Lawsuit alleges harassment, bigotry, wage theft at Hamtramck restaurant

The lawsuit was filed by attorneys Tony Paris and John Philo with the Sugar Law Center for Economic and Social Justice in Detroit against the restaurant, Ulaj, the previous owner, and the manager, who was a brother of the previous owner. Ulaj is also publisher of the Hamtramck Review newspaper.

According to the lawsuit, Pokoj was fired in May after she raised concerns about the sexual harassment. She had worked at the restaurant from 2013 to 2019 and then came back in 2021.. 

"No steps were made to remedy the situation or ensure that Plaintiff Emily Pokoj or other female employees could work in an environment free from unwanted, inappropriate sexual comments and advances," the lawsuit said. … see full story at Detroit Free Press

Henry Ford Health System Will Require Workers To Get COVID-19 Vaccine

The executive and legal director of the Sugar Law Center for Economic & Social Justice, John Philo says even if employees do protest the policy, they don’t have much legal ground to stand on

“The federal EEOC [Equal Employment and Opportunity Commission] and other federal agencies have issued guidance on this,” he said. “But even in the absence of their guidance, it's hard to see where there's a real right that's being violated, if the policy is tailored with exceptions for legitimate religious [and medical] reasons.”

Philo believes more health systems will soon follow Henry Ford’s example.

“I think most employers are holding out hoping that people will get vaccinated voluntarily, and they won't have to set broad mandates. But I do think we will see more of this as the months progress.” … see full story at WKAR PBS/NPR

Judge: Companies can be sued over Michigan unemployment fraud fiasco

MiDAS is intentionally programmed "to make it difficult to get benefits," said Anthony Paris, the lead attorney for the plaintiffs.

Attorneys for the companies had no immediate comment on the ruling. The Michigan Attorney General's Office, which represents the state defendants, is "still reviewing the decision with our clients," spokeswoman Courtney Covington Watkins said. Officials at the Unemployment Insurance Agency did not immediately respond to questions about the ruling and the assertion from Paris that the false fraud problem is likely to recur amid the coronavirus pandemic, despite more human oversight. … see full story at Detroit Free Press

Court order temporarily halts sale of former Michigan State Fairgrounds site

On October 19 the State Fairgrounds Development Coalition [through their attorneys at the Sugar Law Center] filed a lawsuit against the city of Detroit and its mayor, Mike Duggan, claiming that the city did not follow state and city laws while selling the “largest parcel of contiguous public land” in Detroit. … see full story at Channel 4-Click On Detroit

Workers helping Midland flood cleanup allege in suit they were infected with coronavirus

John Philo, the executive and legal director of the Sugar Law Center in Detroit, said the negligence "exposed their workers and the greater community of Midland to a dangerous risk of spreading COVID-19. "These workers provide critical work that few are willing to perform," Philo added. "We owe them a debt of gratitude for helping our communities recover following natural disasters like the Midland flood. Instead, these companies treated them as disposable and did not undertake even the most basic precautions to which every employee is entitled to during the current pandemic." … see full story at Detroit Free Press

Lawsuit seeks to halt sale of State Fairgrounds for Amazon center in Detroit

The suit, filed by the nonprofit Sugar Law Center for Economic & Social Justice, alleges the city sold the land for less than it’s worth, and therefore the sale is subject to the Community Benefits Ordinance (CBO), which requires large-scale developers to negotiate benefits packages with neighborhoods. CBOs are required when the city offers tax incentives to developers or sells property below its market value.

The coalition alleges the city sold the land for $9 million, but it’s worth at least $11.1 million, according to a draft appraisal. The property is likely worth far more, the lawsuit alleges, because it’s based on an uncertified appraisal that “understates the fair market value.”

“The defendants have not properly determined the market value of the State Fairgrounds site,” the lawsuit states. … see full story at Metro Times

Employees Claim Adachi in Birmingham Is the Site of a Large COVID-19 Outbreak

As for the NLRB, the original case filed against Adachi was filed on Thursday, June 25. While its status is currently listed as open, Kraus shared documentation with Eater from the board’s regional director Terry Morgan stating that he has approved the withdrawal of the charge. Attorney Tony Paris told the Metro Times that he plans to file a second complaint with the NLRB claiming that Haug was taken off the schedule — effectively fired — for shooting video of the restaurant, discussing concerns with employees, and bringing those concerns to management. … see full story at Eater Detroit

Michigan unemployment system designed to slow payments working all too well

“MiDAS was programmed to assume people were guilty, and because of that programming, when it’s needed, people aren’t getting their benefits,” said Tony Paris, an attorney for the Sugar Law Center in Detroit that has sued Michigan over its unemployment system.

The state and its vendors have refused to disclose those algorithms, but court records and legislative testimony show that as recently as March 10, a claimant who made a mistake during filing could be accused of fraud for choosing from a multiple choice menu a seemingly innocuous explanation when seeking unemployment benefits: “I needed the money.” … see full story at Bridge Michigan