Michigan

  • August 01, 2025

    Mich. Judge Tosses MSU Students' $99 Class Fee Complaint

    A Michigan federal judge dismissed a lawsuit by two students claiming their Michigan State University professor should be liable for charging them a $99 course fee that she used to fund her political activism, saying the students were given a refund and the fee was not "compelled speech."

  • August 01, 2025

    Steel Workers Want OK Of $1.8M Deal In Inflated Stock Suit

    A former employee of Flat Rock Metal and Bar Processing has asked a Michigan federal judge to grant a green light to a $1.8 million settlement in a suit claiming the trustees of the company's employee stock ownership plan allowed the plan to buy $60 million in company stock at an inflated price.

  • July 31, 2025

    Sex Abuse Verdict Tossed Because Jury Wasn't Sworn In

    A Michigan man will be given a new trial after a split state appeals panel on Thursday found that because a trial judge failed to swear in the jury that convicted him of criminal sexual conduct, a structural error occurred with the proceeding.

  • July 31, 2025

    6th Circ. OKs Toss Of Trustee Removal Bid In Union Fund Row

    A Sixth Circuit panel on Thursday upheld an Ohio federal court's decision finding that a trade union, three trustees of a union benefit fund, and a fund participant cannot remove two other trustees they accused of self-dealing, saying they failed to show they would face irreparable harm.

  • July 31, 2025

    Insurer Avoids Businesses' COVID-19 Coverage Claims

    A property insurer for numerous restaurants, bars and other small businesses owes no coverage for their consolidated business interruption claims related to the COVID-19 pandemic, an Illinois federal court ruled, looking to the laws of Illinois, Michigan, Wisconsin, Indiana, Iowa, Minnesota and Tennessee.

  • July 31, 2025

    Mich. Justices Say Employer Suit Limits Must Be Reasonable

    The Michigan Supreme Court held Thursday that employment agreements that limit how much time employees have to sue their employer must be examined for reasonableness before they are enforced by courts.

  • July 31, 2025

    Mich. Home Caregivers Ask State Court To Stop Union Vote

    Two Michigan laws that classify home caregivers as public employees who can unionize violate the First Amendment, caregivers alleged in a complaint, urging a state court to issue an injunction preventing the certification of a union representation election.

  • July 31, 2025

    Judge Questions Gov't Objection To Shielding FEMA Funds

    A Massachusetts federal judge Thursday questioned the Trump administration's assertion that it has not redirected funds allocated by Congress for natural disaster mitigation efforts toward other Federal Emergency Management Agency programs, even as the government was objecting to states' narrow request to protect the funds for now.

  • July 31, 2025

    6th Circ. Doubts Union Failed Fire Chief Accused Of Threats

    A federal appellate panel appeared unlikely based on oral arguments Thursday to revive a suit by a former fire chief at a Michigan paper mill who allegedly threatened coworkers but claimed that the United Steelworkers shirked its representation duties by failing to fight the company's decision to fire him.

  • July 30, 2025

    6th Circ. Unsure It Can Toss Papa John's Leaked Audio Suit

    The Sixth Circuit grappled Wednesday with the fate of a lawsuit that the founder of Papa John's brought against a marketing agency alleging it leaked comments that led to his resignation, with one judge questioning the appellate court's jurisdiction to decide if a valid confidentiality agreement existed.

  • July 30, 2025

    Mich. Appeals Panel Settles Split On Notice Rule Retroactivity

    A special Michigan Court of Appeals panel said on Tuesday that a state high court ruling enforcing a notice requirement for lawsuits against the state is retroactive, resolving a conflict within the intermediate appellate court and upholding the dismissal of a correction worker's suit.

  • July 30, 2025

    8th Circ. Tosses Ruling Striking Binding NEPA Regulations

    The Eighth Circuit has granted blue states' bid to vacate a ruling that faulted the White House Council on Environmental Quality for issuing binding regulations under the National Environmental Policy Act, following the Trump administration's decision to withdraw those regulations.

  • July 30, 2025

    Mich. PBM Opioid Suit Belongs In State Court, Judge Told

    Counsel for the State of Michigan argued Wednesday that a lawsuit accusing pharmacy benefit managers Express Scripts and OptumRx of fueling the opioid crisis is not subject to federal officer removal and should be sent back to state court.

  • July 30, 2025

    Basketball Artist Hits NBA Pelicans With Copyright Suit

    A visual artist specializing in arrangements of deflated basketballs sued the NBA's New Orleans Pelicans in Michigan federal court Wednesday, alleging that the team copied his distinctive style for a series of social media posts without permission.

  • July 30, 2025

    Judge Unsure Of Broad Liability Shield Theory In Fraud Suits

    A Michigan federal judge on Wednesday pressed an attorney representing automation equipment manufacturers in fraudulent transfer suits on if their argument that their system of layered automated credit payments frees them from liability would allow every business to get around an act designed to prevent fraud in the construction industry.

  • July 30, 2025

    Trump Official Denies Shutting Down FEMA Disaster Program

    The administrator of the Federal Emergency Management Agency told a Massachusetts federal judge that President Donald Trump's administration has not decided whether to end the agency's flagship natural disaster protection program, despite a lawsuit by 20 states claiming it had been shut down.

  • July 29, 2025

    States Sue To Block Feds' Demand For Benefit Recipient Data

    Nearly two dozen state attorneys general are fighting the USDA's directive for states to turn over private information about millions of food assistance benefit recipients, arguing in a new lawsuit filed in California federal court that this demand violates multiple privacy laws and the U.S. Constitution.

  • July 29, 2025

    Judiciary Advises Not Filling Next 10th Circ. Vacancy, For Now

    The Judicial Conference of the United States is recommending not filling the next vacancies on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit and a handful of district courts, for now, citing a "consistently low per-judgeship caseload" in those jurisdictions.

  • July 29, 2025

    Detroit Casino Can't Beat Denied Vaccine Exemption Suit

    A dozen former supervisors at a Detroit casino can proceed to trial on claims that their employer refused to accommodate their religiously motivated requests to skip the COVID-19 vaccine, a Michigan federal judge has ruled.

  • July 29, 2025

    $32M Verdict Holds Up In Curaleaf Pot Farm Dispute

    A Michigan federal judge on Tuesday said he was "waving goodbye" to a years-old case as he denied Curaleaf units' bid to unravel a $32 million verdict in favor of a marijuana farm that alleged the companies breached a sales contract, finding the jury had enough evidence to support its decisions.

  • July 29, 2025

    UnitedHealth Urges 6th Circ. To Affirm ERISA Preemption

    UnitedHealth Group Inc. urged the Sixth Circuit to affirm the dismissal of a man's claims that UnitedHealth defrauded him into reimbursing the health insurance giant for $25,000, arguing that the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 completely preempts such claims brought under state law.

  • July 29, 2025

    Former US Atty Named New Chief Judge For Eastern Mich.

    U.S. District Judge Stephen J. Murphy III became the newest chief judge for the Eastern District of Michigan on Monday, succeeding U.S. District Judge Sean F. Cox, who retired from the bench the same day, the district court announced Tuesday.

  • July 29, 2025

    Auto Parts Co. Drops NLRB Constitutionality Case At 6th Circ.

    An auto parts maker dropped its Sixth Circuit case claiming the National Labor Relations Board's structure flouts the U.S. Constitution, ending the dispute weeks after the appellate panel appeared unlikely to side with the company.

  • July 29, 2025

    Ford Settles Proposed Class Action Over Emissions Warranty

    Ford has settled a putative class action accusing it of violating the unfair competition law by failing to provide an emissions warranty for Golden State drivers whose vehicle transmissions weren't covered for seven years or 70,000 miles, according to a notice filed in California federal court.

  • July 29, 2025

    22 States Sue To Block Defunding Of Planned Parenthood

    California and more than 20 other states on Tuesday launched their own legal challenge to budget legislation that halts federal Medicaid funding for Planned Parenthood, alleging the measure illegally targets the organization and violates its First Amendment rights.

Expert Analysis

  • Series

    Playing Esports Makes Me A Better Lawyer

    Author Photo

    Competing in a global esports tournament at Wimbledon last year not only fulfilled my childhood dream, but also sharpened skills that are essential to my day job, including strategic thinking, confidence and networking, says AJ Schuyler at Jackson Lewis.

  • How Changes In State Gift Card Laws May Affect Cos. In 2025

    Author Photo

    2024 state legislative movements around the escheatment of unused gift card balances and consumer fraud protections should prompt issuers to consider whether changes in company domicile or blanket cash-back policies are needed in the new year, say attorneys at Alston & Bird.

  • Health Tech Regulatory Trends To Watch In 2025

    Author Photo

    With an upcoming change in administration and the release of some long-awaited rules, the healthcare industry should prepare for shifting trends, including a growing focus on health data and interest in technology-enabled delivery of healthcare, say attorneys at Orrick.

  • An Associate's Guide To Career Development In 2025

    Author Photo

    As the new year begins, associates at all levels should consider establishing career metrics, fostering key relationships and employing other specific strategies to help move through the complexities of the legal profession with confidence and emerge as trailblazers, say EJ Stern and Amanda George at Fractional Law Firm.

  • The Securities Litigation Trends That Will Matter Most In 2025

    Author Photo

    2025 is shaping up to be a significant year for securities litigation, as plaintiffs and defendants alike navigate shifting standards for omission theories of liability, class certification, risk disclosure claims and more, say attorneys at Willkie.

  • Reviewing 2024's Crucial Patent Law Developments

    Author Photo

    As 2024 draws to a close, significant rulings and policies aimed at modernizing long-standing legal practices or addressing emerging challenges have reached patent law, says Michael Ellenberger at Rothwell Figg.

  • The Justices' Securities Rulings, Dismissals That Defined '24

    Author Photo

    The U.S. Supreme Court's 2024 securities rulings led to increased success for defendants' price impact arguments, but the justices' decisions not to weigh in on important issues relating to the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act's pleading requirements may be just as significant, say attorneys at Skadden.

  • Series

    Fixing Up Cars Makes Me A Better Lawyer

    Author Photo

    From problem-solving to patience and adaptability to organization, the skills developed working under the hood of a car directly translate to being a more effective lawyer, says Christopher Mdeway at Kaufman Dolowich.

  • Making The Pitch To Grow Your Company's Legal Team

    Author Photo

    In a compressed economy, convincing the C-suite to invest in additional legal talent can be a herculean task, but a convincing pitch — supported by metrics and cost analyses — may help in-house counsel justify the growth of their team, say Elizabeth Smith and Roger Garceau at Major Lindsey.

  • Opinion

    1 Year After Rule 702 Changes, Courts Have Made Progress

    Author Photo

    In the year since amendments to the Federal Rules of Evidence went into effect, many federal judges have applied the new expert witness standard correctly, excluding unreliable testimony from their courts — but now state courts need to update their own rules accordingly, says Lee Mickus at Evans Fears.

  • Ledbetter's Legacy Shines In 2024 Equal Pay Law Updates

    Author Photo

    The federal Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act turned 15 this year, and its namesake's legacy is likely to endure in 2025 and beyond, as demonstrated by 2024's state- and local-level progress on pay equity, as well as several rulings from federal appellate courts, say attorneys at Fisher Phillips.

  • Top 10 Whistleblowing And Retaliation Events Of 2024

    Author Photo

    From a Florida federal court’s ruling that the False Claims Act’s qui tam provision is unconstitutional to a record-breaking number of whistleblower tips filed with the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission, employers saw significant developments in the federal and state whistleblower landscapes this year, say attorneys at Proskauer.

  • When US Privilege Law Applies To Docs Made Outside The US

    Author Photo

    As globalization manifests itself in disputes over foreign-created documents, a California federal court’s recent trademark decision illustrates nuances of both U.S. privilege frameworks and foreign evidentiary protections that attorneys must increasingly bear in mind, say attorneys at Hunton.

  • What 2024 Trends In Marketing, Comms Hiring Mean For 2025

    Author Photo

    The state of hiring in legal industry marketing, business development and communications over the past 12 months was marked by a number of trends — from changes in the C-suite to lateral move challenges — providing clues for what’s to come in the year ahead, says Ben Curle at Ambition.

  • Series

    Group Running Makes Me A Better Lawyer

    Author Photo

    The combination of physical fitness and community connection derived from running with a group of business leaders has, among other things, helped me to stay grounded, improve my communication skills, and develop a deeper empathy for clients and colleagues, says Jessica Shpall Rosen at Greenwald Doherty.

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.