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In May 2023, Michigan Court of Appeals Found That Local Trial Court Judge Showed Bias, Abuse of Discretion and Ignorance of Court Rules
by P.D. Lesko
On May 11, 2023, the Michigan Court of Appeals published an opinion in which a three-judge panel found Washtenaw County Trial Court Judge Tracy E. Van den Bergh's rulings in a divorce case repeatedly showed bias and abuse…
Former Ann Arbor City Employee Who Sued Over City’s COVID Vaccine Mandate Has Case Thrown Out
"Plaintiffs, former City of Ann Arbor (“City”) employees, filed this lawsuit claiming that their employment was terminated in violation of Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 ('Title VII) and Michigan's Elliott-Larsen Civil Rights…
Ann Arbor Man Arrested in Connection to Retail Theft Ring, Has Record of Felony Drug, Weapons Charges
by P.D. Lesko
An Ann Arbor man was arraigned on charges of organized retail crime for allegedly stealing tens of thousands of dollars of products from Target, TJ Maxx, and Nordstrom Rack in Ypsilanti and Ann Arbor.
Richard Larsh, 55,…
Local Trial Court Judge Subject of Complaints to State Judicial Tenure Commission and AG Nessel
Updated 11/7/23: The explanation of how a Guardian ad Litem is assigned and paid has been expanded.
by P.D. Lesko
The Ann Arbor Independent received documents that show the Honorable Tracy E. Van den Bergh of the Washtenaw County…
Man Who Robbed Ann Arbor T-Mobile Store is Sentenced to 8 ½ Years in Prison by Federal Judge
On Aug. 21, U.S. District Court Judge Nancy G. Edmunds sentenced Deon Bell to 8 ½ years in prison, his longest sentence to date. Bell, a Michigan resident, robbed a T-Mobile store in downtown Ann Arbor, United States Attorney Dawn N. Ison…
Is Ypsi Twp. Targeting a “Black-Owned Business,” or Protecting the Township From a Dangerous Public Nuisance?
by P.D. Lesko
At the Aug. 24 hearing on the matter of Ypsilanti Twp. vs. Ardis Lewis, Jr., Men Like Us and Lily Investments, Inc. before the Honorable Timothy P. Connors in the Washtenaw County Trial Court, the podium was crowded. The…
Leader of Non-Profit Cited as a Public Nuisance Says Ypsi Twp. Trustees Are “Missing the Good”
by P.D. Lesko
Men Like Us was created as a non-profit in 2021. Since leasing space in a building at 3011 E. Michigan Ave. in Ypsilanti Twp., Ardis Lewis Jr.'s "men's club" has been the subject of over 30 police reports. The police…
Ypsi Twp. Court Filing Asks Trial Court to Padlock Local Non-Profit, Site of Repeated Shootings
by P.D. Lesko
On July 28, 2023, Ypsilanti Twp. officials filed a "PETITION TO DECLARE COMMERCIAL PROPERTY A PUBLIC NUISANCE, FOR ISSUANCE OF AN ORDER TO SHOW CAUSE, PRELIMINARY INJUNCTION, PERMANENT RESTRAINING ORDER AND OTHER EQUITABLE…
Trump Indicted in Connection With Jan. 6 Attack on the U.S. Capitol
by Jennifer Schutt
A federal grand jury in Washington, D.C., indicted Donald Trump on Aug. 1 for his alleged role in the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol, according to the indictment filed in U.S. District Court for the District…
County Chief Asst. Prosecutor Now Owes $5,000 in Late Campaign Finance Fees
by P. D. Lesko
According to the Wayne County Clerk and campaign finance records, Washtenaw County Chief Asst. Prosecutor Victoria Burton-Harris is on her way to being referred for prosecution by the Michigan Attorney General. Under AG…
