Opinion
SC: 163382 COA: 353164 SC: 163383 COA: 353165
04-22-2022
Spencer WOODMAN, Plaintiff-Appellant, v. DEPARTMENT OF CORRECTIONS, Defendant-Appellee. George Joseph, Plaintiff-Appellant, v. Department of Corrections, Defendant-Appellee.
Order
On order of the Court, the application for leave to appeal the June 24, 2021 judgment of the Court of Appeals is considered. We direct the Clerk to schedule oral argument on the application. MCR 7.305(H)(1).
The appellants shall file a supplemental brief within 42 days of the date of this order addressing whether: (1) they prevailed in full, and are thus statutorily entitled to attorney fees under MCL 15.240(6) ; (2) the Court of Claims abused its discretion when it reduced by 90% the attorneys’ fees awarded to the appellants based solely on the pro bono nature of Honigman LLP's representation, notwithstanding the Court of Claims’ factual findings that Honigman's hourly rates and the number of hours worked were reasonable; and (3) the Court of Claims clearly erred in denying the appellants punitive damages under MCL 15.240(7). In the brief, citations to the record must provide the appendix page numbers as required by MCR 7.312(B)(1). The appellee shall file a supplemental brief within 21 days of being served with the appellants’ brief. A reply, if any, must be filed by the appellants within 14 days of being served with the appellee's brief. The parties should not submit mere restatements of their application papers.