Dana's Dispatch: DTE power outage issues, law firm ordered to pay restitution, robo callers shut down & more!

[logo]( Michigan AG weighs in on DTE's power outage issues For some DTE customers, losing power after the ice storm and then again over the weekend has been a double whammy. CBS News Detroit Attorney General Dana Nessel said Monday the way DTE has handled the outages is unacceptable. "If I had to give them a grade. I guess I give them an F. I think they're failing," Nessel told CBS News Detroit. Nessel is the latest voice joining a chorus of elected leaders fed up with DTE's response to the power outages that left hundreds of thousands of customers in the dark. "To call this an inconvenience to people is really the understatement of the century, right?" Nessel said. "When you don't have power, you can't go about your daily life in any way, shape, or form." Nessel has been recommending to the Michigan Public Service Commission over the last four years to do more to ensure DTE puts its customers above its shareholders. [READ MORE]( Andres Gutierrez, WNEM (March 6, 2023) Michigan AG weighs in on DTE's power outage issues Retrieved from: [Michigan AG weighs in on DTE's power outage issues](   Bloomfield Hills law firm to pay restitution for criminal activity A Bloomfield Hills-based law firm charged with criminal activity for its debt collection practices was ordered Tuesday to pay $148,553 in restitution. Marc Fishman, president of Fishman Group PC, entered a no-contest plea in Oakland County court on behalf of his firm to the charge of maintaining a criminal enterprise, a 20-year felony, according to a news release from Attorney General Dana Nessel's office. The court granted immediate sentencing, which called for Fishman Group to pay the restitution to all debtors who were improperly garnished and not already paid back, plus $200 in court fees. "The perpetrators of these crimes represent some of the worst of what the legal profession has to offer," Nessel said in the news release. "For their own financial gain, these attorneys preyed on vulnerable people who lacked sufficient knowledge about the legal system." [READ MORE]( Kurt Nagl, Crain's Detroit (March 7, 2023) Bloomfield Hills law firm to pay restitution for criminal activity Retrieved from: [Bloomfield Hills law firm to pay restitution for criminal activity](   AG Nessel Celebrates the Expansion of Michigan’s Elliott Larsen Civil Rights Act to Protect LGBTQ+ Residents Against Discrimination Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel joined Michigan legislators on the state House floor to celebrate the expansion of Michigan’s Elliott Larsen Civil Rights Act (ELCRA) to encompass protections against discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity having been passed through both chambers of the state legislature. The bill now awaits the Governor’s signature to officially enshrine such protections in Michigan law. Attorney General Dana Nessel joins State Representative Matt Koleszar as he votes for the expansion of ELCRA ELCRA safeguards the civil rights of Michigan residents to be free from discrimination in employment, public accommodations, public services, housing and educational facilities. “This expansion of the Elliott Larsen Civil Rights Act will provide immediate enhanced dignity for thousands of Michiganders and further codify what was intended with its passage nearly 50 years ago: civil rights for all Michiganders to be free from discrimination in employment, public accommodations, public services, housing and educational facilities,” Nessel said. “As we’ve seen over the past year, it is imperative that in addition to securing these rights through court interpretation as my department was able to do with Rouch World, these rights must also be enshrined in Michigan law to help them withstand future legal attacks. I am proud that Michigan legislators are committed to making this a state that recognizes LGBTQ+ residents’ value, protects their dignity, and welcomes all.” [READ MORE]( Department of Attorney General (March 8, 2023) AG Nessel Celebrates the Expansion of Michigan’s Elliott Larsen Civil Rights Act to Protect LGBTQ+ Residents Against Discrimination Retrieved from: [AG Nessel Celebrates the Expansion of Michigan’s Elliott Larsen Civil Rights Act to Protect LGBTQ+ Residents Against Discrimination](   Michigan Senate votes to repeal state's ban on abortion The Michigan Senate has voted to repeal the state's abortion ban which dates back to the 1840s. The vote came along party lines. The Senate is voting on a package of four bills regarding the abortion ban. Two of them have been passed by 20-18 vote, effectively passing a repeal of the ban in the upper chamber of the Michigan legislature. Voting on the other two is expected to come Wednesday evening. The state House voted on a similar repeal last week. However, both bodies must now consider the other chamber's bills before they can head to Governor Whitmer's desk for her signature. Whitmer campaigned on repealing the ban in her re-election campaign. Attorney General Dana Nessel has released the following statement about the Senate votes: Today’s repeal of this antiquated law is a victory for millions of Michigan residents who, like myself, value bodily integrity and personal freedom. I am grateful that our legislators are listening to the will of the voters who passed Proposition 3 this past fall with overwhelming support. The people of this state can rest assured that their elected officials will not sit idly by in the wake of Roe v. Wade being overturned, and will fight to ensure that residents’ health, safety, and wellbeing is safeguarded from harmful legislation. [READ MORE]( WXYZ Detroit (March 8, 2023) Michigan Senate votes to repeal state's ban on abortion Retrieved from: [Michigan Senate votes to repeal state's ban on abortion](   Texas-based robocallers shut down by AG Nessel after targeting Michigan residents To help thwart some of the millions of robocalls received in the state, Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel shut down a robocall operation involving Texas-based businesses. Nessel announced Wednesday she won judgments shutting down the operation involving John Caldwell Spiller II and his business partner, Jakob Mears, the owners of Texas-based Rising Eagle Capital Group LLC in Austin and JSquared Telecom LLC in Houston, as well as Rising Eagle Capital Group, Cayman. The two men behind the operation directed billions of illegal robocalls to people across the country, according to Nessel's office in a Wednesday press release. In 2019 alone, they bombarded Michigan consumers with more than 42 million robocalls – including more than 19 million calls to people whose numbers were on the "Do Not Call" registry. "The National Consumer Law Center and the electronic Privacy Information Center estimate that over 33 million scam robocalls are made to Americans every day," Nessel said Wednesday. "And the businesses these defendants own were a big part of the problem. Permanently closing these businesses and preventing the owners from creating similar ones is an important step." Nessel's office sued Mears and Spiller in 2020, alleging they used their companies to flood people with robocalls about various scams involving extended car warranties and health care services. They also spoofed calls to mislead the call recipients. Mears and Spiller are now permanently banned from initiating or facilitating any robocalls, working in or with companies that make robocalls or engaging in any telemarketing. The court also ordered them to pay more than $244 million in fines, though the payments were suspended in favor of the permanent operational bans and because of their inability to pay, according to Nessel's office. [READ MORE]( Angela Mulka, Beaumont Enterprise (March 10, 2023) Texas-based robocallers shut down by AG Nessel after targeting Michigan residents Retrieved from: [Texas-based robocallers shut down by AG Nessel after targeting Michigan residents](   DTE president 1-on-1 talks recent power outages; AG Dana Nessel speaks out on solutions In Part 1, Trevor F. Lauer, president and COO DTE Electric is questioned about the massive power outages that SE Michigan has suffered the past two weeks. In Part 2, Attorney General Dana Nessel sounds off on how DTE can be held accountable. Charlie Langton, Fox 2 Detroit   Fruitport man arrested for threatening gun violence against state government officials An Ottawa County man faces felony charges after allegedly making threats of gun violence over the course of his appeal in a separate case against the State of Michigan, according to the Michigan Department of Attorney General's Hate Crimes and Domestic Terrorism Unit Wednesday. Appearing before the Michigan Court of Appeals 3rd District in Grand Rapids for a separate issue on Feb. 15, Daniel Callahan, 67, of Fruitport, asked "What is it going to take, somebody to get shot before the State acts on it?" unit officials said. On Feb. 23, Callahan filed a pleading in the same case stating that, if the Court of Appeals and Supreme Court didn't act lawfully, they and other entities would earn a "future Performance Award for 'MSU Stage Act 2, West Michigan 2023'," according to the department. “Threats of terrorism against our state residents cannot go unaddressed,” Attorney General Dana Nessel said. “Those who violate our laws intended to protect the operations and safety of those who administer our judicial system will be held accountable by my department.” [READ MORE]( Katie Sergent, News Channel 3 (March 8, 2023) Fruitport man arrested for threatening gun violence against state government officials Retrieved from: [Fruitport man arrested for threatening gun violence against state government officials](   KEEP IN TOUCH WITH DANA: [Facebook]( [Twitter]( [Instagram]( [Web Site]( Any donor history information in this email reflects what we have on file for this specific email address. If you have donated with a different email address, with a check, or with a spouse – thank you so much. We have that on file and cannot thank you enough for your support. Paid for by Friends of Dana Nessel Friends of Dana Nessel P.O. Box 11141 Lansing, MI 48901 United States If you believe you received this message in error or wish to no longer receive email from us, please [unsubscribe](.