CMDA Attorneys Matthew Cross and Neal Wilds recently obtained a dismissal for their clients in U.S. District Court. The case involved a pre-trial detainee who alleged violations of his First and Fourteenth Amendment Rights during his detention within a county jail. The detainee claimed he was retaliated against by jail officials for requesting notary services and claimed he was threatened and received inadequate treatment within the jail, in violation of […]

CMDA is proud to announce that Alexander R. Karana has been selected to the 2026 Illinois Rising Stars List by Super Lawyers in the Intellectual Property practice area category. This is the third consecutive year that he has been named to the list. Alexander is an accomplished Intellectual Property attorney and is admitted to practice law in Illinois and Michigan. As a registered patent attorney, he brings a deep technical […]

We are proud to announce that partners Greg Grant and Kristen Rewa obtained a complete victory for a municipality and its city manager when the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Michigan granted Defendants’ motion for summary judgment in a discrimination and retaliation lawsuit filed under the Uniformed Services Employment and Reemployment Rights Act (USERRA). The case involved a City electrical lineman who tested positive for methamphetamine on […]

Matt Cross and Greg Grant, partners in our Traverse City office, recently obtained a ruling from the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Michigan dismissing all federal claims in a civil rights lawsuit stemming from a tragic death, following a decisive motion for summary judgment. The case centered on allegations that law enforcement failed to adequately respond during a wellness check, which preceded the discovery of the decedent […]

Haider Kazim and Matt Cross, partners in our Traverse City office, recently obtained a decisive ruling in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan. The Court granted summary judgment in favor of several law enforcement officers and a county government, ending a civil rights lawsuit stemming from a 2021 arrest during a high-risk response to a shots-fired call. The case arose from an incident in a rural […]

When it comes to trademarks, The Ohio State University plays defense as aggressively as it does on Saturdays in the Horseshoe. This fall, instead of blitzing Michigan’s offense, the Buckeyes are tackling The Brown Jug, Inc. of Ann Arbor, which filed to register BUCKEYE TEARS for beer and liquor. OSU’s opposition (TTAB Opp. No. 91301291) is now pending, with an answer due October 6, 2025. Think of it as a […]

Shane Nolan, a partner in our Livonia office, recently obtained summary disposition in a premises liability case on behalf of a southeast Michigan township. The case involved the “sidewalk exception” to governmental immunity. The case arose from a trip and fall on a public sidewalk, where the Plaintiff alleged that the township did not properly maintain their sidewalk and sought damages for injuries sustained from her fall. Mr. Nolan moved […]

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 […]