Gov. Snyder signs bill tweaking business court rules
(BridgeTower Media Newswires) — A bill allowing for more disputes to be heard in Michigan’s popular business courts has been signed into law by Gov. Rick Snyder.
The cases will no longer have to include a monetary amount, as was previously required.
Senate Bill 333, now Public Act 101 of 2017, specifies that “business courts have authority over business and commercial disputes that seek declaratory and equitable relief rather than just monetary damages,” according to a release from the governor’s office.
Business courts were launched statewide in circuit courts in 2013. Macomb County began its specialized business docket in November 2011, followed by Kent County in March 2012 and Oakland County in July 2012. Early judicial involvement and a variety of alternative dispute resolution practices are at the strategic core of the effort.
The legislation won support from the Michigan Judges Association and State Court Administrative Office.
The Senate Judiciary Committee heard testimony in support of the bill in May from business court judges James M. Alexander of Oakland County and Christopher P. Yates of Kent County, along with Michigan Supreme Court Justice Bridget M. McCormack.
Man receives minimum 10 year sentence in death of 8-month-old
LANSING, Mich. (AP) — A Michigan man convicted of involuntary manslaughter and second-degree child abuse in the death of his 8-month-old daughter has been sentenced to at least 10 years in prison.
The Lansing State Journal reports 22-year-old Tatum Cole of Lansing apologized before learning his punishment Wednesday.
Ingham County Circuit Court Judge Rosemarie Aquilina told him: “The only remorse you have, sir, is for yourself — that you will be locked up and taken away from your family.”
He was charged with murder and first-degree child abuse in the 2016 death of Ava Cole, but jurors found him guilty of the lesser charges. Testimony indicated that he was sleep-deprived and angry when he threw the infant onto a couch.
Doctor will stay in jail in genital mutilation case
DETROIT (AP) — A Detroit-area doctor accused of performing genital mutilation on girls in a Muslim sect will remain in jail while she awaits trial.
Federal Judge Bernard Friedman said Wednesday he's concerned that Dr. Jumana Nagarwala might flee the country if granted bond. Nagarwala has been in custody since April in a first-of-its-kind case in the U.S.
The judge has granted bond to others, including the owner of a clinic where the alleged acts occurred.
Nagarwala is charged with cutting at least six girls at the clinic in suburban Detroit, including two girls from Minnesota. The doctor denies any crimes and says she performed a religious custom that is sacred to her Muslim sect, the Dawoodi Bohra. The courtroom was filled with roughly three dozen members of her mosque.
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