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 […]

We are pleased to announce that a familiar face is back in the Firm’s Traverse City office. Please join us in welcoming Matthew W. Cross back to CMDA. Matt Cross is a partner in our Traverse City office where he focuses his practice in the areas of insurance defense litigation, law enforcement defense and litigation, and municipal law. Matt has experience handling employment law, personal injury defense, marijuana licensing litigation, […]

CMDA is proud to announce that several attorneys from our Firm have been selected for inclusion in the 2023 Michigan Super Lawyers & Rising Stars list. The following attorneys have been selected to the 2023 Michigan Super Lawyers list: Jim Acho, Top Rated Civil Litigation Defense Jeff Clark, Top Rated State, Local & Municipal Tim Ferrand, Top Rated State, Class Action & Mass Torts Haider Kazim, Top Rated State, Local […]

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 […]

Greg Grant of the Traverse City Office defended an Upper Peninsula sheriff’s deputy in a case that lasted 5½ years with multiple Sixth Circuit appeals. The plaintiff was visiting her husband, an inmate in a Michigan prison, when she claimed she was falsely accused of passing contraband during a kiss. As a consequence, the plaintiff’s vehicle was searched and marijuana was discovered. Later, more marijuana was found in her hotel […]

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 […]

Greg Grant of the Traverse City office recently obtained dismissal on behalf of a large utility company in a case that was litigated for over four years. The plaintiff in the case alleged negligence after she was electrocuted while inside of her vehicle when it came into contact with a low-hanging power line during a severe thunderstorm in Northern Michigan. The evidence demonstrated that a tree branch had fallen on […]