Michigan Legal News Articles & Interviews

Grand Rapids, MI: While you rarely hear about it, the fact remains that in some cases an insurance company that denies an insured short, or long-term disability benefits sometimes gets it right. To wit, a federal magistrate in Michigan earlier this month determined that Unum Life Insurance Company of America was within its rights to discontinue disability benefits after two years, noting that the plaintiff's wrongly denied disability claims were not credible.

Grand Rapids, MI:Judy Burton did what most people do when they begin suffering unexplained pains while at home on a Saturday evening: she proceeded to the nearest emergency room to get checked out. The Michigan resident told FOX 17 News (11/17/17) that she wound up not requiring treatment after her pains subsided and after about an hour simply left the waiting room and went home. Imagine her surprise when she received a bill about 2 weeks later for over $1,000 in emergency room charges.

Detroit, MI Ford and Mazda have announced that they will recall hundreds of thousands of 2004 to 2006 Ford Ranger and Mazda B-Series trucks made by Ford. The second round of airbag recalls affects vehicles that were previously recalled in 2015 and 2016 for a temporary replacement of faulty airbag inflator mechanism. Takata airbags have been linked to 20 deaths and hundreds of injuries. In 2017 years of lawsuits forced Takata into bankruptcy.

Detroit, MI Effective October 22, 2017 Mitsubishi will recall 66,000 Lancer and Lancer Evolution vehicles manufactured between 2004 and 2006. It is the second time these models have been recalled to replace faulty Takata front passenger side airbag  inflators. The first recall occurred in 2015 as part of an ongoing effort to prevent airbag injuries and to forestall airbag lawsuits. Nonetheless, the problems persist. The problem of repeated recalls, while vexing to vehicle owners, is only a small part of the unfolding saga. The bigger story is that the danger drivers face from minor accidents can be deadly. People who have been injured and those who act on their behalf have begun lawsuits in search of redress.

Port Huron, MI: A woman from Michigan claims her late husband, who died of lung cancer, was felled from the aftereffects of asbestos exposure while on the job. To that end, plaintiff Phylis Rutledge filed an asbestosis lawsuit on behalf of the estate of Warren Rutledge against a host of defendants.

Detroit, MI: A settlement deal worth $6.5 million that was given preliminary approval in February of this year was granted final approval in June, ending about a decade of legal wrangling involving a gentlemen’s club franchise and the dancers who toiled within. The Déjà Vu lawsuit combined a somewhat unique sector with an old problem: whether or not dancers, in this case, are indeed employees or independent contractors.

Detroit, MI: Most jurors in Risperdal trials are likely sympathetic and at the same time shocked to discover how boys who developed female breasts have suffered. The public are likely reacting the same way after seeing a photo project online titled “Risperdal Boys”.

Detroit, MI: A showdown is brewing between retirees of Honeywell International Inc. and the company for whom they once worked, over health care benefits Honeywell is threatening to take way. The former unionized workers counter that ongoing healthcare benefits were part of their promised retirement packages and they are litigating their Michigan employment claim in Michigan court in an effort to save them.

Dallas, TX It was an alert physician who first noticed signs and symptoms of lead poisoning in some of her patients in Flint, Michigan. It was soon discovered water from the Flint River had corroded aging pipes causing lead to leach into the city’s water supply. Dangerous amounts of lead were slowing building up in the blood streams of Flint residents and causing health problems due to lead exposure.

Detroit, MI:The children of a Michigan woman who died earlier this month say their mother never fully recovered from Takata airbag injuries sustained in a low-speed crash in 2014, according to the Detroit Free Press.