ew.Co
CtIpitIIl News Service
LANSING - A litigation ex­
plo ion brought about by a
society mor concerned with
rip.ts tha.o duties has brought
Michigan Supreme Court to
De rul to move casea
rille requirca a cue
that is � before the court
W ar a·
right lou
p ,nota
duty�onclou
people-.
-oorot y
Comstock
Riley
m be decided by the end of
the foUowing term or else be
reargued.
The rule, hich went into ef­
fect on Oct. 1, will be imposed
on the Supreme Court. Similar
rules have already been im­
posed on the lower courts.
Supreme Court Chief Justice
Dorothy Comstoc Riley said
th justices felt they could not
. impose rule on the lower
court they re not willing to
ccept themselve .
L st ye r, the upreme
Court disposed of 2,254 cases
. out of 2,666 filed. Of th t num­
ber, only about 12 percent were
r
r
Ie dema
. I
d
ctually decided by the court,
The court refused to hear thC
majority of the remaining cases.
The Supreme Court has the
fiDal decisio on which cases it
will hear.
Riley said the "litigation ex­
plosion" stemmed from
ociety's concentration on
rights rather than re pon­
sibiliti .
We re a right-conscious
people, not a duty-ccncious
people", Riley said. " I really
think in retrospect it would have
been great if our Bill of Rights
had been a bill of rights and
doli "
Riley said e didn't think
the larger caseloads re the
result of too many lawyers.
"I don't blame the lawyers for
the problems that we have today
like some people do," Riley said.
Riley sai d young lawyer
should be made aware that a law
school education doesn't neces­
sarily need to be used in a tradi­
tionallaw practice.
Riley said there is a great
need Cor lawyers in corpora­
tions, business and government.
A law school education is al­
most, today, becoming what
B.A. was years ago, Riley said.
The new rules haven't mel
with complete acceptance,
however. There is concern th t
the u e could result in cases
. being rushed, .
When the rule changes were
first proposed earlier this year,
then- Michigan Bar President
Donald Reisig wrote an
editorial in the Michigan Bar
Journal expressing.his view.
"Weare being told that,
regardless of the unique charac­
tcristics and dimensions of in­
dividual cases, 90 percent of all
lawsuits in circuit court must be
completed in one year," Reisig
quic
ICHIGAN CmZEN Par 3
er re
olva
said. "One need not be a
Clarence Darrow to understand
the implications."
Riley said she doesn't feel,
however, that the rules will lead
to fewer cases being filed.
"In fact, if anything it will en­
courage them, because thcyU be
in and out faster," she said.
"We really have to get bac to
thinking that just because so­
and so bumped into me, must I
sue this time? Can I just forget
the offense and move on?"
..
�----------------�------------------------------------------------
Carrying a Heavy Load .
More than 2,000 cases a year have been filed ith the
. Michigan Supreme Court since 1984,
yet the Court only hears between �5 and 70 cases each year
3000
2500
1500
1985
1987
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I
J I
( t
J
�
1988
1989-
2000
-
o
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::l
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1000
1986
Court
500
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1984
RA KASL PHAIR
Heart ·di ease in Black community is target 0 . Wayne grant
DfrrROrr- Wayne County
Executive Edward H.
Mcnam r nnounced this
ee th t the County has
received funds from two sour­
ces totalling $240,000 to create
a coalition to combat high rate
of cardio ular disc in the
Black community.
Wayo County elected
to recei one-year grant from
the office of inority Health at
t e ichigan Department of
Public He th and a to-year
grant from the parallel office
within the u.s. De tment of
Health and Human Services
We know that the death rate
from cardiovascul r disease
and troke is 40% higher for
BI c than whites," t ted Mc-
amara. "Each year there are
hundreds, maybe thousands, of
preventable deaths, and these
gr nts will allow the Wayne
County Health Department to
take some important teps
toward reducing this seriou
problem."
The County's Health
Department will be the nucleus
of a comm unity coalition,
"Project LiCeBeat"; comprised
of over 60 he th and social ser­
vice agencies, colleges and
universities, hospit Is, chur­
ches, schools, and other com­
munity organizations.
Coalition members will iden­
tify Black adults with possible
risk factor Cor c rdiov cula
disease and refer these in­
dividuals to a health Depart­
ment team for comprehensive
screening and ris ppraisal, in­
cluding cho esterol, blood pres­
sure, blood sugar, weight, smok­
ing, and exercise.
Individuals with identi Jed
risk factors will be referred ad
to coalition members for rqedi­
cal treatment or health pr 0-
lion programs. Although the
screening will be Cree, the st
of medical and other he lth
care will be adjusted according
to individual circumstance r
We are particularly pleased
with th outpouring of com­
munity support Project Life­
Beat has received," commented
Assistant County Executive and
Health Officer, Vern ice Davis­
Anthony. "We have secured the
involvement of individuals rep­
re enting Focus: Hope for com­
munity outreach, the Detroit
Black ur e ' A ociation for
medical referr , United Care,
Inc. for he th prom ti n re er­
rals, the Detroit Association for
the Advancement of Dietetics
f 'nutrition and weight control,
and the University of Michigan
Scool of Public He lth for
project evaluation."
According to Anthony,
Project LifeBeat is just begin­
ning, butalrc dy a significant
number of community people
are involved and committed to
the success of this effort. "We
won these grants in part be­
cause of our long experience in
blood pressure screening, but it
will t e the full involvement of
many agencies and individuals
to m e the Cull involvement of
many agencies and individuals
to make project LiCeBeat -wor
a a community-based car­
diovascular ri k reduction
coalition," aid Anthony.
Project LifeBe t's activitie
will target th largely Black
citie of Highland P rk, Ink ter,
Ecorse, and River Rouge, but
will ccept any dull VI yne
County resident for cr enine.
Agencies and individual
wi hing to participate with
Project Lif B at in it goal (
r dueing cardi ov ular di -
e e in the Black community
should call the Wayn ounty
health I1epartment at 467-3374.