Local Success: September and October 2020

Joshua Rubin had success in September in two separate trials in the 72nd Judicial District Court (Port Huron). In the first case, the client was charged with domestic violence and driving while license suspended; the jury acquitted the client of domestic violence after a short deliberation. In the second case, Mr. Rubin’s client was charged with second-offense domestic violence; Mr. Rubin secured an acquittal, even though there was other-act evidence against his client. 

Jennifer France, Chief Public Defender in Chippewa County, had a CSC1 count dismissed at a preliminary examination. In another case, Ms. France’s client was found not guilty by reason of insanity in an arson case. In a third case, involving an 80-year-old with dementia accused of stealing tips from a restaurant table, Ms. France obtained a dismissal of a larceny in a building charge. Also, Ashely Ball, Assistant Public Defender, obtained a no seatbelt ticket for her client where the client had been charged with fourth-degree child abuse.

Mark Dobias, a contract attorney with the Defender Office, after a preliminary examination was able to get two charges of resisting and obstructing dropped to attempts.

Ian Kierpaul, in a 6.500 motion for relief from judgment, got one of his client’s larceny from a person convictions vacated. Mr. Kierpaul also, in a separate case involving a post-conviction motion for directed verdict acquittal, successfully obtained in September 2020 an order vacating four counts of felon in possession of a firearm and four counts of felony firearm, in the 10th Judicial (Saginaw County) Circuit Court.

by Neil Leithauser
Associate Editor