Ryan Miller, an equity partner in our Riverside office, and Daniel Ferris, an attorney in our Riverside office, recently received an extraordinarily favorable trial result in an admitted liability case. The trial involved allegations of negligent supervision by a local school district, which led to special education students engaging in multiple instances of sexual contact in a school bathroom. The trial lasted 14 days, and in closing the plaintiff asked […]

CMDA congratulates Attorney Linda Davis Friedland on a successful five-day bench trial in the Oakland County Business Court. Ms. Friedland and her team represented a company that was sued by another company with which it had a longtime contractor/subcontractor relationship. Plaintiff sued our client for tortious interference with a business expectancy, claiming it suffered $1,464,240.00 in damages for lost business due to our client’s construction liens, which had been prepared […]

Kristen Rewa, a partner in our Grand Rapids office, recently obtained dismissal of an employment discrimination lawsuit on behalf of a county and sheriff. The plaintiff, a former deputy, filed a lawsuit in federal court alleging sex discrimination and retaliation against her former employer. She alleged that she experienced a culture of sexism and hostility, incidents of inappropriate behavior from a supervisor, difficulties in receiving backup on calls, reassignment of […]

CMDA congratulates Attorney Carol Smith on another trial victory. Carol represented a trucking company and its driver who admitted negligence for an automobile accident. At issue were the injuries of a 31-year-old plaintiff who underwent two cervical spine fusions and is left with what his Beaumont surgeon testified is likely permanent nerve damage. The plaintiff denied any prior neck pain and, though there was a question of whether that was […]

Matthew Cross, a partner in CMDA’s Traverse City office, recently defended a Southeast Michigan municipality against a lawsuit filed by an applicant who was unsuccessful in obtaining a license to sell marijuana in the municipality. The Court granted summary disposition on Plaintiff’s claims under the Michigan Regulation and Taxation of Marihuana Act and the Open Meetings Act, dismissing the case in its entirety. Mr. Cross focuses his practice in the […]

CMDA is pleased to announce that on behalf of our client, a large Michigan utility company, the Firm received an order from the Court of Appeals affirming summary disposition in defendant’s favor in a negligence action arising from the electrocution of plaintiff that occurred while he was power-washing a home for a customer. CMDA Partners Robert Blamer and Shane Nolan represented the utility company in this case, as well as […]

Please join us in welcoming John M. McFarland to the Firm. He brings with him over 40 years of legal experience. Mr. McFarland is a partner in our Kansas City office where he focuses his practice on federal and state court civil litigation, including disputes in the intellectual property, labor and employment, and general tort and business/contract disputes. He has broad and deep experience in a sophisticated and complex business […]

On July 31, 2023, the Michigan Supreme Court held that the new fee schedule and attendant care limitations contained in MCL 500.3157 do not apply retroactively to PIP insureds who sustained accidental bodily injuries prior to the effective date of the 2019 No-Fault amendments.  In Andary et al v USAA Casualty Insurance Company and Citizens Insurance Company of America, the Court reasoned that the No-Fault insurance policy and disputed portions […]

Jim Acho and the work he does representing retired players was mentioned today on The Jim Rome Show by hosts Randy and Jason Sklar. The show is simulcast on syndicated national radio and on TV via the CBS Sports Network. Scroll to the 20 minute mark to listen. The Jim Rome Show- July 13, 2023

In December 2022, in a case of first impression, the Michigan Court of Appeals held that the Elliott-Larsen Civil Rights Act (ELCRA) supported a claim for student-on-student sexual harassment. The Michigan Supreme Court has now granted an application for leave to appeal. In Doe v Alpena Public School District, 2022 WL 17868146, a female fourth grade student’s mother brought action against the school district and board of education claiming that […]