Michigan Lawyers Weekly articles from May 2008

Michigan Lawyers Weekly archives from May 2008

Disregard for rules illuminates agenda-driven decisions.(Letter to the editor)
May 5, 2008... Byline: Michigan Lawyers Weekly Staff To the Editor: I read your article on the "era of enactment" rule ("High court ignores 'era of enactment' rule," April 21, 2008), and the article you published in response ("The non-rule 'rule,'"...

Michigan Supreme Court identifies 'danger' under 'common work area' doctrine.
May 5, 2008... Byline: Todd C. Berg, Esq. Dangers abounded in the common area of the construction site where carpenter Douglas Latham was injured. But there was only one danger that mattered to the Michigan Supreme Court for purposes of ruling on...

Michigan Supreme Court: Overeager to overrule?
May 5, 2008... Byline: Todd C. Berg, Esq. MSC -- Analysis The Michigan Supreme Court may have gotten played. Or maybe the justices were just playing along. Either way, as a result of the prosecution's framing of the issue on appeal, a...

Michigan Supreme Court rules no 'independent proof' required for 'excited utterance'.
May 5, 2008... Byline: Todd C. Berg, Esq. MSC -- Evidence Few things can cripple a criminal prosecution like a complaining witness who refuses to testify. That's one of the reasons the "excited utterance" exception to the hearsay rule was...

Michigan mother to stand trial again in daughter's death.
May 5, 2008... Byline: Melissa P. Stewart, Esq. Michigan Court of Appeals Criminal Law On Oct. 10, 1999, 7-year-old Monique Yost died in her Bay County home. When an autopsy revealed that she had ingested somewhere between 80 and 120 dissolved...

Mich. Court of Appeals rules barred testimony prevented defendant from putting on full defense.(Michigan)
May 5, 2008... Byline: Melissa P. Stewart, Esq. Expert toxicology testimony is critical. At least, it is when a mother is accused of poisoning her 7-year-old daughter. Accordingly, the Michigan Court of Appeals ruled that a Bay County trial...

Michigan Court of Appeals rules evidence of "other acts" can be introduced in murder trial.
May 5, 2008... Byline: Melissa P. Stewart, Esq. Allegations of child abuse. Prior drug overdoses. A history with Child Protective Services. For prosecutor trying a mother accused of poisoning her 7-year-old daughter, such a background would...

Retired Chrysler LLC assistant general counsel Steven B. Hantler discusses tort reform.
May 5, 2008... Byline: Melissa P. Stewart, Esq. Practice Profile Few topics stir up as much debate in the legal community as tort reform. Abhorred by some attorneys and lauded by others, the movement that began sweeping the country in the...

Plain, but not always simple: Plain language deciding factor in Mich. Supreme Court decision.
May 5, 2008... Byline: Todd C. Berg, Esq. Michigan Supreme Court As is the case in so many Michigan Supreme Court decisions, "plain language" ended up being a deciding factor in People v. Barrett. But this time, it was the court's own "plain...

Michigan Lawyers Weekly honors 23 of state's in-house counsel.
May 5, 2008... Byline: Natalie Lombardo Amid a plummeting economy, many of Michigan's in-house counsel devoted 2007 to protecting their companies from litigation and making sure business continued to thrive -- despite ever-dwindling resources. For...

Michigan Lawyers in the News: May 5, 2008.
May 5, 2008... Byline: Michigan Lawyers Weekly Staff Appointments Elliot A. Spoon of Jaffe Raitt Heuer & Weiss, P.C. was appointed by the Federal Housing Finance Board as a Public Interest Director on the Board of Directors of the Federal Home Loan...

Michigan Court of Appeals Case Summaries: May 5, 2008.
May 5, 2008... Byline: Michigan Lawyers Weekly Staff Real Property Altered Lake Level - Statute Of Limitations Where plaintiffs claimed defendants flooded their property and caused trees to die by wrongfully raising the level of a lake, and...

Michigan Court of Appeals Unpublished Civil Case Summaries: May 5, 2008.
May 5, 2008... Byline: Michigan Lawyers Weekly Staff Civil Procedure Dismissal - Remanded The trial court abused its discretion by dismissing plaintiff's employment case with prejudice under MCR 2.401(G) and MCR 2.504(B), based on his failure to...

Michigan Court of Appeals Unpublished Criminal Case Summaries: May 5, 2008.
May 5, 2008... Byline: Michigan Lawyers Weekly Staff Affirmed Convictions Felonious Assault; Felony Firearm; Felon In Possession Of A Firearm. Judicial Misconduct. "Contrary to defendant's argument, the trial court never indicated that defendant...

Michigan Supreme Court Case Summaries: May 5, 2008.
May 5, 2008... Byline: Michigan Lawyers Weekly Staff Criminal Law Interfering With Crime Report - Commission Of Crime To obtain a conviction under MCL 750.483a(1)(b), which provides that a "person shall not... [p]revent or attempt to prevent...

Michigan Supreme Court Orders Case Summaries: May 5, 2008.
May 5, 2008... Byline: Michigan Lawyers Weekly Staff Leave Granted Odom v. Wayne County. (Lawyers Weekly No. 06-66356) (1 pages). On order of the Court, the motions for leave to file briefs amicus curiae are GRANTED. The motion for reconsideration of...

U.S. Court of Appeals 6th Circuit Case Summaries: May 5, 2008.(United States)
May 5, 2008... Byline: Michigan Lawyers Weekly Staff Criminal Law Tax Fraud - Sufficient Evidence There was sufficient evidence to support defendant's convictions for filing fraudulent tax returns for his customers. Background "The...

Commentary: Raising private capital for early-stage businesses has its place online.
May 5, 2008... Byline: Michael T. Raymond, Esq. Businesses in their infancy often turn to private individuals to raise their start-up and early-stage growth capital by offering equity interests in their company. In most instances, the instrument delivered...

Commentary: Improving your credit score can be done in practical ways.
May 5, 2008... Byline: Ed Poll I wrote recently that building and maintaining a good relationship with your banker is a crucial strategy for beating the credit crunch. Relationships are important, but bankers also value numbers, and the most important...

Verdicts & Settlements May 5, 2008: Jurors find unanimously for sex abuse victim.(Brief article)
May 5, 2008... Byline: Michigan Lawyers Weekly Staff Defendant Michael S. Albanese, a Kalamazoo businessman who owns two city restaurants, hired plaintiff Jessica L. Liebendorfer's mother to do the business' bookkeeping when Jessica Liebendorfer was...

Verdicts & Settlements May 5, 2008: Patient's claims of chiropractor fraud disproven.(Brief article)
May 5, 2008... Byline: Michigan Lawyers Weekly Staff A case filed in 45b District Court concerned chiropractic bills that plaintiff Zigmond Chiropractic, P.C said defendant Titan Insurance Co. did not pay. The plaintiff's patient was allegedly...

Verdicts & Settlements May 5, 2008: Man struck by tractor-trailer on highway.(Brief article)
May 5, 2008... Byline: Michigan Lawyers Weekly Staff Decedent Richard Biegas suffered fatal injuries to his head and abdomen when he was stuck by a tractor-trailer owned and operated by defendant Quickway Carrier, Inc. At the time of the accident, Richard...

MSC acts as if 'rules' are meant to be broken.(Letter to the editor)
May 12, 2008... Byline: Michigan Lawyers Weekly Staff To the Editor: I congratulate you on your article entitled "High court ignores 'era of enactment' rule" (April 21, 2008). The maxim "power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely"...

Beyond words: Michigan Supreme Court Chief Justice Taylor adds words to statute.(Chief Justice Clifford W. Taylor)
May 12, 2008... Byline: Todd C. Berg, Esq. Michigan Supreme Court -- 'Statutory Interpretation' Analysis Michigan Supreme Court Chief Justice Clifford W. Taylor has done it. He's done what he and other justices have criticized prior courts and...

View from the other side: prosecutor becomes criminal defense lawyer.(Michigan's Flood Lanctot Connor Stablein PLLC partner Todd F. Flood)(Interview)
May 12, 2008... Byline: Melissa P. Stewart, Esq. Practice Profile What happens when a promising young prosecutor does an about-face to become a criminal defense lawyer? Well, if he happens to be Todd F. Flood, he parlays his success at the Wayne...

Breaking the mold: attorneys at Detroit criminal defense firm don't follow traditional path.(Flood Lanctot Connor Stablein PLLC partner Todd F. Flood)(Interview)
May 12, 2008... Byline: Melissa P. Stewart, Esq. Business of Law Unlike civil law firms, which can grow to house hundreds of lawyers, most criminal defense firms max out at one or two lawyers. But, attorneys at Royal Oak-based Flood Lanctot Connor...

All sword, no shield: Michigan Supreme Court applies its own rule for contractual interpretation.
May 12, 2008... Byline: Todd C. Berg, Esq. MSC -- Contractual Interpretation Analysis Mary Ellen McDonald would've won in the Michigan Supreme Court if the court hadn't selectively applied one of its own rules for contractual interpretation. The...

'One year' means one year, rules Michigan Supreme Court.
May 12, 2008... Byline: Todd C. Berg, Esq. Michigan Supreme Court -- Contract Law If it's not in the contract, then forget about it. That's the Michigan Supreme Court's position on whether insureds can have more time to sue their no-fault...

'Overruling' oversight: Michigan Supreme Court.
May 12, 2008... Byline: Todd C. Berg, Esq. Michigan Supreme Court One might wonder why the Michigan Supreme Court's opinion in McDonald v. Farm Bureau Insurance Company wasn't a lot shorter. For instance, why didn't the Supreme Court majority...

Michigan father, not exactly father of the year.(James Couzens III)
May 12, 2008... Byline: Todd C. Berg, Esq. Michigan Supreme Court -- Criminal Law James Couzens III should've hired a professional to handle his "tax planning." The price for not doing so was a 10-year felony -- and landing his son in hot water...

Just a hunch: understanding intuitive inklings helps mediators.(Canada)
May 12, 2008... Byline: Natalie Lombardo Mediation Track A sinking feeling in your stomach. A knot in your gut. A whisper in your mind. Those are a few common feelings brought on by intuition. And understanding those intuitive inklings can...

Michigan Lawyers in the News: May 12, 2008.
May 12, 2008... Byline: Michigan Lawyers Weekly Staff Presentations John J. Gillooly of Garan Lucow Miller P.C. presented recently on the Freedom of Information Act at the Sanilac County Health Department in Sandusky. George B. Donnini of Butzel...

Michigan Court of Appeals Case Summaries: May 12, 2008.
May 12, 2008... Byline: Michigan Lawyers Weekly Staff Administrative Law Medicaid Denial - Residence We affirm defendant-Department of Community Health's administrative orders, denying plaintiff-Indonesian citizen, who is in this country legally,...

Michigan Court of Appeals Unpublished Civil Case Summaries: May 12, 2008.
May 12, 2008... Byline: Michigan Lawyers Weekly Staff Contract Garnishee Action - No Valid Defense Plaintiff was properly granted summary disposition in this contract action because the garnishee-defendant failed to present a valid defense. ...

Michigan Court of Appeals Unpublished Criminal Case Summaries: May 12, 2008.
May 12, 2008... Byline: Michigan Lawyers Weekly Staff Affirmed Convictions Armed Robbery; Habitual Offender, Third Offense. Prosecutorial Misconduct. "In this instance, the prosecutor used leading questions with respect to matters of little or no...

U.S. Court of Appeals 6th Circuit Case Summaries: May 12, 2008.
May 12, 2008... Byline: Michigan Lawyers Weekly Staff Antitrust Cemeteries - Geographic Area In this antitrust case alleging anticompetitive behavior in the market for burial monuments in the state of Michigan, the district court properly...

Commentary: it's a risky business when dealing with lawyers and insurance ethics.
May 12, 2008... Byline: Ed Poll Most law firms are familiar with the concept of insurance, if for no other reason than because of the issues involved with carrying professional liability insurance in the event of malpractice litigation. However,...

Commentary:Legislation designed to eliminate stranger-originated life insurance has pros and cons.
May 12, 2008... Byline: Bradley K. Feldman and Robert M. Heinrich Should it be a crime to purchase a life insurance policy and then sell it to an investor within the first five years of its issuance? The legislators in at least four states think so. ...

Commentary: The Main Course: Seldom Blues in Detroit.(Restaurant review)
May 12, 2008... Byline: Michigan Lawyers Weekly Staff A menu that's savory, sweet, soulful and sophisticated. Service that's top notch. An atmosphere that's light years from the stuffy supper clubs of the past. And live music that's truly all that...

Verdicts & Settlements May 12, 2008: Patient's tooth gets infected from root canal.(Brief article)
May 12, 2008... Byline: Michigan Lawyers Weekly Staff Plaintiff Melissa Benedetti was treated by defendant Mark Salah, D.D.S., for a root canal. During treatment, the tip of an endodontic file broke in one of the canals of the tooth. Salah informed...

Verdicts & Settlements May 12, 2008: Request for service reimbursement denied.
May 12, 2008... Byline: Michigan Lawyers Weekly Staff On April 2, 2006, the plaintiff-minor Ashlee Saenz, 16, was a rear-seat passenger in a vehicle when the driver lost consciousness after inhaling the contents of an "air duster" can. The vehicle left...

Verdicts & Settlements May 12, 2008: 'Special land use approval' contested by MDOT.(Michigan Department of Transportation)
May 12, 2008... Byline: Michigan Lawyers Weekly Staff In this condemnation action, plaintiff Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT) seized property owned by the defendant Gilling family. Gillings Nursery, a retailer, wholesaler and designer of...

Commentary: Michigan Supreme Court diminishes the right to jury trial in civil cases.
May 12, 2008... Byline: Paul A. Rosen, Esq. A 25-page scholarly paper has been written concerning the constitutional right to jury trial in Michigan. Authored by Wayne State University Law School's "distinguished professor of law," Robert A. Sedler,...

Commentary: don't let dictionaries have the final word.
May 12, 2008... Byline: Josh Ard, Esq. While in a law library last night, I read with interest your article, "Dic * tion * ary (dik' she ner' e), noun, 1. a statutory interpretation tool" (April 28, 2008). The dispute was whether there ought to be...

Advocacy so zealous it might be criminal.(Letter to the editor)
May 19, 2008... Byline: Michigan Lawyers Weekly Staff To the Editor: Although I have no pithy legal analysis to offer, I felt compelled to write after reading the Practice Profile on T. Joseph Seward ("The policeman's advocate," April 28, 2008). ...

Sobriety courts are making a difference!(Letter to the editor)
May 19, 2008... Byline: Michigan Lawyers Weekly Staff To the Editor: I am delighted that you folks at Michigan Lawyers Weekly took the time to highlight Michigan's Drug Courts ("A 'sober' chance" and "Sobriety court works," April 21, 2008). I...

Not taking 'work' too seriously: Michigan Supreme Court's "ability to work" standard.
May 19, 2008... Byline: Todd C. Berg, Esq. MSC -- 'Serious Impairment' Analysis The Michigan Supreme Court has a double standard in its "serious impairment" jurisprudence. When a plaintiff is able to go back to work after having been injured in a...

Weighty word: 6th Circuit decides to remove word "expert" from criminal jury instruction.
May 19, 2008... Byline: Melissa P. Stewart, Esq. The phrase "expert witness" has never been tossed around casually in American courtrooms. But recently, the 6th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals decided to tread even more lightly around the term when it...

Profile of U.S. District Court, Eastern District of Michigan Judge David M. Lawson.
May 19, 2008... Byline: Melissa P. Stewart, Esq. Judicial profile Judge David M. Lawson has always played by the rules -- the rules of evidence, that is. As a scholar of what he calls "the rules of the courtroom," Lawson, a U.S. District Court...

Michigan Supreme Court rules injuries did not restrict man's ability to live normal life.(serious impairment of body function)(Case overview)
May 19, 2008... Byline: Todd C. Berg, Esq. MSC -- 'Serious Impairment of Body Function' Douglas D. Jones' general ability to live his normal life was unaffected by the injury he suffered when Kathleen Olson crashed her car into his. Sure, he...

An empty threat: Part I-Michigan man attempts to prove he is baby's biological father.(termination of parental rights)
May 19, 2008... Byline: Natalie Lombardo Family Law -- Part I The crime of adultery is so antiquated, it's a joke, says Corunna attorney Arnold D. Dunchock. Nevertheless, it was the threat of prosecution for that crime that prevented Douglas...

A 'Line in the sand': Part II-Mich. man attempts to prove he is baby's biological father.
May 19, 2008... Byline: Natalie Lombardo Family Law -- Part II Douglas Voris' first attempt to establish he was the biological father of Corbyn Voris was thwarted when his star witness was scared out of testifying by the threat of adultery charges....

Archaic crime of adultery still packs a punch- Part III.
May 19, 2008... Byline: Natalie Lombardo Family Law -- Part III Those who take on extramarital affairs realize there are devastating consequences if they're nabbed. But what most adulterers -- and even many attorneys -- don't realize is that life...

Michigan Lawyers in the News: May 19, 2008.
May 19, 2008... Byline: Michigan Lawyers Weekly Staff Appointments Jeffrey T. Rogg of Miller Canfield was re-appointed to a third term on the State Bar of Michigan's Standing Committee on Criminal Jury Instructions. Shigehito Onimura of Butzel...

Michigan Attorney Discipline Board Case Summaries: May 19, 2008.
May 19, 2008... Byline: Michigan Lawyers Weekly Staff Notice Of Automatic Reinstatement Case No. 06-52-JC Notice Issued: May 1, 2008 Scott W. Wellman, P 44811, Stanwood, Michigan Effective April 29, 2008 Respondent was suspended from...

Michigan Court of Appeals Case Summaries: May 19, 2008.
May 19, 2008... Byline: Michigan Lawyers Weekly Staff Criminal Law Prior Plea - Admissible Evidence Neither the ex post facto clause nor the separation of powers doctrine prevents evidence of defendant's guilty plea in a prior domestic violence...

Michigan Court of Appeals Unpublished Civil Case Summaries: May 19, 2008.
May 19, 2008... Byline: Michigan Lawyers Weekly Staff Civil Procedure Default Judgment - Too Drastic We reverse the trial court's order entering a default judgment against plaintiff-Mazur because the trial court failed to consider less drastic...

Michigan Court of Appeals Unpublished Criminal Case Summaries: May 19, 2008.
May 19, 2008... Byline: Michigan Lawyers Weekly Staff Affirmed Convictions Armed Robbery; Assault With Intent To Do Great Bodily Harm Less Than Murder; Felon In Possession Of A Firearm; Felony Firearm. Sufficient Evidence. The jury chose to believe...

Michigan Supreme Court Case Summaries: May 19, 2008.
May 19, 2008... Byline: Michigan Lawyers Weekly Staff Constitutional Law Same-Sex Benefits - Prohibited The marriage amendment, Const. 1963, art. 1, Sect. 25, which states that "the union of one man and one woman in marriage shall be the only...

Michigan Supreme Court Orders: May 19, 2008.
May 19, 2008... Byline: Michigan Lawyers Weekly Staff Leave Denied Booth v. Clinton Machine Co. (Lawyers Weekly No. 06-66466) (2 pages). KELLY, J., dissenting: In this case, the Court of Appeals reversed the Workers' Compensation Appellate Commission...

U.S. Court of Appeals 6th Circuit Case Summaries: May 19, 2008.
May 19, 2008... Byline: Michigan Lawyers Weekly Staff Antitrust Provider Agreement - No Claim Plaintiff-B&H Medical's (B&H's) claims, that the preferred-provider agreements between non-party Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan (BCBSM) and...

Commentary: The interactive juror.(use of interactive visuals in the courtroom)
May 19, 2008... Byline: Richard Gabriel On an average day, Americans watch 2 1/2 hours of television and spend as much as 3 1/2 hours on the Internet, according to polls by Time and CNN. As a result of this information inundation, they have become...

Commentary: Say what?(witness preparation)
May 19, 2008... Byline: Paul D. Friedman Any attorney who handles litigation will encounter a witness who says, "What do you want me to say?" or, "Tell me what to say." This is the beginning of a potential pitfall the lawyer must recognize so that...

Commentary: Lessons from 'The Rocket'.
May 19, 2008... Byline: Michael T. Marcucci Almost every person or company publicly accused of misconduct, whether by a government investigation or lawsuit or otherwise portrayed in public as a person of less-than-pristine ethics, has the same initial...

Commentary: A matter of detection.(on drug screening)
May 19, 2008... Byline: Mike Grosh There are essentially three ways a drug or alcohol screen may be introduced into a court action -- ordered by the judge, recommended by the attorney, or voluntary. In any scenario, there are a number of technical and...

Commentary: Multiple tests, information sources provide more depth in client profiles.
May 19, 2008... Byline: Katrina Kuzyszyn-Jones What is the difference between a clinical psychological evaluation and a forensic evaluation? How do you pick the right expert for your evaluation? Knowing when and how to obtain a forensic evaluation...

Commentary: Criticism of Mich. Supreme Court's statutory construction in 'Holley' is off base.
May 19, 2008... Byline: Timothy A. Baughman, Esq. I am writing with regard to Michigan Lawyers Weekly's "News Article" of May 12, 2008, "Beyond words: Chief justice reviews 'grammatical context' and 'statutory scheme' placement to determine Legislature...

TURBO spurs county development in Michigan.(Transforming Underdeveloped Residential and Business Opportunities)
May 26, 2008... Byline: Natalie Lombardo Leadership Series Wayne County Executive Robert A. Ficano sees Michigan's plummeting economy as a second chance. "Whenever there is crisis, there is opportunity," he said. "Especially in this atmosphere,...

Michign Supreme Court-"Statutory Interpretation" Analysis: 'Isn't it obvious?'.
May 26, 2008... Byline: Todd C. Berg, Esq. MSC -- 'Statutory Interpretation' Analysis Randall L. Ross is lucky the word "income," which determined the fate of his work-loss benefits claim in the Michigan Supreme Court, originated in the No-Fault Act,...

Michigan Supreme Court rules in 'S corporation' loophole case.
May 26, 2008... Byline: Todd C. Berg, Esq. MSC -- No-Fault Act Paying himself wages may have been the smartest business decision Randall L. Ross ever made. It put money in his pocket even as his S corporation continued operating at a loss. ...

Maximum defense: Big law firms incorporating criminal defense practice.(Miller Canfield)
May 26, 2008... Byline: Douglas J. Levy Practice Profile When big companies need their big legal business matters handled -- whether intellectual property or product liability -- more often than not, they're handled by big law firms. But what if...

Michigan Supreme Court rules in insurance law case: A recommendation is just that.
May 26, 2008... Byline: Todd C. Berg, Esq. MSC -- Insurance Law Douglas G. Ross went outside his health maintenance organization's (HMO) network to get cancer treatment he hoped would save his life. But, because his HMO -- Blue Care Network of...

Michigan Supreme Court to rule in statute of limitations case: Without limitations?
May 26, 2008... Byline: Melissa P. Stewart, Esq. MSC -- Criminal Law Murder does not have a statute of limitations. Nevertheless, an Okemos physician accused of killing his wife with a lethal dose of painkillers recently tried to persuade the...

Michigan Supreme Court: Persuasive authority?
May 26, 2008... Byline: Melissa P. Stewart, Esq. MSC -- Analysis Just last year, the Michigan Supreme Court ruled a daughter could not proceed with a wrongful-death lawsuit filed 16 years after her mother's murder, despite the fact that the cause of...

Michigan Lawyers in the News: May 26, 2008.
May 26, 2008... Byline: Michigan Lawyers Weekly Staff Appointments Soni Mithani of Miller Canfield was appointed to the City of Ann Arbor's Housing and Human Services Advisory Board. Stephen I. Greenhalgh of Bodman LLP was appointed to the Board...

Michigan Attorney Discipline Board Case Summaries: May 26, 2008.
May 26, 2008... Byline: Michigan Lawyers Weekly Staff Fee Agreement Basis Of Fee - Suspension A 180-day suspension is the appropriate level of discipline for an attorney who failed to communicate the basis and rate of his fee, charged and...

Michigan Court of Appeals Case Summaries: May 26, 2008.
May 26, 2008... Byline: Michigan Lawyers Weekly Staff Criminal Law Sentencing - Guidelines Departure Justified The trial court properly justified its decision to exceed the guidelines by sentencing defendant to five concurrent 40- to 60-year...

Michigan Court of Appeals Unpublished Civil Case Summaries: May 26, 2008.
May 26, 2008... Byline: Michigan Lawyers Weekly Staff Arbitration Motion To Vacate - Denied In this action to enforce an arbitration award in a premises liability case, we affirm the circuit court's order entering judgment for plaintiffs in the...

Michigan Court of Appeals Unpublished Criminal Case Summaries: May 26, 2008.
May 26, 2008... Byline: Michigan Lawyers Weekly Staff Affirmed Convictions Aggravated Stalking; Resisting Arrest. Amended Information. "Elliot claims that the trial court erred by amending the date on the information at the end of trial from March 15,...

Michigan Supreme Court Orders: May 26, 2008.
May 26, 2008... Byline: Michigan Lawyers Weekly Staff Leave Denied People v. Peck. (Lawyers Weekly No. 06-66563) (6 pages). CORRIGAN, J., concurs and states as follows: I concur in the order denying leave because it is clear that the trial judge...

U.S. Court of Appeals 6th Circuit Case Summaries: May 26, 2008.
May 26, 2008... Byline: Michigan Lawyers Weekly Staff Civil Rights First Amendment - Prisoner's Comments At Hearing Where a hearing officer terminated plaintiff-prisoner's misconduct hearing after he called her "a foul and corrupted bitch,"...

Commentary: Smart asset decisions can save your family from some major headaches.
May 26, 2008... Byline: Steven H. Malach, Esq. The "scare" messages are out there -- the fears of outliving retirement funds, retirees losing their health insurance benefits, and declining real estate values eating away at one point was considered...

Commentary: Anticipate problems to avoid ethical elder law dilemmas.
May 26, 2008... Byline: Kimberly E. O'Leary After almost 20 years of practicing law, I joined an elder law practice in 2000. I had represented a wide range of civil clients in a variety of matters -- more a generalist than a specialist -- and assumed that...

Commentary: The Main Course.(Sweet Georgia Brown)(Restaurant review)
May 26, 2008... Byline: Michigan Lawyers Weekly Staff Six years ago marked a new era of fine dining in downtown Detroit, when the doors of Sweet Georgia Brown opened at the corner of Brush and Monroe streets, just steps away from Greektown. And while...