Lawsuit revived over man’s death in Macomb County jail
MOUNT CLEMENS (AP) — A woman whose husband died after a 300-pound jail officer knelt on his back has won a major decision in a lawsuit claiming he was the victim of excessive force.
An appeals court last week reversed key rulings by federal Judge Terrence Berg and reinstated the lawsuit against Macomb County officers. It means the case will go to trial or be settled.
Bronislaw Kulpa suffered a heart attack and died while handcuffed in the Macomb County jail in 2011. The 63-year-old was in a detox unit and had resisted efforts to be taken to a medical unit for evaluation.
Video shows Officer John Cantea kneeling on Kulpa's back while other officers watched but didn't intervene.
The appeals court says a jury “could reasonably find” that Cantea used excessive force.
Man cleared of rape in Grand Rapids awarded $817,000
GRAND RAPIDS (AP) — A Grand Rapids-area man who spent nearly 17 years in prison for a rape he didn't commit has been awarded $817,000.
Quentin Carter's conviction was thrown out in 2015 at the request of the Kent County prosecutor after new evidence emerged. He had already served his prison sentence.
Carter qualified for a state payment under a new state law that compensates the wrongly convicted if there's new evidence. He appeared in court Wednesday, along with former prosecutor Bill Forsyth.
Police believe Carter was wrongly accused because the rape victim feared the real attacker.
California’s top court to decide bar exam passing score
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — A decision on whether to lower the passing score on California's licensing exam for attorneys is now in the hands of the state Supreme Court.
State Bar officials on Wednesday voted to send the court three recommendations on the score amid an alarming decline in people passing the test.
One recommendation would reduce the minimum score on an interim basis from 144 to a little over 141. A second recommendation calls for a lower passing score of 139. A third option would leave the score as is.
The passage rate on California's July bar exam fell from nearly 62 percent in 2008 to 43 percent in 2016, mirroring a national trend.
The California Supreme Court has final say over the score. It's not clear when the judges will decide.
Maine’s ‘Passy Pete’ lobster predicts six more weeks of summer
BELFAST, Maine (AP) — A group of Mainers says Passy Pete the Lobster has predicted six more weeks of summer at an annual ceremony.
The crustacean has been fished out of the Passagassawakeag River for the past three years in a tradition modeled after famed groundhog Punxsutawney Phil's winter prediction in Pennsylvania.
David Crabiel and his business partner, David Brassbridge, thought up the eccentric ceremony as a way to have some fun.
Each year, Passy Pete picks a scroll to determine whether Maine will see an extended summer or be greeted by winter. This year's ceremony took place Monday.
Crabiel tells WLBZ-TV Pete's been right the past two years.
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