Clinic Students Secure Federal Court Settlement

Wayne State University Law School would like to congratulate the Civil Rights Litigation Clinic on their recent settlement in a case that was being tried before Judge Avern Cohn of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan.

Third-year law student Katharine Orlowski and second year student Nick Suciu III had prepared all aspects of the case of a prisoner who was held in belly chains and leg irons and who was also denied any out-of-cell exercise during 276 days of confinement in the Montmorency County Jail.  The students were in the third day of trial when the Defendants settled the case.

The prisoner will receive a significant payment which is being kept confidential, and the Civil Rights Litigation Clinic will receive $30,000 in attorney fees.

The Clinic and this particular case are supervised by Daniel E. Manville, the staff attorney for the Clinic.  Mr. Manville praised Orlowski and Suciu’s hard work and noted the Court was impressed by their level of expertise and preparation.  “This is not only a victory for our client,” Manville said, “but cases like this gave the students excellent real-world experience that really impresses their future employers.  The Clinic is a win-win for both students and clients.”

The Civil Rights Litigation Clinic is one of five live-client clinics at the Law School that gives students real- world legal experience before they graduate.