Archive for 'Legal Updates'

Michigan Supreme Court Limits Employers’ Liability For Misconduct Of Employees

In good news for employers, the Michigan Supreme Court recently ruled that employers are no longer under the Michigan Civil Rights Act (MCRA) strictly liable for the intentional torts committed by supervisors. In Hamed v. Wayne County Sherriff’s Dep’t, the Court overruled a prior decision, Champion v Nationwide Security Inc. In order to better understand [...]

New “Catering Permit” for Liquor License Holders

Last week, Governor Snyder signed a new law permitting certain liquor licensees to apply for and obtain a new “catering permit” (MCL 436.1547).  The catering permit allows existing licensees to provide and serve liquor at private off-site events.  Previously, even if a licensee was providing food service at an off-site event, the licensee could not [...]

Change To Michigan Youth Employment Laws for Non-Profits

The State of Michigan has recently created an exception to the requirement that a minor must have a work permit from the minor’s school in order to be employed. Effective immediately, a work permit is not required for a minor who is working as an unpaid volunteer for a charitable organization that is recognized as [...]

Court of Appeals Interprets the Judgment Lien Creditor Act

A recent case decided by the Michigan Court of Appeals addressed the issue of whether a “judgment lien survives and can be foreclosed on after the judgment debtor’s conveyance of the encumbered real property to a vendee who has record notice of the lien, but where no available closing proceeds are distributed to the judgment [...]

Update: Seventh Day Adventist Trademark Dispute

On August 25, 2010, we posted an article about a trademark dispute between the Seventh Day Adventists and Walter McGill and the Creation 7th Day Adventist Church.  In that blog we discussed the then recent decision by the United States Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals ruling in favor of the Seventh Day Adventists.  This update [...]

New Law on Broker’s Commercial Real Estate Liens

In early October 2010, Governor Granholm signed into law the Commercial Real Estate Broker’s Lien Act (the “Act”).   The intent of the Act is to remedy the concerns of commercial real estate brokers regarding their inability to collect payment for their brokerage work.  The Act permits commercial real estate brokers to record a lien on [...]

New Due date for 2010 Individual Income Tax Returns

Normally the due date to file an individual income tax return for calendar year end taxpayers without an extension is April 15th.However the date will be April 18th next year, even though April 15th falls on a Friday in 2011. To find out the reasons why you are getting an extra three days you can [...]

Michigan Court of Appeals Defines the Word “Reimburse” Broadly

What does the word “reimburse” mean? That was the issue recently decided by the Michigan Court of Appeals, in Grosse Isle Twp. V. Grosse Isle Bridge Co. In this case, Grosse Isle attempted to condemn the Grosse Isle Bridge Company’s (the “Company”) toll bridge under the Uniform Condemnation Procedures Act (“UCPA”).  At issue in the [...]

Case Evaluation Sanctions and the Interest of Justice Exception

Case evaluation is a process in Michigan to attempt to settle cases before trial. The court rules require the parties to submit written and oral statements of their positions to three case evaluators. The case evaluators then decide an amount of money at which the mediators believe the parties should be willing to settle. If [...]

Recent Supreme Court Opinion Might Open Door for Business Process Patents

The decline of the manufacturing economy and the rise of the service economy in the United States have expanded the importance of developing business processes that give businesses a competitive advantage.  A recent opinion by the United States Supreme Court has apparently expanded the scope of patent law to include business processes.  How far patent [...]