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 […]

Please join us in congratulating Carol Smith on her selection to Michigan Lawyers Weekly’s Class of 2024 Up & Coming Lawyers. She is one of only 25 attorneys in Michigan to be selected to this year’s class. Michigan Lawyers Weekly’s “Up & Coming honorees have excelled in the profession and are standouts among their peers — all in their first 10 years of practice. These lawyers are establishing themselves as […]

Jim Acho and Gary Klein represented a terminated CFO with a tech company in a racial discrimination case. The client is based in San Francisco, and the tech company is based in Los Angeles. CMDA’s client was fired by a new CEO, and CMDA believed his ouster was discriminatory. The case settled without the necessity of filing a lawsuit. Jim Acho handled negotiations with the company’s general counsel. Jim says […]

As of February 12, 2024, Michigan workplaces are no longer governed by the Right-to-Work law, as the repeal of the 2012 regulation that banned requirements that workers join unions to receive their benefits. The Michigan legislature became the first state in almost 60 years to repeal its Right-to-Work law. The elimination of the Right-to-Work law only impacts private sector workers. Public sector workers can still opt out of unions because […]

Randy Gradishar is one of the most dominant inside linebackers in the history of pro football. A 9-time All Pro selection, and a man many experts feel should have been in the hall many years ago. Last year, one of Jim Acho’s longtime clients, Ken Riley, was posthumously inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame. This year it is Randy Gradishar, giving CMDA back-to-back clients to be inducted into […]

Please join us in congratulating Jeffrey H. Rock who was recently named to the 2023 Class of Unsung Legal Heroes by Michigan Lawyers Weekly. The award “honors law firm employees who have consistently gone above and beyond the call of duty, often behind the scenes. It is reserved for the state’s most talented and dedicated legal support professionals.” Mr. Rock has served as CMDA’s Informational Technology (IT) Manager since 2017. […]

The latest issue of Urban Aging News highlights an article on Estate Planning Made Simple written by Norman “Gene” Richards. In this insightful article, Mr. Richards’ offers practical steps that may make getting your personal affairs, including important legal documents, in order a little more manageable and a little less scary. Urban Aging News is a quarterly publication that provides information, insight, and inspiration for Metro Detroit’s maturing adults. Check […]

In 2021, Congress enacted the Corporate Transparency Act (“CTA”), which is intended to strengthen existing federal money laundering and tax fraud statutes by way of improving structural (i.e., ownership) transparency in business entities. While governmental oversight traditionally focuses on big businesses and their related hot-button issues in any given period (e.g., corporate tax inversion), the CTA was crafted with small entities in mind. To wit, the CTA’s ostensible goal is […]

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 […]

Jacklyn Paletta and Joshua Cervantes, both partners in CMDA’s Kansas City office, were presenters at the Midwest Public Risk (MPR) 40th Anniversary Annual Members Meeting & Fall Conference held at the Branson Conference Center in Branson, Missouri. Their presentation, “Significant Developments in Governmental Law during 2022-2023,” provided MPR members with recent updates in the law, insight into legal trends, as well as offering practical tips and best practices for entities […]