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 […]

Attorneys Haider Kazim and Matt Cross represented an upper peninsula township and two of its officers in a federal lawsuit in the Western District of Michigan involving a claimed Fourth Amendment violation. The plaintiff alleged that the township’s officers’ conduct amounted to a false arrest and malicious prosecution. When the time was right, Attorney Kazim and Attorney Cross moved for dismissal on qualified immunity grounds, which the court granted. The […]

Attorneys Gregory Grant and Kristen Rewa recently obtained summary judgment in favor of a small, rural city, its police chief, and a police lieutenant in a hotly contested employment discrimination case alleging violations of the due process clause, equal protection clause, and the Uniformed Services Employment and Reemployment Rights Act (USERRA), a federal statute which protects the rights of active military members and veterans from discrimination in civilian employment. The […]

Last week, a federal jury in Detroit returned a no cause verdict in favor of Jim Acho’s client after a 5-day trial. The case is Jacob Branham v. City of Allen Park PD, et al. The City, PD, police officer and Wayne County prosecutor were all dismissed on motion for summary judgment on qualified immunity. However, the individual private citizen defendant was forced to trial without the availability of that immunity. Trial […]

On January 15-16, 2019 Haider Kazim and Matt Cross, both attorneys in our Traverse City office, gave a presentation to law enforcement leaders throughout Northern Michigan on correctional law updates, including use of force, deliberate indifference, and custodial search and seizure. The presentation took place at Bay College in Escanaba and was hosted by the Michigan Municipal Risk Management Authority (MMRMA). Our Firm offers training and educational seminars on a […]

In this case, Plaintiffs filed a civil rights case seeking damages for the deaths of their sons who were fatally shot during an event at the Defendant membership club where minors allegedly purchased and/or were allowed to consume alcohol. CMDA defended the municipality, Director of Public Safety, and Clerk. Allan Vander Laan, a partner in our Grand Rapids office, and Jennifer Richards, an attorney in our Livonia office, handled the […]

Greg Grant and Matt Cross, both attorneys in our Traverse City office, recently successfully defended a municipality and police officer against claims of false arrest/wrongful imprisonment and malicious prosecution. The key issue in the case was whether the officer had probable cause to arrest plaintiff for extortion. Finding that the officer had probable case, the Court granted summary judgment in favor of our clients, dismissing plaintiff’s federal claims in their […]

On July 13, 2017 Michigan Gov. Rick Synder signed into law Public Act 85 of 2017. The Act, which has been labeled as the “Law Enforcement Body-Worn Camera Privacy Act,” pertains to recordings created by law enforcement officers wearing a video recording device during their police activities. Although it is estimated that less than 10% of law enforcement agencies in the State of Michigan have officers equipped with “body cameras,” […]

In Nelson v. City of Madison Heights, et al., while conducting a narcotics investigation at a motel police walked by the room of Shelly Hilliard (“Hilliard”) and spotted a bag of marijuana through the window. After obtaining her consent to enter the room, police found the bag of marijuana. In order to avoid arrest, Hilliard offered to call her drug dealer and order drugs from him. Hilliard signed a confidential […]