michigan attorney general

Court orders Troy to hold special mayoral election

Michigan Radio Newsroom — Thu, 13 Dec 2012 16:47:32 +0000

Troy is starting plans for a special mayoral election in May. Judge Denise Langford Morris has ordered the city to hold a special election in May to replace recalled Mayor Janice Daniels.

Troy officials had wanted to hold off on the election until next November.

Michigan Attorney General files suit to remove 7 Detroit School Board members

Tracy Samilton — Fri, 10 Aug 2012 00:56:39 +0000

Michigan Attorney General Bill Schuette says he will ask a circuit court judge to order the removal of seven members of the Detroit Public Schools Board of Education, because they were illegally elected - and seek an injunction to halt future Board action.

From the state's press release:

In this morning's Michigan news headlines...

Rebecca Williams — Tue, 03 Jul 2012 11:46:15 +0000

Enbridge may face record penalty for 2010 spill

Enbridge Energy is responsible for the pipeline rupture that spilled more than 843,000 gallons of tar sands oil into the Kalamazoo River and Talmadge Creek near Marshall, MI. EPA estimates that number is more than 1 million gallons. Steve Carmody reports the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA) has spent the past few years reviewing the events that led up to the oil spill.

PHMSA’s investigation found multiple violations of its hazardous liquid pipeline safety regulations related to integrity management, failure to follow operations and maintenance procedures, and reporting and operator qualification requirements. PHMSA issued its notice and proposed civil penalty to Enbridge in a Notice of Probable Violation. The agency is proposing a fine for Enbridge of $3.7 million, which would be a record civil penalty. Enbridge has said the company expects to spend $700 million cleaning up the spill.

Michigan to receive $23.8 million from settlement of drug marketing case

Michigan Attorney General Bill Schuette says the state is in line to get $23.8 million as part of a $3 billion settlement of an improper drug marketing case against GlaxoSmithKline LLC, the Associated Press reports. From the AP:

The U.S. Justice Department said Monday that the British pharmaceutical giant agreed to the payment and is pleading guilty to promoting two popular drugs for unapproved uses. The federal government says the company also admits failing to disclose important safety information on a third drug. Michigan was among states that sued the company. Schuette says GlaxoSmithKline underpaid the rebates in owed for drugs paid through Michigan's Medicaid program. The Justice Department says the $3 billion combined criminal-civil fine will be the largest penalty ever paid by a drug company.

June auto sales

Analysts say U.S. auto sales continued to buck the otherwise poor economic news in June. Tracy Samilton reports:

Larry Dominique of True Car Dot Com says June car sales should be up about 18% from last June. That's a pretty healthy increase given worries about the recession in Europe and the barely moving unemployment numbers in the U.S.

Dominique says he will be interested to see what kind of cars people bought toward the end of June -- when gas prices went down noticeably.

"Typical of Americans we tend to have short memories, so as fuel prices go down we tend to go towards larger displacements and trucks."

Dominique says Honda and Toyota had especially good sales in June. He says the two companies have largely recovered from the tsunami last spring.

Michigan expects to get $790M in foreclosure deal

The Associated Press — Fri, 10 Feb 2012 11:55:06 +0000

Michigan says it expects to get $790 million as part of a landmark $25 billion settlement with the nation's top mortgage lenders.

The office of Michigan's attorney general announced Thursday that the estimate is up from the about $500 million it said Tuesday was expected for joining the settlement. The deal was reached over foreclosure abuses that occurred after the housing bubble burst.

Officials say 49 states joined the settlement with five of the nation's biggest lenders. The deal will reduce loans for a fraction of those Americans who owe more than their homes are worth. It will also send checks to others who were improperly foreclosed upon.

Michigan Attorney General files request to stop hearing on U of M grad student unions

Jennifer Guerra — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 22:19:19 +0000

Michigan’s Attorney General Bill Schuette filed a request with the state Supreme Court to stop a hearing about whether certain graduate students at the University of Michigan can unionize.

But the hearing was held today despite the request, and is scheduled to continue tomorrow.

An Assistant Attorney General in Michigan suspended after arrest

The Associated Press — Wed, 04 Jan 2012 20:32:38 +0000

LANSING, Mich. (AP) - An assistant state attorney general has been suspended following his arrest on gun charges.

Eaton County Prosecutor Jeffrey Sauter told The Associated Press Wednesday that he authorized two misdemeanor warrants charging James Shell with possession of a firearm while under the influence of alcohol and reckless use of a firearm.

Shell's attorney is expected to turn him in for arraignment at a later date.

Shell also is president of the Grand Ledge School Board and was arrested Thursday. Sauter says no one was injured during the incident southwest of Lansing.

Attorney general's office spokesman John Sellek says that Shell was suspended pending the Eaton County investigation.

There's no listed home phone number for Shell. A message seeking comment was sent to his work email address.

Former Michigan assistant Attorney General suing over ouster

Mark Brush — Mon, 31 Oct 2011 14:50:48 +0000

Former Michigan assistant attorney general Andrew Shirvell is doing what lawyers often do - he's suing.

Shirvell is going after a Detroit-based lawyer for delivering information that led to his firing from the Michigan Attorney General's Office.

While he was an assistant Attorney General, Shirvell used a blog to assail a University of Michigan student government president for promoting "a radical homosexual agenda" on campus.

He was later fired and is now being sued by Chris Armstrong, the former student government president, in federal court.

From the Detroit Free Press:

Now, Shirvell is suing attorney Deborah Gordon, who is representing U-M student Chris Armstrong. Shirvell claims Gordon fed information to investigators at the attorney general's office. He also has accused her of defamation.
Gordon says the lawsuit is "crazy." Shirvell expects the case will be combined with the pending lawsuit filed against him by Armstrong. Shirvell moved to North Babylon, N.Y., after leaving Michigan state government.

Shirvell explained his actions in an interview with CNN's Anderson Cooper last year:

Breaking News: Attorney General files lawsuit challenging Civil Service Commission's authority

Rick Pluta — Fri, 06 May 2011 20:15:16 +0000

Attorney General Bill Schuette has filed a lawsuit challenging the state Civil Service Commission's authority to approve contracts that allow benefit plans to cover the live-in partners of unmarried state employees.

The lawsuit says the commission exceeded its authority under the state constitution.

The contracts extend benefits to unrelated adults in a household -- that includes same-sex partners -- as well as their dependents

Juvenile offenders & life without parole

Steve Carmody — Thu, 21 Apr 2011 05:01:01 +0000

A federal judge will hear the state’s request to dismiss a lawsuit challenging state law that allows juveniles offenders to be sentenced to life without parole this afternoon.

Michigan Attorney General's office collects over $100 million in child support

Sarah Cwiek — Tue, 19 Apr 2011 21:40:34 +0000

Michigan Attorney General Bill Schuette says that office’s Child Support Division has passed an important marker: It has now collected more than $100 million in child support for delinquent parents.

The division launched in 2003. Since then, it’s used Michigan’s tough child support laws to enforce court-ordered payments.

Michiganis the only state that makes failure to pay child support a four-year felony.

Charges in Michigan State Police corruption probe

Laura Weber — Wed, 23 Feb 2011 21:17:52 +0000

Two Michigan State Police lieutenants have been charged with more than 30 counts of corruption. The officers are accused of stealing property during home searches. Authorities say stolen items include televisions, computers, cell phones and drugs.

Michigan Attorney General Bill Schuette says the officers also worked with a Monroe County civilian to profit off of auctions of seized property.