Knowledge Base

Knowledge Base

Michigan Personal Injury Law, Explained Plainly

Practical, plain-language guides written by Attorney Manny Chahal — covering the No-Fault rules, recent Michigan Supreme Court decisions, deadlines, and what to do in the first 72 hours after a crash. Updated for 2026 law.

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The 71 most-read guides for Michigan injury victims, updated for 2026.

After a Crash

What To Do After a Car Accident in Michigan

The steps that protect your health, your benefits, and your deadlines after a Michigan crash.

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Medical Bills

Will No-Fault Pay Your Medical Bills After a Crash?

Who pays your accident medical bills, how much, and what to do when an insurer refuses.

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Catastrophic Injury

What Is a Michigan Spinal Cord Injury Claim Worth?

How lifetime care, lost income, and pain and suffering combine to value a catastrophic claim.

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AI & the Law

Can Your Smartwatch Data Help Your Michigan Injury Claim?

Your Apple Watch or Fitbit data can prove, or sink, your injury claim. What to keep and what to never delete.

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AI & the Law

Should You Give the Adjuster a Recorded Statement?

Usually you do not have to, and AI now scans every word you say. How to protect your claim on that call.

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AI & the Law

Can ChatGPT Handle Your Michigan Injury Claim?

Where AI helps, where it quietly costs you money, and why a real lawyer usually pays for itself.

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Brain Injuries

Michigan Brain Injury Claims: What Is Your TBI Worth?

What a concussion or TBI claim can be worth, what PIP covers, and the closed-head injury jury rule.

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Auto Accidents

Hit by a Government Vehicle in Michigan? Your Rights

Suing after a city bus or government vehicle crash, and the 60-day notice trap that ends claims.

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Injury Claims

Pre-Existing Injury? You Can Still Win in Michigan

Why a pre-existing condition does not bar your claim under Michigan’s eggshell plaintiff rule.

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AI & the Law

Can Insurers Use Your Car’s Data Against Your Claim?

How event data recorders and insurer telematics scores are treated as evidence in Michigan crash cases, and how to challenge a closed-box driving score.

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AI & the Law

Can Insurance Use AI to Deny Your Injury Is Real?

When AI-assisted radiology findings count as proof of injury in Michigan no-fault and third-party claims, and where the reliability gaps are.

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AI & the Law

Insurer Flagged Your Injury Claim as Fraud? Read This

Why an insurer’s AI fraud score cannot bar your Michigan no-fault claim, what the law really requires, and how to respond to an SIU referral.

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Auto Accidents

Michigan Owner Liability: When Someone Else Drives Your Car

Lend your car and you can be on the hook for the driver’s crash. Consent, the family presumption, and the limits for rental companies under MCL 257.401.

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AI & the Law

AI Document Review in Michigan Discovery (TAR)

Technology-assisted review (predictive coding) measured against the Michigan MCR 2.302(B)(1) proportionality rule and the federal TAR cases, with the lawyer still owning the result under MRPC 5.3.

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AI & the Law

AI Medical-Record Summaries in Michigan Injury Cases

Using AI to summarize hospital records without trading away accuracy or confidentiality: ABA Opinion 512 verification, MRPC 1.1 and 1.6, HIPAA, and MRE 803(6).

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AI & the Law

AI Intake Chatbots and Michigan Advertising Rules

When an AI intake bot speaks for the firm: advertising versus solicitation (MRPC 7.1, 7.2(d), 7.3), supervision under MRPC 5.3, and duties to prospective clients (MRPC 1.18, 1.6).

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Evidence Law

Spoliation in Michigan: Preserving Evidence and Sanctions

Evidence has a way of disappearing. This guide explains Michigan's duty to preserve proof (Brenner v Kolk, 226 Mich App 149), the spoliation sanctions a court can impose including an adverse-inference instruction, and the practical steps that protect your claim.

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AI & the Law

AI Misdiagnosis in Michigan: Who Pays When Software Errs

When an AI diagnostic tool contributes to a missed or wrong diagnosis in Michigan, liability can run on two tracks at once: medical malpractice against the providers (MCL 600.2912a) and product liability against the software maker (MCL 600.2945, 600.2946). This guide covers both, the 2026 damage caps, and how fault is split.

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Damages

Michigan Medical Malpractice Damages Cap: 2026 Limits

A Michigan jury can award more for pain and suffering than the law allows a plaintiff to keep. This guide explains the 2026 noneconomic damages caps under MCL 600.1483 ($596,400 and $1,065,000), when the higher cap applies, and how the cap interacts with comparative fault and settlement setoffs.

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AI & the Law

AI-Drafted Demand Letters: Ethics for Michigan PI Lawyers

AI can draft a demand letter in minutes, but the lawyer owns every word. This guide covers ABA Formal Opinion 512 (2024) and the Michigan duties of competence, confidentiality, candor, and supervision (MRPC 1.1, 1.6, 3.3, 5.3).

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Damages

Michigan Collateral Source Rule: How MCL 600.6303 Cuts Awards

A verdict can shrink after trial. MCL 600.6303 reduces economic damages by collateral-source payments, but lien-backed and subrogated benefits and life insurance are excluded, and pain-and-suffering is never reduced.

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AI & the Law

AI in Jury Selection: Voir Dire Risk in Michigan (2026)

Jury-analytics tools score the venire, but a discriminatory strike is still the lawyer's responsibility. This guide covers ABA Formal Opinion 517 (2025), Batson and J.E.B., and MCR 2.511 in Michigan.

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No-Fault & PIP

Michigan Assigned Claims Plan: PIP When No Insurer Pays (2026)

When no no-fault policy applies, the Michigan Assigned Claims Plan provides PIP benefits through the MAIPF. This guide covers eligibility under MCL 500.3172, the $250,000 cap, the one-year notice deadline, disqualifications, and the fraud bar after Estate of Williamson v AAA (2024).

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Pedestrian Accidents

Michigan Pedestrian Accident PIP Priority: MCL 500.3114(2) in 2026

A pedestrian struck by a vehicle in Michigan claims PIP through their own or a resident relative’s household policy first under MCL 500.3114(1). This guide walks the priority list, hit-and-run rules, 2026 crosswalk amendments, and the three deadlines that quietly extinguish pedestrian claims.

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AI & The Law

AI-Generated Evidence in Michigan Courts (2026)

Deepfakes, AI-cleaned dash-cam, AI-summarized records: MRE 901 authentication and FRE 707 reliability govern admissibility.

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AI & The Law

AI Insurance Claim Denials in Michigan No-Fault (2026)

Auto insurers are routing PIP claims through AI triage models. MCL 500.3148 attorney fees and the Uniform Trade Practices Act are the levers when those denials are unreasonable.

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AI & The Law

AI-Generated Evidence in Michigan Courts (2026)

Deepfakes, AI-cleaned dash-cam, AI-summarized records: MRE 901 authentication and FRE 707 reliability govern admissibility.

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AI & The Law

AI Insurance Claim Denials in Michigan No-Fault (2026)

Auto insurers are routing PIP claims through AI triage models. MCL 500.3148 attorney fees and the Uniform Trade Practices Act are the levers when those denials are unreasonable.

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AI & The Law

AI Chatbots Posing as Lawyers: Michigan UPL Risk (2026)

Generative AI chatbots that draft demand letters and predict outcomes carry real unauthorized-practice-of-law exposure under MCL 600.916, and consumers relying on them get no privilege and no malpractice protection.

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Current Law

Michigan Motorcycle Accidents: No-Fault PIP Priority (2026)

A motorcycle is not a “motor vehicle” under Michigan no-fault. After a March 2026 Court of Appeals decision, an injured rider can reach a lower-priority insurer once a higher cap is spent.

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Current Law

Seat Belt Defense & the 5% Cap

Adjusters love the seat belt excuse — Michigan law caps the reduction at 5%. How MCL 257.710e works, the Klinke product-liability exception, and the settlement math.

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Current Law

Out-of-State Accidents & Michigan PIP

Crashed in Ohio, Florida, or Ontario? MCL 500.3111 usually carries your PIP benefits across the border — but the 2019 reforms narrowed who qualifies.

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Case Law

Self-Driving Car Crashes: Who Pays?

After the $243M Autopilot verdict: how Michigan no-fault, the automated-vehicle statutes, and product liability divide responsibility when driver-assistance software fails.

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Action Guide

Minor Settlements & MCR 2.420 Approval

Every minor’s settlement needs a judge’s approval under MCR 2.420 — and over $5,000 means a conservator. The hearing, the money rules, and the mistakes to avoid.

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Action Guide

Attractive Nuisance & Child Injuries

MCL 554.583 shields landowners from trespasser claims — except when a child is hurt by an artificial condition. The five-element statutory test, explained.

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Evidence Law

Crash Reports & Privilege: MCL 257.624

The UD-10 is inadmissible at trial. Officer testimony, party admissions, bodycam, EDR data, and convictions are the routes around the privilege.

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No-Fault Death Benefits

PIP Survivor’s Loss: MCL 500.3108

$7,201/month through 9/30/26, three-year track, dependents only. Layered with wrongful death — no PIP subrogation against the tort recovery.

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Recreational Vehicles

Snowmobile Liability: MCL 324.82101

The NREPA chapter governs sled crashes, not the Vehicle Code. Operator duties, parental consent under 324.82128, RUA defense, and no-PIP rule.

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Construction

Construction Site Injury: Common Work Area Doctrine

Ormsby’s four-element test plus the 2024 El-Jamaly easing of the third element. Worker’s-comp exclusivity, the MCL 418.827 subrogation lien, and MIOSHA proof points.

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No-Fault PIP

PIP Replacement Services: The $20-Per-Day Rule

MCL 500.3107(1)(c)’s $20/day cap, the three-year clock, and the family-provider rate evidence that wins these claims at carrier denial.

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Case Law

AI Accident Reconstruction (MRE 702 After 2024)

How the 2024 MRE 702 amendment and the Daubert factors apply to AI reconstruction engines in Michigan PI cases.

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Case Law

Michigan Negligent Entrustment (Perin v. Peuler)

The four elements; how knew-or-should-have-known is proved; why entrustment reaches beyond cars to firearms, boats, and ATVs.

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Current Law

Michigan PIP Coordination of Benefits (MCL 500.3109a)

Coordinated vs. uncoordinated PIP, workers comp / Medicare / Medicaid / ERISA priority, and the one-year-back trap.

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Current Law

Michigan Boating Accident Law (MCL 324.80157)

Owner liability, wake-and-swell rule, and the no-fault gap that reshapes every Michigan watercraft injury claim.

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Action Guide

Michigan ATV/ORV Accident Liability (MCL 324.81131)

Government immunity carve-out, Recreational Use Act overlay, and how an ATV crash claim differs from a car case.

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Current Law

CO Poisoning Premises Liability

Michigan landlords face liability for CO poisoning when their MCL 125.1504f detector duty or common-law HVAC maintenance duty failed. Three-year SOL; wrongful death applies for fatal exposure.

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Action Guide

Rideshare PIP After 2019 PA 21

Uber and Lyft crashes split into three insurance periods. Out-of-state passengers and Period-1 drivers fall through the gap most often. MCL 500.3114 controls priority.

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AI & The Law

AI Medical Coding in PIP UR

Generative AI now drives CPT/ICD coding on both the provider and carrier sides of Michigan PIP. MCL 500.3157 and 500.3157a still control.

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Current Law

Workers’ Comp + Third-Party Tort

MCL 418.131 makes comp the exclusive remedy against the employer. Third-party tort claims run against everyone else, subject to the comp carrier’s lien under MCL 418.827.

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Current Law

Recreational Use Immunity

MCL 324.73301 bars ordinary-negligence claims against landowners hosting outdoor recreation. The gross-negligence carve-out keeps a narrow door open.

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Current Law

Michigan Nursing Home Negligence: MCL 333.21765 (2026)

Resident-rights versus medical-malpractice tracks, the two statute-of-limitations clocks, damages caps, and how Michigan families identify the right cause of action.

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AI & The Law

AI Voice Cloning Insurance Scams Targeting Michigan Injury Claimants (2026)

Voice-clone fraud has crossed from financial scams into PI claims. Mechanics of the scam, what real Michigan adjusters and counsel never ask, and the verification disciplines that defend against it.

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Action Guide

Michigan Hit-and-Run: UM Coverage & the Police Report Trap (2026)

Two coverage doors run in parallel after a hit-and-run: MACP PIP and your own UM policy. Missing or late police reporting is the most common reason both fail.

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Current Law

Michigan Texting & Distracted Driving Civil Liability (MCL 257.602b)

The 2023 rewrite of MCL 257.602b broadened the prohibition to holding or using almost any mobile electronic device. How the citation feeds the civil tort case under MCL 500.3135.

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AI & The Law

AI Social Media Surveillance in Michigan Injury Claims (2026)

Insurance carriers now feed claimant names into AI tools that scrape Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, wearables, and family check-ins at intake. Here is what those systems collect, how Michigan courts treat the evidence under MRE 901 and MCR 2.302, and the spoliation trap that ends more claims than the surveillance itself.

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AI & The Law

AI Chatbots Giving Legal Advice in Michigan

MCL 600.916, MRPC 5.5, the State Bar AI Workgroup, and the practical risks of ChatGPT/Claude/Gemini for Michigan injury questions.

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Current Law

Michigan IME Rights: MCL 500.3151

What Michigan no-fault claimants should know about Defense Medical Exams, the 2019 PA 21 examiner-qualification rules, and what happens if you refuse.

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Case Law

Michigan Slip & Fall After Kandil-Elsayed

The Michigan Supreme Court overruled Lugo in 2023. Open and obvious is now comparative fault, not a no-duty bar.

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Case Law

Michigan Serious Impairment: McCormick Test

How the McCormick three-part test decides Michigan auto-tort cases under MCL 500.3135.

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Current Law

Michigan PIP Deadlines: One-Year-Back Rule

How the one-year notice rule and one-year-back rule under MCL 500.3145 work post-2019 reform.

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Current Law

Michigan No-Fault Insurance: 2019 Reform Five Years Later

PIP-choice tiers, the Medicare opt-out, the medical fee schedule, and how the Andary v. USAA ruling protects pre-reform claimants.

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Case Law

Kandil-Elsayed: Michigan’s New Open-and-Obvious Doctrine

The Michigan Supreme Court overturned 22 years of Lugo precedent. Slip-and-fall cases now go to a jury — and comparative fault decides them.

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Action Guide

What to Do After a Car Accident: 7 Critical Steps

The first 72 hours decide most cases. Here is exactly what to do, what not to do, and which deadlines start running on day one.

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Deadlines

Michigan Statute of Limitations: When You Must File

3-year tort, 1-year PIP notice, 1-year-back rule, 120-day government notice. Miss any deadline and your case is gone — here is the full chart.

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Current Law

Comparative Fault: How Your Percentage Affects Recovery

Michigan’s modified comparative fault rule, the 51% bar on pain and suffering, and the math that decides what you actually recover.

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Catastrophic

Truck Accidents vs. Car Accidents: Why the Stakes Are Different

FMCSR violations, ELD downloads, $750k–$5M federal limits, and the seven defendants who can be on the hook in a tractor-trailer case.

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Current Law

Michigan Wrongful Death Claims

Who can file, who can recover, and what damages are available under MCL 600.2922 — including the saving provision and probate distribution.

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Current Law

Pedestrian Accidents: PIP Benefits Even Without Auto Insurance

The MCL 500.3114 priority chain, the Michigan Assigned Claims Plan, and how hit-and-run pedestrians still get benefits.

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AI & the Law (15)

15 guides on AI and Michigan injury law, updated for 2026.

AI & the Law

Is the Insurance Company Using AI to Lowball Your Offer?

Insurance carriers now run injury claims through software that scores your case for value before a person opens the file. Here is what your no-fault PIP and pain-and-suffering rights actually pay, the three signs your offer was set by AI, and the deadlines that can shut you out.

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AI & the Law

Could Your Doctor’s AI Notes Hurt Your Michigan Injury Claim?

AI scribes write the chart note your doctor signs after a Michigan crash visit. Insurers read every word looking for a way to deny your claim. Here is how to spot mistakes, correct the record under Michigan rules, and protect your PIP and tort case.

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AI & the Law

Did AI Cancel Your Michigan Auto Policy After a Crash?

After Sherman v Progressive (2026) and Meemic v Fortson (2020), Michigan limits what a carrier can do when an AI model decides to non-renew, rate up, or rescind your policy. Here is what PIP benefits you may still be owed and how the Assigned Claims Plan steps in.

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AI & the Law

AI Misdiagnosis in Michigan: Who Pays When Software Errs

When an AI diagnostic tool contributes to a missed or wrong diagnosis in Michigan, liability can run on two tracks at once: medical malpractice against the providers (MCL 600.2912a) and product liability against the software maker (MCL 600.2945, 600.2946). This guide covers both, the 2026 damage caps, and how fault is split.

Read →
AI & the Law

AI-Drafted Demand Letters: Ethics for Michigan PI Lawyers

AI can draft a demand letter in minutes, but the lawyer owns every word. This guide covers ABA Formal Opinion 512 (2024) and the Michigan duties of competence, confidentiality, candor, and supervision (MRPC 1.1, 1.6, 3.3, 5.3).

Read →
AI & the Law

AI in Jury Selection: Voir Dire Risk in Michigan (2026)

Jury-analytics tools score the venire, but a discriminatory strike is still the lawyer's responsibility. This guide covers ABA Formal Opinion 517 (2025), Batson and J.E.B., and MCR 2.511 in Michigan.

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AI & the Law

AI Note-Takers, Privilege & Discovery Risks in Michigan

AI meeting transcribers and note-takers are everywhere in Michigan practice. Recording a privileged conversation, storing transcripts on a vendor server, or sharing them in discovery can waive privilege under MRE 503 and MRPC 1.6. This guide covers the consent rules, vendor vetting, and the discovery exposure created by retained AI transcripts.

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AI & The Law

AI-Generated Evidence in Michigan Courts (2026)

Deepfakes, AI-cleaned dash-cam, AI-summarized records: MRE 901 authentication and FRE 707 reliability govern admissibility.

Read →
AI & The Law

AI Insurance Claim Denials in Michigan No-Fault (2026)

Auto insurers are routing PIP claims through AI triage models. MCL 500.3148 attorney fees and the Uniform Trade Practices Act are the levers when those denials are unreasonable.

Read →
AI & The Law

AI Chatbots Posing as Lawyers: Michigan UPL Risk (2026)

Generative AI chatbots that draft demand letters and predict outcomes carry real unauthorized-practice-of-law exposure under MCL 600.916, and consumers relying on them get no privilege and no malpractice protection.

Read →
Case Law

AI Accident Reconstruction (MRE 702 After 2024)

How the 2024 MRE 702 amendment and the Daubert factors apply to AI reconstruction engines in Michigan PI cases.

Read the guide
AI & The Law

AI Medical Coding in PIP UR

Generative AI now drives CPT/ICD coding on both the provider and carrier sides of Michigan PIP. MCL 500.3157 and 500.3157a still control.

Read the guide
AI & The Law

AI Voice Cloning Insurance Scams Targeting Michigan Injury Claimants (2026)

Voice-clone fraud has crossed from financial scams into PI claims. Mechanics of the scam, what real Michigan adjusters and counsel never ask, and the verification disciplines that defend against it.

Read the guide
AI & The Law

AI Social Media Surveillance in Michigan Injury Claims (2026)

Insurance carriers now feed claimant names into AI tools that scrape Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, wearables, and family check-ins at intake. Here is what those systems collect, how Michigan courts treat the evidence under MRE 901 and MCR 2.302, and the spoliation trap that ends more claims than the surveillance itself.

Read the guide
AI & The Law

AI Chatbots Giving Legal Advice in Michigan

MCL 600.916, MRPC 5.5, the State Bar AI Workgroup, and the practical risks of ChatGPT/Claude/Gemini for Michigan injury questions.

Read the guide

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