban League. Venable...

Attorney Discipline Board Case Summaries: April 23, 2007.(Brief article)
April 23, 2007... Byline: Michigan Lawyers Weekly Staff Notice Of Reprimand (By Consent) Case No. 07-10-GA Notice Issued: April 11, 2007 Michael L. Donaldson, P 35780, Livonia, Michigan by the Attorney Discipline Board Tri-County Hearing...

Michigan Court of Appeals Case Summaries: April 23, 2007.(Nat'l Waterworks, Inc. v. Int'l Fidelity and Surety, Ltd.)(Stallworth v. Stallworth)(Minter v. City of Grand Rapids, et al.)
April 23, 2007... Byline: Michigan Lawyers Weekly Staff Construction Law Surety Bond - Reassignment Of Judge In this surety bond dispute, the chief judge of the Macomb County Circuit Court properly reassigned this matter to a judge who already had...

Michigan Court of Appeals Unpublished Civil Case Summaries: April 23, 2007.(Hogan v. City of Pontiac, et al.)(Miekstyn, et al. v. BMC Choppers, et al.)
April 23, 2007... Byline: Michigan Lawyers Weekly Staff Civil Rights Default Judgment - Set Aside The trial court in this alleged police brutality case erred by denying defendant-police detective's motion to set aside the default and default...

Michigan Court of Appeals Unpublished Criminal Case Summaries: April 23, 2007.(People v. Martin)(People v. Gonzales)(People v. Edwards)
April 23, 2007... Byline: Michigan Lawyers Weekly Staff Affirmed Convictions Armed Robbery; Conspiracy To Commit Armed Robbery; Home Invasion, First Degree; Conspiracy To Commit Home Invasion, First Degree; Habitual Offender, Third Offense -- Effective...

Michigan Supreme Court Orders: April 23, 2007.(People v. McGhee)
April 23, 2007... Byline: Michigan Lawyers Weekly Staff Briefing Ordered People v. McGhee. Parties to address "whether the prosecution has standing to seek review in this Court when a defendant's conviction has been affirmed in the Court of Appeals. In...

U.S. Court of Appeals 6th Circuit Case Summaries: April 23, 2007.(United States v. Cohen)
April 23, 2007... Byline: Michigan Lawyers Weekly Staff Contract Proposed Sale Of Structured Settlement - Court Approval Denied Court-required approval under the Michigan Structured Settlement Protection Act is denied for the proposed sale of...

U.S. District Court Eastern District Case Summaries: April 23, 2007.(Johnson v. Scheidler)(Everett v. Akal Security, Inc.)
April 23, 2007... Byline: Michigan Lawyers Weekly Staff Civil Rights Failure To Disclose Exculpatory Evidence - No 'Brady' Violation A police detective is not liable under Sect. 1983 for failing to disclose potentially exculpatory evidence during...

U.S. District Court Western District Case Summaries: April 23, 2007.(Demo v. Red Roof Inns, Inc.)
April 23, 2007... Byline: Michigan Lawyers Weekly Staff Premises Liability Slip And Fall - Open And Obvious A motel is not liable for plaintiff's slip-and-fall injuries on an exterior stairwell because plaintiff could only speculate about the cause...

When is it time to fire a client?
April 23, 2007... Byline: Randy Tuminello Although I'm not the type to readily recommend the burning of a bridge, there are occasions when the only option is to get out the blowtorch. Though rare, there are some clients that should be fired. This...

Verdicts & Settlements April 23, 2007: Defendant officers charged with 'excessive force'.(Garber, et al. v. O'Farrell, et al.)(Brief article)
April 23, 2007... Byline: Michigan Lawyers Weekly Staff Three plaintiffs brought a Sect. 1983 action against one former and four current Ingham County Sheriff's deputies. The plaintiffs alleged that the defendants used excessive force in arresting one...

Verdicts & Settlements April 23, 2007: Third-party auto negligence arbitrates for $600K.(Keith, et al. v. Rashid, et al.)(Brief article)
April 23, 2007... Byline: Michigan Lawyers Weekly Staff On Sept. 23, 2002, the plaintiff, a 32-year-old construction worker, was rear-ended by the defendant when driving home from work. The defendant driver had fallen asleep at the wheel during the afternoon...

Verdicts & Settlements April 23, 2007: Father gets $200K for fraudulent misrepresentation.(Fonstad v. Teal)
April 23, 2007... Byline: Michigan Lawyers Weekly Staff Plaintiff Eric Fonstad met defendant Karen Vollmer in 1989. They moved in together and the defendant got pregnant. She had a boy. Plaintiff's counsel said the pregnancy was the result of a drunken...

Michigan Supreme Court rules that "execution" of title application is complete at signing.
April 30, 2007... Byline: Todd C. Berg, Esq. Michigan Supreme Court Normally, Michigan Supreme Court justices break out a dictionary when the meaning of a word is crucial to a case's outcome. In Brian Perry's case, they didn't. As a result, he...

Michigan Supreme Court Chief Justice Taylor proposes cutting some appellate judges.
April 30, 2007... Byline: Todd C. Berg, Esq. Michigan Judiciary How do you trim more than $1 million from the judiciary's proposed budget and enable the Michigan Court of Appeals to decide cases faster? You get rid of some appellate judges! At...

Verdicts & Settlements April 30, 2007: Man collects $4M in personal injury suit.(Boyd v. Green Briar Development Inc.)
April 30, 2007... Byline: Melissa P. Stewart, Esq. Verdicts & Settlements Plus -- Personal Injury Can a man collect more than $4 million in damages for injuries he sustained from a concealed danger on his own property? Apparently so, if a recent...

Michigan Lawyers in the News: April 30, 2007.(Arthur H. Siegal appointed at Michigan Chamber's Environmental Quality Committee)(Jaffe, Raitt, Heuer and Weiss appoints David S. McDaniel)(Daniel P. Malone awarded)
April 30, 2007... Byline: Michigan Lawyers Weekly Staff Appointments Arthur H. Siegal, a partner with Jaffe Raitt Heuer & Weiss, P.C., has been named chair of the Michigan Chamber's Environmental Quality Committee. Siegal centers his practice on...

Attorney Discipline Board Summaries: April 30, 2007.
April 30, 2007... Byline: Michigan Lawyers Weekly Staff Notice Of Reinstatement With Condition Case No. 06-47-RP Notice Issued: April 19, 2007 G. Scott Stermer, P 26813, Matthews, North Carolina, by Attorney Discipline Board Genesee County...

Michigan Court of Appeals Case Summaries: April 30, 2007.(Gonzalez v. St. John Hospital and Medical Center)(Ivezaj v. Auto Club Ins. Co.)(Butler v. Michigan State Disbursement Unit)
April 30, 2007... Byline: Michigan Lawyers Weekly Staff Constitutional Law Taking - Just Compensation Where the state did not pay the interest accrued on child support collections to a child support recipient, the recipient has no constitutional...

Michigan Court of Appeals Unpublished Civil Case Summaries: April 30, 2007.(Universal Coney Island v. Kaju)(Ruby and Assocs. v. Shore Financial Services)(Hardy v. Safeway Food Center, Inc.)
April 30, 2007... Byline: Michigan Lawyers Weekly Staff Appeals Remand - Summary Disposition The trial court erred by relying on a previous Court of Appeals opinion to grant defendant summary disposition in this construction contractor liability...

Michigan Court of Appeals Unpublished Criminal Case Summaries: April 30, 2007.(People v. Litfield)(People v. Harper)(People v. Sallis)
April 30, 2007... Byline: Michigan Lawyers Weekly Staff Affirmed Convictions Conspiracy To Possess With Intent To Deliver 1,000 Or More Grams Of Cocaine. Sufficient Evidence. "The evidence indicated that defendant Rhodes flew into Detroit from...

Michigan Supreme Court Orders Case Summaries: April 30, 2007.(Reaume v. Jefferson Middle School)(Weber v. Hillborn)(People v. Davis)(Brief article)
April 30, 2007... Byline: Michigan Lawyers Weekly Staff Oral Argument Ordered Brown v. Sam Whittar Steel, Inc. (Lawyers Weekly No. 06-62641 - 1 page). Remand People v. Davis. (Lawyers Weekly No. 06-62638) (1 pages). Remand to COA as on leave...

U.S. Court of Appeals 6th Circuit Case Summaries: April 30, 2007.(Sarr v. Gonzales)(Ege v. Yukins)(West v. AK Steel Corp.)
April 30, 2007... Byline: Michigan Lawyers Weekly Staff Criminal Law Evidence - Late Production Of 'Brady' Material The failure of the government's cooperating witness to produce evidence until late in the trial did not violate Brady v. Maryland,...

U.S. District Court Eastern District Case Summaries: April 30, 2007.(VHW Inc. v. Geostar Corp.)(Grier v. Wayne County Circuit Court)
April 30, 2007... Byline: Michigan Lawyers Weekly Staff Civil Rights Section 1983 - No State Actors Where plaintiff claims that the Barris, Sott, Denn & Driker (BSDD) law firm violated his due process rights by an alleged failure to serve him with...

Commentary: Trade secrets: At risk now more than ever.
April 30, 2007... Byline: Thomas P. Branigan The news of "buy outs" and lay offs in the domestic automobile industry is generally distressing, but it is also a reason for original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) and suppliers to be extra cautious about their...

Commentary: The paralegal manager.
April 30, 2007... Byline: Linda S. Jevahirian A reliable management policy will help lawyers maximize the productivity and longevity of their paralegals. The system can be non-structured and casual, or formal and strict. The style of management chosen...

Verdicts & Settlements April 30, 2007: Product liability claim results in directed verdict.(Hershey v. Black & Decker (U.S.) Inc.)(Brief article)
April 30, 2007... Byline: Michigan Lawyers Weekly Staff The plaintiff alleged that a drill manufactured by defendant Dewalt was defective because it did not contain a second handle which caused a disabling repetitive use injury to the plaintiff's right...

Verdicts & Settlements April 30, 2007: $3.8M verdict awarded for contractor's negligence.(Boyd v. Green Briar Development Inc.)(Boyd v. Samels)
April 30, 2007... Byline: Michigan Lawyers Weekly Staff In fall 2001, defendant Green Briar Development, Inc. damaged a driveway on an adjacent construction site that was owned by the plaintiff's father-in-law. To drain water from the construction site and...

Verdicts & Settlements April 30, 2007: Plaintiff gets $84K in auto negligence matter.(Lee v. Chandler)
April 30, 2007... Byline: Michigan Lawyers Weekly Staff The plaintiff, a 77-year-old veteran, was hit by a pickup truck as he was walking across a street at night. The defendant driver was turning a pickup truck left on a steady green arrow traffic...