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FBMJ Attorneys Baron & McCann Publish Article – Hydrogen Blending: Protecting Against Manufacturer Liability

FBMJ attorneys, Richard Baron and Matthew McCann recently published the article, “Hydrogen Blending: Protecting Against Manufacturer Liability,” in Today’s Boiler, the official magazine of the American Boiler Manufacturers Association. The cover-story article focuses on the time-sensitive topic of hydrogen-blending (HB), a process of blending hydrogen and natural gas with a goal of lowering

Joseph McGill Elected Vice President of the State Bar of Michigan

Foley, Baron, Metzger & Juip PLLC is pleased to announce that Joseph McGill, a principal with the firm, was recently elected as the Vice President of the State Bar of Michigan (SBM) for the 2022-2023 bar year. On September 16, 2022, McGill was sworn in by Justice Elizabeth T. Clement of the Michigan Supreme Court at the State Bar of Michigan annual meeting.McGill has been an active member of t

Local Government Forced to Issue Bonds to Pay RLUIPA Legal Fees

A New York case is the latest example of why local governments should proceed carefully in RLUIPA litigation to avoid costly outcomes. In the case of the Village of Pomona, NY (Pomona), a RLUIPA case that has dragged on for more than a decade – bouncing from the district court to the circuit court of appeals and back – has resulted in the government being responsible for $2.5 million of the pr

SCOTUS Sides with Amish Community on RLUIPA Land Use Claim

The Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS) has finally reached the merits of a RLUIPA land use matter – sort of. To the extent the court touched on the RLUIPA questions in Mast v. Fillmore County on July 2nd, the overarching message from at least one justice was clear: RLUIPA protections are broad and local governments can infringe on religious liberties only as a matter of last resort.What

Amish Community Waiting to See if SCOTUS Will Review RLUIPA Claim

It appears as though another term of the Supreme Court will close without the high court evaluating a religious land use claim under The Religious Land Use and Institutionalized Persons Act (RLUIPA). An Amish community from Minnesota had asked the U.S. Supreme Court to consider whether state laws requiring the community to install septic tank systems in their homes violates RLUIPA. However, the Co

FBMJ Attorneys Win Change for Toxic Tort Causation Standards in Michigan

FBMJ Attorneys recently prevailed in convincing the Michigan Court of Appeals to require more stringent causation proofs from plaintiffs in toxic tort cases. The case will have far reaching consequences for all toxic tort cases, as the opinion brought causation analysis in Michigan toxic tort cases in-line with the causation analysis adopted by many other jurisdictions. This will provide all entit

Executive Order 2020-97 Requires Michigan Companies to Develop a COVID-19 Infectious Disease Plan by June 1, 2020, Or Within Two Weeks of Resuming In-Person Work

Governor Whitmer has built upon prior executive orders and clarified the process for returning to “in-person” work in Michigan via Executive Order 2020-97 (the “Order,” available here). The Order requires that by the later of June 1, 2020, or within two weeks of resuming in-person work, any company operating in Michigan must have its COVID-19 Infectious Disease Plan made readily available

FDA Says CBD is Illegal to Market & Possibly Unsafe

FBMJ attorneys Kim Sveska and Eric Nordan co-authored “FDA Says CBD Is Illegal To Market And Possibly Unsafe” published in the January 2020 issue of Michigan Pharmacist. The article concentrates on the legal uncertainty of the cannabidiol (CBD) products market.“FDA Says CBD Is Illegal to Market and Possibly Unsafe” discusses hemp and the confusion regarding its removal from the controlled

Is Your Vape Safe?

According to the Centers for Disease Control’s (CDC), as of January 21, 2020, 2,711 EVALI cases (e-cigarette or vaping product use-associated lung injury) or deaths have been reported to the CDC. There have been sixty (60) confirmed deaths in 27 states and the District of Columbia, including three (3) from Michigan. More deaths are under investigation. So far, 82% of EVALI patients reported usin

Attorneys Baron, Cortez & Nordan Co-Author Article for CLM Magazine – “The Path Forward For Cannabis”

FBMJ attorneys Richard Baron, Daniel Cortez and Eric Nordan co-authored “The Path Forward For Cannabis,” published in the December 2019 issue of CLM Magazine. The article focuses on legal and regulatory developments in 2019 that signal clarity and confusion for insurers.“The Path Forward For Cannabis” discusses a look back at the developments in the cannabis industry in 2019, including the