DIRS.INFO The most relevant business & tech news

☆ A federal judge threw out a lawsuit seeking to block student-loan forgiveness for over 800,000 borrowers
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-14 | by ( Ayelet Sheffey | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

A federal judge dismissed a lawsuit to block student-debt relief from income-driven repayment plans. Last week, conservative-backed groups filed a lawsuit to block relief for 800,000 borrowers. On Monday, Judge Thomas Ludington in the Eastern District of Michigan Northern Division ruled that a lawsuit seeking to block $39 billion in debt relief for 800,000 borrowers lacks standing and is dismissed. The ruling means that — barring other legal challenges — the Education Department will continue looking at borrowers' income-driven repayment accounts every two months to determine if they qualify for debt relief, and those who do not want the debt relief will have the option to opt out. Borrowers can also apply for the SAVE Plan before federal payments resume — a new income-driven repayment plan intended to make borrowers' monthly payments cheaper.

Persons: Joe Biden's, Judge Thomas Ludington, Lundington, Public Relations Holly Wetzel, Biden Organizations: Service, Eastern District of Michigan Northern Division, New Civil Liberties Alliance, Cato Institute, Mackinac Center for Public, Education Department, Public, Mackinac Center's, Public Relations, SAVE Locations: Wall, Silicon, Eastern District

☆ Woman Lied to Buy Firearms for Son Who Later Threatened Politicians, U.S. Says
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-10 | by ( Chang Che | More About Chang Che | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

A Michigan woman has been charged with lying to buy firearms that were found in March with her 30-year-old son, who was arrested that month after making death threats online against President Biden and Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, federal agents and prosecutors said. In an indictment unsealed on Tuesday, the woman, Michelle Berka, 56, was charged with five counts of knowingly making false statements to firearm dealers in 2022. Specifically, prosecutors said, Ms. Berka said that the weapons she was buying were for her when, in fact, they were meant for someone else. Among the firearms that Ms. Berka bought were a semiautomatic pistol, a 12-gauge shotgun and two rifles, including a semiautomatic rifle similar to an AK-47, prosecutors in her case said.

Persons: Biden, Gretchen Whitmer, Michelle Berka, Berka, Randall Berka Organizations: U.S, Eastern, Eastern District of, AK Locations: Michigan, Eastern District, Eastern District of Michigan

☆ Eight Months Pregnant and Arrested After False Facial Recognition Match
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-06 | by ( Kashmir Hill | More About Kashmir Hill | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

After being charged in court with robbery and carjacking, Ms. Woodruff was released that evening on a $100,000 personal bond. The ordeal started with an automated facial recognition search, according to an investigator’s report from the Detroit Police Department. Ms. Woodruff is the sixth person to report being falsely accused of a crime as a result of facial recognition technology used by police to match an unknown offender’s face to a photo in a database. All six people have been Black; Ms. Woodruff is the first woman to report it happening to her. “And it’s happening anyway.”On Thursday, Ms. Woodruff filed a lawsuit for wrongful arrest against the city of Detroit in U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan.

Persons: Woodruff, ”, Clare Garvie Organizations: Detroit Police Department, Detroit’s, Police, National Association of Criminal Defense, Eastern, Eastern District of Locations: Wayne, Detroit, U.S, Eastern District, Eastern District of Michigan

☆ A conservative group filed a lawsuit to block $39 billion in debt relief for 800,000 borrowers on income-driven repayment plans
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-04 | by ( Ayelet Sheffey | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Conservative groups just filed a lawsuit to block Biden's latest student-debt relief effort. Last month, Biden announced $39 billion in relief for 800,000 borrowers through an adjustment to income-driven repayment plans. Last month, the Education Department said it would be automatically canceling $39 billion in student debt for 804,000 borrowers as a result of changes to the department's income-driven repayment plans. The relief was for borrowers who have completed the necessary 20 or 25 years of qualifying payments. They argued that as nonprofits, "unlawful cancellation of student-loan debt reduces the amount of a borrower's PSLF-cancellable debt and thus reduces the amount by which PSLF benefits qualified employment."

Persons: Biden, Joe Biden's, —, Biden's Organizations: Service, New Civil Liberties Alliance, Cato Institute, Mackinac Center for Public Policy, Education Department, Court, Eastern, Eastern District of Michigan, Department, Public Locations: Wall, Silicon, Eastern District

A spokesperson for defendant Blue Cross Blue Shield Association declined to comment on pending litigation. A representative from Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan also declined to comment. The lawsuit seeks to bar Blue Cross Blue Shield's alleged anticompetitive conduct, and it also seeks triple damages and other remedies. Ford's lawsuit said Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan is the country's ninth largest insurer based on its 4.5 million enrollees. The case is Ford Motor Co v. Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan Mutual Insurance Company and Blue Cross Blue Shield Association, U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan, No.

Persons: Ford, Travis Mihelick, Mike Scarcella, Leigh Jones Organizations: Ford Motor, Blue, Association, Ford, Shield Association, Circuit, Appeals, Shield, Michigan, Ford Motor Co, of Michigan Mutual Insurance Company, U.S, Eastern, Eastern District of, Thomson Locations: Detroit, Michigan, Alabama, Atlanta, Eastern District, Eastern District of Michigan

☆ A conservative group just asked a federal court to end the student-loan payment pause immediately — partly because 'some junior associates at major law firms saw their six-figure salaries increase' du
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-11 | by ( Ayelet Sheffey | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Conservative nonprofit Mackinac Center asked a federal court to immediately end the student-loan payment pause on Thursday. The ongoing payment pause is currently set to end this summer. In April, the group filed its initial lawsuit against the Education Department to end the pause and prevent a further extension. Additionally, in Thursday's complaint, the group claimed that not every student-loan borrower required the relief the payment pause brought. Nationwide debt relief that fails to distinguish between the two groups provides an unlawful windfall to the latter.

☆ Biden nominates four more judges in D.C., Michigan, Pennsylvania, Connecticut
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-03 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/2] U.S. President Joe Biden hosts a reception to celebrate Eid al-Fitr, at the White House, in Washington, U.S., May 1, 2023. REUTERS/Leah Millis/File PhotoWASHINGTON, May 3 (Reuters) - President Joe Biden nominated another four federal judges on Wednesday, including two women of Asian descent who would be the first such U.S. judges on their court or in their state. The Senate, which Biden's fellow Democrats narrowly control, must approve the candidates, who were nominated to posts in Michigan, Pennsylvania, Connecticut and Washington, D.C., according to a White House statement. Republicans had blocked Democrats' efforts to temporarily replace Feinstein on the committee, which approves federal judges before they go for a vote before the full Senate. So far, the Senate has confirmed 122 of Biden's nominees to lifetime posts on the federal courts, according to the White House.

May 1 (Reuters) - A federal judge in Detroit on Monday threw out a jury verdict ordering Ford Motor Co (F.N) to pay Versata Software Inc $104.6 million for breaching a 2004 licensing contract and misappropriating trade secrets. He also said jurors had no basis to determine how long Ford would have needed to develop three trade secrets it allegedly stole, and that this also required voiding the damages award. Leitman ordered Ford to pay Versata $3 for breach of contract. "Overturning a jury verdict is difficult by design," Leitman said in a 51-page decision. The case is Versata Software Inc et al v Ford Motor Co, U.S. District Court, Eastern District of Michigan, No.

☆ A nonprofit just joined forces with a major student-loan lender in asking a federal court to end the payment pause, saying the relief has limited the 'financial incentive' to work in public service
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-06 | by ( Ayelet Sheffey | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

A nonprofit filed a lawsuit on Thursday to end Biden's student-loan payment pause and prevent another extension. It comes after SoFi Bank filed a lawsuit last month to end the payment pause. The lawsuit targets Biden's continued extensions of the student-loan payment pause, and it asks the federal court in the Eastern District of Michigan to end the current pause and prevent Biden from issuing a further extension. As a result, Biden extended the student-loan payment pause, with waived interest, through 60 days after June 30, or 60 days after the Supreme Court issues a final decision on the relief's legality, whichever happens first. The bank cited revenue loss that is said was directly caused by the continued payment pause extensions.

☆ Trump's indictment doesn't just depend on Michael Cohen, involves more than one paid-off woman, and allegedly happened when he was president
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-04 | by ( Madison Hall | John L. Dorman | Brent D. Griffiths | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

State attorneys and former prosecutors worried that Trump's indictment would solely revolve around Michael Cohen as a witness. But Trump's indictment depends on more than Cohen — the NY DA alleges Trump paid off another woman, too. Mark Bederow, a former prosecutor, previously told Insider that resting an indictment of this caliber solely on Cohen would be disastrous. "You wouldn't rely on Michael Cohen to tell you the time of day unless you corroborated it with a clock. Like Daniels, prosecutors allege that Trump, Pecker, and Cohen teamed up to silence former Playboy Playmate Karen McDougal in June 2016.

☆ Manhattan DA lawyers feared Stormy Daniels case against Trump was too weak to bring without other criminal charges, report says
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-29 | by ( Jacob Shamsian | Natalie Musumeci | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Manhattan DA lawyers worried about indicting Trump over "hush money" payments to Stormy Daniels. In order to convict Trump on felony charges, prosecutors would need to prove Trump intended to commit or wanted to conceal a separate crime through the payments. But a judge might believe the Manhattan district attorney's office is overreaching by enforcing federal law. If the case gets to a jury, jurors may wonder why federal prosecutors didn't bring charges against Trump, or they might not believe Cohen's testimony. A representative for the Manhattan district attorney's office didn't immediately respond to a request for comment.

☆ The Manhattan DA's likely case against Trump would be far from a 'slam dunk conviction'
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-23 | by ( Sonam Sheth | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +8 min

New York state prosecutors have never brought an election law case involving a federal campaign, per NYT. If the DA's office brings a criminal case against Trump, it would be far from a "slam dunk conviction," one ex-prosecutor said. Among the charges Trump could face is violating New York's business records statute, which bars individuals from falsifying business records with an intent to defraud. Some legal experts have pointed out that New York has a long history of bringing felony prosecutions based on falsifying business records. If Trump is charged with falsifying business records, "expect to see this defense."

☆ Michigan man arrested after alleged threats against governor, Biden
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-11 | by ( Kanishka Singh | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

March 10 (Reuters) - A Michigan man was arrested and charged with illegal ownership of firearms after he made death threats against Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer and President Joe Biden, the U.S. Justice Department said on Friday. Federal agents, after receiving an online tip this week from YouTube owner Google (GOOGL.O), uncovered threats posted on YouTube, which also included threats to members of the LGBTQ community and FBI agents, according to a criminal complaint filed in U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan. Berka, 30, illegally possessed four firearms, three long guns and a pistol, the Justice Department said. The Justice Department said that among statements Berka posted were: "im going to kill these democrats biden deserves to die" and "im gonna kill lgbt freaks." At his initial court appearance on Friday, a federal judge ordered Berka to be detained pending another hearing on March 15, CNN reported.

☆ Trump claims documents found at Mar-a-Lago were empty folders labeled 'classified' that he'd kept because they were 'cool'
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-18 | by ( Sonam Sheth | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Trump claimed that government records seized from Mar-a-Lago last year were empty folders marked "classified" or "confidential." He went on to say that he kept the "ordinary, inexpensive folders" because they were a "'cool' keepsake." He added: "Remember, these were just ordinary, inexpensive folders with various words printed on them, but they were a 'cool' keepsake." Documents seized by FBI at Mar-a-Lago. Following that discovery, Biden's legal team undertook an "exhaustive" search and uncovered a second batch of classified documents at another location, NBC News reported last week.

☆ Biden's mishandling of classified records isn't as legally perilous as Trump's, but may pose serious national security risks
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-11 | by ( Sonam Sheth | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +9 min

Trump's former White House lawyer told Insider that AG Garland should appoint a special counsel to investigate Biden. A source familiar with the matter told CNN that Lausch has finished the initial part of his investigation and presented his preliminary findings to Garland. Still, he criticized the White House for waiting more than two months to disclose the existence of the inquiry. "It appears that at least two of the aggravating factors, obstruction and willfulness, are present in the Trump case, but absent in the Biden case." Cobb, Trump's former White House counsel, went further, saying that drawing a distinction between the two cases is akin to "putting lipstick on a pig."

☆ Trials, pardons, prison time: How Trump's legal woes could play out and what it means for 2024
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-26 | by ( Sonam Sheth | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +15 min

The warrant also indicated that the Justice Department was investigating whether Trump violated three federal laws, including the Espionage Act, related to the handling of national security information. Here are some possibilities:The investigations conclude with no charges filedIn the US's 250-year history, no ex-commander in chief has ever faced criminal charges. In all, the former president, if convicted, would be facing up to 33 years of incarceration, according to legal experts. That begs the question: If Trump is charged, convicted, and winds up in prison, can he still run for president in 2024? He made headlines during his presidency for wondering why he couldn't have "my guys" at the "Trump Justice Department" do his bidding.

Photo of Neil Walter included in an FBI affidavit file in federal court in connection with criminal charges against Michigan man seen in fotos for threatening FBI director and member of Congress. A Michigan man who owns a registered handgun was arrested for making death threats against FBI Director Chris Wray two weeks after making similar threats against Democratic Rep. John Garamendi of California, according to a federal court filing released Tuesday. The man, identified as Neil Matthew Walter, was charged with transmitting in interstate commerce a communication containing a threat to injure another person. You're gonna die," the voicemail said, according to an affidavit by an FBI agent attached to the complaint. Walter then "placed the handgun in the pocket of his hooded sweatshirt but kept his hand over the firearm during police contact."

Photo of Neil Walter included in an FBI affidavit file in federal court in connection with criminal charges against Michigan man seen in fotos for threatening FBI director and member of Congress. A Michigan man who owns a registered handgun was arrested for allegedly making death threats against FBI Director Chris Wray two weeks after allegedly making similar threats against Democratic Rep. John Garamendi, of California, according to a federal court filing released Tuesday. The man, identified as Neil Matthew Walter, was charged with transmitting in interstate commerce a communication containing a threat to injure another person. You're gonna die," the voicemail said, according to an affidavit by an FBI agent that was attached to the complaint. Walter then "placed the handgun in the pocket of his hooded sweatshirt but kept his hand over the firearm during police contact."

NEW YORK, Oct 27 (Reuters) - A federal jury in Detroit ordered Ford Motor Co (F.N) to pay Versata Software Inc $104.6 million in damages for breaching a 2004 licensing contract and misappropriating trade secrets. More than $82.2 million of the jury award was for breach of contract, with the remaining $22.4 million for trade secret misappropriation. Versata's damages expert testified that the company suffered $59.9 million in trade secret damages. The litigation began in April 2015, when Ford sought a court order that it did not infringe Versata's intellectual property. The case is Versata Software Inc et al v Ford Motor Co, U.S. District Court, Eastern District of Michigan, No.

☆ Some DOJ prosecutors believe they have enough evidence to charge Trump with obstruction in the Mar-a-Lago records case: report
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-20 | by ( Sonam Sheth | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Some prosecutors believe there's enough evidence to charge Trump with obstruction in the Mar-a-Lago case, Bloomberg reported. The feds executed a search warrant at Trump's Mar-a-Lago home in Florida in August. Conviction on this count carries a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison. Conviction on this count carries a maximum penalty of three years and disqualification from holding public office. Conviction on this count carries a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison.

Search resuls for: "Eastern District of Michigan"

20 mentions found