Attorney General
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BIENNIAL REPORT of the ATTORNEY GENERAL of the STATE OF MICHIGAN for the BIENNIAL PERIOD ENDING DECEMBER 31, 2014 BILL SCHUETTE ATTORNEY GENERAL AUTHORITY PRINTED BY EDWARDS BROTHERS, INC., ANN ARBOR, MICHIGAN – 2015 LETTER OF TRANSMITTAL To the Honorable Legislature of the state of Michigan: In accordance with the provisions of MCL 14.30, I submit the Report of the Attorney General for the biennial period of January 1, 2013, through December 31, 2014. BILL SCHUETTE Attorney General ii BILL SCHUETTE Attorney General A native of Midland, Bill Schuette graduated cum laude from Georgetown University, receiving a Bachelor of Science in the Foreign Service. Schuette earned his law degree from the University of San Francisco. Bill Schuette is one of the few individuals to have served in all three branches of govern- ment – executive, legislative, and judicial – as well as at both the state and federal levels. Bill Schuette was elected to three terms in the United States Congress. Following that, Schuette was named Director of the Michigan Department of Agriculture. During that time, he and his wife Cynthia founded the Michigan Harvest Gathering, to help feed the hungry. Afterwards, Schuette was elected to the first of two terms in the Michigan Senate representing the 35th District. During his eight years in the Senate, he served on several committees including the Judiciary Committee and the Gaming and Casino Oversight Committee. Upon completion of his Senate terms, Schuette was elected to the Michigan Court of Appeals and served for six years as one of 28 appellate judges in Michigan. For two years, he served as Senior Counsel at the law firm of Warner, Norcross and Judd. In 2010, Schuette was elected as Michigan’s 53rd Attorney General. Currently, Schuette serves as vice president of the Rollin M. Gerstacker Foundation and is a trustee of the Elsa U. Pardee Foundation. Bill is also a Fellow of the Michigan State Bar Foundation. Bill Schuette and his wife Cynthia are the parents of two children. CAROL L. ISAACS Chief Deputy Attorney General Chief Deputy Carol Isaacs received a Bachelor of Science degree from Michigan State University and a Juris Doctorate degree from Thomas M. Cooley Law School, Lansing, Michigan. She was admitted to practice law in 1993 and became Chief Deputy Attorney General in 2003. Prior to becoming Chief Deputy, Ms. Isaacs served in the legislature and in the execu- tive branch and was responsible for developing legislation and policy that had major social and economic consequences for the People of Michigan. AARON D. LINDSTROM Solicitor General Originally from Jackson, Michigan, Aaron Lindstrom is a graduate of the United States Military Academy at West Point and served in the Army for five years on active duty as a cavalry officer. After completing his service, he graduated from the University of Chicago Law School and clerked for the Hon. Jeffrey S. Sutton of the United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit. He then worked in the appellate and constitutional law practice group of Gibson, Dunn and Crutcher’s Washington, D.C. office, before returning to Michigan and continuing his appellate practice at Warner Norcross and Judd in Grand Rapids. He joined the Michigan Department of Attorney General in 2012 and was appointed Solicitor General in 2013. Aaron and his wife Sharon have four children. As Michigan’s 11th Solicitor General, Aaron Lindstrom represents Michigan in the United States Supreme Court, in the Michigan Supreme Court, and in other appel- late courts and oversees appellate matters for the state and its agencies. TABLE OF CONTENTS Letter of Transmittal ...................................................................................................ii Attorneys General of the State of Michigan..............................................................xi Register of the Department of Attorney General ....................................................xiii Thumbnail Sketches of Assistant Attorneys General ............................................xxiii Prosecuting Attorneys...............................................................................................liv Department of Attorney General Organization Chart ..............................................lvi Opinion Policy.........................................................................................................lvii Formal Opinions .........................................................................................................1 Executive Office .......................................................................................................72 Consumer and Environmental Protection Bureau and Division Reports .................74 Divisions: Consumer Protection; Corporate Oversight; Environment, Natural Resources and Agriculture including the Public Administration Unit; Finance; Health, Education and Family Services; Labor; Licensing and Regulation; Public Employment, Elections and Tort; Public Service; Revenue and Collections; State Operations; and Transportation Criminal Justice Bureau and Division Reports.........................................................90 Divisions: Alcohol and Gambling Enforcement; Child Support; Children and Youth Services; Civil Rights and Civil Liberties; Corrections; Criminal; and Health Care Fraud Solicitor General Bureau and Division Reports .......................................................96 Divisions: Solicitor General; Appellate; and Opinions Child Support Division Report of Prosecutions .....................................................101 Corporate Oversight Division Report of Prosecutions...........................................251 Criminal Division Report of Prosecutions..............................................................254 Health Care Fraud Division Report of Prosecutions ..............................................327 Numerical Table of Formal Opinions .....................................................................334 Index of Formal Opinions by Subject ....................................................................335 ix ATTORNEYS GENERAL OF THE STATE OF MICHIGAN APPOINTED DANIEL LEROY ................................................................................July 18, 1836-1837 PETER MOREY .............................................................................March 21, 1837-1841 ZEPHANIAH PLATT .........................................................................March 4, 1841-1843 ELON FARNSWORTH .......................................................................March 9, 1843-1845 HENRY N. WALKER .....................................................................March 24, 1845-1847 EDWARD MUNDY .........................................................................March 12, 1847-1848 GEORGE V. N. L OTHROP..................................................................April 3, 1848-1850 ELECTED WILLIAM HALE .............................................................................................1851-1854 JACOB M. HOWARD.......................................................................................1855-1860 CHARLES UPSON ...........................................................................................1861-1862 ALBERT WILLIAMS ........................................................................................1863-1866 WILLIAM L. STOUGHTON...............................................................................1867-1868 DWIGHT MAY ................................................................................................1869-1872 BYRON B. BALL1...........................................................................................1873-1874 ISAAC MARSTON..............................................................................April 1, 1874-1874 ANDREW J. SMITH.........................................................................................1875-1876 OTTO KIRCHER..............................................................................................1877-1880 JACOB J. VAN RIPER......................................................................................1881-1884 MOSES TAGGERT ...........................................................................................1885-1888 STEPHEN V. R. TROWBRIDGE2........................................................................1889-1890 BENJAMIN W. HOUSTON ..............................................................March 25, 1890-1890 ADOLPHUS A. ELLIS ......................................................................................1891-1894 FRED A. MAYNARD .......................................................................................1895-1898 HORACE M. OREN.........................................................................................1899-1902 CHARLES A. BLAIR .......................................................................................1903-1904 JOHN E. BIRD3...............................................................................................1905-1910 FRANZ C. KUHN4 ..............................................................................June 7, 1910-1912 ROGER I. WYKES ....................................................................September 6, 1912-1912 GRANT FELLOWS...........................................................................................1913-1916 ALEX J. GROESBECK .....................................................................................1917-1920 MERLIN WILEY5 ............................................................................................1921-1922