Michigan Laws Making News

What Laws Are Impacting Grand Rapids Area Residents

Ledford & Associates

With over 20 years of experience in the legal profession Paul Ledford cares about you and your legal needs.

Law In The News

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.