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Michigan Supreme Court Clarifies Governmental Immunity For MISS DIG Act Violations

A governmental agency cannot be held civilly liable in circuit court for money damages for violations of the MISS DIG Act. The MISS DIG Act exception to governmental immunity under MCL 691.1407(7) is defined by the MISS DIG Act itself, and that Act provides only one avenue of relief that avoids governmental immunity: a complaint filed with the Public Service Commission under MCL 460.732.

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Court Of Appeals Affirms No-Fault Attorney Fees Award And Rejects Insurer’s After-The-Fact Defense

An insurer was not entitled to a new trial based on unpreserved references to a third party’s drunkenness because the verdict was supported by the evidence and any prejudice was cured by jury instructions. The trial court also properly awarded no-fault attorney fees under MCL 500.3148(1), as the insurer’s prior acknowledgment of the injury made its denial unreasonable, and a later record review could not create factual uncertainty retroactively.

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Court Of Appeals Vacates Child Removal Order Over Due Process Violations

The trial court plainly erred when it ordered respondent’s children removed from her care. Under MCR 3.974(C)(3)(a), the hearing held by the trial court was not an emergency removal hearing. Since the trial court did not follow the procedural requirements to remove the children from her care, the court violated respondent’s procedural due process rights.

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Tribal Laws Inapplicable: Mother’s Parental Rights Properly Terminated

The trial court properly terminated a mother’s parental rights where 1) the trial court correctly held the Indian Child Welfare Act and the Michigan Indian Family Preservation Act did not apply, and 2) termination was supported by the evidence and was in the child’s best interests, the Michigan Court of Appeals has ruled.

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DHHS Violated Discovery Order: Termination Petition Properly Dismissed

The Michigan Department of Health and Human Services violated the court rules in this termination of parental rights case when, at the father’s request, it did not produce video recordings of interviews conducted with his minor children, the Michigan Court of Appeals has ruled.

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Wrong Standard Applied To ‘Hostility’ Element Of Adverse Possession

In this boundary dispute between neighbors, the trial court applied an incorrect legal standard to the “hostility” element of adverse possession, the Michigan Court of Appeals has ruled, thereby vacating the quiet title judgment that had been issued and remanding the case for further factual findings.

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Michigan Court Of Appeals Holds Probate Court Has Affirmative Duty To Provide Access To GAL Reports To Interested Parties

Under MCR 5.121(D)(2)(a), a probate court has an affirmative duty to afford all interested persons the opportunity to examine and controvert a guardian ad litem (GAL) report once it has been received into evidence—regardless of whether the interested person formally requests access and regardless of whether the report is designated as confidential.

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