The Society for American Baseball Research (SABR) Research Committee Chair Rod Nelson interviewed CMDA Partner Jim Acho for his take on the recent class action lawsuit filed by former MLB scouts for age discrimination against Major League Baseball. Jim has been legal counsel on the two largest class action lawsuits in sports history: the MLB pension lawsuit in 2022 and the NFL Concussion lawsuit in 2015. As a result, he […]

On Thursday, February 9, 2023 the NFL announced its newest class of inductees into the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Among them is the late Ken Riley, who passed in 2020. Mr. Riley was a longtime client of CMDA. Jim Acho successfully handled his concussion claim and other matters for a man affectionately known as “The Rattler.” When he left the NFL, Ken was the all-time leader in interceptions. After […]

Jim Acho, a partner in our Livonia office, is representing a current Prosecutor in a unique employment case. Matt Wayne, an associate in our Livonia office, wrote the brief in this case and carved out a new public policy exception when USDC Judge Gershwin Drain found in favor of Acho/Wayne’s client on this issue. Had the argument failed, the case would have been lost. Said Mr. Acho: “We pride ourselves […]

Jim Acho, a partner in our Livonia office, successfully represented the City of Detroit in a lawsuit filed by Detroit Police Commissioner Board Member Willie Burton. The U.S. Court of Appeals upheld a federal judge’s decision to dismiss the lawsuit last month, and yesterday denied the petition for rehearing rendering the case over. Burton was removed from the July 11, 2019 Board of Police Commissioners meeting at the Durfee Information […]

We are pleased to announce that attorney Jim Acho has been named a 2023 Top Lawyer in Labor and Employment Law by DBusiness magazine. The research for the Top Lawyers list was created by Professional Research Services and is based on an online peer-review survey sent out to the certified lawyers within the metro Detroit area. We are delighted to have a CMDA attorney named to their Top Lawyers list. […]

CMDA is pleased to announce that partner Jim Acho has been selected as a summer feature by Super Lawyers magazine. Sportswriter Brendan Meyer, who has covered Jim and some of his cases for ESPN and Bleacher Report, also does special features pieces for Super Lawyers. Mr. Meyer wanted to do a more specific piece chronicling Jim’s career handling sports cases, many of which have made national news and some even […]

CMDA is proud to announce that several attorneys from our Firm have been selected for inclusion in the 2022 Michigan Super Lawyers & Rising Stars list. The following attorneys have been selected to the 2022 Michigan Super Lawyers list: Jim Acho, Top Rated Civil Litigation Defense Jeff Clark, Top Rated State, Local & Municipal Tim Ferrand, Top Rated State, Local & Municipal Haider Kazim, Top Rated State, Local & Municipal […]

I first met Frank Beckmann through some Detroit Lions alumni events Lem Barney and Mike Lucci had taken me to in the late 1990s, and Frank and I instantly hit it off. It tickled me because I idolized the guy as a kid. Back then, I thought I wanted to be a radio play-by-play guy like all the legends we had in this town: Ernie Harwell, Paul Carey, George Kell, […]

Jim Acho, a partner in our Livonia office, was a guest on several sports radio shows this week–including on KMOX in St. Louis–to discuss the lawsuit filed against the NFL by coach Brian Flores. Longtime ESPN radio voice Kevin Wheeler now mans the drive time sports radio show for KMOX, a seat once held by legendary sportscasters Harry Caray, Jack Buck and Bob Costas; Jim has been a guest on […]

A great man passed today, one of the finest men I ever knew—not just in football, but in life. He did more for me in my career than I can tell you and he did more quietly to help former players than I can say on here. He told it like it is. Blunt, direct, no BS about him. But a warm, generous spirit. Won a world championship in Cleveland […]