Miscellaneous

• The IRS warns of Tax Preparer Fraud

  Timothy Smith | January 28, 2009 3:51 PM | 0 CommentsGrand Rapids, MI

  It's that time of year. We start gathering our tax documents and sharpening our pencils as we hope for the best. For those that use a tax preparer, be advied: the IRS is already issuing...

• The Michigan Code of Judicial Conduct

  Timothy Smith | May 02, 2008 10:23 AM | 4 CommentsGrand Rapids, MI

  There is a code of conduct here in Michigan that mandates how Judges must act and carry themselves. The Michigan Code of Judicial Conduct was adopted in October of 1974 and outlines the behavior and...

• Restore Integrity and Fairness to Michigan's Supreme Court

  Timothy Smith | October 21, 2008 12:05 PM | 3 CommentsGrand Rapids, MI

  This is the campaign slogan of Judge Diane Hathaway who is running against incumbant Chief Justice Cliff Taylor for a seat on Michigan's Supreme Court. She is a former prosecutor with more than 15...

• Kent County Judge Retires

  Tim Smith | March 20, 2008 8:34 AM | 0 CommentsGrand Rapids, MI

  Judge Kolenda announced his retirement from the Kent County Circuit Court bench. His sense of fairness and an unwaivering quest for the truth makes his loss as a jurist a sad day for the folks of Grand Rapids. He issued an opinion in a case involving one of the Big-3 auto makers who had played games with the plaintiff's attorney and the court in obstructing discovery and witholding evidence. His...

• Justice Cliff Taylor Abolishes 30 years of Established Law..... Again

  Timothy Smith | April 30, 2008 11:40 AM | 1 CommentGrand Rapids, MI

  As an attorney, I’m sought out by individuals to give them advice and counsel on issues they are facing in their lives. Typically, I sit and have a cup of coffee with the new clients and listen to...

• Smith & Johnson, Attorneys, PC

  Staff Writer | July 11, 2007 11:00 AM | 0 CommentsGrand Rapids, MI

  Smith & Johnson, Attorneys PC is the largest law firm in Northern Michigan dedicated solely to representing those who have been injured or killed by the negligence of others. Our staff of attorneys, paralegals and legal assitants are dedicated to helping you obtain fair and just compensation for your injuries. We hire the finest experts in the areas of accident reconstruction, vocational...

• Countrywide Financial Admits to Fabricating Evidence

  Tim Smith | January 25, 2008 10:53 AM | 0 CommentsGrand Rapids, MI

  In a bankruptcy case pending in Federal Court in western Pennsylvania, Countrywide Financial Corporation admitted that it had fabricated or as they say "recreated" documents as part of their case. This comes at a time when Countrywide is confronting escalating complaints from borrowers who allege that Countrywide forced them into risky loans. The documents which were faked by Countrywide are...

• U.S. Insurance Companies Profit From Overpricing and Underpaying

  Tim Smith | January 21, 2008 1:52 PM | 0 CommentsGrand Rapids, MI

  The Consumer Federation of America recently reported that the U.S. property/casualty insurance industry systematically overcharges policy holders and underpays on claims. Robert Hunter, the Consumer Federation's Director of Insurance, reported at a news conference that the reason why insurance companies nationwide have secured record high profits is due to the fact that they have been...

• Senator Kuipers Protecting Drug Company Donors

  Tim Smith | December 13, 2007 9:34 AM | 0 CommentsGrand Rapids, MI

  Merck, the makers of Vioxx, got caught defrauding the FDA and the folks that they injured with their drug and agreed to pay $4.85 billion dollars in damages. But, none of the victims in Michigan will get paid a penny because we're the only state in the country that provides blanket immunity to drug manufacturors whose products injure or kill. This legislative immunity was enacted in 1995 and our...

• Life Insurance Denies Widow's Claim

  Shannon Weidemann | October 12, 2007 4:30 PM | 0 CommentsGrand Rapids, MI

  A widow in Lisle lost her husband to a heart attack and now her insurance claim to his group life insurance policy has been denied. Her husband was a Broome County Sheriff's Deputy. He had taken out a group life insurance policy through work. And while Amy Taylor is running out of money, her husband's employer and union are looking into how and why Chris Taylor's $150,000 policy -- which...