The BUSKLAW Newsletter

  DISCLAIMER: probably not the real Marley. Still cute.  Having just survived the dog days of a Michigan summer, it's only fitting that we discuss a case involving a dog: Marley, a Labradoodle. How this cute canine could be the subject of a lawsuit before Kent County Judge Christopher Yates is questionable, but hey, lawyers argue, and they actually get over paid for it! (Most dogs don't argue, except for Huskies ; my working hypothesis is that Huskies are just reincarnated trial lawyers.) The plaintiff in the case is  Bainbridge Labradoodles , a Labradoodle purveyor at  $3K per puppy. Defendant is Susan Viele, a Labradoodle aficionado. In June 2016, Bainbridge and Viele signed a "breeder agreement," under which Bainbridge loaned Marley to Viele until Marley yielded four litters of puppies that would go to Bainbridge for breeding or placement. Marley gave birth to seven healthy puppies in September 2016, but despite repeated attempts, that was all. And now the th...

As reported by MLive  and  ABC 12 News , famous interior designer Carleton Varney has sued the new owners of  Mackinac Island's famous Grand Hotel . ( Mackinac Island is also famous for its fudge , a guilty pleasure.) You would expect the lawsuit to be for breach of contract, i.e., the Grand Hotel's owners failed to pay Mr. Varney for his interior design services rendered. His relationship with the Hotel goes back about 43 years, and the Hotel was recently sold by its long-time family owners, the Mussers, to an international investment firm, KSL Capital Partners.    But there will be no pondering of any design contract's terms, no assessment of facts that may or may not constitute breach of contract, no rumination over contractual issues. Because Varney's lawsuit is for damages arising from first, age discrimination , and second, conversion of his personal property.  Although Varney's Complaint isn't available online (and a trip to the Washtenaw County Ci...