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Michigan's new Anti-SLAPP law: a practical guide for business counsel

April 15, 2026

Consider a scenario: a Michigan business owner testifies at a township planning meeting against a proposed development. Weeks later, the developer files a defamation suit. The suit is filed not to win, but to bury the business owner in legal fees and send a message to anyone else thinking about speaking up. Before December 2025, that business owner had no expedited way out. Now they do.

Just who are “the people”?

April 14, 2026

The Second Amendment states that “[a] well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed.” As both critics and supporters of the amendment recognize, little of that language is particularly straightforward. What is a “well regulated Militia,” and how does that apply to today’s arguments over gun control? What constitutes “Arms,” and when is keeping and bearing them “infringed”?

Amid that morass, one phrase that would seem (at least on the surface) a good deal more intuitive is “the people.” After all, doesn’t the people consist of, well, everyone? The answer is … not exactly. So who exactly are “the people” that may possess firearms in the first place? And how might this play into the court’s future decisions on the Second Amendment?

Quiet change throws Michigan cases into limbo: 'It's massive'

April 13, 2026

Barely noticed outside of legal circles, recent rulings have made it far more difficult to bring civil rights and employment claims against state agencies and universities, torpedoing or severely undermining, on purely technical grounds, Michiganders’ claims of racial discrimination, sexual harassment, and more.

A May 2023 opinion by the Michigan Supreme Court — Christie v. Wayne State University — essentially shortened the statute of limitations for most lawsuits against the state to one year, down from three.

Then, last July, in Hudson v. Michigan Department of Corrections, a special seven-judge panel of the Michigan Court of Appeals declared Christie retroactive, pulling the legal rug out from under the claims of hundreds of plaintiffs who thought they were following the law when they took their cases to court.

What gig workers and employees who get tips need to know about the new no‑tax‑on‑tips tax break

April 8, 2026

As with all tax breaks, there are lots of rules in place that can determine if someone is eligible for a deduction, and if so, how big.

Only restaurant servers, barbers, house cleaners, babysitters and other workers in occupations where tips are customary are eligible for the tip-related tax break. As required by Congress, the IRS created a list of traditionally tipped occupations. It includes rideshare drivers, pet sitters and several others.

Customers must have voluntarily paid all tax-deductible tips

Michigan court rules policyholder's PIP opt-out on Allstate policy ineffective

April 7, 2026

A Michigan appeals court just told insurers that a policyholder's word on a PIP opt-out form is not enough.

In a decision dated March 25, 2026, the Michigan Court of Appeals reversed a lower court ruling, finding that Allstate could not enforce a PIP medical coverage opt-out when the statutory conditions for that opt-out had not actually been met. The result is that the policy must be treated as providing unlimited PIP medical coverage - a potentially costly outcome for the insurer.

Working Hours for Minors Will be Reduced on March 31, 2026

April 6, 2026

A reminder to Michigan employers, significant changes to youth employment laws came under Public Act 196 of 2024 (House Bill 5594) as of March 31, 2026. These changes directly affect how employers recruit, schedule, and manage young workers, as well as avoid sanctions and continue offering youth employment opportunities responsibly.

Michigan Joins Majority of States in Enacting Anti-SLAPP Law

April 3, 2026

On March 24, 2026, Michigan became the 39th state to enact an Anti-SLAPP law to protect and provide remedies to individuals who are sued for exercising their First Amendment rights to free speech and expression on matters of public concern.

In states like Michigan with Anti-SLAPP laws, employees can file a motion to dismiss the litigation before the expensive and time-consuming process begins. If successful, the employee may recover their attorneys’ fees and court costs from the employer that filed the legally meritless action, not only making the aggrieved employee whole but deterring employers from filing similar lawsuits against employees in the future.

Detroit man exonerated of murder, released after 27 years in prison

April 2, 2026

According to the MIC, the man who survived the shooting knew Blackmon and his initial description of the shooter did not match him or implicate him in any way. But Blackmon’s representatives say Detroit police used threats to coerce several witness statements to incriminate him.

lawsuit over 2024 withheld bills

April 1, 2026

Michigan Supreme Court will hear oral arguments in May for lawsuit over 2024 withheld bills

The Michigan Supreme Court granted a motion for immediate consideration in the court case between the state Senate and the state House of Representatives over nine bills that never reached the governor’s desk after they passed the Legislature at the end of the 2024 session.

14 arrested in connection to delivery service fraud scheme in Kent County

March 31, 2026

KCSO said their investigation began after Amazon reported that third-party delivery drivers were being paid to deliver packages but were instead stealing portions of the deliveries. According to KCSO, these drivers are known as "Amazon Flex drivers," and they are not employed by Amazon but are instead independent contractors.

Michigan Laws Making News

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