Articles by Ed White

Judge Says Michigan Car Insurance Fund Records Are Public

An insurance fund that slaps a fee on every Michigan car to pay for catastrophic injuries suffered in accidents has been ordered to open its books and demonstrate how it sets the annual rate. The decision by an Ingham County …

Slip-And-Fall Cases Tough to Make in Michigan Courts

Slip-and-fall lawsuits once were a staple for injury attorneys. But they’ve become extremely tough in Michigan courts, due to a strict standard set by the state Supreme Court. The court’s conservative majority raised the bar last summer in a case …

Young Michigan Immigrants Sue to Get Right To Drive

Three young people are suing the Michigan secretary of state over her refusal to grant driver’s licenses to applicants who can stay in the U.S. under a new federal immigration policy. The lawsuit, filed by the American Civil Liberties Union, …

FBI Gets Immunity for Wreck of Ferrari in Michigan Insurer Case

A judge has dismissed a lawsuit against the U.S. government over the wreck of a $750,000 Ferrari driven by an FBI agent, saying federal law grants immunity if property is being held by law enforcement. The wreck of the rare …

Michigan Court Backs Emotional Damages in Home Loss Due to Oil

Four hundred gallons of heating oil in the basement? The Michigan appeals court says that’s distressing. The court has upheld a $100,000 verdict for a Clinton County woman whose home had to be demolished after oil was mistakenly pumped into …

Michigan Man Loses Bid to Have Insurer Pay for Stem Cell Surgery

A motorcycle wreck turned a Lenawee County man into a paraplegic. Desperate for any relief, he chose stem-cell surgery in Europe, a procedure that may have improved his health but left him with a $51,000 bill. Now, after years of …

Michigan Insurer Questions FBI Story About Wrecked Ferrari

A Michigan insurance company suing to force the federal government to pay $750,000 for wrecking a rare Ferrari in Kentucky questioned whether it was simply an accident. Motors Insurance said its investigation showed the high-performance car was being driven toward …

Michigan Court Tie Vote Favors Parental Immunity

A dispute between a divorced couple over the death of their daughter has created sharp differences at the Michigan Supreme Court about legal immunity for parents. The justices last week tied on whether to take an appeal in a lawsuit …

U.S. Refuses to Pay Michigan Insurer for Ferrari Wrecked by FBI Agent

The U.S. Justice Department has refused to pay $750,000 to a Michigan insurance company for a Ferrari that was wrecked in Kentucky while driven by an FBI agent. In a recent response to a lawsuit in Detroit, the Justice Department …

Michigan Judge Rules Wal-Mart Can Fire Employee for Marijuana Use

Michigan law legalizing medical marijuana doesn’t stop private businesses from firing people for drug use, a federal judge said in dismissing a lawsuit against Wal-Mart Stores Inc. U.S. District Judge Robert Jonker said the law, approved by voters in 2008, …