Michigan

Settlement ‘Framework’ Reached in Lawsuit Over Michigan School Closures

The state of Michigan and several school districts have “achieved a broad framework” to settle a lawsuit in which the districts say the state acted unlawfully by threatening to close low-performing schools in their districts. Michigan Court of Claims Judge Cynthia Stephens on Tuesday morning said both sides have “engaged in intense settlement conversations seeking to serve the best interest of …



Federal Lawsuit Aims to Start Rover Pipeline Construction in 3 Counties

Energy Transfer Rover Pipeline is one step closer to burying its gas line in Lenawee, Washtenaw and Livingston counties after the company filed a federal lawsuit Friday, Feb. 3 to start construction. ET Rover is trying to install a natural gas pipeline throughout West Virginia, Pennsylvania, Ohio and Michigan. About 58 companies, government entities and/or individuals …



Federal Lawsuit to Allege Michigan Political Districts Are Gerrymandered

A federal lawsuit claiming Michigan’s political districts give Republicans an unfair advantage is coming, says Attorney Mark Brewer. “We are planning a lawsuit claiming, with good evidence, that the House and Senate and Congressional redistricting plans are partisan gerrymandered,” said Brewer, who used to chair the Michigan Democratic Party but said he was not working with them …


Doctor Returns to Michigan, Faces Lawsuits Filed on Behalf of Children He Treated

Yasser Awaad Depositions are underway for a potential jury trial next year for Yasser Awaad, M.D., a pediatric neurologist formerly with Oakwood Hospital and Medical Center in Dearborn who is accused in a class action lawsuit of falsely diagnosing epilepsy in hundreds of children in Southeast Michigan in the mid-2000s. Awaad has been compared by the attorneys of the children and their families …


ACLU Files Lawsuit in Flint Michigan Over Children’s Education

[JURIST] The American Civil Liberties Union of Michigan [advocacy website] filed a class-action lawsuit [complaint, PDF; fact sheet , PDF] Monday regarding children’s education in relation to the Flint water crisis. The plaintiffs include 15 Flint families who allege that the Michigan Department of Education, Flint Community Schools and Genesee Intermediate School District failed to protect …


ACLU of Michigan to Announce New Lawsuit Tied to the Water Emergency

The ACLU of Michigan says it will announce a new class action lawsuit on Tuesday, Oct. 18. It’s being filed on behalf of Flint families impacted by the city’s lead-tainted water. The ACLU released this statement: “All children can learn-but the ongoing water crisis in Flint creates urgent problems for Flint students, parents and teachers,” said Kary Moss, executive …


Justice Department and Pittsfield Charter Township Resolve Lawsuit Over Denial of Zoning Approval for Islamic School

The Justice Department today announced a settlement with Pittsfield Charter Township, Michigan, resolving allegations that the township violated the Religious Land Use and Institutionalized Persons Act of 2000 (RLUIPA) in denying zoning approval to allow the Michigan Islamic Academy (MIA) to build a school on a vacant parcel of land. The settlement, which must still be approved by the U.S. …


Islamic School, Township Settle Lawsuit Over Zoning Denial

An Islamic academy will get $1.7 million and be allowed to build a new school after it settled a federal lawsuit against a Michigan township that initially denied its zoning request. The Michigan Islamic Academy will move ahead with plans to build the school and housing on land in Pittsfield Township, near Ann Arbor, after township officials approved the settlement Wednesday. The academy sued …