Most of my work is for people and companies who are not named here and should not be. This page describes the kinds of cases I have handled in over 15 years of state and federal litigation. I do not list clients, publish settlement amounts, or list cases that are still pending. Two appellate decisions are named because they are public record. My offices and practice areas are in the firm overview.
Criminal defense
I have defended people charged with misdemeanors and felonies in Michigan and Nevada. Criminal cases rarely make the news, so this page says little about them, but they are a core part of my practice. See the Grand Rapids and Las Vegas criminal defense pages.
Civil rights, police and jail cases
People come to me after an officer, a jail or a city did something it had no right to do. I have handled excessive force and in-custody death cases against the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department, detention cases, and claims against cities and state corrections officials. My first civil rights case was the death of a young man who was tased on the side of a Las Vegas highway. These are the cases I find most meaningful, because they reach past the client to everyone the next violation would have touched. See the Las Vegas civil rights and Michigan civil rights pages.
Class actions and consumer cases
Early in my career I was an attorney in class actions against some of the country’s largest banks during the foreclosure crisis, including Bank of America, and in the Lumber Liquidators class action over formaldehyde in the floors of Nevada homes. The Bank of America and Lumber Liquidators cases each became part of multi-district litigation. I was also an attorney in class actions for patients and families affected by a hospital tuberculosis outbreak, and for Nevadans caught in the failed rollout of the state health insurance exchange.
Employment
I have represented workers who were not paid what they earned, and employees who were harassed or discriminated against at work, in federal court.
Foreclosure and real property
Homeowners fighting loan servicers and trustees, in state court and in federal court. See the Las Vegas and Grand Rapids real estate pages.
Two appellate decisions
Rivera v. Corrections Corporation of America (CoreCivic), 999 F.3d 647 (9th Cir. 2021). A man was held for 355 days in a private detention center without a court hearing. The district court granted summary judgment to the operator. I obtained a reversal in the Ninth Circuit in a published opinion, holding that a jury could find the operator caused the prolonged detention. Courts in Nevada and other states have since cited the decision.
Zelaya v. Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department, 682 F. App’x 565 (9th Cir. 2017) (unpublished). The family of a man who died at the Clark County Detention Center sued the officers involved. The officers appealed the denial of qualified immunity, and I was counsel of record on the appeal. The Ninth Circuit affirmed, holding that a jury could find the force objectively unreasonable and a violation of clearly established law. This decision is unpublished and is not precedent.
Before you rely on any of this
Prior results do not guarantee, warrant or predict a similar outcome. Every case depends on its own facts and the law that applies to them. If you want to know whether I have handled a case like yours, ask me. Call (616) 213-3327 in Michigan or (702) 602-4990 in Nevada for a free initial consultation, or send the basics. More about me is on the bio page.