CMDA attorney Ray Richards was recently interviewed as a criminal expert on “History’s Greatest Mysteries.” The History Channel show featured the unsolved case of the Sodder family. On Christmas morning in 1945, five of their children vanished from their family home in West Virginia during a raging fire. Despite the work of many, the mystery of the Sodder children’s disappearance remains. Ray E. Richards, II is an Of Counsel attorney […]

The latest issue of Urban Aging News highlights an article on The Ladybird Deed written by Norman “Gene” Richards. The article provides an overview of the ladybird deed, along with the benefits and challenges that come with that method of transferring property when a person dies. Urban Aging News is a quarterly publication that provides information, insight, and inspiration for Metro Detroit’s maturing adults. Check out the Spring 2022 issue here. […]

John Gwyn, an attorney in our Livonia office, recently attended the Community Associations Institute (CAI) 2022 Annual Law Seminar in California. While at the seminar, and unbeknownst to him, the national presenters chose to feature one of Mr. Gwyn’s cases as an example of the complicated interplay between tort, easement, and contract law. The case involves a Circuit Court Judge in Macomb County agreeing with CMDA that claims made in […]

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 […]

Please joins us in welcoming Barbara M. Moore to the Firm. She has joined CMDA as an attorney in the Firm’s Riverside office. Ms. Moore focuses her practice on public entity defense, insurance defense, personal injury, and litigation. Prior to joining the Firm, she worked as a civil litigation attorney where she was responsible for all litigation work, including drafting pleadings, motions and discovery, depositions, court appearances, mediations, arbitrations, and […]

Please join us in welcoming Angela S. Fitle to the Firm. She has joined CMDA as an attorney in the Firm’s Kansas City office. Ms. Fitle focuses her practice on insurance defense, municipal law, and litigation. She writes briefs for submission to all levels of state and federal courts, argues cases in all levels of state and federal courts of appeals, and performs research for all areas of law handled […]

United States District Court Judge Douglas Harpool granted Summary Judgment in a case handled by attorney Joseph Ramirez. The case was based on allegations of 42 U.S.C. §1983 civil conspiracy claims arising from an alleged unlawful arrest, unlawful search and seizure, unlawful use of excessive force, unlawful imprisonment, and excessive bail. Plaintiff alleged her injuries involved three Sheriff Deputies’ conspiracy to commit constitutional rights violations against her through alleged acts […]

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 […]

The lawsuit against the City of Saginaw for “chalking” tires as part of the City’s parking enforcement continues. Previously, the United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit held that using chalk to mark the tire of a parked vehicle was a search under the Fourth Amendment. And now, the court has held that no warrantless search exceptions apply, so the case can still go forward. The City of […]