Trial lawyers specializing in personal injury and civil litigation
Court overturns default based on fired employee's use of single-space pleadings and failure to file electronically
As many courts go "paperless" and mandate electronic filing, attorneys and clients who lack computer sophistication are encountering difficulty complying with mandatory rules. When John Carpenter's wrongful discharge claim against the City of Flint was dismissed by the Eastern District trial judge, the Court cited his counsel's failure to utilized double-spaced pleadings, his failure to e-file documents and the fact that he had not filed a pleading in five months. The higher court pointed out that he was not responsible for the five month pleading hiatus, and that the other issues did not warrant the sanction of dismissal. The case was reinstated and sent back to Judge George Steeh for futher action.