It is with is with great sadness and extremely heavy hearts that we announce the passing of Owen J. Cummings on June 24, 2025. Mr. Cummings is the founder of the law firm of Cummings, McClorey, Davis & Acho, P.L.C. Over the course of Owen Cummings’ longstanding legal career, he established an impeccable reputation among clients, colleagues, and opposing counsel for his extensive legal knowledge and superior legal skills, his […]

Matt Cross and Greg Grant, partners in our Traverse City office, recently obtained summary disposition in a case involving novel claims under the Open Meetings Act (OMA). The claims stemmed from a separate lawsuit involving a Northern Michigan county, which was also ultimately dismissed by a federal court. The county went into closed session to discuss a settlement proposal, which prompted the OMA claims arguing that the county improperly went […]

Greg Grant and Matt Cross, partners in our Traverse City office, recently obtained summary disposition in a premises liability case involving a Northern Michigan condominium association. The claim involved a visitor to Traverse City, who slipped and fell on ice in the condominium association’s parking lot. The association had relied upon a snow removal contractor to address the accumulation of snow and ice in the parking lot. While the contractor’s […]

Please join us in welcoming Paul Leonidas Lin to the Firm. He has joined CMDA as an attorney in the Firm’s Riverside office where he focuses his practice on defending public entities in civil litigation, including municipal law and insurance defense. He manages all phases of litigation, from initial case assessment and strategic planning through discovery management, substantive motion practice, and preparation for hearings and trials. He draws on over […]

Please join us in welcoming Lanae L. Monera to the Firm. She has joined CMDA as an attorney in the Firm’s Grand Rapids office where she focuses her practice in the areas of civil litigation defense, insurance defense, and municipal law. Prior to joining CMDA, she served as Assistant Corporation Counsel for a Michigan county with emphasis on contract review and formation and statutory compliance. She also focuses her practice […]

CMDA partner Jim Acho is in his 25th year appearing on “The Great Voice of The Great Lakes,” superstation WJR (760 AM) as a legal analyst on sports law issues. Beginning Thanksgiving week in 2000, when the late Frank Beckmann first had Jim on, Mr. Acho has gone on to appear more than 50 times on a variety of WJR shows to discuss sports law issues of the day. Today […]

Most parents know — in theory, at least — that when a child turns 18 the child is considered an adult with all the attendant legal rights of adulthood. This abrupt transfer of power and the full significance may not be apparent until something happens that drives that reality home. The following statement is difficult for many parents to digest: Just because you are the parent, providing emotional and financial […]

Greg Grant, a partner in our Traverse City office, recently obtained dismissal in a negligence case against a Northern Michigan defendant. In the case, the female plaintiff was dancing on the dance floor at an employee holiday party at a large Northern Michigan resort. The plaintiff claimed that the defendant, a younger male, was also dancing when he fell backward and onto plaintiff resulting in a broken foot. The plaintiff […]

Matt Cross, a partner in our Traverse City office, recently obtained summary disposition of a premises liability claim against a northern Michigan municipal client. The case involved a trip and fall at a public library. In granting summary disposition, the court affirmed that the “public building exception” to governmental immunity does not extend to temporary or movable items within a public building. This ruling reinforces that municipalities generally maintain immunity […]