Distinguishing employees from independent contractors is a perennial issue for employers and courts alike. The Michigan Court of Appeals’ opinion in Elde v Castles Brothers, Inc, provides additional guidance on what makes a worker an “employee” under Michigan’s Worker’s Disability Compensation Act—even when that worker is listed as self-employed on 1099 tax forms. The panel…

The Michigan Supreme Court’s recent opinion in Whitman v City of Burton holds that the elements of a statutory cause of action must be discerned from the statute itself, not from dicta in judicial opinions. Thus, the Court of Appeals erred in Whitman by requiring an altruistic motive for a whistleblower’s claim even though the…