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C R A I N ’ S D E T R O I T B U S I N E S S // O C T O B E R 3 1 , 2 0 1 6
Bankruptcy players to open office together
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Ŷ Defends claims of harassment, retaliation and discrimination, as well as FMLA and whistleblower claims. Ŷ Counsels employers on hiring, discipline and performance matters, wage and hour issues, employee leaves and accommodation requests.
By Kirk Pinho kpinho@crain.com
The two federal judges widely credited with Detroit’s so-called “Grand Bargain” during its Chapter 9 municipal bankruptcy case are starting a downtown Detroit office of
Ŷ Represents employers before the EEOC and various state agencies.
Judicial Arbitration and Mediation Services in April.
Gerald Rosen, the chief judge of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan and mediator in the bankruptcy case, and Steven Rhodes, who oversaw the case as the federal judge and has since retired from the bench, will start the local JAMS office with Clarence “Rocky” Pozza Jr., principal of Detroit-based Miller, Canfield, Paddock and Stone PLC.
Pozza, 67, was a managing director of Miller Canfield for 10 years and head of its litigation group for eight years and worked with Rosen before the latter’s appointment to the federal bench in 1990. Rhodes, who is transition manager for Detroit Public Schools overseeing its finances and operations, leaves his position Dec. 31 following election of a new school board, which in early January will be sworn in. Rhodes, 67, said they are “discussing the opportunity with other attorneys and judges” to join their JAMS office, but he declined to discuss that further. Rosen, 65, declined to comment because of judicial ethics policies. JAMS is a national company headquartered in Irvine, Calif., and London that has about 30 offices. It offers arbitration, mediation and alternative dispute resolution services. Rhodes and Pozza declined to say how large the Detroit office will be but said they are in negotiations for space. Detroit filed for bankruptcy protection on July 18, 2013, and exited it Dec. 10, 2014. One of the key points in the bankruptcy process was the “Grand Bargain,” which raised $816 million to pay for pensions and put art from the Detroit Institute of Arts collection in a public trust, out of reach of creditors.
Contact Bethany Sweeny at bsweeny@varnumlaw.com
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Grand Rapids
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Kalamazoo Ŷ Grand Haven
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Ann Arbor
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BANKRUPTCIES
Dustin Walsh
Detroit
Cyber threats are constant
Kirk Pinho: (313) 446-0412 Twitter: @kirkpinhoCDB
The following business filed for protection in U.S. Bankruptcy Court in Detroit Oct. 21-27. Under Chapter 11, a company files for reorganization. J Charles A Knight Inc. dba Charles Knight’s Marathon Service, 3610 West Road, Trenton, voluntary Chapter 11. Assets: $497,700; liabilities: $1,046,746.16.
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