Daily Briefs

 Man sentenced to life in prison in son’s death 

MUSKEGON, Mich. (AP) — A western Michigan man has been sentenced to life in prison without parole in the death of his 2-month-old son.

MLive.com reports 41-year-old Anthony Casanova was given the mandatory punishment for first-degree murder on Monday in Muskegon County Circuit Court. A jury in September convicted him in the killing of 10-week-old Tyler in January 2013.
 
Casanova didn’t address the court before he was sentenced. Defense lawyer Fred Johnson says an appeal is planned.

Casanova said in a Norton Shores police interview that he bounced the baby head-first on an air mattress and twice squeezed him until he stopped breathing. He originally said he fell on Tyler after tripping over his dog, which a coroner said wasn’t consistent with the child’s injuries.
 

Court enters dispute over sledder’s death 

GRAND HAVEN, Mich. (AP) — The Michigan Supreme Court is stepping into a dispute between a western Michigan park commission and the family of an 11-year-old boy who died in a sledding accident.
 
The issue is whether the Duncan Park Commission is an arm of local government in Grand Haven. The Michigan appeals court said no and said the commission is not immune to a lawsuit.

Chance Nash of Nunica hit an obstruction at Duncan Park and died in 2009.

The appeals court says the park actually is private land, and the city of Grand Haven doesn’t make rules for it or maintain it.
 

‘Tips and Tools for a Successful Practice’ seminar offered by SBM

The State Bar of Michigan will present “Tips and Tools for a Successful Practice” from 9 a.m. to 4:45 p.m. on Tuesday, Nov. 4, at the State Bar’s Michael Franck Building in downtown Lansing.
 
The semi-annual seminar presents an excellent opportunity for solo practitioners and new lawyers to obtain practical information from colleagues who have effectively implemented law office management techniques and utilized economically-priced technology to improve the quality and efficiency of their law practices.

Registration costs $100 for lawyers who have been in practice for less than five years, and $125 for those who have practiced law for five years or more. The registration fee includes seminar materials, a continental breakfast and buffet lunch. Payment and the registration form, which can be downloaded from the SBM website at www.michbar.org/tipstools.cfm, must be received by Friday, Oct. 31. No walk-in registrations will be accepted. 

Participants can register online, fax the registration form to SBM at 517-372-5921, or mail it with a check or credit card payment to: Tips and Tools for a Successful Practice Seminar, State Bar of Michigan, ATTN: Finance Department, Michael Franck Building, 306 Townsend Street, Lansing, MI 48933-2012.
 
For additional information, contact Karen Spohn with the State Bar of Michigan Professional Standards Division at kspohn@mail.michbar.org or 517-346-6309.

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