Daily Briefs

Lawsuit: Professor exploits students to work at personal lab


GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (AP) — Two doctoral students are suing a Michigan State University professor who they say exploited and forced them to work long hours for little to no pay at his engineering company.

The Lansing State Journal reports that the lawsuit filed last month also claims that university officials have known about the allegations against Parviz Soroushian since 2011.

Talal Salem started working for Soroushian at his Lansing lab, Metna Co., after joining the doctoral program in 2017. Salem says Soroushian made him work all hours of the night and wouldn’t let him take time off to study for exams.

He suffered multiple shoulder dislocations from the required heavy manual labor.

Soroushian denies the allegations. He’s been on paid leave since July, when the university launched an investigation into his conduct.

University spokeswoman Heather Young declined to comment.

 

Michigan Association for Justice plans Annual Convention May 10-11
 

The Michigan Association for Justice (MAJ) Annual Convention, featuring a two-track seminar and banquet, will take place Friday and Saturday, May 10-11, at the Westin Book Cadillac in Detroit.

The seminar, held on May 10, will include an Advocacy track moderated by Steve Gursten and a Business of Running a Law Practice track. Advocacy track topics and speakers include:

• Plenary Session Keynote Speaker - The Psychology of Winning Jury Trials – Using Decision-Making and Psychological Principals to Persuade with David Wenner, AZ.

• Win Every Time: The Code with Robert Collins, TX.

• Sequencing and Order of Evidence and Key Witnesses with Ven Johnson, Detroit.

• “Understanding Bubba” - Evolving Your Trial Messaging to Reach Today’s Jurors with Kevin Seiferheld, Farmington Hills.

• Spoliation – The Trial Lawyer’s Secret Weapon with Jon Marko, Detroit.

• Lessons Learned From 300 Jury Trials with Rick Block, FL.

• Crushing, Flipping and Co-opting the Defendant’s Expert: Cross-Examination Kill Shots with Morgan Adams, TN and Washington State.

The Law Practice track will cover topics like the latest in innovative software programs, hiring practices, liability, marketing, and more. Attendees will be able to attend sessions from both tracks.

The banquet on May 11 will honor outgoing President Debra Freid and welcome new President Robert MacDonald. Wayne State University of Law School Prof. Robert Sedler will be presented with the MAJ Champion of Justice Award and Michigan Court of Appeals Judge Elizabeth Gleicher will be presented with the MAJ Judicial Excellence Award.

Attendees can register for the seminar and/or the banquet online at www.michiganjustice.org/events or call MAJ at 517-321-3073.
 

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